Themes = sacrifice
• leaving the loved one behind
• Sacrifice himself for the countryEN 4241 Critical & Analytical Reading 2022
Reading Passage 4
Ukraine war student-turned-soldier: 'Friends die in your
arms'
By Jeremy Bowen
BBC News, Bakhmut Tactics
Maxsym Lutsyk looks older and more serious, and makes fewer jokes, than when I saw
him in the days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Back then, the 19-year-old had just
put university on hold and volunteered to fight.
Last week he made a difficult journey out of the Donbas front line, using back roads at
night to avoid artillery fire, to pick up supplies for his unit and to tell me what it has
been like fighting the Russians.
We met in Bakhmut, a small town well within the range of Russian artillery. Some of its
buildings are in ruins and the city has been almost emptied of civilians.
Metaphor = their techniques to find a way to get to the supply without getting attacked by Russian
For three weeks, Maxsym and his comrades had fought to keep control of a position
they called Serber, after a small dog they had adopted. It was in a smashed-up former
factory in Rubizhne, a town that eventually fell to the Russians.
Metaphor = the situation is very bad
"It was like hell. There were no good positions to defend. We had been in trenches,
sometimes shelters from Soviet times, and a fire station."
His unit was targeted by tank fire about 25 times a day, he says.
"One of my friends was killed there and maybe 10 or 15 guys were injured seriously."
Student signing up
Irony of situation Personification = spring = glowing / living /being alive but someone die their
Now, summer is almost on them and Ukraine's fertile black soil is bursting with life, the
deadliest fighting is in Donbas. Russia's generals are learning from its enemy's victories
around Kyiv, the capital, and Kharkiv, the second city.
Metaphor = retreat ถอยทัพ
Defeat in March led the Russian army to fall back, in April and May, on what it knows
best. Its forces and fearsome firepower are concentrated in a narrow sector of east
Ukraine. Now it is close to forcing Ukrainian forces out of Luhansk, one of the two
regions that make up Donbas. The other, Donetsk, where Ukraine has a bigger footprint,
is already being hit by Russian artillery. Metaphor = fortress
This case I’m the strongest
I first came across Maxsym, a biology student, in early March. He, and his university
friend Dmytro Kisilenko, an 18-year-old studying economics, had signed up to fight
shortly after Russia launched its invasion.
Simile
As they waited alongside others like them, in the bitter cold, to be bussed to their
training centre, they looked like young lads off to a festival or a camping trip, except for
the old Kalashnikovs they had just been issued. Witnessing 18- and 19-year-olds, full of
the invincible sense that young men have, going to war in Europe, just as they had
during the blood-soaked years of the 20th Century was moving, depressing, and
alarming. It was a sign of the big war that was coming. Metaphor = WW2
In March, Maxsym and Dmytro and all Ukrainians were adapting, the way human
beings always do in war. After the first shock old lives and routines fade into a new, all-
consuming version of real life. During their brief training early in March, we talked
about how the war was changing everything. Maxsym already sounded old for his years.
* "We can't meet our wives, our girlfriends, our children. We can't do our business, like
we were doing before the invasion. But everyone understands that we have a more
1
EN 4241 Critical & Analytical Reading 2022
important mission now. And we will continue doing business, growing up our children.
We will kiss our wives and girlfriends many times, but after the war."
Metaphor = sudden change / change to the opposite side
Their lives, those of every Ukrainian, were turned upside down, when the Russians
invaded on 24 February. So have the lives of all of us who aren't Ukrainian.
Metaphor = I have the strong will to fight (I will not let Vladimir Putin share the land bc this is the land of Ukraine)
Despite Russian advances, Maxsym retains an iron-clad determination to fight. His
friend Dmytro, who fought in the battle for Kyiv, is remains in the capital. As they were
students, service in the Donbas is not compulsory.
Stay still and didn’t fight back and let the Russian attacks so that the world can see how bad Russian is
"As long as it's necessary to hold, we are ready to freeze in trenches, to lose our hearing.
A We are ready even to die there, but we will win as much time as it's necessary for the
entire civilized world to beat Russia in non-military ways." And hope that Ukraine will win
Irony of situation, they went out there was not to fight but to become bait for the whole world to beat Russian
He has no time for people calling themselves Ukraine's allies, who say they should trade
territory for some kind of accommodation with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Metaphor = cruelty = Putin was cruelty
"I think that there is no way to make a deal with Putin. Putin understands only the
language of bullets, blood, war crimes and something else. It is impossible to say take
this part of the land and the war will end."
I asked Maxsym how the war was changing him. At the start of the year, he was
arranging concerts and involved with youth politics in Kyiv.
"Even now I can't answer you exactly because it is very hard to understand that some of
your friends, they died in your arms. It is hard to live with that fact... and when we left
Rubizhne, it was hard for us to understand that we have lost the battle for this factory;
for one of the key cities of Luhansk region."
'War of light and darkness' Allution
Back in March, Maxsym used to joke that he hadn't told his parents exactly what he was
doing in uniform.
"Now my parents understand me 100%. I try to call them every time I can. My mama
sent some uniform for me and my brothers." His father tried to join the territorial
defence in Maxsym's home town, Sumy. "But he's 65 and too old to fight. So when they
turned him down, he phoned me and says 'Maxsym, can I become a part of your unit?'
"They understand me. They support me mentally and financially."
Irony of situation = there is a sense of sarcastic / aille never come
Donbas is full of signs that the Ukrainians expect to lose more territory to this Russian
offensive. New lines of trenches have been dug in the rear. Convoys of huge, expensive
tractors are being driven west. The sophisticated heavy weapons that they need to try to
match and even outgun Russian firepower are arriving, but not fast enough yet to force
the invaders back.
Irony of situation = let 19 years old student become front line soldier / the
Maxsym the student has turned into a front-line soldier, engaged he believes in the
mission of hismission
life. of his life is for nationalism
"We are fighting for the freedom of the entire world, the entire civilised world and if
anyone thinks it is a Ukrainian-Russian war, it isn't. It is the war of the light and the
darkness between the Russia and the entire world." Metaphor = freedom of you
*************************
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61624557
2
Theme assisted beloved behind Hopeful, encourage, positive, sympathy
-
sacrifi EN 4241 Critical & Analytical Reading 2022
Reading Passage 4
Ukraine war student-turned-soldier: 'Friends die in your
arms'
By Jeremy Bowen
BBC News, Bakhmut
Maxsym Lutsyk looks older and more serious, and makes fewer jokes, than when I saw
him in the days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Back then, the 19-year-old had just
put university on hold and volunteered to fight.
Last week he made a difficult journey out of the Donbas front line, using back roads at
night to avoid artillery fire, to pick up supplies for his unit and to tell me what it has
been like fighting the Russians.
We met in Bakhmut, a small town well within the range of Russian artillery. Some of its
and are
buildings are in ruins and the city has been almost emptied of civilians.
metaphor
-
their teachnic to getthe supply
For three weeks, Maxsym and his comrades had fought to keep control of a position
they called Serber, after a small dog they had adopted. It was in a smashed-up former attache
factory in Rubizhne, a town that eventually fell to the Russians.
mataphor very
- bad
"It was like hell. There were no good positions to defend. We had been in trenches,
sometimes shelters from Soviet times, and a fire station."
His unit was targeted by tank fire about 25 times a day, he says.
"One of my friends was killed there and maybe 10 or 15 guys were injured seriously."
Student signing up
personification Now, summer is almost on them and Ukraine's fertile black soil is bursting with life, the
deadliest fighting is in Donbas. Russia's generals are learning from its enemy's victories
spring around Kyiv, the capital, and Kharkiv, the second city.
living Retreat
metaphor
2
-glowing live Defeat in March led the Russian army to fall back, in April and May, on what it knows
-
R
being best. Its forces and fearsome firepower are concentrated in a narrow sector of east
↑ of si
tUkraine. Now it is close to forcing Ukrainian forces out of Luhansk, one of the two
regions that make up Donbas. The other, Donetsk, where Ukraine has a bigger footprint,
-rony di is already being hit by Russian artillery. Metaphor= ปอมปราการ
=someone
I first came across Maxsym, a biology student, in early March. He, and his university
friend Dmytro Kisilenko, an 18-year-old studying economics, had signed up to fight
shortly after Russia launched its invasion.
Similes =
As they waited alongside others like them, in the bitter cold, to be bussed to their
training centre, they looked like young lads off to a festival or a camping trip, except for
the old Kalashnikovs they had just been issued. Witnessing 18- and 19-year-olds, full of
shor the invincible sense that young men have, going to war in Europe, just as they had
metal during the blood-soaked years of the 20th Century was moving, depressing, and
ferr.alarming.
on
It was a sign of the big war that was coming.
-wes
civilizatiIn March, Maxsym and Dmytro and all Ukrainians were adapting, the way human
ww beings always do in war. After the first shock old lives and routines fade into a new, all-
consuming version of real life. During their brief training early in March, we talked
about how the war was changing everything. Maxsym already sounded old for his years.
"We can't meet our wives, our girlfriends, our children. We can't do our business, like
we were doing before the invasion. But everyone understands that we have a more
1
EN 4241 Critical & Analytical Reading 2022
important mission now. And we will continue doing business, growing up our children.
We will kiss our wives and girlfriends many times, but after the war."
Metaphor = sudden change / change to the opposite side
Their lives, those of every Ukrainian, were turned upside down, when the Russians
invaded on 24 February. So have the lives of all of us who aren't Ukrainian.
mataphor:Iwill fight Strong will
Despite Russian advances, Maxsym retains an iron-clad determination to fight. His
friend Dmytro, who fought in the battle for Kyiv, is remains in the capital. As they were
students, service in the Donbas is not compulsory.
Irony of situation that the
stay still let Russia attach so
"As long as it's necessary to hold, we are ready to freeze in trenches, to lose our hearing. world know
We are ready even to die there, but we will win as much time as it's necessary for the
entire civilized world to beat Russia in non-military ways."
พวกเขาไมไดออกไปสํ้เเตออกไปเปนเหยื่อ
He has no time for people calling themselves Ukraine's allies, who say they should trade
territory for some kind of accommodation with Vladimir Putin's Russia.
Metaphor = โหดราย
"I think that there is no way to make a deal with Putin. Putin understands only the
language of bullets, blood, war crimes and something else. It is impossible to say take
this part of the land and the war will end."
I asked Maxsym how the war was changing him. At the start of the year, he was
arranging concerts and involved with youth politics in Kyiv.
"Even now I can't answer you exactly because it is very hard to understand that some of
your friends, they died in your arms. It is hard to live with that fact... and when we left
Rubizhne, it was hard for us to understand that we have lost the battle for this factory;
for one of the key cities of Luhansk region."
'War of light and darkness' I
Allusion
Back in March, Maxsym used to joke that he hadn't told his parents exactly what he was
doing in uniform.
"Now my parents understand me 100%. I try to call them every time I can. My mama
sent some uniform for me and my brothers." His father tried to join the territorial
defence in Maxsym's home town, Sumy. "But he's 65 and too old to fight. So when they
turned him down, he phoned me and says 'Maxsym, can I become a part of your unit?'
"They understand me. They support me mentally and financially."
Donbas is full of signs that the Ukrainians expect to lose more territory to this Russian
offensive. New lines of trenches have been dug in the rear. Convoys of huge, expensive
tractors are being driven west. The sophisticated heavy weapons that they need to try to
match and even outgun Russian firepower are arriving, but not fast enough yet to force
the invaders back. Irony of situation Your alli
Maxsym the student has turned into a front-line soldier, engaged he believes in the
mission of his life. Irony of situations
"We are fighting for the freedom of the entire world, the entire civilised world and if
anyone thinks it is a Ukrainian-Russian war, it isn't. It is the war of the light and the
darkness between the Russia and the entire world." Metaphor = freedom of you
*************************
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61624557
