Taras Shevchenko. Reading

Taras Shevchenko is an iconic symbol of Ukraine, a great national hero whose works and actions have _______ of Ukrainians to seek freedom and be proud of their heritage. His literary works have competed with the Bible in popularity among Ukrainians, and thousands of monuments all over the world were erected to honor his legacy. 

The 19th century was a period of Russian imperialism and cruel domination over the Ukrainian people when even cultural activity was brutally oppressed. Taras Shevchenko lived in extremely difficult circumstances – childhood serfdom, a decade of imprisonment in far-off Russian regions, and sudden early death from years of suppression – _______ 

His biography and iconic works have become the epitome of Ukraine’s uniqueness and ______and the unwillingness to tolerate oppression. Even in the darkest of times, Ukrainians found solace in Shevchenko’s poems, cherishing the glorious past and hoping for a bright future.

Taras Shevchenko, being a highly talented self-taught poet and artist, experienced all sorts of injustice and oppression common in the 19th-century Russian empire. As a child, he saw the abominable lords’ behavior toward their powerless serfs, which caused his disdain for serfdom to Russian nobles. Harsh censorship of his poems and far-reaching limitations to the overall Ukrainian nation and culture resulted in his _______.

The poet is considered the founder of new Ukrainian literature. He was the first to stand out as a true people’s poet whose poems reflected the thoughts and feelings of the lower social strata along with aspirations for freedom. His book Кобзар /Kobzar/ has long been a must-have for every Ukrainian household.Taras Shevchenko shaped a _____ against imperial and lordship rule, fighting for the happiness of the nation. Contrary to his contemporaries, he focused on criticizing Russian rule as a whole, not merely some imperfections. Next-generation writers followed his example, finding inspiration from his approach. The Ukrainian language was also influenced – in structure, vocabulary, and syntax.

Taras Shevchenko _______, regularly showing it in his literature and artworks. Thanks to him, Ukrainians can admire sketches of beautiful sceneries and architecture of 19th-century Ukraine, imagining how the country looked like in such a distant past. Shevchenko was also unapologetic to passive conformers of injustice who chose to forget their roots and distance themselves from Ukrainian heritage for the sake of comfort and profit.