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By Abhishek and Aarushi XA

DEVELOPMENT OF STORY
In these chapters Dunmore is able to give us the back story. We find out all the important information about the family, and are told of the awful situation in Stalins Soviet Union even before Nazi aggression brought it into the War. Dunmore makes the horrors of Stalinism as concrete as she can. Annas father, Mikhail, seems to have a tough time and Anna on the other hand gives up everything to help run household. Time has come a long way and now Anna seems to learn to change with it , experiencing new people and feelings all along.

CHARACTERS INTRODUCED.
Anna- The protagonist Kolya- Brother of Anna Vera- Mother of Anna Mikhail- Father of Anna Marina Petrovna- A friend of Mikhail Oyla- Mothers protge Elizaveta Antonova- Annas boss

ANNA
Realistic Reasonable Hardworking: tries to do the best for her family so they can make-do Adaptive Efficient Strong Thinks ahead Knows the effects of Stalinism but manages to push away her fear by immersing herself in her work. Very attached to Koyla

KOYLA
He is a representation of the life of a child in a war situation. He draws the pity of the readers. Small attention span Innocent Lazy Stubborn

VERA
Dedicated Realistic Calm Intelligent Understanding An expert in her field- but also manages to look out for Anna. She is used to describe Annas upbringing and current situation, to show how the protagonist came to be and to introduce the presence of Koyla. She is also used to introduce other characters that depict the flaws of Stalinism.

MIKHAIL ILYICH
Unable to support himself Claustrophobic Stubborn He is a testament to the way Stalinism was crushing people. He is idealistic and is unable to accept the changing times, the rejection of his good stories. He is scared of Stalin and accepts the situation but is unable to change, and in that was is impractical. Slowly under the iron fist of Stalin, he is breaking down.

MARINA PETROVNA
Mikhails friend who also wishes to befriend Vera but is rejected. She is slightly self-obsessed and is an actress in every fiber of her being- striving to make everyone like her. She is another representation of talent crushed by fear. Despite her social nature, circumstances force her to recede from society.

OYLA
Oyla is the personification of talent oppressed by the fear that follows in the wake of Stalinism. She is highly intelligent and was a promising radiologist. She lost her job, that meant everything to her due to Stalins general orders.

ELIZAVETA ANTONOVA
She is a portrayal of all the superiors in this situation, helpless and living in fear. She is unable to deal with the pressure and is constantly worried as there is no one to stop her from making a mistake. Thus she does her job for the sake of it, ready to comply to any of Kobas orders.

PLOT
The scene seems to open as winter lifts from Leningrad, describing the joy of the people, along with the fear of vaporization. Anna has travelled to a dacha where she is staying with her brother and father. We are drawn back into time as it presents how they all ended up here. Mikhails father , failing as a writer , publisher, and Anna quitting learning to draw to be here, still an amateur. The plot revolves around the case of the family as death of Annas mother is dramatically brought in. With a saddening tone to it , life now seems to go on and Anna seems to adjust to it bluntly, having no choice. Thus with a moving and yet beautifully written plot, the first two chapters come to an end.

SUMMARY
The first two chapters of The Siege give a background to Leningrad, some of the main characters, the general situation and act as a prologue, introducing the reader to the scene of the story. It begins with an outline of the harsh climate there, the almost never -ending winter with a spring that gives false hopes. The s tory then depicts the general situation in that time, the fear of vaporization and the difficulties that people lived with. That is followed by an introduction to Anna, Koyla and their father, depicting how they came to their current situation, living in a dacha, Anna doing all the work for the family. Annas mothers death is explained, after a description of their relation and an insight into her mothers character, as well as an interaction with Marina, who Vera, Annas mother, clearly dislikes. There is also tension in Annas parents relationship before

SUMMARY CONT.
Veras death. The father's character is also introduced and it is seen that he is too idealistic to change with time. His character also represents how Stalin is slowly leeching the life out of his own people, through fear and false hopes. Annas life is looked into, an amateur artist forced by situation to leave college, a nursery assistant and the support system of the family. , living in constant fear she takes care of Koyla and her father ,. Another presentation of the way Stalins control was ruining the life of the people is brought up through the description of Marina, an actress who was shunned for her contacts and Oyla, Veras promising prot g who lost her job due to his orders. The chapters end with Anna leaving to visit Marina, for reasons still unknown.

THE SURROUNDING
The climate of Leningrad is severe, months of winter followed by a spring that makes one question how they could have bared the winter. There is an atmosphere of fear, a fight for survival with the vaporizations going on, that leaves one to feel a twisted relief if their neighbor is taken instead of them, that contrasts with the companionship that the people generally feel in the summer months, the feelings of joy and excitement that leads them to recklessness, when in the fear they can barely cross the road. There are frequent food shortages in the area, and many people losing their jobs due to the evaporation fear as well. The entire population is focused, like Stalin, on making everything appear to improve, though in reality the people are slowly dying of f, situations worsening behind the masks they put up.

STRIKING LINES- CHAPTER 1

Page 1: hallucinationgiven up expecting, murky and doubtful, spring hurts, bear whatbeen, cant trustyourself Page 2: roads are too wide, so manymuch fear, black vans, sweat of relief, shamefully, birds had no doubts, drink the light, cant bear to part, their baptism, Page 3: understand how they feel, cant stay indoors, promise and recklessness, getting ready to fly, no greater possible happiness, doesnt belongcelebrating, overworked mothersback again, crush them, no good letting herself dream

STRIKING LINES- CHAPTER 1

Page 4: food shortages all the time, cant get his work published, dangerous assets Page 5: tone was pessimistic, life has... More cheerful, not what people want Page 6: what hasanything?, expected to be thanked, scouring him out from the inside, little worldmade sense Page 7: gets it wrong on her?, someone clamped a handwell - fed hand, Kobas, wouldnt come off Page 11: change in weather, not beforeme Page 14: instead offher arms, Im here

STRIKING LINES- CHAPTER 2

Page 15: habit ofeasier, never knewhouse perfectly well himself Page 16: Anna isenough, failing to denounce, strong, stick at the job maybe its worthspring Page 17: growing by magic Page 18: losing interest, as long ascome through, take offhis too Page 19: capableare unpublishable actually released, disappeared, along with her name Page 20: brilliantly intelligent lost my job Page 21: ripping offflesh, sees your shadowhim Page 22: wrong - unnatural saying goodbyego