Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. In 1861, Russian monarch Tsar Alexander II emancipated serfs in his empire. Describe the serfdom system in the Russian Empire. What were the causes and effects of the emancipation of serfs on Russian society?

Teaching Suggestion: This question orients students with the historical context of Tolstoy’s work. Twenty-five years before the publication of this story, Tsar Alexander II’s abolishment of the serfdom system drastically transformed Russia’s economy and social hierarchy. Before the 1861 Emancipation, the Russian Empire was one of the few remaining regions with a functioning feudal system in which serfs, or agricultural workers, labored on a piece of land they were bound to. In addition to the significant transformation of the economy, the social ramifications of the 1861 Emancipation shaped future generations and linked to subsequent revolutions in the early 20th century. Although Tolstoy does not explicitly state that the protagonist is a former serf, his story takes place after the 1861 Emancipation, when peasants purchased land for their economic benefit. Direct instruction or investigation time with these and other resources may benefit students before reading the story.