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The Servant by  Sergei Terentyevich Semyonov

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"All right, I'll speak for you. Come again to-morrow, and in the meantime take this ten-kopek piece. It may come in handy." "Thanks, Yegor Danilych. Then you will try for me? Please do me the favour." "All right. I'll try for you." Gerasim left, and Yegor harnessed up his horses. Then he put on his coachman's habit, and drove up to the front door. Mr. Sharov stepped out of the house, seated himself in the sleigh, and the horses galloped off. He attended to his business in town and returned home. Yegor, observing that his master was in a good humour, said to him: "Yegor Fiodorych, I have a favour to ask of you." "What is it?" "There's a young man from my village here, a good boy He's without a job." "Well?" "Wouldn't you take him?" "What do I want him for?" "Use him as man of all work round the place." "How about Polikarpych?" "What good is he? It's about time you dismissed him." "That wouldn't be fair. He has been with me so many years. I can't let him go just so, without any cause." "Supposing he has worked for you for years. He didn't work for nothing. He got paid for it. He's certainly saved up a few dollars for his old age." "Saved up! How could he? From what? He's not alone in the world. He has a wife to support, and she has to eat and drink also."

The story is realistic with some semi-autobiographical features and has at least two major themes. One, how unworthy a man feels of himself when he is without work. Gerasim had almost descended to snatching the bread of the old man when he could not find a job otherwise. The second theme is that human conscience must lead the man in his daily course of life. When Gerasim was awakened by his inner voice, he could realize how sinful it was to snatch somebody else’s position to satisfy his own need. The story “ The Servant” produces much of irony when the coachman flatters his master for keeping himself in his good books. He keeps on gratifying his loyalty for his master. He reveals his master everything that he notices in other servants and poisons his ears against them. The master did never cast any doubt in him and he would, instead, value his efforts. This way the hard-working servants would go unnoticed while as the glib tongued coachman made merry. Point of View The story is being told by both third and first person point of view. The story is being narrated and at the same time there are also dialogues within the story which is told in a first person point of view

GERASIM •The man who returned to Moscow •He had a hard time to find a job YEGOR DANILYCH Gerasim’s friend who is working for Mr. Sharov as a coachman POLIKARPYCH An old man who is also working for Mr. Sharov for 15 years MR SHAROV A wealthy man and the master of Yegor and Polikarp

Sergey Terentyevich Semyonov (1868 - 1922) was a Russian writer and a member of the Moscow literary group, Sreda. He was admired and mentored by both&nbsp;Leo Tolstoy&nbsp;and&nbsp;Maxim Gorky. Semyonov was born in a small Moscow village called Andreyevskoy, which he left at a young age to try to find any work he could, which included: errand boy, salesman, plumber, laborer, and a blind merchant guide. These experiences and travels were the material for his writing.&nbsp;Leo Tolstoy&nbsp;praised his first work,&nbsp;Two Brothers, published in 1887. Semyonov's political pursuits proved deadly. He was exiled in 1906 for his revolutionary connections, and after actively participating in the Revolution of 1917, was murdered by bandits in 1922. His friend,&nbsp;Maxim Gorky&nbsp;remarked after his death that at least Semyonov was recognized for his work, which is all a man could ask. American Literature features Semyonov's short story,&nbsp;The Servan<a href="https://americanliterature.com/author/st-semyonov/short-story/the-servant">t</a>, about a young man desperate to find work, published in 1917, the year of the Revolution.

"His wife earns money, too, at day's work as charwoman." "A lot she could have made! Enough for kvas." "Why should you care about Polikarpych and his wife? To tell you the truth, he's a very poor servant. Why should you throw your money away on him? He never shovels the snow away on time, or does anything right. And when it comes his turn to be night watchman, he slips away at least ten times a night. It's too cold for him. You'll see, some day, because of him, you will have trouble with the police. The quarterly inspector will descend on us, and it won't be so agreeable for you to be responsible for Polikarpych." "Still, it's pretty rough. He's been with me fifteen years. And to treat him that way in his old age--it would be a sin." "A sin! Why, what harm would you be doing him? He won't starve. He'll go to the almshouse. It will be better for him, too, to be quiet in his old age." Sharov reflected. "All right," he said finally. "Bring your friend here. I'll see what I can do." "Do take him, sir. I'm so sorry for him. He's a good boy, and he's been without work for such a long time. I know he'll do his work well and serve you faithfully. On account of having to report for military duty, he lost his last position. If it hadn't been for that, his master would never have let him go." IV The next evening Gerasim came again and asked: "Well, could you do anything for me?" "Something, I believe. First let's have some tea. Then we'll go see my master." Even tea had no allurements for Gerasim. He was eager for a decision; but under the compulsion of politeness to his host, he gulped down two glasses of tea, and then they betook themselves to Sharov.

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The students are shown three different pictures from the story including the title for brainstorming. They share their thoughts and reflections within the main group. They watch the video clip and try to understand what the story is about without reading any other source. They annotate main ideas. In groups they share their findings. They read the whole story using the <a href="https://www.texthelp.com/en-gb/products/read-and-write-education/?utm_content=onTopic&amp;utm_medium=In-Product&amp;utm_source=In-Product&amp;utm_campaign=K-12:-Demand-Gen-Schools|InProduct-Communication">Read and Write for Google</a> or Microsoft <a href="https://www.onenote.com/learningtools">immersive reader</a>, highlight main , secondary ideas, and collect highlights, They fill in the<a href="https://suite.smarttech.com/share/df9cfb49-268d-493d-bd32-b66b98ac902a"> Cornell Notes</a> and add new terms to the <a href="https://quizlet.com/_ba825r?x=1jqt&amp;i=4p1v1">Quizlet Study Set</a><a href="https://quizlet.com/_aqldk6?x=1jqt&amp;i=4p1v1"> </a>using the vocabulary list they made using Texthelp. They utilize this <a href="https://hub.cathoven.com/?scene=analyser&amp;core=cefr">tool</a> to help them add words depending on your CEFR level. They create a vocabulary list of adjectives that build a sensory atmosphere of what the setting was like and how the protagonist felt with as many sight, sound, smell , touch and taste connections as possible. They write sentences about them. They list 20 regular verbs in the past and classify them by their pronunciation into /t/ , / d / , or / ɪd / , and add them to the larger list with meaning, inflections and related words. They simplify the short story and create a rebus with the picture dictionary as visual support for oral retelling. They create an audio recording to showcase their learning progress and add it to their ePortfolio. They complete Readlee assignment for fluency and reading comprehension practice. They read the text aloud and record their performances to monitor progress and with peer support and feedback, fail forward together toward better achievements. They rewrite the story with a different <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zwjsyrd/revision/5">ending</a> in small groups and showcase their work in the large group and get feedback. They may use <a href="https://describingwords.io/for/oak">this awesome resource</a> that will help you learn new words. &nbsp;They complete this <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSenhmGGoRSCvx_MTpUE2cReHiZYTSC2GZZ4JpVVytraYM58mw/viewform">survey</a>.

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Identify and enjoy features of classic literature. Analyze interactions among discourse elements that constitute a genre. Acquire vocabulary and grammar structures in context. Develop higher order thinking skills to spot clues, make inferences, think critically and draw conclusions to pose arguments in answer to writing and speaking prompts. Engage in individual and collaborative group work in integrated language skills.

Gerasim sat there downcast. He saw his friend was boasting, and it occurred to him to gratify him. "I know it," he said. "But it's hard to find men like you, Yegor Danilych. If you were a poor worker, your master would not have kept you twelve years." Yegor smiled. He liked the praise. "That's it," he said. "If you were to live and serve as I do, you wouldn't be out of work for months and months." Gerasim made no reply. Yegor was summoned to his master. "Wait a moment," he said to Gerasim. "I'll be right back." "Very well." III Yegor came back and reported that inside of half an hour he would have to have the horses harnessed, ready to drive his master to town. He lighted his pipe and took several turns in the room. Then he came to a halt in front of Gerasim. "Listen, my boy," he said, "if you want, I'll ask my master to take you as a servant here." "Does he need a man?" "We have one, but he's not much good. He's getting old, and it's very hard for him to do the work. It's lucky for us that the neighbourhood isn't a lively one and the police don't make a fuss about things being kept just so, else the old man couldn't manage to keep the place clean enough for them." "Oh, if you can, then please do say a word for me, Yegor Danilych. I'll pray for you all my life. I can't stand being without work any longer."

II One day Gerasim betook himself to a friend from his village, who lived at the extreme outer edge of Moscow, near Sokolnik. The man was coachman to a merchant by the name of Sharov, in whose service he had been for many years. He had ingratiated himself with his master, so that Sharov trusted him absolutely and gave every sign of holding him in high favour. It was the man's glib tongue, chiefly, that had gained him his master's confidence. He told on all the servants, and Sharov valued him for it. Gerasim approached and greeted him. The coachman gave his guest a proper reception, served him with tea and something to eat, and asked him how he was doing. "Very badly, Yegor Danilych," said Gerasim. "I've been without a job for weeks." "Didn't you ask your old employer to take you back?" "I did." "He wouldn't take you again?" "The position was filled already." "That's it. That's the way you young fellows are. You serve your employers so-so, and when you leave your jobs, you usually have muddied up the way back to them. You ought to serve your masters so that they will think a lot of you, and when you come again, they will not refuse you, but rather dismiss the man who has taken your place." "How can a man do that? In these days there aren't any employers like that, and we aren't exactly angels, either." "What's the use of wasting words? I just want to tell you about myself. If for some reason or other I should ever have to leave this place and go home, not only would Mr. Sharov, if I came back, take me on again without a word, but he would be glad to, too."

<a href="bookcreator://page/HnpQ2XOBSym5SFizziA2Dg">Learning Goals</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/rzPrgUi-RzWGbEJMp9DkIA">About the Story</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/AbfIv5idQmeGm1g4uc4BSA">The Author</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/ZbXH9stmTe-InF2InaA8JQ">The setting</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/3pMiUXwdQriG2wHAVD1nrA">Genre, Themes, Symbolism</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/vRE5IfnTQUCYtYRtoy8bAA">The Plot</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/85vmWc_vQoiuD6hwZls3Vw">The Characters</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/xWpw_vmjT5uL83NHZr5elA">The Story</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/DYOp_C90SEm2Ajg23O7-zg">Activities</a> <a href="bookcreator://page/tb1qDukjTzqYyH_63Ne2vw">Credits</a>

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The action takes place in Moscow around Christmas time in the context of the lives of ordinary people, such as factory workers, shopkeepers, and servants who suffered the famine and disease brought on by the Russian Civil War of 1918 to 1920, which ended with the rise of Marxist society. .

Sharov asked Gerasim where he had lived before end what work he could do. Then he told him he was prepared to engage him as man of all work, and he should come back the next day ready to take the place. Gerasim was fairly stunned by the great stroke of fortune. So overwhelming was his joy that his legs would scarcely carry him. He went to the coachman's room, and Yegor said to him: "Well, my lad, see to it that you do your work right, so that I shan't have to be ashamed of you. You know what masters are like. If you go wrong once, they'll be at you forever after with their fault-finding, and never give you peace." "Don't worry about that, Yegor Danilych." "Well--well." Gerasim took leave, crossing the yard to go out by the gate. Polikarpych's rooms gave on the yard, and a broad beam of light from the window fell across Gerasim's way. He was curio as to get a glimpse of his future home, but the panes were all frosted over, and it was impossible to peep through. However, he could hear what the people inside were saying. "What will we do now?" was said in a woman's voice. "I don't know, I don't know," a man, undoubtedly Polikarpych, replied. "Go begging, I suppose." "That's all we can do. There's nothing else left," said the woman. "Oh, we poor people, what a miserable life we lead. We work and work from early morning till late at night, day after day, and when we get old, then it's, 'Away with you!'" "What can we do? Our master is not one of us. It wouldn't be worth the while to say much to him about it. He cares only for his own advantage." "All the masters are so mean. They don't think of any one but themselves. It doesn't occur to them that we work for them honestly and faithfully for years, and use up our best strength in their service. They're afraid to keep us a year longer, even though we've got all the strength we need to do their work. If we weren't strong enough, we'd go of our own accord." "The master's not so much to blame as his coachman. Yegor Danilych wants to get a good position for his friend."

The Servant&nbsp;is a semi-autobiographical story based on Semyonov's own struggles to find odd jobs in an attempt to crawl out of poverty. It was featured in Thomas Seltzer's collection of&nbsp;Best Russian Stories&nbsp;(1917).

Source :<a href="https://americanliterature.com/"> https://americanliterature.com/</a>

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Best Russian Short Stories | The Servant | Sergei Terentyevich Semyonov | Audiobook

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The story has Gerasim in its lead role. He returned to Moscow just at a time when it was not essay to find a job. The time was just around Christmas when a man mostly sticks to a poor job in the expectation of a present. The peasant lad was roaming in vain for some weeks in search of a job. He stayed with his village relatives and friends, and although he had not yet suffered great lack, he was upset by the fact that he, a strong young man, was expected to go without jobs. Since early boyhood, Gerasim had lived in Moscow. He had gone to work as a bottle-washer in a brewery at the time when he was still a boy, and later as a lower servant in a house. For the last couple of years, he had been working in a merchant’s house until he was called back for military service to his village. However, he had not been selected. In the village, life seemed to him uninteresting, he was not used to the country life, so he decided that he would rather count the stones in Moscow than stay there. It was becoming more and more irksome every minute for him to trample the streets in idleness. He tried all his relations, even kept people up on the street and asked if they knew about a job anywhere but in vain. He was about to get a job but he knew he had to cause other people´s misfortune.

"Yes, he's a serpent. He knows how to wag his tongue. You wait, you foul-mouthed beast, I'll get even with you. I'll go straight to the master and tell him how the fellow deceives him, how he steals the hay and fodder. I'll put it down in writing, and he can convince himself how the fellow lies about us all." "Don't, old woman. Don't sin." "Sin? Isn't what I said all true? I know to a dot what I'm saying, and I mean to tell it straight out to the master. He should see with his own eyes. Why not? What can we do now anyhow? Where shall we go? He's ruined us, ruined us." The old woman burst out sobbing. Gerasim heard all that, and it stabbed him like a dagger. He realised what misfortune he would be bringing the old people, and it made him sick at heart. He stood there a long while, saddened, lost in thought, then he turned and went back into the coachman's room. "Ah, you forgot something?" "No, Yegor Danilych." Gerasim stammered out, "I've come--listen--I want to thank you ever and ever so much--for the way you received me--and--and all the trouble you took for me--but--I can't take the place." "What! What does that mean?" "Nothing. I don't want the place. I will look for another one for myself." Yegor flew into a rage. "Did you mean to make a fool of me, did you, you idiot? You come here so meek--'Try for me, do try for me'--and then you refuse to take the place. You rascal, you have disgraced me!" Gerasim found nothing to say in reply. He reddened, and lowered his eyes. Yegor turned his back scornfully and said nothing more. Then Gerasim quietly picked up his cap and left the coachman's room. He crossed the yard rapidly, went out by the gate, and hurried off down the street. He felt happy and lighthearted.

I Gerasim returned to Moscow just at a time when it was hardest to find work, a short while before Christmas, when a man sticks even to a poor job in the expectation of a present. For three weeks the peasant lad had been going about in vain seeking a position. He stayed with relatives and friends from his village, and although he had not yet suffered great want, it disheartened him that he, a strong young man, should go without work. Gerasim had lived in Moscow from early boyhood. When still a mere child, he had gone to work in a brewery as bottle-washer, and later as a lower servant in a house. In the last two years he had been in a merchant's employ, and would still have held that position, had he not been summoned back to his village for military duty. However, he had not been drafted. It seemed dull to him in the village, he was not used to the country life, so he decided he would rather count the stones in Moscow than stay there. Every minute it was getting to be more and more irk-some for him to be tramping the streets in idleness. Not a stone did he leave unturned in his efforts to secure any sort of work. He plagued all of his acquaintances, he even held up people on the street and asked them if they knew of a situation--all in vain. Finally Gerasim could no longer bear being a burden on his people. Some of them were annoyed by his coming to them; and others had suffered unpleasantness from their masters on his account. He was altogether at a loss what to do. Sometimes he would go a whole day without eating.

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