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The Theme of Duty versus Want, Passion, and Desire in //Dr. Zhivago//.

Thesis: In Boris Paternak's //Dr. Zhivago//, Yuri Zhivago is a young Russian doctor that must confront the two toughest challenges in his life, his duty versus his desires, passions, and wants.

Introductory Paragraph: "Let men laugh when you sacrifice desire to duty, if they will. You have time and eternity to rejoice in." This quote by Theodore Parker epitomizes the fact that it takes more courage and heart to do what you know is the harder, less egotistical path in life, than to fulfill your own needs and wants. Although people may laugh and make fun of you, it will all pay off when your judgment comes. In Boris Paternak's //Dr. Zhivago//, Yuri Zhivago is a young Russian doctor that must confront the two toughest challenges in his life, his duty versus his desires, passions, and wants.

I. Other works that can be compared to //Dr. Zhivago// A.How Ender Wiggins and Yuri Zhivago proportionally share tough decisions. 1.In //Enders Game//, Ender Wiggins, is very reluctant to fight off evil aliens. One can see that he would prefer to stay within the safety of the battle school. But if he were to go against his duty, havoc would be raised on the human population. Here one can see the tough decision Wiggins must face. A choice of living life comfortably or putting himself in the danger of aliens and fighting them off is a choice he must make. 2.Although //Dr. Zhivago// is not an extreme case in which one is warding off aliens, the two works are proportionally similar due to Zhivago having to make a decision of living a comfortable life or facing the perils of the Russian Revolution. B. Aamir Ali and Yuri must can't have everything at the same time. It is either one thing or the other. 1. In the movie //Aamir//, a hardworking Muslim man living in must obey the orders of a criminal in order to free his family that have been abducted as hostages. As the movie goes on, the audience finds out that the protagonist, Aamir must set off a bomb in a city bus in the capital of India in order to free his family. This entire movie is the classic case of one person trying to keep their dignity and family but also trying to help the greater good, but is only allowed to have one. 2. Synonymous to //Dr. Zhivago//, //Aamir// places great emphasis on a man's choice of dignity versus what he must do in order to save the greater good. 3. In life one can never have both but must choose between one(personal values) or the other(the greater good and significance of the public). C. Frodo Baggins must lose his desire in order to perform his duty. 1.The Lord of the Rings is another example of a duty versus want theme. The dwarf, Frodo Baggins, must decide whether he will stay with his people and protect them or go out and brave the landscape in order to rid the land of a great evil. 2.Again a similarity with the movie is seen, by the fact that Frodo Baggins has to perform a duty to his land because he is the chosen one to perform the deed. His desire, however, is to live a joyful life consisting of grandchildren and happiness.

II. //Dr. Zhivago// and its contrasting symbolism. A. Blue Flowers versus Pasha's uniform. 1.The blue flowers in //Dr. Zhivago// are meant to symbolize Yuri's love and passion for Lara. These flowers symbolize the good side of the world. The peace and beauty of the world. 2.Unfortunately, the world cannot be existing with only peace and serenity as their must be chaos to balance the equation of the world. The uniform of Pasha Antipov (Strelnikov) truly symbolizes the harshness and reality of the world. B. Poetry versus the Government of the"new" Russia. 1. The passion for poetry, which Yuri exemplifies, shows his true emotions and vibrant personality within the movie. Yuri's passion is illustrated by the poems about Lara he writes at their Varyniko home. 2. These great passions collide with the horrible new regime in Russia. In this new regime, nothing is personal and works such as poetry are forbidden within the country. A darker nature of the movie is contrasted against the lighter, prose centered portion of //Dr. Zhivago//. C. Russia's rugged landscape. 1. The Russian landscape symbolizes the hardships Yuri must face in order to find his true love. 2. Love comes at a great loss for Yuri. After going through the rough landscape of Russia as a wanderer, Yuri finds out that Tonya has left him for safety in Paris. The landscape is seen again as a more desolate and cold area.

III. How the theme of //Dr. Zhivago// compares to real life. A. The ever-present realization the doctors must perform a duty. 1. Doctors must confront many desicions in real life. Sometimes doctors have to give up on patients, when it is their desire to help them and heal them. 2. When reality sets in, it is just the duty for the doctors to help the patients and let nature take its course. 3. Doctors are a great example of how the passion for one to heal another is merely turned into a duty for the doctor. B. The Reality of Human Nature 1. Put in this situation, most people would decide to rather choose their interests and personal desires than trying to find a solution for the greater good. 2. It is in the humans natural interest to care for their own personal families and lives. As part of the human race, all men have to look out for their legacies. 3. A sharp difference in the literary or fantasy world is that people are not of the norm and do not usually choose what is noble. Human nature does not comply with these fantastical thoughts and ideas of nobility. C. Human beings rarely give up their personal desires for greater duties. 1. In a debate against part "B" in this topic, one would argue that throughout life, every person goes through the conflict of desires against duties and that they must give up certain aspects of their wants and passions in order to move forward. 2. As life becomes more meaningful to people, it is a passion to help others and not just their own personal lives. People eventually tend to try to further others for the benefit of humanity.

Conclusion: It is true in the lives of people, from those fighting off aliens in a distant planet to those fighting terrorists, decisions of high importance must be made. The decision between duty and want will always be a hard choice and will always be one required to be made.