Thursday, February 3, 2011

Anton Chekhov: Gossip's Impact on Society

One of the big ideas in the story A Slander by Anton Chekhov has to do with gossip. Gossip is something that most of us deal with in our lives all the time, but we often fail to think about its impact on the people around us or why we partake in it.

For this blog entry, consider the following questions:
  1. Why do you think the wedding guests do not believe Ahinyenev’s story about the kiss?
  2. Do you think they prefer scandal?
  3. Do you think this quickness to gossip is a common human trait? Why or why not?

When answering the questions, be sure to use examples from the story and your life to support your reasoning.

Rubric
Proficient – all questions thoroughly answered, each answer is supported with evidence from the text or your life that is cited, each answered with 4 – 6 sentences
Non-proficient – all questions are not answered, each answers lacks support with evidence, answers are less than 4 sentences

9 comments:

Tha Greatest Connect said...

The wedding guests did not believe the story aboout the kiss because Sergei had a wife. Also, they had enough common sense to know that he wouldn't go around and spread slander on his own name.

The people did prefer scandal over slander. They did because after he told everyone the word got out to his wife. If not, his wife would have not known and would have not smacked him.

Yes, it is a common trait. Some people just need something to talk about. That's what conversation is mainly about. If it isn't about your own personal life, its about someone else's.

Sara D said...

1. They dont believe Ahineyevs story about kissing Marfa because he keeps trying to cover it up. Also he goes around saying Vankin is going to tell you I kissed Marfa its all a misunderstanding.

2. No I dont think they prefer scandal because Vankin didnt tell anyone he spread the rumor himself.

3. No it is not a common human trait. You dont have to gossip people just do. People usually do it because they are jealous or are having a bad day. Or they simply might just not like the person.

m.delrossi said...

1)Maybe because Ahinyenev mighty have done something in the past or lied about something. Also, the wedding guests mighty just want to sound cool oor something.
2)It depends on who spreads the gossip around. Also, it depends on what kind of person they are and how they handle these measures/rummors.
3)I think it isn't a human trait because some people do not like rummors and don't spread any rummors. Some people don't mean to spread gossip, it just happens or slips out.

Anonymous said...

1.) The wedding guests didn’t believe Ahinyenev’s story for many reasons. One reason is that at one point in the story he had intoxicated himself, then switched up and modified his story. Another is that he seemed so caught up in sort of trance of guilt almost that he told everybody a version of the story till at one point he began telling a lie, what he was trying to prevent in the first place. These are the main reasons for why they didn’t believe him.
2.) The wedding guests do not prefer the scandal. The scandal would make him look better yet if he kept his story straight he would be in so much of a position

Not Done yet!!!

Ortiz, Dabriel said...

1.Well i dont think that they believe his story about the kiss because he went around and said that nuffin really happined. When he did that they thought he was guilty of the situation. Because the guy vankin really nerver said nuffin so he juzt made everything worse.
2. I think that they really didnt want all that scandel at the wedding because itz a wedding nobody wants there wedding too be a scandel people always want it 2 be perect
3.I think tht the quickness to human trait iz a human trait becuase everybody likes to talk bout anything that happens or about something they here about a person

husstle hard said...

the reason why none of the of the wedding guests believe him is because if u go around telling somebody that you didnt do something emediatly they are going to think you are lying because why would you deny something that no body has heard something about. so the guests got suspicious and started to spread the word that hine had been kissing the cook. the word spread and his wife found out and she slapped him. so if hine hadnt told every hine then the whole thing could have been settled smoothley but he had to gossip about himself and get him self in trouble.
yes, gossip is a human trait because no matter who you are you have gossiped about something or some one.

Anonymous said...

1.) The wedding guests didn’t believe Ahinyenev’s story for many reasons. One reason is that at one point in the story he had intoxicated himself, then switched up and modified his story. Another is that he seemed so caught up in sort of trance of guilt almost that he told everybody a version of the story till at one point he began telling a lie, what he was trying to prevent in the first place. These are the main reasons for why they didn’t believe him.
2.) The wedding guests do not prefer the scandal. The scandal would make him look better yet if he kept his story straight he wouldn’t be in such a position as to harm his reputation. Keeping himself sober would have been the smartest thing to do f he felt he should regain his pride because he thought it was tarnished. In which it wasn’t. All in all there was no need to be self conscious about Vankin speaking badly of him.
3.) I believe the hurry to gossip about everyday things isn’t natural for humans at all. If gossip was natural there would be no such thing as a trust worthy friend through our universe. Without friends or at least a trust worthy adversary the human race would become lonely and eventually die off. For some people it’s the environment that chooses whether or not they “gossip” or not. I believe in that certain environment the human integrated would believe gossip is a way to conquer boredom. Our race, at least in the US, can become bored with a daily routine and begin developing new ways of making themselves feel less bored. This is what I think of as natural with gossiping with the human race.

kyle i said...

1. I think that the guests did not want to beleive his story by choise. they would rather beleive the gossip over the truth. Because it was more interesting to them. more fun for them.

2.they do. as i said before its more interesting. and more beleivable to stupid people. which i beleive they are.

3. i think it is. i think we all prefer lies. and we all do it at one point. but at times we do have a conciounce and beleive the truh

Alex R said...

No one believed A because he started bad rumors about other people for no reason and acted suspisious. A lot of people gossip just like A because they are so obsessed about what other people think aabout them that they have to make them selves seem great. This is very common for most people.