Mikhail Sholokhov`s Contribution to Country and Russia`s Response to the Writer
презентация к уроку по английскому языку (8, 9 класс) на тему

Mikhail Sholokhov`s Contribution to Country and Russia`s Response to the Writer

Slide 1.  There are many famous writers who were born in different parts of our country and our Rostov region is not exclusion. Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov was born on May, 24, 1905, in the village of Kruzhilin, Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya. He was not only an outstanding writer but also a great person who was not indifferent to the usual people`s life. Today we are going to talk about the writer`s contribution to the Russian culture and Russia`s response to Sholokhov.

Slide 2. Mikhail Aleksandrovich described the life of people in Don region. He always thought about their fate. He said: “I was born on the Don, grew here, went to school, developed into a personality and writer…Being a patriot of my powerful country I am proud to say I am a patriot of my native Don land”. He was a real patriot and as we will see he made a lot for his native land and here on the whiteboard you can see his other words: «My sweet bright native land! All our boundless sons` love is for you, all our thoughts are with you». So let`s see what M.A. Sholokhov made for his land and what Russia made for him.

Slide 3. First of all, we should not forget that M.A. Sholokhov was not only a great writer, he had got many medals and awards in the other fields. He was twice the Hero of Socialist Labour, he was awarded with six Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Order of the Great Patriotic War of the first degree. He got many medals, such as a medals for “For Defending Moscow”, “For Defending Stalingrad”, “For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “For Valorous Labour in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, “Twenty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945”, the gold medal named after A.A. Fadeyev, the gold medal “To Fighter for Peace”.

The writer got awards not only in Russia but also abroad:  the order of “Big Gold Star of Peoples’ Friendship” (the German Democratic Republic), the order of Sukhe-Bator (Mongolia), the order of Georghiy Dimitrov (Bulgaria), the order of “Kirill and Mefodiy” of the first degree (Bulgaria).

As for literature, his achievements are great here. M.A. Sholokhov was laureate of :

-the Lenin Prize
-the USSR State Prize
-the International Prize of Peace in the field of literature of the World Peace Union
-the International literature prize “Sofia”
-the Literature prize “Gold Ear” (Poland)
-the International “Lotus Prize” of the Writers’ Association of Asia and Africa.

Slide 4. The greatest award that M.A. Sholokhov received is, of course, the Nobel Prize. In the history of Russian literature only 6 writers had such honour to receive the Nobel price, they are: Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (1933), Boris Leonidovich Pasternak (1958), Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (1970), Joseph Brodsky (1987). M.A. Sholokhov was the third Russian Nobel prize winner in Literature in 1965 "for the artistic power and integrity with which, in his epic of the Don, he has given expression to a historic phase in the life of the Russian people”.

Slide 5. As it was already said, the writer was interested in simple people`s life. He made a lot for his native land.

He constructed the water supply system in  Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya, made everything possible for building of the 160 km asphalt road from Millerovo to Vyoshenskaya.

He decided that it is better to process meat at the place of its production and that is why the meat processing plant was built in Kashary.  

Moreover, we tried to help every person who asked him for help. He received hundreds of letters every day and had to read them, if some letter contained request for help, he did everything possible to be helpful. For example, from his personal letters we can see that he asked his friend who worked in the institute to help only boy to enter this institute.  He gave some people money for building their house and there are many suchlike examples.

Slide 6. The writer continued to make contribution to Russia even after his death.  The writer died in 1984 and in 1987 his family presented the house, where M.A. Sholokhov lived since 1949 till 1984, to the country. So, the house became the museum.

Slide 7. All the rooms and all the furniture in them remained the original. Here we can see his cabinet, his bedroom, the dining room and many other rooms. One of the most interesting things, in my opinion, is the collection of matryoshkas, that were gifted to the writer as the symbol of his family. Also on the picture we can see the last cigarette that the write smoked. After his death, his wife, Maria Petrovna, saved it and put the calendar with the date of writer`s death and the watch that stopped at time of his death near the cigarette.

Slide 8. Now let`s see how Russia and Russian people treat the writer now.

The Russian people still appreciate M.A. Sholokhov and organize annual festival devoted to the writer. The first festival was held in 1985. In 1987 it became Russian national and in 1990 it got the status of international holiday.

Annually in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya a holiday of “Sholokhov Spring”, an all-Russia literary and folklore holiday devoted to the birthday of M.A. Sholokhov, takes place. In 2005, at the 100th anniversary of M.A. Sholokhov Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya was visited by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

The guests of the festival become not only viewers, but also participants of the concerts, performances, song and dance contests, sport competitions.

“Sholokhov Spring” has its traditions. On Friday noon a children’s holiday “Vyoshenskiye Vesnushki” begins in the stanitsa’s square. In the library meetings with writers and poets are held, in the evening in the Place of Culture a gala-concert of masters of arts and amateur groups takes place. The best folk groups from different parts of the world act on the Vyoshenskaya stage. The performers from Ukrain, Moldavia, Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Italy, France, Austria come to meet here.

Saturday begins with a procession of folk groups wearing national outfits flowing along the streets singing and dancing. On the square of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya a fair is set out, where articles of arts and crafts are presented, and in the model Cossack houses (“kurens”) Cossack men and women offer their guests to try various Don treats and to sing and dance. On the three stages of the stanitsa the performances take place and at the stadium sport competitions are held. The climax of the holiday is a grand gala-concert on the main stage on the Don and a stunningly beautiful firework.

On Sunday big races take place.

In memory about “Sholokhov Spring” the guests take with them bright impressions about the holiday as well as various souvenirs.

Slide 9. We can find the memory about writer everywhere. Thus, M.A. Sholokhov`s name was given to the asteroid 2448, the streets in Moscow, Rostov-on-Don, Aksay, Alma-Ata, Boguchar. Admirers of the talent of M.A. Sholokhov set up monuments connected with the name of the writer in different parts of our country. You can see several of them at the writeboard.

Slide 10. Anyway,  M.A. Sholokhov is a writer first of all and The sculptures of many M.A. Sholokhov`s books personages have been made. Here some of them are presented.

Slide 11. Russian people still appreciate M.A. Sholokhov.

2005 was officially declared M.A. Sholokhov`s year.

M.A. Sholokhov`s name was given to Moscow State University for Humanities.

In 2009 the pine forest was planted in Uralsk (Kazakhstan) in memory of M.A. Sholokhov.

Leonid Kolesnikov selected Sholokhov`s lilac sort.

The stamps with the portrait of the writer were printed.

The Bank of Russia made a silver coin devoted to the writer`s 100 anniversary.

Slide 12. As you have seen M.A. Sholokhov made a great contribution not only to the Russian literature but also to the life of  simple people.Russia will always appreciate him and his works.

Tasks:

I. Answer the questions

1. What was new for you about M.A. Sholokhov?

2. How many were there the Russian Nobel prize winners in Literature?

3. You have seen sculptures of M.A. Sholokhov`s books personages. What other suchlike sculptures have you seen and where? (There is a sculpture of Grigory and Aksiniya and sculpture of Shchukar in the park of Belaya Kalitva).

4. How long is “Sholokhov`s spring” celebrated? What is held during these days?

5. What made the greatest impression on you in this presentation?

II. Imagine that your foreign friend asked you to help him/her to write a report about M.A.Sholokhov. What would you tell about writer?

III. Write a little composition, explaining Sholokhov`s words “My sweet bright native land! All our boundless sons` love is for you, all our thoughts are with you”.