Have you read the comedy by D.I. Fonvizin " Minor"? One of the positive characters in this work is Starodum, an honest and decent man who made a fortune for himself by serving in the army and then as an official.
Starodum was a very educated person. He believed that the education of a nobleman should include the education of not only the mind, but also the heart. Starodum is very insightful and straightforward.
In the play, he tells the whole truth to people's faces. That is why There are a lot of Starodum’s aphorisms in “Nedorosli”- deep, complete and brief statements that are still used in our everyday life.
Aphorisms of Starodum from the comedy “The Minor”
An example of Starodum’s aphorisms (catchphrases) from Fonvizin’s “Undergrowth”:
- “I have a rule: don’t start anything in the first movement”;
- “It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick without healing. The doctor won’t help here unless he gets infected himself”;
- “Nothing tormented my heart more than innocence in the networks of deceit. I have never been so pleased with myself as when I happened to snatch prey from the hands of vice”;
- “Cash is not cash worth”;
- “Know that they never wish evil upon those whom they despise, but usually wish evil upon those who have the right to despise”;
- “Follow nature, you will never be poor. Follow people’s opinions, you will never be rich”;
- “Know that conscience, like a friend, always warns before punishing like a judge”;
- “According to my calculation, the rich man is not the one who counts out money in order to hide it in a chest, but the one who counts out what he has in excess in order to help someone who does not have what he needs”;
- “In human ignorance, it is very comforting to consider everything as nonsense that you don’t know”;
- “I know, I know that a person cannot be an angel. You don’t even have to be a devil.”
“Imagination is the eyes of the soul” (Joseph Joubert). “Everything is in the imagination. Follow nature, you will never be poor. Follow people’s opinions, you will never be rich” (Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin). “Knowledge is organically connected with human imagination” (Konstantin Georgievich Paustovsky).
One of the main tasks is to make our lives more conscious. Since astrology is a symbolic system, it helps to understand the inner meaning of various principles through their material manifestations. It doesn't matter what symbol we use for a principle, as long as it is important to us. Naturally, different ones attract people of different temperaments. A symbol draws a person’s attention inward, like a language, and it doesn’t matter what language, it’s the meaning that is important.
K.G. Jung wrote: “Whether you call the principle of existence “God,” “matter,” “energy,” or something else, you are not creating anything, you are simply changing the symbol.”
A symbol is a manifestation of the eternal and authentic in the temporal. The world around us is an appearance. The task of astrology, as well as life in general, is to comprehend the inner meaning of a principle through its material manifestation. Willy-nilly, astrology awakens our imagination, which gives rise to all kinds of images when perceiving astrological symbols.
What does our imagination draw when it comes to Aries and the first house?
These could be the following images:
Symbols: Jester or High Priestess, Ivan the Fool, demobilized soldier, wanderer, steadfast tin soldier, evil witch, good fairy, sorceress, witch, Baba Yaga, troops, boxer, fire, candle, bonfire or flame, sunrise, speaker on the podium, a fireman extinguishing a fire, any confident person, a weightlifter raised the barbell, a champion runner at the finish line, an explosion, personal weapons (except cold weapons), a pistol, a machine gun, cartridges, grenades, the moment of presentation or opening with cutting the ribbon.
For Taurus and the second house, imagination can draw:
The third Arcanum is the Empress, the fourth Arcanum is the Emperor, the gods of farmers and cattle breeders, the goddesses of love, beauty and fertility: Venus and Aphrodite, Inanna and Parvati, Morena and Makosh. And also an open treasure chest, jewelry, rings, bracelets, any things, clothes, a beautifully wrapped gift, furniture, carpets, luxury items, antiques, paintings, pearls, furs, rubles, dollars, a museum, a pawnshop, a safe, a wallet.
Gemini and the third house:
Fifteenth Arcanum - Devil, fifth Arcanum - Priest, joining the church, hiring, joining a union, organization, party, going through the authorities, receiving an official, willingness to sell the soul to the devil, thief in law, laws of the pack, Evil Snow Queen , market, school, post office, newspaper, magazines, railway station, seller at the counter, students at their desks, car driving along the road, envelope, stamps, parcel, telephone, pen, feather, writing person, telephone operator, radio presenter, argument, conversation, people on the bench at the entrance are chatting animatedly.
Cancer and the fourth house:
Sixteenth Arcana – Tower, French Bastille, Tower of Babel, timeless Egyptian pyramid, medieval castle, fortress tower, lighthouse, refuge, monastery, shelter, monastery, cave, summer landscape, village house, old people, cottage, hacienda, fortune teller with cards , a history textbook, a drilling rig, a well, a grave with a cross or a crescent, a housewife in the kitchen, cooking, bread, a woman’s breasts, milk, a mother breastfeeding, a face expressing calm and pleasure, the night sky, the Moon, stars.
Leo and the fifth house:
Sixth Arcanum - Lovers, eleventh Arcanum - Strength, Cupid and Psyche, Romeo and Juliet, Master and Margarita, Apollo and Daphne, Akkadian goddess of fertility and carnal love Ishtar accompanied by lions, Canaanite goddess of love and fertility Kadesh as a naked woman standing on a lion , Phrygian Cybele on a chariot drawn by lions, Egyptian Sekhmet and Tefnut. The goddess Tefnut in moments of anger turned into a lioness, and Sekhmet was a lioness in appearance. Tsar, lion, children playing and laughing, toys, masks, faces in cosmetics and makeup, clowns, artist on stage, rock bands, pop stars, Sun, theater, filming, stage, dancing, smiles, fun, podium, top models, fashion designers, film artists.
Virgo and the sixth house:
First Arcana - Magician, fourteenth Arcana - Temperance, Cinderella, Snow White, Lefty, blacksmith Hephaestus, Papa Carlo, housework, pets, livestock, cats, guards the house, a harnessed bull plows, a mill, a man on horseback, birds, ducks , geese, flowers, seamstress at work, tailor, plasterers-painters, repair work, tools, building materials, workers at work, car service, a soldier on duty, a merchant with his goods, a programmer at a computer, a carpenter at a workbench, a janitor with a broom , an artist at an easel, various formulas, rebuses, puzzles, abacus, a cashier counting money, a controller with a bandage on his arm, a hospital, patients, doctors, nurses, medical staff, suffering, crying, medicines, archives, scientists at work with piles of papers.
Libra and the seventh house:
Seventh Arcanum - Chariot, Eighth Arcanum - Justice, trial, negotiations, dispute, clarification of relations within the framework of what is permitted, concession, submission to circumstances, law, order, conventions, bride and groom, kiss, registry office, fight, competition, single combat, duel, a duel on anything, Pushkin, defending the honor of his wife, challenges Dantes to a duel, a volunteer goes to war, tug of war, prosecutor, Themis with scales, police, police, handshake, speaker against the crowd, marriage of convenience, good investigator and evil investigator, buyer and seller bargain, Ivanushka against the serpent Gorynych, sunset.
Scorpio and the eighth house:
Thirteenth Arcanum - Death, twentieth Arcanum - Judgment, dying and rising gods: Christ, Dionysus and Mithras, Osiris and Attis, Adonis, episodes of the war, the Battle of Kulikovo, the Napoleonic battle, the battlefield, disasters, the death of the Titanic, a collapsed plane, fire, tears , hysterics, Buchenwald, nuclear explosion, Hiroshima, different currencies, bank, gangsters, robbers, skulls, skeletons next to treasures, swimmers, computer, magic symbols, witch, arsenal, guns, rockets, tanks, hearse, many coffins, repair work , mines, drilling mines, insurance policy, rescuers, plumbers, vacuum cleaners, garbage men, hairdresser, garbage dump.
Sagittarius and the Ninth House:
Twelfth Arcanum - The Hanged Man, Twenty-first Arcanum - The World, Prometheus, chained to a rock, doomed to torment for his disobedience to the gods, Alone, hanging on a tree, nailed to the trunk with a spear, Jesus, doomed himself to the torment of crucifixion for the sake of saving people, road, airport , football, hockey, sermon, tourists, spiritual teachers, the Bible, Koran, Bhagavadgitta, Avesta, Mecca, pilgrims, Alice in Wonderland, Sinbad the Sailor, Columbus in America, Afanasy Nikitin in India, Dunno on the Moon, Jerusalem, Pope , clergy, communications house, “trucks” - institutes, writers, books, dissertations, currency exchange office, consulate, constitution, Senate, Duma, parliament.
Capricorn and the tenth house:
Tenth Arcana – Wheel of Fortune, mill, spinning wheel, potter's wheel, wheel, squirrel in a wheel, Ferris wheel, carousel, multi-storey building, snow-capped mountain peak, climber, crane, high-altitude fitter, absolute champion with awards on the pedestal, winter landscape, cold, ice, snow, country flag, the President and his team, movement towards goals and success, vanity of vanities, politicians, management of a company, factory, city.
Aquarius and the Eleventh House:
Seventeenth Arcanum - Star, nineteenth Arcanum - Sun, Nymph, Assol from “Scarlet Sails” by A. Green, Mermaid, passing an exam, first date, achieving reciprocity, setting a sports record, climbing to the top, transformer booth, power lines, thermal power plant, chess , airplanes, rockets, VDNH, TV, scientists, research institutes, casinos, roulette, cards, billiards, bowling, tennis, football, hockey, dice, lottery, lottery machine, joystick, slot machines, computer, camera, video camera, negative, positive, space, different money, a lot of money, laughter and tears, two-faced Janus, fire.
Pisces and the twelfth house:
The ninth Arcanum is the Hermit, the eighteenth Arcanum is the Moon, water in its most fluid form, Buddha, who retired into the jungle to indulge in asceticism, a yogi secluded in the forest, a wandering monk, a holy ascetic, Merlin, Faust, Paracelsus, natural landscapes, the sea, ships, nets, fishermen, various fish, pharmacy, medicines, sick people, cripples, Count of Monte Cristo, people in wheelchairs, prison, camp, slaves, quarries, chains, handcuffs, psychiatric hospital, cemetery, obituary, natural disasters, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, church, domes, iconostasis, priest, starry sky, astrologer, collective meditation, alcohol, tears, sacred scriptures, man praying or confessing, Sunday, Savior.
The more developed the imagination, the more images are born in contact with a particular symbol, and therefore, the more information can be extracted from various symbolic combinations.
Is he happy who is happy alone? Imagine a man who would direct all his nobility to the sole purpose of making him feel good, who would already achieve such that he himself would have nothing left to desire. After all, then his whole soul would be occupied with one feeling, one fear: sooner or later he would be overthrown. Is he happy who has nothing to desire, but only something to fear?
Without noble deeds, a noble fortune is nothing.
Living without a mind is bad; What will you do without him?
Take care of your wife, don’t give her free rein.
In the great world there are small souls.
In the eyes of thinking people, an honest man without great rank is a noble person; virtue replaces everything, but nothing can replace virtue.
In my time, when I was younger, the people were much larger.
In human ignorance, it is very comforting to consider everything that you don’t know to be nonsense.
Bribes cannot be prohibited. How can you solve a case for nothing, just for your salary?
Is it possible for books to lie?
It doesn't matter whether you have a husband or be tied up.
Everything is in the imagination. Follow nature, you will never be poor. Follow people's opinions and you will never be rich.
Every creature means something and seeks something.
Everyone will find enough strength within themselves to be virtuous. You have to want it decisively, and then the easiest thing will be not to do something for which your conscience would prick you.
Two thousand souls and without the merits of a landowner are always two thousand souls, and without them the virtues are what the hell are the virtues.
For the whims of one person, the whole of Siberia is not enough!
The bad disposition of people who are not worthy of respect should not be distressing. Know that they never wish evil upon those whom they despise, but usually wish evil upon those who have the right to despise. People envy more than just wealth, more than just nobility: and virtue also has its envious people.
Women are usually chaste with deserved people, but rarely with rakes.
And I myself don’t know why this light was created!
Have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at all times.
How can one think that God, who knows everything, is not aware of our table of ranks?
How can the heart not be content when the conscience is calm!
How merciful fate is! She tries to unite people of the same mind, the same taste, the same character.
When does something amaze you so much,
That the base creature prefers selfishness to everything
And to happiness he wanders along despicable paths,
So, apparently, you have never lived among people.
Selfishness makes the same miracles out of a person as love.
Self-interest rarely conquers love.
Those who can, rob, those who cannot, steal.
The lazy person is afraid of work, but the idle person does not tolerate the work itself.
A lazy person is more dependent on the disposition of the body, and an idle person is more dependent on the disposition of the soul.
We have a lot of printed nonsense, not because there are more heretics, but because there are more fools.
A young man is like wax.
It is necessary that your husband obey reason, and you obey your husband, and you will both be completely prosperous.
Science in a depraved person is a fierce weapon to do evil. Enlightenment elevates one virtuous soul.
The ranks begin - sincerity ceases.
Don't lie everything you know.
Do not have love for your husband that resembles friendship. Have a friendship for him that would be like love. It will be much stronger.
Not the rich man who counts out money in order to hide it in a chest, but the one who counts out what he has in excess in order to help someone who does not have what he needs.
I don’t want to study, I want to get married!
An ignoramus without a soul is a beast. The smallest deed leads him into every crime.
It is impossible not to love the rules of virtue. They are ways to happiness.
Oh Klim! Your deeds are great! But who praised you? Relatives and two stutterers.
Only respect should be flattering to a person - spiritual; and only those who are in rank not by money, and in the nobility not by rank, are worthy of spiritual respect.
Leaving wealth to children? If they are smart, they will manage without him; and wealth is no help to a stupid son. Cash is not cash worth. The golden dummy is everyone's dummy.
Law requires dignity, talent, and virtue. Power needs prisons, glands, axes.
A truly inquisitive person is jealous of deeds, and not of rank; ranks are often begged for, but true respect must be earned; It is much more honest to be treated without guilt than to be rewarded without merit.
Good behavior gives direct value to the mind. Without it, an intelligent person is a monster.
The human heart is always a heart, both in Paris and in Russia: it cannot deceive.
Thank God there are no duties on lies! After all, where would we all be ruined!
Conscience, like a friend, always warns before punishing like a judge.
I will calculate the degrees of nobility by the number of deeds that the great gentleman did for the fatherland, and not by the number of deeds that he took upon himself out of arrogance; not by the number of people hanging around in his hallway, but by the number of people satisfied with his behavior and deeds.
He who most often has the Lord on his tongue has the devil on his heart.
The mind and science are subject to fashion as much as earrings and buttons.
The courage of the heart is proven in the hour of battle, and the fearlessness of the soul in all trials, in all situations of life. And what is the difference between the fearlessness of a soldier who, in an attack, risks his life along with others, and between the fearlessness of a statesman who speaks the truth to the sovereign, daring to anger him. The judge who, fearing neither vengeance nor the threats of the strong, gave justice to the helpless, is a hero in my eyes.
Honor is the soul of marital consent.
Topics of education and upbringing are always relevant to society. That is why Denis Fonvizin’s comedy “The Minor” is interesting for readers today. The heroes of the work are representatives of different classes. The comedy is written in the style of classicism. Each character represents a certain quality. For this, the author uses speaking surnames. In comedy, the rule of three unities is observed: unity of action, time and place. The play was first staged on stage in 1782. Since then, there have been thousands, or even millions, of performances of the same name all over the world. In 1926, based on the comedy, the film “Lords of the Skotinins” was shot.
Starodum
Starodum personifies the image of a wise man. He was brought up in the spirit of Peter the Great's time, and accordingly, he honors the traditions of the previous era. He considers serving the Fatherland a sacred duty. He despises evil and inhumanity. Starodum proclaims morality and enlightenment.
Starodum. Fragment from the play “The Minor”These are the worthy fruits of evil.
The ranks begin - sincerity ceases.
An ignoramus without a soul is a beast.
Have a heart, have a soul, and you will be a man at all times.
The direct dignity in a person is the soul... Without it, the most enlightened, clever person is a pitiful creature.
It is much more honest to be treated without guilt than to be rewarded without merit.
It is in vain to call a doctor to the sick without healing. The doctor won’t help you here unless you get infected yourself.
All of Siberia is not enough for the whims of one person.
Follow nature, you will never be poor. Follow people's opinions and you will never be rich.
Cash is not cash worth
They never wish harm upon those whom they despise; but usually they wish evil upon those who have the right to despise.
An honest person must be a completely honest person.
Insolence in a woman is a sign of vicious behavior.
In human ignorance, it is very comforting to consider everything that you don’t know to be nonsense.
God has given you all the amenities of your sex.
In today's marriages, the heart is rarely consulted. The question is whether the groom is famous or rich? Is the bride good and rich? There is no question about good behavior.
The bad disposition of people who are not worthy of respect should not be distressing. Know that they never wish evil upon those whom they despise, but usually wish evil upon those who have the right to despise.
People envy more than just wealth, more than just nobility: and virtue also has its envious people.
Science in depraved man is a fierce weapon to do evil Children? Leave wealth to children! Not in my head. They will be smart, they will manage without him; and wealth is no help to a stupid son.
The flatterer is a thief at night who will first put out the candle and then begin to steal.
Do not have love for your husband that resembles friendship. Have a friendship for him that would be like love. It will be much stronger.
Is he happy who has nothing to desire, but only something to fear?
Not the rich man who counts out money in order to hide it in a chest, but the one who counts out his extra money in order to help someone who does not have what he needs.
Conscience, like a friend, always warns before punishing like a judge.
It is better to lead life at home than in someone else's hallway.
Everyone must seek his happiness and benefits in that one thing that is lawful.
Pravdin
Pravdin is an honest official. He is a well-mannered and polite person. He conscientiously fulfills his duties, stands for justice and considers it his duty to help poor peasants. He sees through the essence of Prostakova and her son and believes that each of them should get what they deserve.
The direct dignity in man is the soul.
How clever it is to destroy inveterate prejudices in which base souls find their benefits!
Moreover, from my own heart’s struggle, I do not allow myself to notice those malicious ignoramuses who, having complete power over their people, use it inhumanly for evil.
Excuse me, madam. I never read letters without the permission of those to whom they are written...
What is called sullenness and rudeness in him is one effect of his straightforwardness.
From childhood his tongue did not say yes when his soul felt no.
Evil behavior cannot be tolerated in a well-established state... With guilt you will fly to distant lands, to a kingdom of thirty.
It was her crazy love for you that brought her the most misfortune.
I apologize for leaving you...
I am striving, however, to soon put limits on the wife’s malice and the husband’s stupidity. I have already notified our boss about all the local barbarities and I have no doubt that measures will be taken to calm them down...
I have been instructed to take charge of the house and villages at the first rabies, from which the people under her control could suffer...
The pleasure which princes enjoy in possessing free souls must be so great that I do not understand what motives could distract...
Scoundrel! Should you be rude to your mother? It was her crazy love for you that brought her the most misfortune.
Milo
Milon is an officer. He values courage and honesty in people, welcomes enlightenment and considers it his duty to serve the Fatherland. Treats others with respect. Milon is an excellent match for Sophia. There are obstacles on their way, but at the end of the work the fates of the heroes are reunited.
At my age and in my position, it would be unforgivable arrogance to consider everything deserved with which worthy people encourage a young man...
Perhaps she is now in the hands of some selfish people who, taking advantage of her orphanhood, are keeping her in tyranny. This thought alone makes me beside myself.
A! now I see my destruction. My opponent is happy! I do not deny all the merits in him. He may be reasonable, enlightened, kind; but so that you can compare with me in my love for you, so that...
How! such is my opponent! A! Dear Sophia! Why are you tormenting me with jokes? You know how easily a passionate person is upset by the slightest suspicion.
Denis Ivanovich Fonvizin Unworthy people!
The judge who, fearing neither vengeance nor the threats of the strong, gave justice to the helpless, is a hero in my eyes...
If you allow me to say my thought, I believe true fearlessness is in the soul, and not in the heart. Whoever has it in his soul, without any doubt, has a brave heart.
I see and honor virtue, adorned with enlightened reason...
I am in love and have the happiness of being loved...
You know how easily a passionate person is upset by the slightest suspicion...
Sophia
Translated, Sophia means “wisdom.” In “Minor” Sophia appears as a wise, well-mannered and educated person. Sophia is an orphan, her guardian and uncle is Starodum. Sophia's heart belongs to Milo. But, having learned about the girl’s rich inheritance, other heroes of the work also lay claim to her hand and heart. Sophia is convinced that wealth should only be achieved through honest work.
How appearance blinds us!
I was now reading a book... French. Fenelon, about the education of girls...
How many sorrows have I endured since the day of our separation! My unscrupulous relatives...
Uncle! My true happiness is that I have you. I know the price...
How can the heart not be content when the conscience is calm... I will use all my efforts to earn the good opinion of worthy people. How can I prevent those who see me moving away from them from becoming angry with me? Isn’t it possible, uncle, to find a way so that no one in the world would wish me harm?
Is it possible, uncle, that there are such pitiful people in the world in whom a bad feeling is born precisely because there is good in others.
A virtuous person should take pity on such unfortunates. It seemed to me, uncle, that all people agreed on where to place their happiness. Nobility, wealth...
Negative
Prostakova
Mrs. Prostakova is one of the main characters of the work. She is a representative of the noble class, holding serfs. In the house, everything and everyone must be under her control: The mistress of the estate pushes around not only her servants, but also controls her husband. In her statements, Mrs. Prostakova is despotic and rude. But she loves her son endlessly. As a result, her blind love does not bring anything good either to her son or to herself.
This is the kind of hubby God blessed me with: he doesn’t know how to figure out what’s wide and what’s narrow.
So believe also that I do not intend to indulge the slaves. Go, sir, and punish now...
My only concern, my only joy is Mitrofanushka. My age is passing. I'm preparing him for people.
Live and learn, my dear friend! Such a thing.
And I love that strangers listen to me too...
Without sciences people live and lived.
Mrs. Prostakova. Still from the film “The Minor” We took away everything that the peasants had; we can’t rip anything off. Such a disaster!..
I don’t intend to indulge the slaves. Go, sir, and punish now...
From morning to evening, like someone hanged by the tongue, I don’t lay down my hands: I scold, I fight; This is how the house holds together, my father!..
Yes, this is a different century, father!
My Mitrofanushka doesn’t get up for days because of a book. My mother's heart. Otherwise it’s a pity, a pity, but just think: but there will be a kid anywhere.
It is bad to praise your child, but where will the one whom God brings to be his wife not be unhappy?
Mitrofan
Mitrofan is the son of landowner Prostakova. Actually, in comedy he is an undergrowth. This is what they called those who did not want to study or serve in the 18th century. Mitrofanushka is spoiled by his mother and nanny, he is used to idleness, loves to eat well and is completely indifferent to science. At the same time, the feeling of gratitude is alien to him. He is rude not only to his teachers and nanny, but also to his parents. So, he “thanks” his mother for her boundless blind love.
Let go, mother, how you imposed yourself...
Garrison rat.
You're so tired beating your father.
For me, where they tell me to go.
I don't want to study - I want to get married He ate too much henbane.
Yes, all sorts of rubbish got into our heads, then you are a father, then you are a mother.
I'll study; just let this be the last time and let there be an agreement today!
Now I’ll run to the dovecote, maybe…
Well, say another word, you old bastard! I'll finish them off.
Vit is here and the river is close. I’ll dive, so remember my name... You lured me in, blame yourself...
Skotinin is the brother of Mrs. Prostakova. He does not recognize science and any enlightenment. He works in a barnyard; pigs are the only creatures that give him warm feelings. It was not by chance that the author gave this occupation and surname to his hero. Having learned about Sophia's condition, he dreams of marrying her profitably. For this, he is even ready to destroy his own nephew Mitrofanushka.
Every fault is to blame.
It’s a sin to blame for your own happiness.
Learning is nonsense.
I haven't read anything in my life, sister! God saved me from this boredom.
Everyone left me alone. The idea was to go for a walk in the barnyard. Don't be the Skotinin who wants to learn something.
What a parable! I am not a hindrance to anyone else. Everyone should marry his bride. I won’t touch someone else’s, and don’t touch mine.
I wasn’t going anywhere, but I was wandering around, thinking. I have such a custom that if you put a fence in your head, you can’t knock it out with a nail. In my mind, you hear, what came into my mind is stuck here. That’s all I think about, that’s all I see in a dream, as if in reality, and in reality, as in a dream.
Eremeevna
Nanny Mitrofanushka. He has been serving in the Prostakovs' house for more than 40 years. She is devoted to her owners and attached to their home. Eremeevna has a highly developed sense of duty, but self-esteem is completely absent.
I have my own grips sharp!
I tried to push myself towards him, but forcibly carried away my legs. Pillar of smoke, my mother!
Ah, creator, save and have mercy! If my brother hadn’t deigned to leave at that very moment, I would have broken down with him. That's what God wouldn't order. If these were dull (pointing to the nails), I wouldn’t even take care of the fangs.
God forbid vain lies! Even if you read for five years, you won’t get better than ten thousand.
The difficult one won't clean me up! I have been serving for forty years, but the mercy is still the same...
Five rubles a year, and five slaps a day.
Oh, you damn pig!
Tsyfirkin
Tsyfirkin is one of Mitrofanushka’s teachers. The telling surname directly indicates that he taught Prostakova’s son mathematics. The diminutive use of the surname suggests that Tsyfirkin was not a real teacher. He is a retired soldier who understands arithmetic.
