![]() The dehumanizing atmosphere of the gulag ironically forces prisoners to discover means to retain their individuality while conforming to the stringent rules, spoken and unspoken, of the camp.Īlthough the setting of the novel is foreign to most high school students, the themes of Ivan Denisovich provide a strong connection to what these students value. Camp prisoners rely almost totally on each other's productivity and altruism, even for the most basic human need, food. The conditions of the camp are harsh, reflecting a world that has no tolerance for independence. The novel concentrates on one man, Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, as he attempts to survive another day in a Soviet concentration camp, or gulag, with dignity and humanity. Not only does it fit thematically with other works typically studied in a literature curriculum, but it corresponds quite will with a world history curriculum, reinforcing a cross-curricular approach. ![]() One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (sol ¢ zhen its ¢ in) is an excellent reading choice for high school students. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |