How To Write A Reflective Essay On The Unbearable Lightness Of Being

Prior to the interactive oral discussion the information I knew regarding the history of Czechoslovakia was vague. I had known that Hitler invaded the country in the 1930s and that communism was present until the late S1980s. After this interactive oral discussion, I now understand the history behind the country. One of the effects of the ongoing political events in Czechoslovakia was social realistic art. This style was practiced in the Soviet Union as a way of controlling the messages that artists put out during the era of communism. The Soviet Union influenced the cultural aspects of Czechoslovakia after the defeat of Alexander Dubcek. This was a form of censorship used to promote communist ideologies; specifically showing the lives of the working class. The effect of this is seen in The Unbearable Lightness of Being when Sabina’s artwork is affected by this new style. Sabina quickly realizes the true intentions of this style of art and rejects it. Censorship was important to the government because they did not want members of society speaking out against them. In order to ensure this secret police investigated every aspect of the lives of the Czech people. In the novel, this causes paranoia within Tereza because she values privacy which is the exact opposite of what the secret police believed in.
Milan Kundera – the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being – had a history with music. His deep knowledge and understanding of music can be seen in the novel’s structure because it is not organized chronologically. After the discussion, I was able to analyze the novel and notice that since it is organized into themes it follows a musical composition. This also relates back to the different relationships the characters have with music; Tereza and Franz both enjoy music, but Sabina despises it because of her childhood experiences with