Comparative characteristics of Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich
Poem by M.Yu. Lermontov is called “The Song about Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich...” it reveals the essence of opposing characters, shows the development of a conflict based on different views and principles. By drawing a certain line between the characters of the main characters, one can draw conclusions about them, say how they lived, what was valuable for each and what they were like.
The author describes Kalashnikov as a positive character, we see how he treats his family, he loves them very much, respects the Tsar, and is ready to go into battle. Outwardly, he appears to us as a tall, strong man. In addition to his good character, he was lucky in his work, he owned his own shop, and was also an exemplary husband to his wife. Kirebeevich was the opposite, the author did not even consider it necessary to call the hero by name, which is why we come across the nickname “son of the Basurman.” He does not understand the meaning of will, because he was a slave, the beloved slave of Ivan the Terrible.
But one day an unpleasant situation occurred: Kiribeevich fell in love with Kalashnikov’s wife, and when she told everything to her husband, the merchant, without hesitation, went to talk to his rival. For him, this situation was insulting, because he loved his wife very much and would never allow her to be offended. For Kalashnikov, honor and dignity were important traits, so now he had the task of defending his rights. He understood perfectly well that Kirebeevich is much stronger, which means that the duel could end very tragically, but this does not stop the merchant. The duel must decide whether the honor of the Kalashnikov family will be clear or not. Speaking about Kirebeevich, we can say that for the most part he was the opposite of the merchant; the only thing they were similar in was strength. In character and attitude to life, these two characters were completely different.
Kalashnikov did not want to name the real reasons for his quarrel with Kiribeevich, although he understood that this could cause the tsar’s anger. In the battle, the merchant behaved with dignity and killed his opponent with one blow. The next test for him was a meeting with the king, gathering all his strength and courage, he directly told Grozny why Kiribeevich deserved death. I believe that the author placed the ideal features of a Russian person in the image of Kalashnikov, and this hero was remembered by readers for a long time with his actions and attitude towards the world around him.
Characteristics of Kalashnikov
The young merchant Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov is the main character of the poem by M. Yu. Lermontov. The author describes him as a mighty hero with broad shoulders and burning eyes. Kalashnikov is an honest man who has a trading shop with silks and fabrics. The hero has a wonderful family: two children and a beautiful wife Alena Dmitrievna. Stepan leads a righteous life: he believes in God, has an honest income, and respects his wife. Having learned about the desecrated honor of Alena Dmitrievna, he was not afraid and in a fair fist fight killed the offender of his betrothed Kiribeevich. Thus, he fulfilled the request of his scolded wife for protection from human rumors. Standing before the angry Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the main character does not fuss and honestly admits that he killed the guardsman of his own free will. Although, if he had lied and said that he accidentally killed Kiribeevich, then the tsar might have pardoned him. However, the hero is accustomed to living according to his conscience and is ready to be executed. The only request to the king concerns his wife and children. He asks the Tsar not to punish them, and the Tsar, amazed by such fortitude, allows the Kalashnikov brothers duty-free trade, and assigns payments to the wife for her executed husband.
Table Comparative characteristics of Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich
| Kalashnikov | Kiribeevich | |
| Place in the poem: | Stepan Paramonovich Kalashnikov is a truly positive character, but also a very tragic one | Kiribeevich is a real negative hero, the author did not even mention his name, but only the nickname “son of the Basurman” |
| Place in society: | Actively engaged in trade, ran a personal shop | Kiribeevich was a servant of Ivan the Terrible, as well as a warrior and defender. |
| Life: | Stepan had a wife, Anna Dmitrievna, he doted on his family and children, he was faithful to his parents and brothers | there is no family, based on the entire work there is no mention of any relatives or friends |
| Attitude to free actions: | Kalashnikov surrendered to his feelings and actions, was faithful to religion and the instructions of the tsar | due to the fact that he spent his entire life under the leadership of the king, the concept of will was unfamiliar to him |
| Physical indicators: | Based on the description, the hero was tall, stately, strong and broad-shouldered | the physique is similar to Kalashnikov, he was also tall and strong, like a hero |
| Honor and dignity: | These two qualities played a huge role for Kalashnikov | although the author does not particularly mention these qualities, based on some of his actions it is clear that Kiribeevich is ready to defend his honor |
| Relation to Ivan the Terrible: | showed respect | in fact, he had respect for the king, but in order to get his way, he was still not afraid to deceive |
| Human qualities: | Calm, balanced, loved his family and was ready to do anything for her | he was lonely, considered his life very tragic and always wanted to feel freedom. One can single out one great feeling - love, which he carried within himself for a married woman |
| Tendency to brag: | This quality was unacceptable for Kalashnikov; he carried out his instructions silently and efficiently | loved to throw around words, promise and say that he could do everything |
| Fate: | was sure that the fate of every person was decided in advance, which is why his attitude to life was simple | believed that everyone himself changes the course of his life, but he himself could not resist death |
| The end of the heroes' lives: | death overtook Kalashnikov at the royal court. Buried with honors | went into battle with a merchant, and died there, but the author does not particularly describe this |
Comparison table for 7th grade.
Comparison of Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich
The table is the best way to compare the positive and negative sides of one and another character. In it you can see their differences and similarities, if there are any, of course.
| Kalashnikov | Kiribeevich | |
| The place of the hero in the poem | The most positive character, with a tragic fate. | Presented in a negative light. No name, just a nickname. |
| Social status | He was a merchant and had a personal shop. | Warrior of Ivan the Terrible. |
| Family relationships | He was married, madly loved his wife and children, and also took care of his brothers. He considered family to be the most important thing in life. | The defender had neither a family nor a girlfriend. The poem does not say a word about his relatives. |
| Attitude to life | He was free in his actions, but strictly followed the laws of the king and the church. | All his life he was a slave of Ivan the Terrible. I didn’t know the concept of “will,” but I always dreamed of it. |
| Physical characteristics | A stately man, tall, with broad shoulders. | Quite strong and has the physique of a hero. |
| The concept of honor and dignity | Man of honor. He was ready to defend his family and homeland even at the cost of his own life. | Despite all the negativity that came from him, the concepts of honor and dignity are also familiar to him, since he entered into a duel. |
| Relation to Ivan the Terrible | He respected him and was ready to answer to him. | He treated the king with respect and love, but for the sake of his own goals he deceived him. |
| How did the Tsar treat heroes? | Grozny liked the merchant’s speech after the battle, and he promised to take care of Kalashnikov’s family and also allowed him to say goodbye before the execution. | The king loved and called him his best warrior, and wanted to avenge his murder. |
| Manifestation of human feelings | Quite a calm and balanced person. | He was lonely in life, but posthumously loved Kalashnikov’s wife, Anna Dmitrievna. And his feelings for her were the brightest in his life. |
| Negative trait | There is no such thing. | Boasting. The warrior boasted in front of the merchant’s wife that he would do for her everything she wanted. And going into a fight that will kill anyone in its path. |
| Faith in fate | I held onto the idea that everything that happens in life is planned by God, and man is not able to fix anything. | He considered himself the master of his life, despite the fact that he was a slave, and so he could not avoid death. |
| End of life cycle | He was killed by the hands of the royal executioner, but he died as a hero who fought for the honor and dignity of his family. They buried him, honoring all Christian traditions, in a grave with a maple cross. | Died in a duel with Kalashnikov. Lermontov does not write about how he was buried. |
As the table shows, if we compare the two heroes, then Stepan was an absolutely positive character, and Kiribeevich was a negative one . Even Lermontov himself considered him as such. Kalashnikov was a complete personality. He saw his destiny in fair work and care for his loved ones. Kiribeevich was a loner, he didn’t know what to do, he had no meaning in life.
A remarkable detail of the work is that it is at the end of the poem that Ivan the Terrible appears. Lermontov created this image for a reason; in this way he wanted to show that the merchant is fighting not only with his enemy and family offender, but also protests against general dishonesty.
The end of the poem is the death of Kalashnikov. But even though the location of his grave is still unknown, the story of this character remains forever in the hearts of people.
The provided material will allow 8th grade students to write an essay on the topic “Comparative analysis of two images: Kalashnikov and Kiribeevich.” It will also help you create a short written plan for an open lesson on literature.
Option 2
The merchant Kalashnikov is respectfully called by his full name Stepan Paramonovich. He is young and handsome, married to the beautiful Alena Dmitrievna, and raising children. His family knows no need, he has a high house and a shop where he sells expensive goods - overseas silk manufacture, for which the boyars pay in gold and silver. The patriarchal way of his life is collapsing because of the lustful guardsman, who publicly insulted his wife Alena Dmitrievna with his harassment.
Defending the honor of the family, he kills the offender in a fist fight. For this, at the behest of the king, the merchant was executed by a painful death, buried shamefully not in a graveyard, but in an open field, like a robber. But people do not forget him and, passing by an unmarked grave, they cross themselves and become sad, realizing that it was not only personal offense that brought him to battle, but defending the foundations of faith, morality and people's honor.
The name of his enemy Kiribeevich is not mentioned even once. It is only known that he is from the glorious family of Skuratovs, the most fierce guardsmen. He is the favorite fighter of the formidable Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich. Being in the sovereign's service, he was granted many royal favors. He is young, endowed with heroic strength. No one could defeat him in fist fights. The young man’s nature is daring and violent. But there is no joy in his life, because he fell in love with himself and others on the mountain with a woman married to another. And, breaking all Christian moral canons, he tries to achieve her favor. He publicly offers Alena Dmitrievna his love, wealth, noble position, neglecting people's rumors, thereby dishonoring her and ruining her family happiness. Because of him, she will remain a widow, her children will be orphans, the family will lose a breadwinner and protector.
How Kiribeevich changes when he finds out that with whom he will have to fight for the last time: the fighter’s bragging disappears, his brave prowess disappears, fear and horror take possession of him. There is nothing heroic in him anymore, and he, like a “pine tree” cut down at the root, falls dead from a powerful blow from Kalashnikov. Because of his passion, Kiribeevich ruined himself and others, because he did not understand that not everything is subject to the arbitrariness of power and wealth, but there are other moral principles: honor, conscience and faith.
Comparison 3
Both heroes are central in the creation. However, they have a huge number of differences. Kalashnikov is much older, he is an ordinary merchant, and Kiribeevich is a young man, but wealthy, but has not found his place in life. He doesn't know his purpose. It is noteworthy that Lermontov himself calls this negative hero disparagingly, or rather “son of the Basurman.”
Kalashnikov has a loving wife, Alena Dmitrievna. Kiribeevich does not have a woman, but he has sympathy for Kalashnikov’s wife. Moreover, he manages to disgrace her with his feelings. We can say that the young man is reckless. He doesn't think about the consequences.
If Kalashnikov looks like a complete, well-formed person, then Kiribeevich looks completely different. Kalashnikov works honestly and values his family. And Kiribeevich, one might say, is arrogant and ill-mannered, but a rich young man who is used to getting whatever he likes at the click of a finger. However, in the case of Alena Dmitrievna, this strategy does not work.
Kalashnikov is quite decisive and brave. He understands that he cannot give his happiness to anyone, he must fight for it. Therefore, he comes into conflict with the young man, and, remarkably, wins.
Comparative characteristics 3
The poem was written by Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov in 1837. Stepan Paramonovich was a very good and ambitious person; he plays a positive role in the poem. To some extent, even an offended person. Kalashnikov Stepan Paramonovich was a merchant, he had his own trading shop. He also had brothers, whom he loved very much and was ready to protect at the cost of his life. His brothers also traded in their shops.
Family played an important role in his life. Kalashnikov loved his wife Alena Dmitrievna and children very much. He tried to do everything for them and wanted them to live in peace and prosperity. Stepan Kalashnikov was a handsome and brave man; he knew firsthand what honor and dignity were. Kalashnikov always acted with justice and honor, adhered to the religion and laws of the tsar.
Stepan Paramonovich evokes respect and approval from the reader, because not everyone is ready to die for the sake of restoring justice and honesty. Kalashnikov treated Ivan the Terrible with respect and was able to answer to him. When the battle took place and Kalashnikov killed Kiribeevich, the tsar respected his last request, although he did not know what all this fight was about.
Kalashnikov was a reserved and calm person; he was modest and did not like to brag. His wife and children loved him, but tried not to fall out of favor with him. He considered it necessary not to tell why he did this to Kiribeevich, although the action was worthy and fair.
When Kalashnikov was executed, he was buried in accordance with Christian traditions. He defended the honor of his family with dignity.
Kiribeevich was a bad person, cunning, resourceful and a deceiver. Lermontov did not even call him by name, but gave him the nickname “son of the Basurman.” Kiribeevich served Ivan the Terrible and did not know what a family was. He wanted to be free and have a family, but no one instilled family values in him because he had no relatives.
Kiribeevich served the tsar, but did not show much respect for him, because he did not say anything about the girl with whom he fell in love. She turned out to be the wife of the same Kalashnikov, to whom Kiribeevich gave the ring of Ivan the Terrible.
He was a very strong man, but despite this, when he saw Kalashnikov, he became a little afraid. He went to fight with Alena Dmitrievna’s husband, whom he had recently disgraced and violated the honor and dignity of the girl herself and her family.
Kiribeevich was very boastful and not very smart. When he fought, he kept bragging that he would kill anyone. Boasting did not save Kiribeevich, and he died after one blow to the temple. He acted like a coward towards the Kalashnikov family. Lermontov does not write what happened to the warrior after his death and where and how he was buried. The reader does not really like the image of Kiribeevich, because he violated the personal space of the family and discredited Alena Dmitrievna. Kiribeevich did not think about the feelings of other people and what would happen to the Kalashnikov family. At that moment, he thought only about himself, and he didn’t care about anyone. The reader does not support Kiribeevich and believes that Stepan Paramonovich acted correctly in protecting his family from him.
Conclusion
Merchant Kalashnikov is a positive character. This is the image of the Russian people, which carries bright ideals. As for Kiribeevich, he is a vile invader, a conqueror. Accordingly, the “stumbling block”, Alena, can be regarded in a figurative sense as the Russian Land, which is encroached upon by the Basurman son, and which is protected by a brave, kind, sympathetic and courageous, invincible Russian man.
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