Raisa pretends that she can't find Esther's name on the list, and then tells her that she can not participate because she is barefoot.Įsther runs home, grabs her mother's slippers which are too big for her, some string to tie them on with, and runs back into town - dusty, sweaty and bedraggled. On the day of the contest, she walks into town in her old dress and sweater and is the first one to arrive. She makes a sarcastic comment to Esther, telling her that there are no prizes (implying that Jewish people are only interested in money).Įsther spends a great deal of time practicing: she recites the poem over and over to her mother, her grandmother, and anyone who will listen. Raisa does not like her, and does not like the idea of a poor Polish Jewish girl participating in the contest. The readings have to be chosen off a list which includes odes to Stalin, soldiers, and the Russian people, poems about the Stakhanov workers, and at the bottom of the list, "Eugene Onegin" by Pushkin.Įsther asks to read Tatyanna's dream from "Onegin". Esther's teacher, Raisa Nikitovna, announces the declamation contest.
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