Symphony For The City Of The Dead Analysis

Looking back at America's history, it's clear to see that literature is one of the most powerful and influential art forms in the world. The greatest writers throughout the years have influenced and shaped the youth of their generations. The great fiction writers used vivid storytelling and satire to criticize past generations and failed ideas. Such examples include George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.” Nonfiction writers have used their past experiences to educate readers from a different perspective, more effectively than any textbook can. One of the greatest works of nonfiction, Booker T. Washington’s “Up From Slavery,” told his story of upbringing from a slave to an educator. “Symphony for the city of the Dead” by M.T. Anderson is another great work of nonfiction. “Symphony for the City of the Dead” is a biography about the life of Dmitri Shostakovich, a famous composer who lived in the city of Leningrad during the siege in World War 2. The story revolves around Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, composed as the city of Leningrad crumbled around him due to the Nazis’ relentless assaults. “Symphony for the City of the Dead” is the story of the last flicker of hope in Leningrad in 1942.

The story of Dmitry Shostakovich had a large impact on me as a reader. Going into the story, I wasn’t sure how

It never occurred to me that one simple song could hold as much power as Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, “Leningrad,” did. The greatest strength of Shostakovich’s biography is his ability to recreate the vivid setting of 1940’s Leningrad. The artful descriptions of the city help bring out the contrast between the fallen city and the hope that Shostakovich’s symphony brought. Memoirs are becoming so popular today because they provide in-depth looks into snippets of history, like M.T. Anderson does with “Symphony for the City of the