Akhmatova’s “The Sentence” also shows specific use of diction, however in a more sophisticated manner, Akhmatova shows her internal struggles and confusion. When she writes “kill memory, kill pain, turn heart into a stone, and yet prepare to live again” (p. 109), the strong diction used creates strong emotions within the reader. The powerful diction “kill” “pain” and “stone” shows the extent of confusion and clash of emotions she is experiencing. This is emphasised by the repetition of the word “kill” and conveys a gloomy, passionate atmosphere showing that she has strong convictions about death. Both Akhmatova and Allende show their internal struggles however, are seen to endure the pain and rage of emotions within them. Thus, they resist the temptations of giving into their battles and use their judgments of right and wrong to challenge and justify their beliefs.
The dichotomy of right and wrong is used in order to challenge cultural assumptions of good and bad. Allende’s City of the Beast demonstrates this by challenging Western beliefs and morals to that of the Indians of the Amazon. In the beginning of their expedition, Leblanc a famous anthropologist, portrayed the Indians as uncivilised and savage “They are cannibals; they not only eat their enemies, they eat the dead of their own tribe...these Indians kill to get women” (p. 128). By the majority of the Western population and most of the expedition group, the Indians were feared. They were considered as uncivilised savages that are unable to take care of themselves without the help the Westerners. However, this perception of the Indians changes when Leblanc suddenly realises that “they themselves were the savages, not the Indians” (p. 355). This challenges the binary opposite that the Westerners are the civilised people and the Indians the savages, therefore challenging Western beliefs and their assumptions of what is morally right and wrong.
Akhmatova’s assumptions of good and bad are also used to great effect, and like Allende, challenge cultural notions of right and wrong throughout her poems. “Like a felon” (p. 155) is used in Akhmatova’s “I Am Not One of Those Who Left the Land” to convey the idea that those who abandoned Russia are like criminals. She uses this simile to imply that they have committed a serious crime in fleeing from Russia. They abandon Russia to find the promised salvation only for themselves. This amplifies Akmatova’s assumption that the brave people are those who held to their beliefs and defended their country in times of strife “we the survivors do not flinch” (p. 155). The word “flinch” creates powerful emotion and emphasises the rigidity of Akhmatova’s beliefs. This gives the impression that those who remain faithful to Russia are the true survivors. Through the dichotomy of right and wrong used throughout City of the Beasts and “I am not one of Those Who Left the Land”, Allende and Akhmatova challenge cultural assumptions of good and bad by showing that they both hold strong to their beliefs and are confident in what they say, with this further strengthened by their strong use of tone.
In both texts, tone is used as a mode of imparting the reader the concept of endurance and resistance. In City of the Beast, the use of tone accentuates the pain and hardship Alex endures in order to get the “Water of Health” for his ill mother. Despite his struggles “His muscles were tense, blood was pounding at his temples, every nerve was raw with pain” (p. 301), he kept going “...spurred by the memories of his mother” (p. 301). This line establishes a tone of bravery and resistance. Allende’s word choices in these lines, “tense”, “pounding” and “spurred” create suspense within the reader and emphasises on Alex’s bravery. Even though Alex was tired, he endured his pain for the sake of his mother with the hope that some way, she will get better.
Similarly, Akhmatova uses tone in “I Am Not One of Those Who Left the Land” to highlight the bravery of those who did not leave Russia during the Civil War. She stresses that she is not a victim and refuses to suffer and feel sorry for herself and instead, remains hopeful and strong “We are the people without tears, straighter than you...more proud...” (p. 155). “Straighter” metaphorically expresses the idea that those who stayed in Russia held to their beliefs and convey the tone of bravery, endurance and resistance. Like Alex, Akhmatova too has a glimmer of hope that Russia’s Civil war would come to an end. Through the use of tone, both Allende and Akhmatova articulate the tone of bravery, endurance and resistance in conveying strong emotions within the reader.
Therefore, it is clear that both Allende in City of the Beast and Akhmatova in “I am Not One of Those Who Left the Land” and “The Sentence” express the concept of endurance and resistance most effectively to express the protagonists’ internal struggles, their assumptions of right and wrong and finally through the tone of endurance, resistance and bravery. The writers’ use of diction throughout the texts is used to show the internal struggle within the protagonists of Allende and Akhmatova. The dichotomy of right and wrong challenges cultural assumptions of what is thought to be right and wrong and finally through tone, imparting the reader with strong emotions of bravery, endurance and resistance that assists in reemphasising the concept of endurance and resistance to its audience. The concept of endurance and resistance is unique in the texts of both Allende and Akhmatova in the sense that regardless of the pain and suffering that the protagonists’ of both writers face, endurance and resistance can be seen to bring wisdom and enhance the beauty and bravery of the fighter within.
