Prompt writing, 13 January 2011: The Cherry Orchard
Chekhov’s tone in The Cherry Orchard has been described as one of compassionate irony. In other words, through his characterization, he seems to empathize with nearly all of his characters’ struggles, even while he gently satirizes or critiques their behavior.
Choose one or two characters (a different character from the one you analyzed on Tuesday for your prompt), and explain how Chekhov achieves this balance between irony and empathy – how does he blend their virtues and deficiencies to create poignant and believable individuals? Use at least three direct quotations from the text, including page numbers.
NOTE – correct integration of quotes
It is never correct to allow a direct quote to stand alone in your paragraphs without being connected to one of your own sentences. See the following examples of quotation integration (not relevant to today’s topic):
CORRECT:
Lopakhin has an assortment of conflicting emotions with regard to Liubov and her family. When Liubov returns from Paris, he tells her, “my father was a serf in your father’s time, and before that he belonged to your grandfather, but you – you alone – you were always so good to me that I no longer think about that, and I love you like my own flesh and blood . . . more than my flesh and blood” (14). Later in the text, however, he calls her and Gaev “the most irresponsible, the strangest, most unbusinesslike people [he’s] ever met” (34).
INCORRECT:
Lopakhin has an assortment of conflicting emotions with regard to Liubov and her family; this is shown by what he tells her when she returns from Paris. “[M]y father was a serf in your father’s time, and before that he belonged to your grandfather, but you – you alone – you were always so good to me that I no longer think about that, and I love you like my own flesh and blood . . . more than my flesh and blood” (14). Later in the text, however, he says some bad things about her and Gaev. “[Y]ou two are the most irresponsible, the strangest, most unbusinesslike people I’ve ever met” (34).