East or West, Russia Is Best: итоги конкурса на лучшее эссе среди студентов, обучающихся по программе «Переводчик в сфере профессиональной коммуникации»
КОНКУРСЭССЕ
В ноябре кафедра ИИАЯ провела традиционный конкурс на лучшее эссе на английском языке среди студентов, обучающихся по программе «Переводчик в сфере профессиональной коммуникации».
Среди 60 конкурсных работ лучшим признано эссе Евгении Черной (5-15). Второе место поделили Алексей Типунин (5-2) и Андрей Шечков (1-41м), а звание лауреата конкурса присуждено Ольге Молодкиной (5-23). Эссе победителей публикуются ниже.
East or West, Russia Is Best
Evgenia Chernaya
Group 5-15
We live in a very ambiguous time. Serious confrontation is hidden under the mask of external stability and prosperity. This struggle is being waged not only by force, but also by mass media and the Internet. The mass propaganda is everywhere. Taking into account the objectives, it is conducted in all countries. Due to the recent events, anti-Russian sentiment has extremely increased. The world community perceives the image of our country like some kind of a beast. But a coin has two sides: while other countries’ discontent, aggression and hatred to Russia were growing, the sense of patriotism and national pride in our country began to grow stronger again. Many people begin to believe in the exceptional nature of Russia. Of course, it's almost impossible to compare our country and the rest of the world. However, let us try to see the strengths of Russia.
So, how can I show that our country is really the best one? If you approach this question in a serious way, it’s necessary to identify a list of criteria that reflect the political, economic, technological and intellectual position of our country in the world. But then, guided by the result of the comparison, you’ll probably make a disappointing conclusion, forgetting that the figures and comparative analysis can be deceiving. To find the strengths of our country, you need to consider them using your heart.
What makes our country so special? Of course, the first thing I want to mention is the land. Our country occupies a huge territory indeed. But I would like to emphasize not only the extent of the Russia’s territory, but also the uniqueness of its position. Our country is located in both western and eastern parts of the continent, thereby combining East and West, Europe and Asia. And this combination, sometimes very controversial, can be seen throughout the history of our country, in each of its features. In contrast to the wise, but insidious and hypocritical East and the pragmatic West which appreciates cold calculation and the benefit most of all, Russia lives guided by its heart. It isn’t always beneficial, but it does make our country the most attractive one!
Besides, our country has an ancient history. Foreign historians, though hard as they tried to belittle the historical role of our country, to take our national identity away by casting our nation in a negative light, will not succeed as long as we believe in the opposite. They call Russia a savage and aggressive country, even though Russia is extremely peaceful , and in comparison with the others our country waged mostly defensive wars.
In my opinion, the most important advantage of our country is its inhabitants. A Russian person is truly unique. Some features of our nation can cause confusion, some - boundless admiration. But it is important to note that all Russian people are inextricably linked with their country. These are unique ties which are almost unbreakable. That’s why it is so difficult for a Russian person to live in another country. Recently I have seen the movie "Poddubnyi." I think, in this movie the encounter of a big Russian soul and pragmatic America is shown very clearly. Eventually, the protagonist leaves this "land of opportunity" and returns to his homeland.
It’s worth noting that in Russia there are two concepts: the state and the homeland. People are never satisfied with their state, its rulers, the political system and so on. But love for their homeland has developed the Russian people as a special nation. In time of need only this strong feeling could help, it really worked wonders. Nowadays, unfortunately, this feeling is slightly weakened. We are increasingly merging with the total global mass losing our identity. But not everything is lost. The love of their homeland lives in hearts of many people, young people.
Like every country Russia has a number of problems and disadvantages, but for today, in fact, our country is the freest country. We have our own opinion, we are not zombified by the mass media, and we are not under their control. Yes, our life is hard, but it makes us stronger. No matter how much we dislike our government, it gives us more freedom than in the European and Asian countries.
To sum up, Russia has both advantages and disadvantages. The same situation can be seen in every country. It turns out that our question remains open. But I want to point out the following thing: to decide which country is better, you should just ask yourself a simple question. Where do you want to live? Where do you want to raise your children and grandchildren? And despite of all the advantages of Europe and Asia which upon closer inspection also have a number of shortcomings, I would confidently reply that I want to live in Russia, in my country. And no comparisons and arguments will affect my mind and heart.
by Andrew Shechkov,
group 1-41м
What does it mean for you to be Russian? I suppose it is quite an interesting question, and what is more important it is a very relevant question nowdays. The whole world tries to persuade us that Western culture represented by the United States and European countries is a guarantor of the peace and prosperity for the entire population of the globe. Do you really think this is true? It is rather doubtful. That is why we should not forget about who we are and who our ancestors were. And most importantly, we should not forget that our right to be called the Russians is not a burden, but a sacred gift and a privilege granted to us. If you have any doubts, I will try to help you to cast aside your worries, and it will became clear that Russia is one of the most beautiful and unique countries that has ever existed on the Earth.
First of all, Russia is the largest country in the world stretching from the shores of the Black Sea to the Pacific Ocean. The territory of Russia is almost four times bigger than the entire territory of the European Union. Therefore, it is not surprising that our country has such a multinational population. And, of course, all the peoples who inhabit the territory of our country are very different, but, nevertheless, we all bear the proud name of Russians - not only Slavs, but also Tatars, Kalmyks, Kazakhs, Yakuts, Buryats, Caucasians, Armenians, Georgians and so long, and so forth. Yes, we all are unique, and we all have our own traditions and we are proud to keep them, but together we are one big happy family. Of course, as any family, sometimes we have difficulties, but we always try to overcome them, and we have coped with all our problems so far.
Secondly, Russia is a country with the most beautiful and unique nature. And again, it is the result of the existence of the Russian vast expanses which cover almost all climatic zones from the permafrost to the subtropics. Our country is rich in mountains, such as the Caucasus and the Urals. It is on the territory of our country where there are the most full-flowing and significant rivers in the world: the Volga, the Ob, the Yenisei, the Irtysh, the Lena, the Amur, etc. The boundless Russian steppes stretch for hundreds and thousands of kilometers from Europe to the Far East. Many Europeans even cannot imagine how boundless the expanses of our country are. They cannot imagine what it is like to stand in the middle of the field and not to see the end and edge of this raging ocean of green. Under such conditions the main character traits of Russians were formed: goodness, unselfishness, affability, kindness. In general, we are the nation of “open heart” and "wide soul", just like our boundless country.
Thirdly, I would like to mention some other qualities of our nation and our people which show why we should be proud of being Russians. Throughout the different periods of the history, the fate tried to test our nation, and we had to become daring, farsighted, careful, selfless and brave. This happened because Russia has always been, and still is to some extent, a kind of guardian, an insurmountable barrier for many generations of conquerors. On the one hand, the Russians were the very nation who protected the territory of Western Europe from the attacks of nomadic tribes of Middle and Central Asia, from Mongols, Turks and the hundreds of other big and small nations. On the other hand, our ancestors always protected Asia from different invasions of the European conquerors. They protected the Eastern civilization from invasions of the tribes of the northern barbarians, the Swedes, the Austro-Hungarian and the German invaders, and, of course, from the French conquerors, under the leadership of one of the most ambitious military leaders in the history of mankind, who wanted to rule the empire stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, Napoleon Bonaparte. Speaking about the battles our ancestors passed through and were able to survive, we cannot but remember about the most terrible, bloody and ruthless war which has ever been faced by the humanity. And I’m talking about World War II. Only in our country, it has its own name - the Great Patriotic War. And this war deserves this title. Our fathers and mothers, our grandfathers and grandmothers tried to defend their own country, their homeland, their children, their lives. They protected the very right for existence of such a great nation as Russian. And they did it, they showed the whole world that our nation never gives up. We suffer, endure the pain, but gathering up all our courage, we can overcome any difficulties and hardships that arise on our life path. Our ancestors proved not only our right to exist as a nation, but also they saved almost all European countries from the oppression of fascism.
But at the same time, Russia was not only a barrier between Europe and Asia, but also a kind of transit point, a bridge between these two different cultures. The Russian people absorbed the traditions of both civilizations, Western and Eastern; they rethink the values of these cultures in the context of their own knowledge and experience. That is why we are the nation that shares the fundamental values of Americans and Europeans, but at the same time we understand the traditions of the Eastern countries and sometimes they are much closer to our view of the world than the Western ones. We are tolerant to some extent, but not to the point of absurdity, what is typical for the Western countries nowadays. Nevertheless, we honor the traditions of our ancestors, and sometimes it is not easy for us to accept something new, what is peculiar to the Eastern culture. Throughout the history of Russia, we had considered ourselves firstly as Asians then as Europeans, until we came to understanding that we are neither one nor another. We are Russians. We are the nation that combines the best qualities of both cultures, of Western and Eastern civilizations at the same time. And a striking example of this fact is the “heart” or even the “soul” of the Russian culture. Now I am talking about a city, and it is not Moscow as you might think. This city has a proud name of St. Petersburg. This is the place of tremendous beauty. Having been there once, you want to go back there again and again, and each time it does not stop amazing you. Hundreds and thousands of museums, exhibitions, expositions, monuments of architecture typical for both Western and Eastern culture - all these merged into a single entity, into one magnificent city. Just as the different cultural peculiarities, at first sight contradicting to each other, merged into one nation. In us. In Russians.
In conclusion, I would like to say that as every nation in the world, we have good times and bad times. And in future, the history will show us to which of them we should refer the present situation. In the modern world, some countries are trying to expose Russia as an aggressor, as a kind of tyrant which tries to enslave everyone and everything. They want to isolate us from the world, to make everybody believe that we are guilty of all mortal sins. But it’s not true. We have overcome many more sophisticated troubles before, and we have become only much stronger and much more united. Despite all the streams of slander which are now pouring on our country from everywhere, I want to say that we should not forget about who we are and who we have always been. Moreover, I am infinitely proud that I can rightfully name myself as Russian and that my children will live here, in this greatest country. And no matter what, but for me it will always be a true fact that «EAST OR WEST , RUSSIA IS THE BEST».
Olga Molodkina
group, 5-23
Russia is a country which is located in two parts of the world at once. This brings up the question: whether Russia is east or west, whether it unites or divides two so different parts. From my point of view, Russia is neither eastnor west. Russia is a unique country uniting main ideas and ideals of both east and west.
First of all, look at the map. One third of the territory belongs to the Eastern Europe, and the rest belongs to Asia while European Russia has 78% of population. Not every country can impress with the variety of so different climatic zones, forests, mountains, high flat lands, animals and birds species. Russia is described in many poems and songs as a beautiful country with its wonderful nature, vast expenses and snowy winters. All this thanks to the combination of its eastern and western parts. One can alsonotice that Russia is adjacent to all major world civilizations, which, of course, partly affect Russia’s culture.
But Russia is a multinational society which managed to unite representatives of more than 100 nations, nationalities and ethnic groups from east and west. Thus, in terms of culture Russia is also a unique country.
Still the entwinement is so strong that even nowadays there is no consensus between politicians which is the main policy direction.
Aleksey Tipunin
group 5-2
Nowadays, international situation in the world is very difficult and complicated. Russia is under economic and political pressure. It is not clear what consequences will be in general for all the country, but it is obvious that our economy experiences rather difficult time in its history. Therefore, in these tough times we have to unite and not allow outside forces to divide and destroy us. Some people say that Russiais not a good place to live. However, I believe that our country is the best place to live for Russians, and I have some arguments to prove it.
Russia is our homeland. We are all Russians and speak Russian. Moreover, the spirit of this country, cultural values and norms are bred-in-the-bone. I suppose it is part and parcel of every person, though he may not even understand that. It is clear that our mind is formed in our childhood, and we became adapted to this environment. It means that in general to fulfil your potential is easier here. To my mind, only fellow citizen friend can understand your feelings and emotions fully. It is the so-called cultural identity.Therefore, Russia is the best place to live because it procreated us.
Our country is vast and majestic. It has various nature and climatic zones. From theCuronian Spit of Kaliningrad to the geysers of the Kamchatka Peninsula, there are plenty of things to surprise you. Russia has inexhaustible mineral wealth. Most foreigners are afraid of our Siberia, cold and bears. In addition to that, we have a great history. Probably there are many controversial issues in it, but you should agree it astounds you when you examine details of historical peripeteia. Neither the East nor the West can boast about such heritage.
In many countries higher education and healthservices are very expensive. Many people take loan to pay their tuition fee, and students’ parents save money the most part of their life for this purpose. The same with medicine, not all people around the world can afford high-quality health services. Therefore, in spite of the fact that our Russian services are often criticized severely, I think that we are lucky to have relatively free education and medicine. We had great schools of thought and good doctors, we have this heritagenowadays, but we have to move forward and develop what we have. It is the main aim.
Thus, you can see that Russia is a country, which is worth living. There is no country in the world, which has such rich nature and history. It is our homeland and we feel the most comfortable among the same people as we are. Besides, we have some benefits of free health and educational systems. I believe that we should appreciate what we have, and do the best we can to push our country forward for prosperity of the next generations.
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