1. Compare the treatment of the theme of the individual and his place in society in Tolstoy’s “Alyosha the Pot” to the treatment of the same theme in Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We.

2. How do the plays The Lower Depths and The Cherry Orchard express the spirit of their time? How do they differ in outlook? Discuss this difference as it is manifested in the portrayal of the characters in these plays.

3. Discuss the theme of madness in We and “Light [The Wall] and Shadows.”  How is madness connected to individuality and creativity in these works?

4. Discuss the use of violence in Babel’s short stories. Why does Babel use violent images the way that he does? How does the violence in Red Cavalry differ from that in The Odessa Tales?  What effect is achieved by this difference?

5. Discuss the similarities and differences between the stories “Light Breathing” and “Light [The Wall] and Shadows.” Pay special attention to the main characters of these stories. How are they similar? How do they differ?

6. Discuss the use of color in We, “Light Breathing,” “Light [The Wall] and Shadows,” and Babel’s short stories.  What are some of the colors that are prominent in these works and how are they employed?  What effects are created by the use of color in these works?

7. How are the philosophies of the symbolists, acmeists, and futurists reflected in their poetry? 

8. Discuss the biblical (and other religious) symbolism in We.  What is the relationship between the religious imagery and the living conditions in OneState?  Is the ambiguity of some of the religious references a strength or a weakness of the novel?

9. Discuss the theme of alienation in Babel’s works.  In which works is the narrator’s alienation a function of his Jewishness and in which works is it a function of his being an intellectual?  How do the narrators seek acceptance and from whom?  Do the narrators ever find acceptance?  Do they ever appear resigned to their alienation?  Does the narrators’ desire to belong ever coincide with attempts to integrate other concepts such as art and life, Judaism and Marxism, revolution and non-violence?