{"id":409,"date":"2018-10-17T00:42:47","date_gmt":"2018-10-17T04:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/?p=409"},"modified":"2018-10-21T22:10:55","modified_gmt":"2018-10-22T02:10:55","slug":"imagery-of-fire-imagery-of-ice-rytkheus-portrayal-of-johns-crew-versus-the-chukchi-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/the-domestic-exotic\/imagery-of-fire-imagery-of-ice-rytkheus-portrayal-of-johns-crew-versus-the-chukchi-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagery of Fire, Imagery of Ice: Rytkheu&#8217;s Portrayal of John&#8217;s Crew versus the Chukchi People"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This week\u2019s reading of Yuri Rytkheu\u2019s <em>A Dream in Polar Fog<\/em> opens with a quick developing narrative about John MacLennan, a Canadian university dropout, and his near death boating accident in the Russian arctic sea off the coast of Chukotka. In order to develop the scene within the first few chapters, MacLennan utilizes imagery such as \u201cblasts of icy wind\u201d and \u201cfrosty air\u201d that \u201csurge\u201d through the \u201cice strip,\u201d a description of the ever-freezing waters that surround the boat (Rytkheu\u2019s chap. 1,2). Rytkheu\u2019s utilization of cold and unforgiving diction about climate and topography suggests that the coast of Chukotka is strong, frigid, and even isolating. As for the MacLennan and his fellow sailors, Rytkheu\u2019s utilizes imagery of fire and warmth, which ultimately differentiates these Canadians from the region they newly inhabit. For example, beginning chapter two, Rytkheu describes crew-members \u201cHugh and John\u201d as \u201con fire for explorers\u2019 glory\u201d (2). Then again after John\u2019s accident, he is referenced as a body that \u201csuffused with fire,\u201d with a \u201chot stream pulsating in his wrists\u201d (2). Rytkheu continues to reference John\u2019s state of \u201cfiery pain\u201d for the duration of this chapter, which directly precedes John\u2019s introduction to the three Chukchi that agree to bring him to Anadyr after learning of his physical state. Up to this point, Rytkheu\u2019s utilization of hot and uncomfortable imagery distinguishes John and his crewmen from the frozen regions that surround them.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With all this said, I do find an interesting divergence in Rytkheu\u2019s use of imagery in describing the Canadian crew versus the Russian environment. At the beginning of chapter three while Grover notifies the \u201cthree Chukchi\u201d of their task: to \u201cdeliver John MacLennan to Anadyr\u2019, wait there until he is recovered, and then bring him back here,\u201d one of the Chukchi named Toko \u201clooks over\u201d at John and notices his \u201cicy, cold eyes\u201d (3). Rytkheu emphasizes this moment, harping on the fact that \u201cToko could feel John\u2019s star pierce him through, giving rise to a strange chill in the pit of his stomach\u201d (3). Note Rytkheu\u2019s in-depth description of John\u2019s frigid stare. John no longer represents a hot, fiery force; instead, he is now cold and somber in relation to those around him, giving off a chill that \u201cnot even the fiery run could chase away\u201d (3). I find it very interesting that while there is a complete transition in John\u2019s nature from warm to frigid, there also exists a reference to something \u201cfiery,\u201d but this time \u201cfiery\u201d describes the rum offered by The Chukchi. It is interesting to think of not only the purpose of this change in Rytkheu\u2019s differentiation between John\u2019s crew and the people Chukotka, but also the implications that this transition has on John\u2019s placement in and among the Chukchi. Could this adoption of regional characteristics, i.e. ice-cold features, be a form of foreshadowing John\u2019s budding relationship alongside his Chukchi acquaintances? Or perhaps that both peoples are on track to connect with each other more connectively as they set out to begin this month-long trek. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week\u2019s reading of Yuri Rytkheu\u2019s A Dream in Polar Fog opens with a quick developing narrative about John MacLennan, a Canadian university dropout, and his near death boating accident in the Russian arctic sea off the coast of Chukotka. In order to develop the scene within the first few chapters, MacLennan utilizes imagery such [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":400,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[61,70],"class_list":["post-409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-domestic-exotic","tag-a-dream-in-polar-fog","tag-rytkheu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/russian-2447-fall-2018\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}