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About this quote

What does it mean?
Shostakovich recalls a traumatic memory of witnessing a boy killed by a Cossack.
In plain terms
I remember seeing a boy killed brutally by a Cossack soldier.
What can you take from it?
Violent acts leave lasting traumatic memories.

Where it applies

  • witnessing violence
  • remembering past trauma
  • discussing historical violence

Putting it to work

  • document witness accounts
  • recognize impact of violence
  • preserve memory

Questions to consider

  • What traumatic memories shape your worldview?
  • How does violence affect memory?

Another view

Personal memory may not always match historical records.

More from Dmitri Shostakovich

  1. 'Every composer should be able to play his own compositions at the piano.'

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  2. 'Beethoven was a revolutionary. If you read his letters, you will realize how much he wished to arouse the public by his new musical ideas.'

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  3. 'What you have in your head, put it down on paper. The head is a fragile vessel.'

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