Proceedings of The 6th International Conference on Modern Approaches in Humanities and Social sciences
Year: 2023
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.33422/6th.icmhs.2023.03.007
[PDF]
Orphan hero and positive hero in ‘The Republic of ShKID’ by G. Belykh and L. Panteleev and ‘Pedagogical Poem’ by A. Makarenko
Hay Marn Jar Noo Moon
ABSTRACT:
This article analyzes the characters in two literary works with socialist realism themes, ‘The Republic of ShKID’ by Belykh and Panteleev and ‘Pedagogical Poem’ by Makarenko, to demonstrate that orphan heroes in these two works have the attributes of positive heroes who also share the same qualities of the new Soviet man. The discussion of the orphan hero suggests that social orphanhood reflects the characteristics of the orphaned children in these two autobiographical writings. The correlation between a positive hero and the ‘new Soviet man’ is described in a way that the orphaned children in both literary works are educated in boarding schools to become new Soviet men, and a person who can achieve this position is seen as a positive hero of this period. The teachers or educators in these two works who foster the traits of the new Soviet man are likewise considered positive heroes in this category. The argument that socialist realism’s idealized concept is not fully implemented in every situation is also highlighted in light of the fact that some of these works’ positive heroes only partially embody the qualities of the new Soviet man while maintaining the value of individuality and personal identity.
keywords: educator, pupil, positive hero, orphan hero, new man