Home › Forums › Week 3 Forums › Monday’s Class (7/6): Transworld Identity › The Death of Stalin
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July 6, 2020 at 2:05 pm #606Alan GloverParticipant
[May be some minor spoilers]
A work that utilizes Transworld Identity is the dark-comedy film, The Death of Stalin. This film builds the narrative around the theory that Stalin was actually poisoned by his close comrades. Following this event, his close comrades, otherwise known as his advisors, begin to fight over who will take over the USSR following Stalin’s death.
This film utilizes the “Stalin was poisoned theory” to rewrite history in a comedic way while also showing the severity and brutality Russian citizens endured. This film shows that not all Russians are bad but rather its USSR leaders who sought every opportunity to take power and were willing to sacrifice the innocent lives of others.
Additionally, this film be described as making a statement about the abuse of power. This film could be an example of authoritarian leaders and real threats that arise when individuals hold too much power, ultimately believing themselves to be an all-being individual who becomes dissociated with reality and their connection to other human-beings. Alternatively, this film could be used to promote others standing up for themselves. This could be evident in Stalin, who as many know, was a brutal and power-hungry dictator who was disliked and hated by many – even among his advisors. Because of this notion, and Stalin’s advisors clearly disliking their dictator, could have banded together and taken down Stalin and relinquish his power to benefit the USSR and its people and benefiting all. Essentially, Stalin’s advisors should have banded together to throw a coup against Stalin, which would have created positive effects throughout their nation. Instead, these individuals all vied for power which negatively affected themselves and their country which circles back to the threat of power-hungry individuals.
July 6, 2020 at 3:06 pm #609Danielle PuccioParticipantI think this is an interesting example because there is no debate on whether or not Stalin is Stalin in this perspective. A lot of the reading was working through how to decide what characteristics of identity were essential to maintaining that two objects in different worlds were the same. I think the work you described manages to avoid this issue by not having any contention as to whether Stalin is actually Stalin; it rather takes the route of imagining a certain and specific reason for his death or struggles as leader.
July 6, 2020 at 6:55 pm #614Alan GloverParticipantAh then I may have misinterpreted Transworld Identity for Historical fiction from the lecture video.
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