12.15 Stuck in the Ice; Curriculum and Commentary The Chelyuskin is trapped in the ice. She signals to the icebreaker Krassin for assistance. Too bad, the Krassin is damaged herself and turns back towards home. Task: Build the frozen Chukchi sea in the room around the Chelyuskin--ice floes and icebergs, a small icebreaker Krassin “in the distance.” Compose and rehearse morse code messages to signal with a torch from the Chelyuskinites to the Krassin, Pound both ships lightly with ice. Commentary: · Celebrated the birth of Karina, baby born on the Kara Sea before the Chelyuskin sank. Discussion of why a pregnant woman would go on this journey. Vera tried to describe, in English, a “special love,” used example of Soviet women impregnated with monkey sperm to illustrate other acts of devotion. Julia said that Schmidt’s 3rd wife, who accompanied him on the expedition, conceived a child during the expedition. · Morse code is an international language but it is actually English. Kids wrote personal messages as if from their Chelyuskinites on the compromised ship, translated them into English, translated them to Morse code, and signaled them with a torch from the ship to the far away Krassin. · Mitya, 9, chose a Chelyuskinite and worked with his mother to translate his biography into English. How to translate “рабочая семья»?—conversation followed with his mother, who speaks better Dutch. · Discussion with Marina Mareeva: the Arctic was the white cube for Communism—it provided conditions for estrangement of a society. Communism was achieved on the Chelyuskin expedition, partially because all they had to do was survive and sustain it till they were rescued, not indefinitely. Не Сдадимсья! (until we are rescued.) · There is a special ecstatic joy in taking on a task which is doomed. Further conversation on why they went and why they survived with such success. It is mentioned that living in Russia (for foreigners?) is the same as enjoying taking on a task which is doomed—ecstatic fatalism? · Everyone agrees that the Chelyuskinites survived, unlike Nobile’s expedition, and didn’t eat each other or walk off because of party organization. But we also discussed the fact that Schmidt threatened to shoot anyone who left in the 1984 TV serial—not sure if this really happened. · Vera told me afterwards that the most beautiful word is “Leningrad” (which Aleksandr used when he described the departure), with a dramatic flourish of her arms. · Lyuda says that you can’t talk to children about Communism but you can, of course, talk to them about the Chelyuskin.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 06:51:24 +0000
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