[eyeundersand]

Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed both poems but remain partial to Brodsky's- probably a matter of taste and preference.

However, your conclusion (or at least the way I interpreted it) that the essence that drove the writing of Herbert's poem was also responsible for Polish political outcomes and Russia's current state seems a bit far-fetched and reductionist. And Brodsky's poem and quotes in the article do not imply a lack of courage/defiance to me. On the contrary, I read his poem to mean that despite being steadfast in your views, have room for gratitude.

[ajuc]

It's a simplification, obviously. But I do think there's a cultural factor in how society approaches the government and suffering in general that strongly influences what kind of government keeps developing in that society.

When you talk about politics with Russians - they always talk about it like it's a force of nature. Like the only choice is fatalistic acceptance.

[eyeundersand]

I agree with you on that point. This fatalistic attitude is also often mentioned when discussing how the Indian subcontinent remained colonized for so long. I do not know enough about Polish history to be able to compare their cultural stock to that of the 'East'.