What is GERD. How is GERD diagnosed and treated. Symptoms, causes, treatments, and remedies for relief of GERD.

What is GERD?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a digestive disorder that affects the ring of muscle between your esophagus and your stomach. This ring is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). If you have it, you may get heartburn or acid indigestion. Doctors think that some people may have it because of a condition called hiatal hernia. In most cases, you can ease your GERD symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes. But some people may need medication or surgery to manage their symptoms.

How is GERD Diagnosed?

To diagnose GERD, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following tests:

• Upper endoscopy: This test allows the doctor to examine the lining of your esophagus, stomach, and the first part of your small intestine (duodenum) for signs of damage from acid reflux.
• Esophageal manometry: This test measures the strength of the muscles in your esophagus and determines if they are functioning properly.
• pH monitoring: This test measures the amount of acid in your esophagus over a 24- to 48-hour period.
• Barium swallow: This X-ray test can help identify structural problems in your esophagus and stomach.

What Causes GERD?

The main cause of GERD is a weakened or malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter (LES). The LES is a ring of muscle that acts as a valve between the esophagus and the stomach. When the LES is weak or relaxes inappropriately, stomach contents can back up (reflux) into the esophagus, causing the symptoms of GERD.

Other factors that can contribute to GERD include:

• Hiatal hernia, where part of the stomach protrudes through the diaphragm into the chest cavity
• Obesity
• Pregnancy
• Certain medications, such as calcium channel blockers, antihistamines, and antidepressants
• Smoking
• Consuming certain foods and beverages, such as coffee, alcohol, and spicy or fatty foods

What are the Symptoms of GERD?

The most common symptoms of GERD include:

• Heartburn (a burning sensation in the chest)
• Regurgitation (a sour or bitter-tasting fluid in the back of the throat)
• Difficulty swallowing
• Chest pain
• Hoarseness or sore throat
• Persistent cough
• Difficulty sleeping

How is GERD Treated?

The treatment for GERD depends on the severity of your symptoms and may include:

1. Lifestyle changes: Losing weight, avoiding trigger foods, not eating right before bedtime, and elevating the head of your bed can help reduce GERD symptoms.
2. Over-the-counter medications: Antacids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors can help reduce stomach acid and relieve symptoms.
3. Prescription medications: If over-the-counter medications are not effective, your doctor may prescribe stronger proton pump inhibitors or other medications.
4. Surgery: If medication and lifestyle changes are not effective, your doctor may recommend anti-reflux surgery, such as laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, to strengthen the lower esophageal sphincter and prevent reflux.

What are Some Home Remedies for GERD?

In addition to lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications, there are some home remedies that may help provide relief for GERD symptoms:

• Drinking ginger tea
• Chewing gum (this can increase saliva production and help neutralize stomach acid)
• Using over-the-counter antacids, such as Tums or Rolaids
• Applying a cold compress to the chest to reduce inflammation
• Avoiding trigger foods, such as spicy, fried, or acidic foods

When Should You See a Doctor for GERD?

You should see a doctor if you experience persistent or severe GERD symptoms, such as:

• Frequent or severe heartburn
• Difficulty swallowing
• Chest pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Symptoms that disrupt your sleep or daily activities

Early diagnosis and treatment of GERD can help prevent complications, such as esophagitis, Barrett’s esophagus, and esophageal cancer.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) – Care at Mayo Clinic

GERD care at Mayo Clinic

Your Mayo Clinic care team

Mayo Clinic’s GERD care team includes doctors trained in digestive diseases (gastroenterologists) and chest (thoracic) surgeons who work together to provide exactly the care you need.

Having all of this subspecialized expertise in a single place, focused on you, means that you’re not just getting one opinion — care is discussed among the team, appointments are scheduled in coordination and highly specialized GERD experts are all working together to determine what’s best for you.

Advanced diagnosis and treatment

Virtually every test and treatment for GERD is available in one convenient location. Mayo Clinic specialists have experience using intraluminal esophageal impedance monitoring to detect and measure reflux regardless of acid content. This test can help determine the cause of your symptoms if proton pump inhibitors don’t provide relief.

If a procedure to treat GERD is needed, Mayo Clinic thoracic surgeons have experience with minimally invasive anti-reflux surgery. Mayo Clinic also offers transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF), a recently developed procedure that may offer relief from GERD without surgery. These procedures require significant experience and skills in laparoscopic and endoscopic techniques.

Nationally recognized expertise

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., ranks No. 1 for digestive disorders in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz. , and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for digestive disorders by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic also ranks among the Best Children’s Hospitals for digestive disorders.

Expertise and rankings

• Experience. Each year, Mayo Clinic doctors diagnose and treat more than 41,000 adults and children who have GERD. Mayo Clinic specialists are skilled in distinguishing GERD from other disorders that may cause similar symptoms. If surgery is needed, Mayo Clinic doctors have extensive experience performing anti-reflux procedures.
• Efficiency. At Mayo Clinic, your team can usually diagnose your problem and recommend a treatment plan in just a few days. Virtually every test and treatment for GERD is available in one convenient location.
• Children’s care. Mayo Clinic pediatric specialists are experts at distinguishing GERD from other illnesses and from normal reflux that occurs in the first year of life.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., ranks No. 1 for digestive disorders in the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals rankings. Mayo Clinic in Phoenix/Scottsdale, Ariz., and Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., are ranked among the Best Hospitals for digestive disorders by U.S. News & World Report. Mayo Clinic also ranks among the Best Children’s Hospitals for digestive disorders.

Locations, travel and lodging

Mayo Clinic has major campuses in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona; Jacksonville, Florida; and Rochester, Minnesota. The Mayo Clinic Health System has dozens of locations in several states.

For more information on visiting Mayo Clinic, choose your location below:

Costs and insurance

Mayo Clinic works with hundreds of insurance companies and is an in-network provider for millions of people.

In most cases, Mayo Clinic doesn’t require a physician referral. Some insurers require referrals, or may have additional requirements for certain medical care. All appointments are prioritized on the basis of medical need.

Learn more about appointments at Mayo Clinic.

Please contact your insurance company to verify medical coverage and to obtain any needed authorization prior to your visit. Often, your insurer’s customer service number is printed on the back of your insurance card.

More information about billing and insurance:

Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida and Minnesota

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Symptoms, Causes, Treatments, Remedies for Relief

What Is GERD?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, is a digestive disorder that affects the ring of muscle between your esophagus and your stomach. This ring is called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). If you have it, you may get heartburn or acid indigestion. Doctors think that some people may have it because of a condition called hiatal hernia. In most cases, you can ease your GERD symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes. But some people may need medication or surgery.

GERD Causes

The term “gastroesophageal” refers to the stomach and esophagus. Reflux means to flow back or return. Gastroesophageal reflux is when what’s in your stomach backs up into your esophagus.

In normal digestion, your LES opens to allow food into your stomach. Then it closes to stop food and acidic stomach juices from flowing back into your esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux happens when the LES is weak or relaxes when it shouldn’t. This lets the stomach’s contents flow up into the esophagus.

Risk Factors for GERD

More than 60 million American adults have heartburn at least once a month, and more than 15 million adults have heartburn every day, including many pregnant women. Recent studies show that GERD in infants and children is more common than doctors thought. It can cause vomiting that happens over and over again. It can also cause coughing and other breathing problems.

Some doctors believe a hiatal hernia may weaken the LES and raise your chances of gastroesophageal reflux. Hiatal hernia happens when the upper part of your stomach moves up into the chest through a small opening in your diaphragm (diaphragmatic hiatus). The diaphragm is the muscle separating the abdomen from the chest. Recent studies show that the opening in the diaphragm helps support the lower end of the esophagus.

Many people with a hiatal hernia will not have problems with heartburn or reflux. But having a hiatal hernia may allow stomach contents to reflux more easily into the esophagus.

Coughing, vomiting, straining, or sudden physical exertion can raise pressure in your belly and lead to a hiatal hernia. Many otherwise healthy people ages 50 and over have a small one. Although it’s usually a condition of middle age, hiatal hernias affect people of all ages.

Continued

Hiatal hernias usually don’t need treatment. But it may be necessary if the hernia is in danger of becoming strangulated, or twisted in a way that cuts off blood supply. You may also need to treat it if you have one along with severe GERD or esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus). Your doctor may perform surgery to make the hernia smaller or to prevent strangulation.

Several other things can make it more likely that you’ll have GERD:

Diet and lifestyle choices may make acid reflux worse if you already have it:

GERD Symptoms

The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn (acid indigestion). It usually feels like a burning chest pain that starts behind your breastbone and moves upward to your neck and throat. Many people say it feels like food is coming back into the mouth, leaving an acid or bitter taste.

Continued

The burning, pressure, or pain of heartburn can last as long as 2 hours. It’s often worse after eating. Lying down or bending over can also result in heartburn. Many people feel better if they stand upright or take an antacid that clears acid out of the esophagus.

People sometimes mistake heartburn pain for the pain of heart disease or a heart attack, but there are differences. Exercise may make heart disease pain worse, and rest may relieve it. Heartburn pain is less likely to go along with physical activity. But you can’t tell the difference, so seek medical help right away if you have any chest pain.

Besides pain, you may also have

If you have acid reflux at night, you may also have:

• A lingering cough
• Laryngitis
• Asthma that comes on suddenly or gets worse
• Sleep problems

GERD Treatment and Home Remedies

GERD treatment aims to cut down on the amount of reflux or lessen damage to the lining of the esophagus from refluxed materials.

Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter or prescription medications to treat your symptoms.

• Antacids: These drugs can help neutralize acid in the esophagus and stomach and stop heartburn. Many people find that nonprescription antacids provide temporary or partial relief. An antacid combined with a foaming agent helps some people. Researchers think these compounds form a foam barrier on top of the stomach that stops acid reflux.
  But long-term use of antacids can bring side effects, including diarrhea, altered calcium metabolism (a change in the way the body breaks down and uses calcium), and a buildup of magnesium in the body. Too much magnesium can be serious for people who have kidney disease. If you need antacids for more than 2 weeks, talk to your doctor.
• h3 blockers: For chronic reflux and heartburn, the doctor may recommend medications to reduce acid in the stomach. These medicines include h3 blockers, which help block acid secretion in the stomach. h3 blockers include: cimetidine (Tagamet), famotidine (Pepcid), and nizatidine.
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs): Also known as acid pumps, these drugs block a protein needed to make stomach acid. PPIs include dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec), omeprazole/sodium bicarbonate (Zegerid), pantoprazole (Protonix), and rabeprazole (Aciphex).
• Prokinetics: In rare cases, these drugs help your stomach empty faster so you don’t have as much acid left behind. They may also help with symptoms like bloating, nausea, and vomiting. But they can also have serious side effects. Many people can’t take them, and those who can should do so only for a limited time. Example of prokinetics include domperidone and metoclopramide (Clopra, Maxolon, Metozolv, Reglan).

Diet and Lifestyle Changes

There are several changes that doctors suggest you make in your lifestyle to help lessen your symptoms of GERD.

• Avoid foods and beverages triggers: Stay away from foods that can relax the LES, including chocolate, peppermint, fatty foods, caffeine, and alcoholic beverages. You should also avoid foods and beverages that can irritate a damaged esophageal lining if they cause symptoms, such as citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, and pepper.
• Eat smaller servings: Eating smaller portions at mealtime may also help control symptoms. Also, eating meals at least 2 to 3 hours before bedtime lets the acid in your stomach go down and your stomach partially empty.
• Eat slowly: Take your time at every meal.
• Chew your food thoroughly: It may help you remember to do this if you set your fork down after you take a bite. Pick it up again only when you’ve completely chewed and swallowed that bite.
• Stop smoking: Cigarette smoking weakens the LES. Stopping smoking is important to reduce GERD symptoms.
• Elevate your head: Raising the head of your bed on 6-inch blocks or sleeping on a specially designed wedge lets gravity lessen the reflux of stomach contents into your esophagus. Don’t use pillows to prop yourself up. That only puts more pressure on the stomach.
• Stay at a healthy weight: Being overweight often worsens symptoms. Many overweight people find relief when they lose weight.
• Wear loose clothes: Clothes that squeeze your waist put pressure on your belly and the lower part of your esophagus.
• Acupuncture: In one study, treatment with acupuncture stopped reflux in the test group better than PPIs, with results that lasted longer. We need more large studies to confirm this, but early results are promising.

Severe GERD Diagnosis

If you have severe, lasting esophageal reflux, or if your symptoms don’t get better with treatment, you may need tests for a better diagnosis. Your doctor may use one or more procedures to do this:

• Endoscopy: Your doctor will put a small lighted tube with a tiny video camera on the end (endoscope) into your esophagus to look for inflammation or irritation of the tissue (esophagitis). If the results are abnormal or questionable, they may remove a small tissue sample for more testing (biopsy).
• Upper GI series: This may be one of the first tests your doctor does. It’s a special X-ray that shows your esophagus, stomach, and the upper part of your small intestine (duodenum). It gives limited information about possible reflux, but it can help rule out other conditions, such as peptic ulcers.
• Esophageal manometry and impedance study: This test checks for low pressure in your esophagus. It can also show defects in how your esophageal muscles contract.
• pH testing: If it’s hard to make a definite diagnosis, your doctor may measure the acid levels inside your esophagus through this test. It tracks how much acid is in your esophagus during meals, activity, and sleep. Newer techniques of long-term pH tracking have made this a more effective tool.

Surgery for Severe GERD

If you need regular high doses of PPIs to control your symptoms, have damage to your esophagus even with medication, and a hiatal hernia, you may need surgery for GERD. But you should try all the other treatments you can first.

Fundoplication: This is a procedure that raises the pressure in your lower esophagus. The doctor will wind the top of your stomach around the LES. This tightens the muscle and raises pressure in your lower esophagus to stop reflux. They’ll do this either through a laparoscope (small holes through the belly) or through open surgery.

Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF): A newer from of this surgery uses an endoscope (a small tube with a camera) to wrap the stomach around the LES with plastic fasteners. It’s less invasive than standard fundoplication.

Stretta procedure: Your doctor puts a small tube down the esophagus that uses low-radiofrequency heat to reshape your LES.

LINX surgery: Your doctor wraps a band of magnetic titanium beads around the place where your stomach and esophagus meet. The magnetic attraction of the beads keeps it loose enough to let food pass through into the stomach, but tight enough to stop reflux.

GERD Complications

Sometimes GERD leads to serious complications:

Esophageal ulcer: Stomach acid eats away at your esophagus until an open sore forms. These sores are often painful and may bleed. They can make it hard to swallow.

Esophageal stricture: Stomach acid damages the lower part of your esophagus and causes scar tissue to form. This scar tissue builds up until it narrows the inside of the esophagus and makes it hard to swallow food.

Barrett’s esophagus: Acid reflux changes the cells in the tissue that lines your esophagus. The lining gets thicker and turns red. This condition is linked to a higher chance of esophageal cancer.

Lung problems: If reflux reaches the back of your throat, it can cause irritation and pain. From there, it can get into the lungs (aspiration). If this happens, your voice may get hoarse. You could also have postnasal drip, chest congestion, and a lingering cough. If your lungs get inflamed, you can develop asthma, bronchitis, and possibly even pneumonia.

GERD Outlook

Although GERD can limit your daily activities, it’s rarely life-threatening. If you understand the causes and get proper treatment, you should feel better.

9 ways to relieve acid reflux without medication

Image: Bigstock

A few lifestyle changes are worth trying before resorting to drugs for controlling gastroesophageal reflux.

If you are sounding a little hoarse and have a sore throat, you may be bracing for a cold or a bout of the flu. But if you’ve had these symptoms for a while, they might be caused not by a virus but by a valve—your lower esophageal sphincter. That’s the muscle that controls the passage between the esophagus and stomach, and when it doesn’t close completely, stomach acid and food flow back into the esophagus. The medical term for this process is gastroesophageal reflux; the backward flow of acid is called acid reflux.

Acid reflux can cause sore throats and hoarseness and may literally leave a bad taste in your mouth. When acid reflux produces chronic symptoms, it is known as gastroesophageal reflux disorder, or GERD. The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn—pain in the upper abdomen and chest that sometimes feel like you’re having a heart attack.

Three conditions—poor clearance of food or acid from the esophagus, too much acid in the stomach, and delayed stomach emptying—contribute to acid reflux, says Dr. Jacqueline Wolf, a gastroenterologist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and author of A Woman’s Guide to a Healthy Stomach: Taking Control of Your Digestive Health.

If you’ve been having repeated episodes of heartburn—or any other symptoms of acid reflux—you might try the following:

1. Eat sparingly and slowly

When the stomach is very full, there can be more reflux into the esophagus. If it fits into your schedule, you may want to try what is sometimes called “grazing”—eating small meals more frequently rather than three large meals daily.

2. Avoid certain foods

People with acid reflux were once instructed to eliminate all but the blandest foods from their diets. But that’s no longer the case. “We’ve evolved from the days when you couldn’t eat anything,” Dr. Wolf says. But there are still some foods that are more likely than others to trigger reflux, including mint, fatty foods, spicy foods, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coffee, tea, chocolate, and alcohol. If you eat any of these foods regularly, you might try eliminating them to see if doing so controls your reflux, and then try adding them back one by one. The Foodicine Health website at www.foodicinehealth.org has diet tips for people with acid reflux and GERD as well as for other gastrointestinal disorders.

3. Don’t drink carbonated beverages

They make you burp, which sends acid into the esophagus. Drink flat water instead of sparkling water.

4. Stay up after eating

When you’re standing, or even sitting, gravity alone helps keeps acid in the stomach, where it belongs. Finish eating three hours before you go to bed. This means no naps after lunch, and no late suppers or midnight snacks.

5. Don’t move too fast

Avoid vigorous exercise for a couple of hours after eating. An after-dinner stroll is fine, but a more strenuous workout, especially if it involves bending over, can send acid into your esophagus.

6. Sleep on an incline

Ideally, your head should be 6 to 8 inches higher than your feet. You can achieve this by using “extra-tall” bed risers on the legs supporting the head of your bed. If your sleeping partner objects to this change, try using a foam wedge support for your upper body. Don’t try to create a wedge by stacking pillows. They won’t provide the uniform support you need.

7. Lose weight if it’s advised

Increased weight spreads the muscular structure that supports the lower esophageal sphincter, decreasing the pressure that holds the sphincter closed. This leads to reflux and heartburn.

8. If you smoke, quit

Nicotine may relax the lower esophageal sphincter.

9. Check your medications

Some—including postmenopausal estrogen, tricyclic antidepressants, and anti-inflammatory painkillers—can relax the sphincter, while others—particularly bisphosphonates like alendronate (Fosamax), ibandronate (Boniva), or risedronate (Actonel), which are taken to increase bone density—can irritate the esophagus.

If these steps aren’t effective or if you have severe pain or difficulty swallowing, see your doctor to rule out other causes. You may also need medication to control reflux even as you pursue lifestyle changes.

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Treatment for GER & GERD

How do doctors treat GER and GERD?

Your doctor may recommend that you make lifestyle changes and take medicines to manage symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In some cases, doctors may also recommend surgery.

Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes may reduce your symptoms. Your doctor may recommend

Over-the-counter and prescription medicines

You can buy many GERD medicines over the counter. However, if you have symptoms that will not go away with over-the-counter medicines, you should talk with your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines to treat GERD.

Antacids. Doctors may recommend antacids to relieve mild heartburn and other mild GER and GERD symptoms. Antacids are available over the counter. Antacids can help relieve mild symptoms. However, you shouldn’t use these medicines every day or for severe symptoms, except after discussing your antacid use with your doctor. These medicines can have side effects, such as diarrhea or constipation.

h3 blockers. h3 blockers lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. h3 blockers can help heal the esophagus, but not as well as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) can. You can buy h3 blockers over the counter, or your doctor can prescribe one.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). PPIs lower the amount of acid your stomach makes. PPIs are better at treating GERD symptoms than h3 blockers, and they can heal the esophageal lining in most people with GERD. You can buy PPIs over the counter, or your doctor can prescribe one. Doctors may prescribe PPIs for long-term GERD treatment.

PPIs are generally safe and effective. Side effects are uncommon and may include headache, diarrhea, and upset stomach. Research also suggests that taking PPIs may increase the chance of Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection. Experts are still studying the effects of taking PPIs for a long time or in high doses. Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking PPIs.

Your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines to treat GERD.

Other medicines. If antacids, h3 blockers, and PPIs don’t improve your symptoms, your doctor may recommend other medicines.

Surgery and other medical procedures

Your doctor may recommend surgery if your GERD symptoms don’t improve with lifestyle changes and medicines, or if you wish to stop taking long-term GERD medicines to manage symptoms. You’re more likely to develop complications from surgery than from medicines.

Fundoplication. Fundoplication is the most common surgery for GERD. In most cases, it leads to long-term improvement of GERD symptoms. During the operation, a surgeon sews the top of your stomach around the end of your esophagus to add pressure to the lower esophageal sphincter and help prevent reflux.

Surgeons may perform fundoplication as laparoscopic or open surgery. In laparoscopic fundoplication, which is more common, surgeons make small cuts in the abdomen and insert special tools to perform the operation. Laparoscopic fundoplication leaves several small scars. In open fundoplication, surgeons make a larger cut in the abdomen.

Bariatric surgery. If you have GERD and obesity, your doctor may recommend weight-loss surgery, also called bariatric surgery, most often gastric bypass surgery. Bariatric surgery can help you lose weight and reduce GERD symptoms.

Endoscopy. In a small number of cases, doctors may recommend procedures that use endoscopy to treat GERD. For endoscopy, doctors insert an endoscope—a small, flexible tube with a light and camera—through your mouth and into your esophagus. Doctors may use endoscopic procedures to sew the top of your stomach around the lower esophageal sphincter or to deliver radiofrequency energy to the sphincter. Doctors don’t use these procedures often.

Lessen GERD Symptoms With These Tips

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is becoming an increasing problem for people of all ages in the United States. This is probably due, in part, to an increase in the consumption of fast food, which tends to be greasy and fatty, as well as the escalating rate of obesity.

If you’re suffering from acid reflux, it’s important that you see a doctor to determine if a diagnosis of GERD is appropriate and to exclude other disorders with similar symptoms. The severity of your GERD symptoms will determine the best treatment options.

In the meantime, here are ways you can help lessen the severity of heartburn symptoms at home.

Image Source / Getty Images

Food Choices

The lower esophageal sphincter (LES), the valve between the esophagus and stomach, normally closes tightly to keep food and stomach acid where it belongs.

If the LES relaxes when it shouldn’t, food and stomach acid can back up into the esophagus and cause heartburn.

Heartburn is often triggered by certain foods that relax the LES. These may include:

• Fried (greasy) foods
• High-fat meats
• Butter and margarine
• Mayonnaise
• Creamy sauces
• Alcohol
• Whole-milk dairy products
• Chocolate
• Peppermint
• Caffeinated beverages (e.g., soft drinks, coffee, tea, cocoa)

Heartburn may also occur when the stomach produces too much acid and this backs up into the esophagus.

Foods that may stimulate acid production and increase heartburn should also be avoided.

Foods That Stimulate Acid Production

• Caffeinated beverages
• Carbonated beverages
• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Black pepper
• Citrus fruit and juices (e.g., orange, grapefruit)
• Tomato juice

When you eat out, inquire about how dishes on the menu are prepared. You can request that meat is grilled rather than fried, for example. Many dishes include high-fat gravy and sauces that you can ask to have switched to a low-fat substitute or served on the side.

Avoid These Things If You Have GERD

Mealtime

Large meals expand the stomach and can increase upward pressure against the LES, which causes heartburn. Eating less at each sitting, but more frequently, may help (think snacks rather than full courses).

Using smaller dishes at home, preparing less food, and serving meals from the stove—rather than the table, where it’s easy to reach for seconds—may be other helpful strategies.

Late-night snacking may be your bedtime ritual, but if you suffer from GERD, it can make for a painful, uncomfortable night’s sleep. Try to avoid eating during the two- to three-hour window before you go to bed.

Gravity helps keep the stomach juices from backing up into the esophagus and assists the flow of food and digestive juices from the stomach to the intestines. So, while after dinner snacking isn’t advised, staying upright (sitting or standing) for a while after the meal can help give the body time to take advantage of gravity’s forces while food is being digested.

Bedtime

Nighttime heartburn can be the most dangerous. If frequent nighttime heartburn occurs, the risk of complications increases.

At night, refluxed acid tends to remain in the esophagus for longer periods, allowing it to cause more damage to the esophagus.

There are, however, ways to prevent nighttime heartburn.

• Elevate the head of your bed about 6 to 8 inches by placing bricks or wooden blocks under that end of the bed. Raising your bed to a slight slant helps to reduce pressure against your LES, which decreases acid exposure. Your doctor may also suggest using an acid reflux bed or a wedge pillow to elevate your head while sleeping.
• Try a body pillow to keep you lying on your left side with your head elevated. Lying on your left side helps stomach acid pass through the LES into the stomach.

Clothing Choices

Clothing that’s tight around the abdomen squeezes the stomach, forcing food up against the LES and causing food to move back up into the esophagus.

Avoiding tight-fitting belts, tight-waisted jeans, and slenderizing garments can help prevent irritation to the LES.

Symptom Tracking

Buy a journal and record when you experience heartburn symptoms, what foods were consumed, and what activity you were doing before the heartburn occurred. The severity of each heartburn episode and what gave you relief should also be noted.

You can rank your discomfort on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most discomfort you can imagine and 1 being pain that is barely there.

You can bring this information to your doctor, who can then help you make modifications to your diet, activity, or medications if needed.

GERD Doctor Discussion Guide

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Exercise

If you are overweight or obese, even losing 5 or 10 pounds can help alleviate heartburn symptoms, while exercise, in general, is beneficial for a host of reasons. Go on walks, ride your bike, or jump on the treadmill while you’re watching TV. Try fun family activities like bowling, hiking, gardening, or swimming. Getting active with friends or family can keep you more motivated.

Medications

Antacids like Tums, Rolaids, and Mylanta neutralize stomach acid. It’s helpful to keep them handy in case you need them.

If you need to use antacids for more than a week, or if an antacid doesn’t quickly resolve symptoms, a visit to the doctor is recommended. 

Using an antacid for more than one to two weeks should only be done under the guidance of a physician.

If you’ve made dietary and lifestyle changes that reduce heartburn without success, it may be time to use a stronger medication. Beyond antacids, there are two primary categories of heartburn medications:

• h3 blockers, such as Tagamet (cimetidine), Pepcid (famotidine), and Axid (nizatidine)
• Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), such as Prilosec (omeprazole), Prevacid (lansoprazole), Nexium (esomeprazole), Aciphex (rabeprazole), and Protonix (pantoprazole)

Long-term use of PPIs has been associated with kidney disease and bone fractures. Potential side effects should be discussed with a physician. However, long-term acid reflux can also result in complications. Your doctor can help you weigh the risks and benefits of treatment.

Support

The best treatment for acid reflux is prevention, and making changes to your diet, sleeping position, and activity is the best way to begin. These changes, however, can sometimes be hard to make, so let your family and friends know so they can help provide encouragement.

Involving your doctor can be helpful, not only in learning more about how to control symptoms but in giving guidance and support for the lifestyle changes you have made.

What to Do if PPIs Aren’t Stopping Your Reflux Symptoms

In some patients, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms are so powerful they overwhelm proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium, leaving heartburn, regurgitation and other symptoms unchecked.

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“The PPI gets rid of heartburn in about 80 percent of the people who are taking one dose a day,” says Joel Rubenstein, M.D., M.Sc., director of the Barrett’s Esophagus Program and an associate professor in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Michigan.

“Reflux or regurgitation, with the effortless movement of stomach contents into the esophagus, is more difficult to get rid of, so that’s about 60 to 70 percent of people having their symptoms resolved.”

So what can be done for the other patients?

Visit a gastroenterologist, says Rubenstein, who is also a research scientist at the Veterans Affairs Center of Excellence for Clinical Management Research.

One potential problem is that patients may have self-diagnosed without ever seeing a gastroenterologist and purchased a PPI over the counter. Self-diagnosis also can lead to misunderstanding or not following the medicine’s directions, impacting its effectiveness.

“I emphasize how important it is to take the medicine at least 30 to 45 minutes before a meal,” he says. “That makes all the difference for some people because the medicine only blocks acid pumps that are active, and they are activated by food.”

Tests and modifications

Additional testing, such as an upper endoscopy, may also be needed. Another test is reflux monitoring. One such test uses a thin probe through the nose and esophagus that’s connected to an external data recorder and measures acid and non-acid reflux into the esophagus. The patient keeps a diary of symptoms while the recorder measures the amount of reflux. 

Another test attaches an acid monitor temporarily to the inside of the esophagus and wirelessly sends the data to a recorder. “About one-half of the time, we find that reflux is not the cause of the symptoms,” Rubenstein says.

If the reflux persists even when the medicines are timed properly, Rubenstein might up the dose or prescribe a more powerful PPI. Another option is adding another medicine that keeps the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach tight.

GERD: Controlling Heartburn by Changing Your Habits | CS Mott Children’s Hospital

How can you modify your lifestyle to relieve symptoms of GERD?

There are many changes you can make to your lifestyle that can help to relieve or reduce symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These are some suggestions.

Quitting tobacco use

If you smoke or chew tobacco, stop. The nicotine from tobacco relaxes the valve between the esophagus and stomach (lower esophageal sphincter). This can allow stomach acid and juices, the chemicals that break down food in the stomach, to back up (reflux) into the esophagus, which causes heartburn.

Because the nicotine in tobacco is addicting, stopping the use of tobacco is more difficult than simply changing a habit. Those who successfully quit using tobacco usually use a combination of strategies that may include:

• Professional counseling, either by telephone or in person.
• The use of medicines, to help overcome the addiction to nicotine.
• Participation in a proven smoking cessation program.
• Having a support group of peers who are also quitting or who do not smoke.

Using more than one of these strategies greatly improves your chances of successfully quitting. Quitting tobacco use may require several attempts.

Changing your eating habits

Developing healthier eating habits, losing weight if necessary, and avoiding foods that increase symptoms of GERD may make heartburn less likely to occur. Take your spouse or partner along with you when you go to your doctor to discuss diet habits. It will be easier to make changes in your diet if your family understands what you need to do and why.

Changes you may want to make include avoiding chocolate, peppermint, and alcohol. These can all make GERD worse by relaxing the valve between the esophagus and the stomach. It also may be a good idea to eat smaller, more frequent meals.

If you are overweight, lose weight. Being overweight puts additional pressure on your stomach and increases the likelihood of heartburn occurring. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds can help.

Certain foods can be associated with reflux. Though they will not cause GERD, eating these foods can make the symptoms worse, and avoiding them can help reduce heartburn. These include citrus fruits, mint (such as peppermint and spearmint), fatty and fried foods, garlic and onions, spicy foods, and tomato-based foods like spaghetti sauce and pizza. Some people notice that their symptoms get worse after drinking coffee, tea, soda, or anything with caffeine. If you notice that your symptoms are worse after eating a specific food, you may want to stop eating it and see if your symptoms get better.

Reducing pressure on your stomach

Putting pressure on your stomach may push stomach juices into your esophagus, causing heartburn. Some ways to reduce heartburn include the following:

• After you eat, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down. Late-night snacks aren’t a good idea. When you are lying down, the contents of your stomach can push against the valve between the esophagus and stomach (lower esophageal sphincter). Sitting up allows gravity to help food and stomach juices from the esophagus drain back into your stomach.
• Avoid tight clothing over your stomach. Tight belts, waistbands, or panty hose may push against your stomach and make your heartburn worse.
• Use care when lifting and bending. Bending over tends to increase the amount of stomach acid that can get into your esophagus. When lifting, bend your knees to avoid bending over at the waist.

Improving sleep position and habits

Raising the head of your bed 6 in. (15 cm) to 8 in. (20 cm) will help keep stomach acid from flowing into your esophagus when you are sleeping. You can do this by putting blocks underneath your bed frame or by placing a foam wedge under the head of your mattress. Using extra pillows will not work.

Lying down soon after eating will also increase the chance of getting heartburn. After you eat, wait 2 to 3 hours before you lie down. Late-night snacks aren’t a good idea.

90,000 The image and characteristics of Gerda in the fairy tale The Snow Queen Andersen composition

In the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” the personification of goodness and light is the main character – the girl Gerda, who committed many brave and selfless deeds to save her named brother, who was captured by an evil sorceress.

Gerda has an unusual character, combining kindness and tenderness with courage, determination and courage.

Going in search of Kai, Gerda could not imagine what trials she would face. But she was guided by the belief that her friend is alive, and for the sake of his salvation, it is worth forgetting weakness and fear.

Due to her kind character, the girl found many friends and helpers along the way. The princess and the prince were fascinated by Gerda’s story, so they equipped her with warm clothes and a golden carriage. And the little robber, herself distinguished by remarkable strength and courage, was so struck by Gerda’s courage that she saved her from death and gave her her beloved pet, the Reindeer, to help her.Although, it is worth noting that Gerda did not immediately manage to win the robber’s trust, but she was able to show her that love and kindness are stronger than anger and aggression.

Even animals and nature help Gerda. The river and the rose suggest that Kai is alive, the raven and the raven help to get to the princess’s palace, and the Reindeer accompanies to the Snow Queen’s possessions and does not leave until the girl returns with victory.

A Lapland woman and a Finnish woman are selflessly giving shelter and helping to find their way to the snow castle.

Only the old witch did not want to help Gerda, and even then, not out of malice, but because she was too lonely, and was used to thinking only of herself.

The biggest evil in the path of a little girl is, of course, the Snow Queen. All living things are frozen under her gaze. Her thorny army is invincible. But true love cannot be destroyed. Gerda’s faith is so strong that the army retreats, and the evil spell is dissipated by her hot tears.

Gerda saves Kai only on his own, because he himself does not understand that he is in trouble and has long forgotten not only Gerda, but also simple human feelings – love, friendship, affection.This speaks of her generosity and ability to forgive insults.

The main lesson that many generations have learned from this tale is that love and faith endow a person with incredible strength. And if even in difficult circumstances a person continues to love the world and treat it with trust, then the world helps him to achieve his goal.

Composition on the theme of Gerd

The place of one of the main characters of Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” was taken by the little girl Gerda. This desperate girl seems to be endowed with all the positive qualities imaginable.She was not afraid of possible dangers to go to rescue a friend in trouble, Kai, who was like a brother to her. For his sake, she was ready for anything and did many brave deeds. Gerda is the owner of an exceptional character, who has absorbed boundless kindness and brave masculinity.

Going to look for Kai, Gerda had no idea what difficulties she would face. But she was ruled by decisiveness, hope and belief that her close friend was alive, and in order to rescue him from danger, it was necessary to forget all fears and fears.

Thanks to her sensitive nature, Gerda found many kind helpers on the way to Kai. The prince and the princess were delighted with Gerda’s story, so they provided her with everything she needed for a long journey, they presented her with warm clothes and a golden carriage. Gerda’s kind heart even conquered the evil robber, who constantly walked with a knife.

The conquered robber saves Gerda from death and gives her her dear Reindeer to help her. Natural forces also help the little girl in everything.The river and the rose assure that Kai is alive, the raven and the crow are helping to get into the princess’s palace, and the Reindeer brings Gerda to the queen’s icy domain and waits until the girl turns around with Kai. Only the old witch did not want to help Gerda, not even out of anger, but out of her own loneliness and the habit of thinking exclusively about herself. But the greatest danger on the way of Gerda was borne by the Snow Queen, who at one glance could freeze all living things. But the great love and hot tears of the little girl managed to melt the icy forces of evil.

Gerda, on her own, rescues Kai, who did not even realize that he was in trouble and in a short time was able to forget his girlfriend.

Throughout the fairy tale, the image of Gerda runs as an antipode to the soulless queen. This image can serve as a worthy example of disinterested friendship and exemplary behavior.

Other compositions:

The image and characteristics of Gerda in the fairy tale The Snow Queen

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• Love and suffering in the lyrics of Akhmatova composition

  The poetry of Anna Akhmatova is peculiar. The theme of love is central to her work. But, this love is expressed not only in the manifestations of feelings for a man.

• Theme of the story by Taras Bulba Gogol

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• Characteristics and image of Svetlana in Zhukovsky’s poem composition

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  Each work of Valentin Rasputin is a life story of the human soul, in which many readers often find similarities that take place in their destiny. The story “Live and Remember” – a series of events

90,000 Gerda – character biography, character traits and interesting facts

Character story

Travel almost the entire Earth in search of your best friend? For the heroine of Andersen’s fairy tale, this is not at all difficult.Brave and courageous Gerda will overcome any trials in order to save a loved one. And what obstacles can we talk about if a sincere faith in goodness lives in the heart.

History of creation

In 1844, the collection “New Fairy Tales. Volume one “. The book includes a story about the adventures of a girl named Gerda, who was desperately looking for her missing friend.

Hans Christian Andersen

Scientists claim that The Snow Queen is the writer’s longest tale.Hans Christian Andersen himself called the work “the tale of my life.” Such a statement is justified. Most of the acting heroes of the fascinating story are not fictional – they are real people who accompanied Andersen on the path of life.

A girl named Lisbeth became the prototype of the brave Gerda. The future heroine of the fairy tale lived not far from little Hans and often came to visit. Over time, the children became so good friends that they began to call each other “sister” and “brother”. Lisbeth is the first listener to Andersen’s still uncertain, but already interesting stories.

Gerda

There is a theory that in the confrontation between Gerda and the Snow Queen, the Danish writer reflected the struggle between religion and science. This idea did not take root in the Soviet Union. It is not surprising, because the fairy tale reached the USSR in a truncated version. The obligatory censorship, through which foreign works passed, erased religious motives from the fairy tale – in the original version, the memories of Jesus helped melt Kai’s heart.

Biography

Gerda was born into a poor family.Despite the difficult financial situation, parents and grandmother tried to give the child a happy childhood. The family lives under the very roof of an apartment building. The young heroine is distinguished by an attractive appearance:

“Hair curled, and curls surrounded the fresh, round, like a rose, face of the girl with a golden radiance.”

Mom and Dad built a flower garden for Gerda, which the girl looked after together with the neighbor’s boy Kai. The guys have been friends since childhood and spent a lot of time together.

Kai and Gerda

The relationship changed when Kai became hostage to the fragments of the magic mirror, distorting the perception of the world. Having hit the boy in the eye and in the heart, the fragments turned Kai against Gerda.

The girl’s best friend goes missing, the adults decide that the boy is dead. Only Gerda does not accept such a truth and with the onset of spring goes in search. The first person to whom the girl addresses is the local river. Gerda offers the elements an exchange: the river returns Kai to her, and the heroine gives her only value – new red shoes.The river does not help the girl, but carries her to the house of the old witch.

The Snow Queen takes Kai away

Naive Gerda allows herself to be bewitched and carelessly lives in the old woman’s house at the end of spring and all summer. The chance reminds the girl of the purpose of her path. After consulting with local flowers and finding out that Kai is not buried in the ground, Gerda returns to the search.

The road leads a brave girl to a beautiful castle. The questions of the talking raven confirm the hunch – Kai lives in the palace and is quite happy with the local princess.The girl persuades the crow to take her inside. Alas, the bridegroom of the princess turns out to be another boy.

Gerda in the princess’s castle

Kind rulers listen to the sad story and present the girl with warm clothes and a golden carriage. The gifts came in handy. Gerda again embarks on a difficult journey. In the nearest forest, bandits attack the expensive carriage.

A little robber saves Gerda from death, deciding to take the girl into her collection of curiosities. At night, when the robber falls asleep, the white doves tell the girl where to look for Kai.The delighted Gerda shares what she has learned with the jailer. Despite the environment, the heart of the young robber has not yet hardened. The thief releases Gerda, giving the accompanying reindeer.

Gerda and the little robber

So, on the back of a mighty animal, the heroine gets to Lapland. The duo makes their first stop at the house of an old Lapland woman. The woman, having learned the fate of the deer and Gerda, gives the heroes a strange message on the road, written on dried cod. The old woman asks to convey a message to a friend of the Finns.

Having reached Finnmark, Gerda finds the old woman’s dwelling.While the heroes are warming up after a long journey, the Finnish woman carefully examines the incomprehensible letters. The reindeer, who, during the trip, became imbued with sympathy for his companion, asks his new acquaintance to help Gerda. But the Finnish woman, seeing the girl’s character traits, has a different opinion on this matter:

“Don’t you see how great her strength is? Can’t you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! It is not for us to borrow her strength! Strength is in her sweet, innocent childish heart. If she herself cannot penetrate into the palaces of the Snow Queen and extract the fragments from Kai’s heart, then we will not help her even more! ”

Gerda on a deer

Having reached the entrance to the Snow Queen’s garden, Gerda is left alone – the reindeer is waiting for her at the entrance.Prayers help the girl to reach the castle. The angels who came to the rescue drive away the Snow Queen’s guards from the heroine and do not allow them to harm Gerda.

The house of the evil lady of the snow bewitches the girl, although during the journey the castles ceased to amaze Gerda. Seeing Kai, the heroine throws herself on her friend’s chest. Warm tears rolling from the girl’s eyes melt the ice in the boy’s heart, and the mention of Christ in his favorite psalm makes Kai himself cry. So the fragments of the cursed mirror came out from the body of the young man.

Kai and Gerda in the castle of the Snow Queen

The happy heroes set off on their way back and, having reached their home, realize that during the trip they have matured a lot. Only their hearts remained the same kind and pure.

Adaptations

The first cartoon about the adventures of a brave girl was filmed in the USSR in 1957. The Snow Queen cartoon has received international awards and has been translated into six foreign languages. The actress Janina Zheimo became the voice of Gerda.

Gerda in the Soviet cartoon

In 1967, the Lenfilm film studio released the fairy-tale film The Snow Queen.In the film, in addition to living people, dolls participate, and animation elements are inserted. The role of Gerda was played by Elena Proklova.

Elena Proklova as Gerda

The premiere of the New Year musical of the same name took place on December 31, 2003. The role of Gerda was performed by Kristina Orbakaite. In addition to the original plot, there are other Andersen stories in the musical motion picture.

Kristina Orbakaite as Gerda

Inspired by the tale of a Danish writer, Osamu Dazaki created an anime dedicated to the adventures of a brave girl.The cartoon almost does not depart from the original source. The character of Gerda was created by Akio Sugino, and the voice was presented by Ayako Kawasumi.

Gerda in the Russian cartoon

In 2012, a new animated film “The Snow Queen” was released. Later, the tale was continued – “The Snow Queen 2: Re-freeze” (2015) and “The Snow Queen 3: Fire and Ice”. In the first and second parts, Gerda was voiced by the singer Nyusha (Anna Shurochkina), in the third – by Natalia Bystrova.

Interesting facts

• The name “Gerda” comes from Scandinavia, the meaning of the name is the protector of people.
• A polar bear named Gerda lives in the Novosibirsk Zoo. In August, the animal toiled from the heat, and the attendants brought real snow to the aviary. The video of Gerda rejoicing in the snow has spread all over the world.
• Poetess Stefania Danilova dedicated a poem to Gerda in which the heroine enters the palaces of winter. The work ends unexpectedly: Gerda confesses her love not to Kai, but to the Snow Queen.

“The Snow Queen” was repeated “for an encore”

Date of publication: 24.12.2018

On December 20, in the Great Hall of the Educational and Creative Center, a repetition of the play “The Snow Queen” took place. The performance was created by Elena Vladimirovna Perlina, head of the department of classical dance, and her students. The premiere screening of the performance, which took place on December 7, turned out to be so popular with the audience that the creators decided to hold a rerun for everyone who is not indifferent to H.H. Andersen’s fairy tale.

“The Snow Queen” is a simple and pure story about a brave girl, in which a huge, invincible power of love is hidden.The performance is based on the music of Russian and foreign composers and is staged as a ballet in one act. The prologue to the production was the magnificent words: “When a person loves a person, nothing is scary: not a blizzard, not a blizzard, not parting, and even a snow queen. Dancing and music instead of a thousand words! To immerse yourself, you only need eyes and ears to completely fall into magic”.

… The film begins on a winter street, where Kai and Gerda are frolicking.Brother and sister return home to their beloved grandmother. She scolds Kai’s bully and gives a warm scarf, which she knitted herself. Children are asked to tell them a story. Taking out an old book, the grandmother begins a story about the Snow Queen and her subjects, the Black Crow and the Wicked Witch. Kai laughs and is not afraid at all. Suddenly, along with the blizzard, the Snow Queen bursts into the house. She heard the words of the brave boy. The Queen liked Kai’s courage, and she decided to make him her heir. Her touch freezes the boy’s heart, and the blizzard carries them away to the Ice Kingdom.Gerda faints. Her brother’s scarf remains at her feet. Family friend – The Wizard comes to visit them. He is surprised at the sight of his grandmother and Gerda. Bringing them to their senses, he shows a fiery flower, which, together with Grandma’s scarf filled with love, will help to melt the magic of the Snow Queen. The grandmother blesses her granddaughter, and the heroes hit the road.

… Further, the action takes place in the Snow Kingdom, where the Queen shows Kai her castle. The boy’s heart is not yet completely frozen, and he remembers his sister and home.Snowflakes try to distract Kai, but nothing helps. Then the Queen plunges the boy into ice captivity. The raven and the witch dance around them, the Queen orders them to stop Gerda so that Kai will remain in her kingdom forever. The villains enchant beautiful roses that should put the girl to sleep.

…. We smoothly move on to the next scene with beautiful flowers and fluttering birds. In the garden where the heroes came, the Cat lives. He plays with birds and frolics when Gerda and the Wizard appear in his domain.The cat meets the heroes and wants to steal Gerda’s scarf, but, having learned the story, decides to go with her to help. The playful Cat grabs the Wizard’s flower and rushes deep into the garden. Gerda is left alone among the roses, and they put her to sleep. The girl sees her brother in a dream. The Raven and the Witch sneak up on Gerda to steal her scarf. The Wizard and the Cat see this and chase away the villains. The heroes continue their journey without fear.

… The action is transferred to the palace, where a ball in honor of the Princess takes place.In the midst of the celebration, the heroes rush in. Gerda admires the beauty of the Princess and her outfits, but she demands that the girl be kicked out. The princess learns the sad story of the girl and changes her anger to mercy. She asks the Wizard to tell her fortunes, and he predicts a meeting with a beautiful stranger. At this time, the Witch and the Raven decide to take the heroes by surprise at the ball. The witch turns the Crow into a beautiful youth and sends him to the palace with gifts. The princess is enchanted by a lovely guest. The villain tries to steal Gerda’s scarf, but the Cat exposes Crow and drives him out of the ball.The princess thanks the heroes, rewards them with gifts, and they hit the road.

… The next action takes place in the forest. The witch and the Raven call the robber to get rid of Gerda and her friends. The robber summons her gang, and they grab the heroes. But the Cat and the Wizard manage to deceive the stupid robbers. They make their way to the Atamansha and the Wizard bewitches her with a flower. The heroes free Gerda and move on.

…..And again we are in the ice kingdom. Kai plays with his pieces of ice. The Raven and the Witch rush in. They report the appearance of heroes. The queen is furious and orders to get rid of them. The heroes make their way through the blizzard to the walls of the ice castle. The magic flower helps them get inside. Gerda rushes to her brother, but he does not recognize her. The villains see the girl, and a fight ensues between the heroes. The wizard manages to distract the Queen, and Gerda throws a scarf over her brother. Warmth and love melt the ice in Kai’s heart. The Queen, in a rage, attacks her brother and sister, but she is stopped by a fire flower.Hooray! Evil has been defeated.

In the finale, brother and sister are together again. Love and friendship have triumphed over the Snow Queen. And the audience leaves the hall with the warmest feelings, applauding the students of the Classical Dance Department of the Choreographic Faculty of MGIK.

Authors:

Anna Avdeeva, Faculty of MAIS, Department of Journalism, 1st year

Photos:

Ekaterina Osipova, Faculty of MAIS, Department of Photography, 3rd year

Journey to the North

The Snow Queen was defeated to the music of Bach and Vivaldi

March of Prince Jeremy Clark of Denmark performed by Maria Blazhevich (organ) unambiguously indicated that the Organ hall to the “Tale of the North”, it is necessary immediately, after the music to be transported to Denmark.Only there can begin a fairy tale, which was composed by the Dane Hans Christian Andersen.

While the march was playing, adults remembered how many times they made this journey to visit the great storyteller and magician, when they watched cartoons or films. On a frosty day on December 30, they brought their children and grandchildren to the “Tale of the North” to present together with the story about Gerda and Kai a meeting with magical music.

And the magic happened! The Siberian sun sent its beams-messengers towards the music of Bach.Making their way through the patterned frosty windows, they began to sparkle with all the colors of the rainbow, and reflected by the crystal chandeliers, as if by magic, scattered throughout the hall, creating a truly fabulous mood.

“Oh, what is this? – Gerda cried out in fright, ”the musicologist Vasilina Sypchenko was reading the tale.

Reading aloud, this very family ritual, multiplied by a meeting with a fairy tale, only intensified the expectation of miracles and magic. The children in the hall became quiet, just like the heroes of the fairy tale Kai and Gerda, when their grandmother began to tell them about the Snow Queen, who flies into the city at night and looks through the windows.

The song of Jan Sibelius “Diamonds in the Snow”, a composer born in Finland, who in Andersen’s fairy tale appears as Lapland, smoothly and gently prepared young listeners for Gerda’s upcoming journey to Lapland, so that there, in the kingdom of the Snow Queen, they could find their name brother. Yulia Shinkevich, who performed this song, in the view of the audience, became a fabulous Gerda during the concert. They sympathized with her and worried about her when Kai (due to the fact that a shard of the troll’s magic mirror was stuck in his heart) began to offend the girl.

In the musical story told by the soloists of the Tomsk Philharmonic, not only melodies of European composers sounded, but also the Russian folk song “Blizzard Sweeps Along the Street.” It was performed by Denis Dorofeev, who immediately turned into Kai for the audience. After all, the speeches of the lyrical hero of the song exactly coincided with the feelings of the boy, bewitched by the beauty of the Snow Queen. And the very moment of the meeting was prepared by the choral prelude of I.S. Bach.

Yes, the great German composer dedicated his choral preludes (“I call upon you” or “Christ was born in Bethlehem”), but how exactly did they fit into the fairy tale plot! And if for the young listeners “I call upon you” there was only music in which beauty was combined with the greatness of the Snow Queen, then the adults, having heard the melody, remembered the fantastic film “Solaris”, where Eduard Artemiev used this Bach chorale.

The versatility and beauty of Bach’s music made some adults also closely follow the plot, and discover in a familiar fairy tale details that they would never have paid attention to if it were not for Bach … For example, the thought that Gerda’s condition in the house witch, is tantamount to drug intoxication, and that only the power of love and music can break the evil spell …

There were many unexpected things in this musical journey of Gerda. Unexpectedly, but appropriate, Dunya’s aria from “Morozko” sounded, and the music from Vivaldi’s concert (in the finale) helped to present to young listeners what dangers and adventures awaited the girl in the dark forest when the robbers seized the carriage.

I.S. Bach performed by Maria Blazhevich. Great music helped the heroine of the fairy tale overcome many kilometers of the way, and the listeners – to realize the inner connection between literature and music. But the meeting with the Palace of the Snow Queen was illustrated by Gerda’s aria from the opera “The Snow Queen” by S. Banevich.

“A Day Filled with Joy” I.S. Bach coincided with the culmination of the tale, when Gerda tightly hugged her found brother and he freed himself from the spell of the Snow Queen.The final victory over the evil forces took place under a fragment from the Concerto in A minor by Vivaldi – Bach.

… The tale has been told. But the magic continued. Several young listeners wanted to experience the power of the organ for themselves. And they were able to fulfill their dream.

Text: Tatiana VESNINA.

Characters and their traits snow queen. Snow Queen

In the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” the personification of goodness and light is the main character – the girl Gerda, who committed many brave and selfless deeds to save her named brother, who was captured by an evil sorceress.

Gerda has an unusual character, combining kindness and tenderness with courage, determination and courage.

Going in search of Kai, Gerda could not imagine what trials she would face. But she was guided by the belief that her friend is alive, and for the sake of his salvation, it is worth forgetting weakness and fear.

Due to her kind character, the girl found many friends and helpers along the way. The princess and the prince were fascinated by Gerda’s story, so they equipped her with warm clothes and a golden carriage.And the little robber, herself distinguished by remarkable strength and courage, was so struck by Gerda’s courage that she saved her from death and gave her her beloved pet, the Reindeer, to help her. Although, it is worth noting that Gerda did not immediately manage to win the robber’s trust, but she was able to show her that love and kindness are stronger than anger and aggression.

Even animals and nature help Gerda. The river and the rose suggest that Kai is alive, the raven and the raven help to get to the princess’s palace, and the Reindeer accompanies to the Snow Queen’s possessions and does not leave until the girl returns with victory.

A Lapland woman and a Finnish woman are selflessly giving shelter and helping to find their way to the snow castle.

Only the old witch did not want to help Gerda, and even then, not out of malice, but because she was too lonely, and was used to thinking only of herself.

The biggest evil in the path of a little girl is, of course, the Snow Queen. All living things are frozen under her gaze. Her thorny army is invincible. But true love cannot be destroyed. Gerda’s faith is so strong that the army retreats, and the evil spell is dissipated by her hot tears.

Gerda saves Kai only on his own, because he himself does not understand that he is in trouble and has long forgotten not only Gerda, but also simple human feelings – love, friendship, affection. This speaks of her generosity and ability to forgive insults.

The main lesson that many generations have learned from this tale is that love and faith endow a person with incredible strength. And if even in difficult circumstances a person continues to love the world and treat it with trust, then the world helps him to achieve his goal.

Composition on the theme of Gerd

The place of one of the main characters of Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen” was taken by the little girl Gerda. This desperate girl seems to be endowed with all the positive qualities imaginable. She was not afraid of possible dangers to go to rescue a friend in trouble, Kai, who was like a brother to her. For his sake, she was ready for anything and did many brave deeds. Gerda is the owner of an exceptional character, who has absorbed boundless kindness and brave masculinity.

Going to look for Kai, Gerda had no idea what difficulties she would face. But she was ruled by decisiveness, hope and belief that her close friend was alive, and in order to rescue him from danger, it was necessary to forget all fears and fears.

Thanks to her sensitive nature, Gerda found many kind helpers on the way to Kai. The prince and the princess were delighted with Gerda’s story, so they provided her with everything she needed for a long journey, they presented her with warm clothes and a golden carriage.Gerda’s kind heart even conquered the evil robber, who constantly walked with a knife.

The conquered robber saves Gerda from death and gives her her dear Reindeer to help her. Natural forces also help the little girl in everything. The river and the rose assure that Kai is alive, the raven and the crow are helping to get into the princess’s palace, and the Reindeer brings Gerda to the queen’s icy domain and waits until the girl turns around with Kai. Only the old witch did not want to help Gerda, not even out of anger, but out of her own loneliness and the habit of thinking exclusively about herself.But the greatest danger on the way of Gerda was borne by the Snow Queen, who at one glance could freeze all living things. But the great love and hot tears of the little girl managed to melt the icy forces of evil.

Gerda, on her own, rescues Kai, who did not even realize that he was in trouble and in a short time was able to forget his girlfriend.

Throughout the fairy tale, the image of Gerda runs as an antipode to the soulless queen. This image can serve as a worthy example of disinterested friendship and exemplary behavior.

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The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen is one of the most famous and beloved fairy tales in the world. Her characters are original and spontaneous in their actions and impulses. These are very vivid images that cannot be forgotten. Perhaps that is why they invariably have an impact on every child who, like many of his peers around the world, reads and rereads this wonderful story.

Gerda from The Snow Queen
is the main, but also the brightest and brightest character. Sometimes it even seems strange that the tale was not called “The Story of Gerda”, so much in it is devoted to the disclosure of this image.

Gerda has a lot to learn. The dedication of this girl, her kindness and resilience of character make a strong impression on children and even adults. Is it a joke? Pass half the world, get captured by robbers, go through a blizzard and terrible cold, confront a hostile army one on one.All this for the sake of saving a friend, close and dear person – the boy Kai. The one who, albeit through no fault of his own, offended her before disappearing …

It seems that this brave little girl not only achieved her goal, but also changed for the better all those she met on the way – the crow and the crow, the prince and the princess, and, of course, the Little Robber. The same daredevil, which, it would seem, is written to be evil, cruel, merciless. But the meeting with Gerda changes her, we see that in fact the Little Robber has a good heart and she is ready to help the one who so stubbornly follows her path.

Each of the characters Gerda met was ready to help her. That speaks about the strength of her character, about the ability to win over people, animals and even flowers bow their heads in front of her. She knows how to talk to them, and they willingly tell her fairy tales and stories. Animals and birds are also ready to help her. And the rose bush grows and blooms from her warm tears that have fallen to the ground. No, no … she is not a sorceress at all, all these miracles are done by her kindness and sincerity.

The good old Finn who sheltered a girl and a deer, comparing her strength with the strength of twelve heroes, notes that there is no sense in the latter.She cannot make Gerda stronger than she is and says to the reindeer “Can’t you see how great her strength is? Can’t you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! It is not for us to borrow her strength! Strength is in her sweet, innocent childish heart. If she herself cannot enter the palaces of the Snow Queen and extract the fragments from Kai’s heart, then we will not help her even more! ”

Imagine yourself in severe frost without warm boots and mittens. How easy is it to give up in this situation? How difficult is it to continue on your way to your cherished goal? What awaits her small and defenseless in the gloomy, icy and seemingly impregnable palace of a very powerful and incredibly evil sorceress?

But Gerda’s faith is so strong that the largest and most terrible of the Snow Queen’s vanguard forces cannot stop her.Angels descend from heaven, and become her legion, protect and warm her. This is the only way our little heroine gets to the palace, where the frozen Kai, who has lost all his good feelings, is. But even then, she doesn’t know how to deal with the mirror shards that are stuck in his heart and eye. After all, if you do not defeat them, he will never be the same, kind, strong and fair boy, ready to protect people dear to him. But her kindness, love and intuition do not leave her even here, helping to cope with all difficulties.

This is a fairy tale with a happy ending, which, as you know, does not always appear in the tales of the great Danish storyteller. Many of Andersen’s tales do not end as well as this one. But, probably, the story of a girl like Gerda could not have ended in another way. Her hot tears melted Kai’s frozen heart, and they went home, where they lived happily ever after.

The tale of H. H. Andersen is dedicated to the very famous opera actress Jenny Lind in the 18th century. She had a phenomenal range.She was applauded by Berlin, Paris, London and Vienna. Her voice was admired, and her performances were sold out.

Andersen was captivated to the core by her beautiful voice. The acquaintance of Lind and the writer took place in Copenhagen. Literally at first sight, he fell in love with the singer. Whether this feeling was mutual is unknown. But she greatly appreciated his writing talent.

Andersen could not speak beautifully about his love, so he decided to write about it and confess his feelings. After sending a letter of confession to Lind, he did not wait for an answer.So the famous fairy tale was born, telling about the touching love that Gerda and Kai felt for each other.

The prototypes of the heroes in the fairy tale

Two years later, Lind and Andersen met. The actress invited Andersen to become her brother. He agreed (since this is better than being nothing), thinking that Gerda and Kai were also like brother and sister.

Perhaps in search of a real feeling, Andersen spent a lot of time traveling, trying to escape from the kingdom of the Snow Queen, which for him was Copenhagen.In life, everything is not like in a fairy tale. The image of Kai and Gerda, invented by Andersen and personifying him and Lind, was just as pure. In life, Kai was never able to fall in love with Gerda and escape from the kingdom of the Snow Queen.

Brief analysis of the fairy tale

G. H. Andersen is the first Danish writer whose works entered the world literature. The most famous are the fairy tales “The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen”. They are familiar to almost all of us. The Snow Queen fairy tale tells about good and evil, love and oblivion.It also tells about loyalty and betrayal.

The image of the Snow Queen in the fairy tale was taken for a reason. Andersen’s father told him before his death that the Ice Maiden had come for him. In his fairy tale, the writer personified the Snow Queen with the Ice Maiden, who took his dying father with her.

At first glance, the tale is simple and does not contain deep meaning. Delving deeper into the process of analysis, you understand that the plot raises some of the most important aspects of life – these are love, devotion, dedication, kindness, the fight against evil, religious motives.

The story of Kai and Gerda

This is the story of the touching friendship and love of two Andersen’s fairy tales. Gerda and Kai had known each other since childhood and spent a lot of time together. In a fairy tale, it is Gerda who has to prove the strength of friendship, who set off on a long and difficult journey after the boy who became a prisoner of the Snow Queen herself. Having charmed Kai with a piece of ice, she turned him into a callous, spoiled and arrogant boy. At the same time, Kai was not aware of his changes. Having managed to go through many difficulties, Gerda managed to find Kai, melt his icy heart.Kindness and faith in the salvation of a friend gave the girl strength and confidence. The tale teaches you to be faithful to your feelings, not to leave your loved one in trouble, to be kind and, despite difficulties, strive to achieve your goal.

Description of Kai and Gerda

Andersen’s tale describes to us a kind, attentive and sympathetic Kai. But after a challenge thrown to the Snow Queen herself, he turns into a rude and angry boy, capable of offending anyone, even Gerda and his grandmother, whose fairy stories he loved to listen to.One of Kai’s tricks ended up being held captive by the Snow Queen.

In the palace of the evil queen, he became a boy with an ice heart. Kai all the time tried to lay out the word “eternity” from pieces of ice, but he did not succeed. Then she promised to give him skates and the whole world. Kai’s desire to comprehend eternity indicates his lack of understanding that this cannot be done without true feelings, without love, having only a cold mind and an icy heart.

Deprived of all human feelings, Kai in fear wanted to read the prayer, but could not.Only the multiplication table was spinning in his head. Frozen figures of the correct geometric shape – this is the only thing that delighted him. Kai tramples his once favorite roses, and examines snowflakes with interest in a magnifying glass.

The image of Gerda is a contrast to the character of the Snow Queen. To find Kai and rescue him from the ice castle, the girl embarks on a long and difficult journey. In the name of her love, a brave little girl goes into the unknown. The obstacles encountered on this path did not make Gerda angry and did not make her turn back towards the house, throw her friend in captivity at the Snow Queen.She remained friendly, kind and sweet throughout the story. Courage, perseverance and patience help her not to lose heart, but to humbly overcome all failures. Thanks to this character, she managed to find Kai. And love for him was able to melt his icy heart and cope with the spell of the evil queen.

The description of Gerda and Kai can be a prototype of real people and similar stories in life. It is enough just to take a closer look around.

Characteristics of the Snow Queen

The Snow Queen, Blizzard Witch, Ice Maiden is a classic character in Scandinavian folklore.Lifeless and cold space, snow and eternal ice – this is the Kingdom of the Snow Queen. A tall, beautiful ruler on a throne located on the lake, which is called the “Mirror of the Mind”, she is the embodiment of cold reason and beauty, devoid of the manifestation of feelings.

Growing up of the heroes of the fairy tale

Having been in the kingdom of the Snow Queen, the heroes become adults. The motive of growing up acquires moral meaning. Children grow older when they face severe life trials, overcoming which Gerda managed to save a loved one, resisting the difficult searches and intrigues that the Snow Queen arranged for them.Kai and Gerda, despite growing up, keep their childish spiritual purity. They seemed to be reborn with the goal of a new adult existence.

Christian motives in the fairy tale

Andersen’s tale is saturated with Christian motives. This is rarely seen in Russian publications. In the episode, when Gerda tries to enter the Queen, she is not allowed there by the guards. She was able to get into it thanks to the fact that she began to read the prayer “Our Father”. After that, the guards, turning into angels, paved the way for the girl.

While Gerda and Kai return to their home, grandmother reads the Gospel. After the meeting, the children all together begin to dance around the rose bush and sing a Christmas carol, which ended the instructive tale.

And this mysterious journey from the world of good to the land of evil began with a splinter that fell into Kai’s eye. The mirror broke due to the fact that trolls (that is, demons) reflected everything in the world in a distorted form. Andersen explains this by the fact that demons in a lying mirror wanted to reflect the Creator.God, not allowing this, made it so that the mirror tore out of the hands of the demons and broke.

The image of Hell is reflected in the word “eternity”, which the Snow Queen instructed to lay down Kai. Icy, not created by the Creator, eternity is the image of hell.

In the episode where the deer asks the sorceress to help Gerda and give her the strength of twelve heroes, she replies that she cannot make the girl stronger than she is. Her strength is a small loving heart. And God helps her anyway.

Opposition of cold and heat

From the prologue of the fairy tale, Andersen begins to write that some people get pieces of ice into their hearts, which freeze, become cold and insensitive.And at the end of the tale, he describes how Gerda’s hot tears fall on Kai’s chest and a shard of ice melts in his heart.

Cold in a fairy tale is the personification of evil, everything bad on earth, and warmth is love.

Therefore, in the eyes of the Snow Queen, Andersen sees the absence of warmth, the presence of cold and insensitivity.

Which is familiar to me since early childhood, and all because my mother read the fairy tale about the snow queen before going to bed, and the cartoon The Snow Queen based on Andersen’s fairy tale is one of my favorites.Well, if you are not yet familiar with the Snow Queen – your favorite fairy tale and its content, we suggest you get acquainted with the Snow Queen fairy tale.

Fairy Tale The Snow Queen

The fairy tale “The Snow Queen” consists of several stories that will tell you about the adventures of little Gerda, who went in search of Kai. At the very beginning of the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” from the section about the mirror, we learn about the evil troll. This troll somehow created a strange mirror that depicted everything in reverse, that is, everything beautiful turned into terrible, everything good, including a good human thought, became something terrible and this state of affairs amused the troll.Once the students of the troll were playing with a mirror, and they played so hard that the mirror accidentally broke. The fragments flew around the world, getting into the eyes and hearts of people. Everyone who got a splinter in their eyes saw everything in a distorted light, those who got the splinters in their hearts turned a person’s heart into ice. Oh, how the troll moved in, laughed. Meanwhile, the fragments continued to fly around the world.

Second part

Here we will meet Kai, the hero of the Snow Queen fairy tale, and Gerda, the heroine of the Snow Queen fairy tale.They were inseparable friends. Their families were poor and lived in small rooms under the very roof. The rooms were located opposite each other. therefore, the boy and the girl often liked to look at each other from the window. In addition, the windows were connected by a gutter, through which it was possible to enter the next room. So the children went to each other. Every summer, a boy and a girl grew roses in wooden boxes, and then one day, when the children were sitting near their flowers, Kai got something in his eye. It was a shard from the broken mirror of an evil troll.After that, the boy was changed. He became rude, constantly talked, did not obey his grandmother, offended Gerda, ape the neighbors. Once in winter, Kai went tobogganing. Boys often became attached to peasant sleds and rode at high speed. So Kai became attached to a beautiful white sleigh, which was driven by someone in white robes. As it turned out, it was the Snow Queen who took the boy with her.

Flower garden of a woman who knew how to conjure

And at this time Gerda cannot find Kai.Someone said how Kai left the city gates, after which no one saw him. Everyone thought he was drowned in the river. Gerda alone could not believe it. So spring has come, and she keeps asking nature whether her Kai has died. I decided to go to the river to ask her too. I put on my red shoes and went. I began to ask the river, but no answer, no hello. Gerda had already given her shoes to the river, but not a word about Kai. Gerda jumped into the boat to throw her shoes further, because they were constantly nailed to the shore, and take the boat and swam.Gerda called for help, but no one came. So the girl sailed to some shore, where there was a beautiful garden and an old woman lived there. She really liked the girl, so she decided to do everything so that the girl stayed with her. She even removed roses from her flower garden, which would remind the girl of Kai. However, the girl saw roses in the drawing and remembered everything. She left the little world of the sorceress and was surprised, because it was already autumn on the street, while the sorceress was constantly summer. She left without shoes or warm clothes, but it was already very cold.

Prince and Princess

The girl went to look further than her friend. She sat down to rest and saw a jumping crow, who spoke to her. Gerda told her sad story and asked if he had seen Kai. To which the raven told her how some boy came to the princess, perhaps this is Kai. And he told the girl a story about how the princess wanted to get married. All the princes and simple guys from all over the neighborhood came, but she did not like anyone, and on the third day the boy came.He was dressed poorly, but he was so interesting to the princess that she chose him as her husband. According to the story, the boy was very much like Kai and Gerda wanted to see him. The raven flew to his raven, which helped to lead Gerda to the chambers of the prince and princess. The girl looked at the boy and realized that this was no Kai. And then everyone woke up. However, upon hearing Gerda’s story, the prince and princess presented the girl with horses with a carriage, warm clothes, food for the journey, and Gerda went in search of Kai.

Fifth Chapter: The Little Robber

Gerda drove into the forest, where the robbers attacked the carriage, as they could not help but notice the carriage covered with gold.They killed all the servants and already wanted to kill Gerda, as she was protected by the little robber – the daughter of their leader. The robber told everyone that this girl would live with her and play with her. The robber took Gerda and took her to the lair of the robbers. There Gerda saw many pigeons and a tied reindeer, these were the toys of a little robber. The girls ate and went to bed. Before going to sleep, Gerda told the robber once again the story of Kai, after which the robber fell asleep. Gerda could not close her eyes and heard the pigeons talk about the white hen that was carrying the sled, as well as about the boy who was riding with the Snow Queen.Everyone assumed that they were flying to Lapland. When the robber woke up, Gerda told her everything and, strange as it may sound, the robber let Gerda go and even gave her a reindeer, which was supposed to deliver her to the Snow Queen. On the way, the girl gave Gerda food, her mother’s warm mittens and boots, which the prince and the princess gave Gerda.

Lapland and Finca

Drove the reindeer Gerda to Lapland and stopped near the house. There lived a Lapland woman to whom they told their stories.Laplandka ordered to go to Finland, because it was the Snow Queen’s dacha that was located. A Finnish woman lives there in Finland, who should help them. The deer set off and ran until he reached the finca’s hut. The Finca let them into the house, undressed Gerda, because it was very hot in the house and read a message from the Lapland woman. I also listened to Gerda’s story. The deer asked to give the girl such a potion that would make her very strong. But, the old woman said that the girl is already very strong and must cope, and if not, then no one will help her.She told that in the heart of Kai, as well as in his eye, there is a shard of a troll’s mirror and while they are in the boy, he will not go anywhere. Everything suits him and he feels good with the Snow Queen. Then she ordered to take Gerda to the queen’s castle after which the reindeer had to return. The deer carried the girl who had forgotten to put on her boots and mittens. So, without warm clothes, she ended up near the castle, where everything was covered with snow, where a blizzard was blowing and it was very cold, but the girl was not scared, she went to where her named brother, best friend, Kai, was.

Seventh story

The “Snow Queen” tale of Andersen continues with the fact that at this time Kai is in the possession of the Snow Queen in a large white hall. In the center of the hall there was a huge mirror-like lake, in the middle of the lake sat the queen. The boy, on the other hand, was sitting on the floor and putting together various figures from pieces of ice, and he also wanted to add the word “eternity”. If he adds this word, then the queen will make him the master of the whole world. The boy himself was all cold, but he did not feel the cold, as he did not remember anything, because the kisses of the Snow Queen erased everything from memory.And so the queen had to be absent, she flew on business, and Kai stayed on to add the word. At this time Gerda entered. She rushed to the boy and began to hug him, began to kiss him, and her hot tears poured in a stream and fell on Kai and these tears penetrated right into his heart, melting him. Kai burst into tears and along with tears came out and the shard of the mirror. She took Gerda Kaya and they fled from the castle. A deer was waiting for them near the castle, which brought them to the Finnish woman. There the children warmed up and drove on. They sewed clothes for themselves at the Lapland woman and went on home.On the way, the robber also met, who told that the prince and the princess had left, the old raven had died, and the raven was now a widow. Having promised to visit them, the robber left. Kai and Gerda went home. When they entered their rooms, they realized that they were no longer children, they had already grown up. They sat down on their chairs and everything was forgotten. So they sat on the chairs, side by side.

“The Snow Queen” the main characters of Andersen’s fairy tale are known to almost everyone.

“The Snow Queen” Andersen main characters

Gerda –
the main heroine of the tale.This girl managed to find her friend Kai and save him from the Snow Queen.

Kai
– a little boy who lives in a big city, in the attic of a building across the street from Gerda’s house. He falls prey to shards of the troll mirror. Kai is taken away by the Snow Queen.

Snow Queen
is the queen of snowflakes who travels around the world with snow. Its palaces and gardens are located in permafrost lands. She brings Kai to her palace after he is the victim of shards of a troll mirror.She promises to free Kai if he can lay down “eternity” with pieces of ice.

Troll
– Creates an evil mirror that distorts reality.

Grandma Kaya –
tells his grandson and Gerda the legend of the Snow Queen. Some of the grandmother’s actions are important moments in history.

Old Sorceress
– lives near the river. It’s always summer in her garden. She tries to restrain Gerda, but when she sees Gerda’s rose (her favorite flower and Kaya), she remembers Kai and awakens from the magic of the old woman.

Raven
– who believes that Kai is the new prince of his land.

Princess
– Wants the prince consort to be as smart as she is. The princess finds Gerda in her palace. She helps Gerda in finding Kai, gives her warm, beautiful clothes, servants and a golden carriage.

Prince
is a former poor young man. Soon to become a prince.

Old atamansha
is the only woman among the robbers who captures Gerda as she travels in search of Kai in a golden carriage.

Little robber girl
– daughter of the chieftain. She became friends with Gerda. Her captive doves and reindeer tell Gerda that Kai is with the Snow Queen. The robber girl then helps Gerda continue her journey to find Kai. The life of the Little Robber was sad, without affection and kindness. The robber was spoiled, headstrong. She kept animals and birds in cages, tortured them. Her mother either robbed or drank from her bottle and then snored. But all the same, the Little Robber had a kind heart, she also wanted love and warmth, and she let Gerda and the deer go to Lapland.

Reindeer –
delivers Gerda to the Snow Queen’s palace.

Lapland
– Gives refuge to Gerda and the deer, and writes a message about dried cod fish Finca.

Finca –
lives just two miles from the gardens and palaces of the Snow Queen. She knows the secret of Gerda’s strength, and says that she will be able to save Kai.

Gerda’s Magic Helpers

Gerda is helped by flowers, a raven and a crow, Little robber, forest pigeons and a reindeer.The Finca said to the reindeer: “Stronger than she is, I cannot make her. Can’t you see how great her power is? Can’t you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! But she should not learn from us about her power, which lives in her heart; her strength is that she is an innocent sweet child. ”

Composition Good and Evil in the fairy tale Snow Queen Andersen Grade 5

Two opposite beginnings of Genesis – Good and Evil are presented in the work in the form of two very different characters.Each of them is the bearer of several qualities, the meaning of which is revealed in the tale.

The Snow Queen is the embodiment of the power of Evil. She is the mistress of the cold, which fetters and takes life, possessing magical powers.

However, she is alone. Subjugating people to herself, the Snow Queen makes them her slaves, so she does not know how to interact with others, is not interested in them. Children who are attracted by the Snow Queen become just copies of her, just like her, completely immersed in themselves.

Gerda is the complete opposite of her, she is a little girl. However, at the same time, Kai’s friend has important qualities that allow her to defeat her powerful enemy. She is sincere and friendly towards people. As a result, she is helped by such different characters that she met along the way, such as crows, the Prince and Princess, and even a little robber.

Gerda is distinguished by the ability to be friends, which prompted her to go to the aid of Kai. Friendship is unthinkable without the ability to see the interests of another person, the ability to look at the world through his eyes.The Snow Queen is deprived of this, therefore, having suffered the first defeat, losing power over the person who was in her power, she simply flees. Despite all her power, the mistress of evil and cold does not know how to fight, she is too withdrawn in herself.

The fact that Gerda does not meet personally with the Snow Queen also shows the author’s understanding of the nature of Evil. Andersen probably saw in Evil simply the absence of Good. Gerda lives and works actively. She brings warm feelings to the dead world of the Snow Queen, in which Kai finds himself, deep in himself and his loneliness.Gerda brought life and movement with her to the frozen cold world of Nothingness and it simply disappeared.

Hot tears that melted Kai’s frozen heart represent a symbol of ardent sympathy, activity that overcomes loneliness and selfishness.

Andersen strove to show that Good is true and sincere love for people, and Evil is loneliness fed by indifference to other people.

Option 2

Everyone’s favorite fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, shows the opposition of good and evil forces.Everything good and light in this work is personified by the girl Gerda, who, in order to save her brother, decides to fight the powerful Snow Queen.

The Snow Queen, these are evil forces in this fairy tale, she is beautiful, but at the same time she is absolutely cold, powerful and has no feelings. Her kiss brings death or icing, so Kai, being captured by her, was bewitched by the forces of cold and cruelty.

He became as cold and insensitive as the Snow Queen, even when Gerda comes to him, Kai does not recognize her, but continues to do his business.This is due to the evil, cold spell with which the queen bewitched him, he does not remember his grandmother and Gerda.

Gerda, in turn, only learned that Kai had been kidnapped by the Snow Queen, and immediately rushed to his aid. She traveled to many countries, animals and people helped her, but no one knew where the kingdom of the snow queen was.

The girl did not despair, but continued to search, even meeting evil and insidious people on the way, Gerda charmed them with her kindness and naivety.Even the girl, who was a robber, and she began to help, although she immediately wanted to kill Gerda.

Thanks to her communication with Gerda, the young robber saw that people can not only rob and kill, but can also love, believe and help other people. Therefore, the robber let Gerda go, showed her the way to the North Pole, and gave the girl her best deer.

But not only with the robber had to talk, before meeting with her she was in the kingdom. Where the little prince was accidentally confused with her Kai, but the truth was revealed, it was a completely different boy.

Gerda was so worried that she felt really bad when she found out that it was not her brother. But the prince and the princess helped her and gave her a carriage, clothes and food. The carriage was gold, so robbers attacked the carriage, and the girl had to be captured again. In addition to the robber, the old witch, who lived all alone in her house, wanted to give Gerda a potion, she was bored, and she wanted to leave Gerda to live with her.

But the girl was able to overcome all the difficulties, because by all means she needed to find Kai.And when she found him, she could not believe her eyes, he completely changed and did not recognize Gerda. It so happened that she hugged him and cried, her tears melted the ice in Kai’s heart, and he remembered his sister and grandmother.

So Gerda defeated the Snow Queen, thanks to her kind heart, strong character and confidence in her actions.

5 class

Also Read:

Picture for the composition Good and Evil in the Fairy Tale The Snow Queen

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90,000 Technological map of a literature lesson in grade 5 “The victory of good over evil in G.H. Andersen “The Snow Queen”

What is the strength of the Snow Queen?

Answer: She is a sorceress who controls cold elements: snow, blizzard, blizzard, blizzard. According to Kai’s grandmother, it is she who, looking into the windows, creates patterns on them. She is capable of bewitching a person or an animal, suppressing his will, subjugating him to herself. Another of its magical qualities is the ability to move in space, overcoming huge distances on a snow sled. She knows how to turn into a small snowflake.And to return at will to the appearance of a very beautiful young woman, in whose eyes there is not a drop of warmth. Her preference is for exceptionally correct forms, brought to an unnatural ideal.

Who is the Snow Queen?

Answer: This is a sorceress and ruler of all winter elements. She controls snowflakes, blizzards and blizzards. She is subject to the northern lights and ice. In addition, she knows how to control living beings, freezing them, depriving them of feelings and emotions, turning them into some kind of her own semblance.She is very beautiful, but completely cold. It cannot be called emotional, and it is even difficult to call it alive. She is close to the concepts of “perfection” and eternity. An unnatural ideality and correctness of forms and phenomena reigns in her palaces.

What does the Snow Queen look like?

Answer: She is perfect and very beautiful. She is dressed in the finest white tulle and looks icy, unless there is a shard of the devil’s mirror in your eye.

Quote 1: Snowflakes fluttered outside the window; one of them, a larger one, fell on the edge of the flower box and began to grow, grow, until finally it turned into a woman, wrapped in the finest white tulle, woven, it seemed, from millions of snow stars.She was so lovely, so tender, all of dazzling white ice and yet alive!

Quote 2: Kai looked at her; she was so good! He could not even imagine a smarter, more charming face. Now she did not seem icy to him, as she did when she sat outside the window and nodded her head to him; now she seemed perfect to him.

Why did Gerda defeat the Snow Queen?

Answer: She was persistent and, despite the difficulties, went to her goal. Many people and animals, imbued with sympathy for this brave girl, helped her on her way.Her heart was so warm, kind and full of love that the spell could not resist it. Her tears melted Kai’s heart, removing the shard from him. Her kindness and devotion made him cry, and the shard from his eye left with his tears. After that, the queen could no longer have power over him and he became the same kind and sympathetic boy.

Summary of literature lesson, grade 5. Andersen “The Snow Queen”

Lesson summary. Literature – grade 5. Topic: The great power of love in G.H. Andersen “The Snow Queen”
Subject: literature Class : 5 Topic: The great power of love in the tale of G.H. Andersen “The Snow Queen” Lesson type : generalization and systematization of knowledge Purpose: – to generalize and systematize the knowledge of children; teach children to analyze a work of art; – to develop students’ ability to formulate their own point of view, express and analyze it; – create conditions for the formation of the life position of students, based on the priority of kindness and mutual assistance; – to cultivate a respectful attitude towards literary tales; – develop the skills of logical thinking, the ability to draw conclusions; – develop the creativity of students.
Lesson progress
1. Organizational moment 2. Emotional mood (audio and video fragment – intro to the fairy tale “The Snow Queen”) 3. Announcement of the topic and purpose of the lesson. Motivation for learning activities. Little children are the protagonists of the Snow Queen fairy tale. Kai and Gerda have been friends for a long time. They were so accustomed to each other that they were ready to undertake a feat for the sake of friendship. It so happened that Gerda had to show all the strength of her character. Kai was taken prisoner by the Snow Queen not of his own free will.He could not, on his own, get rid of the piece of ice that turned him into a callous boy. Gerda knew Kai as benevolent, handsome and welcoming. She believed that his virtues would return to Kai. You just need to help him a little. G.Kh. Andersen argues that the power of love and a sense of sincere friendship can create miracles. Let’s make sure of this. 4. Working on the topic of the lesson • What difficulties does Gerda overcome on her way? • Who helps Gerda? • What changes happen to the little robber after meeting Gerda? • What helped Gerda in difficult times, for example, in the fight against the troops of the Snow Queen? • Find the words (fairy tale 6) in the fairy tale “Lapland woman and the Finca”, which contain the main idea.How do you understand them? (Stronger than she is, I cannot make her. Can’t you see how great her strength is? Can’t you see how people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! She should not think that she was given strength we: this power is in her heart.) • What helped Gerda survive and bring Kai back to life? Output. Gerda’s kindness and her fervent faith in Kai’s salvation helped her overcome many difficulties on the way to her goal. Meeting different people enriched her experience. She became wiser. Gerda could not make the good spells stronger, she did not need them, because her strength was real, and not artificial.It is the real feelings that Andersen sings in his fairy tale. She teaches us to do good, not leave friends in trouble and always go towards our goal. There is no need to be afraid of difficulties and trials, if they only temper the character and will. 5. Creative assignments 6. Uniting students in groups Assignment for 1 team: A useful thing for a person – a mirror – in the hands of an evil troll becomes a danger, an evil. Convert evil to good. Make a conclusion. (Children are given a “mirror” broken into pieces. They are supposed to place the pieces around the mirror to make the sun.They will conclude that the sun will melt the ice, and love can melt an icy heart). Task for team 2: What associations do you have when you see a rose? Snowflakes? Arrange the names of the heroes around each symbol. Explain your choice. (Children are given images of roses and snowflakes, cards with the names of heroes. It is assumed that the children will conclude that a rose is a symbol of beauty, warmth, light, friendship, love; a snowflake is a symbol of cold, indifference, loneliness. Therefore, Gerda, the prince and the princess will take their place near the rose, and the Snow Queen and Kai will take their place near the snowflake.The little robber and Kaya can be attributed to both symbols, since changes were taking place with them). Assignment for team 3: Compose a senkan / shinkan for the images of Gerda, Kai. Formulate a conclusion. Task for 4 teams: Write an acrostic to the word good. The kind girl Set off on the road. Poor Gerda, may Joy of the meeting, hope and love help you. Let the fire in your heart melt the magic. Students present their work. Conclusion . Goodwill, faith in victory over the Snow Queen, warm, sincere heart and love helped Gerda achieve her goal.Kai was saved. We have seen more than once that the victory of love and good over evil is the main theme of Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow Queen”. Total . Returning home, Kai and Gerda again meet the little robber, she asks Kai: Look, you are a tramp, I would like to know if you are worth it to be chased to the ends of the world! Guys, do you think a person is worth fighting for? Reflection . Video recording (Gerda’s song from the film). Homework : Illustrate a favorite episode from a fairy tale.

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History of creation

In 1844, a collection of ” New fairy tales.Volume one “. The book includes a story about the adventures of a girl named Gerda, who was desperately looking for her missing friend.

Scientists claim that The Snow Queen is the writer’s longest tale. Hans Christian Andersen himself called the work “the tale of my life.” Such a statement is justified. Most of the acting heroes of the fascinating story are not fictional – they are real people who accompanied Andersen on the path of life.

A girl named Lisbeth became the prototype of the brave Gerda.The future heroine of the fairy tale lived not far from little Hans and often came to visit. Over time, the children became so good friends that they began to call each other “sister” and “brother”. Lisbeth is the first listener to Andersen’s still uncertain, but already interesting stories.

There is a theory that in the confrontation between Gerda and the Danish writer, he reflected the struggle between religion and science. This idea did not take root in the Soviet Union. It is not surprising, because the fairy tale reached the USSR in a truncated version. The obligatory censorship through which foreign works passed, erased religious motives from the fairy tale – in the original version, the memories of Fr.

Love melted the ice

Despite the fact that Hans Christian Andersen portrays the Snow Queen in the fairy tale in the form of a strong and domineering woman, her power lies in magic – and nothing more. This character’s heart is empty, cold and filled with selfishness. She took people to the Snow Kingdom based solely on her own interests – it did not matter to her how others felt around her and was only interested in what was good for her.

Gerda defeated the Snow Queen thanks to the purity and sincerity of her love.The enchantress was powerless in the face of real, living, warm and all-embracing feelings.

If we consider the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” from the standpoint of metaphors, then it can be seen that Hans Christian Andersen means by the fragments that fall into the hearts of people, bad thoughts and lack of fortitude. It is worth remembering that if a person lets anger into his soul, it is very difficult to get rid of this poisonous feeling later.

Gerda in the work “The Snow Queen” appears before the reader as a guiding star for lost souls.The warmth of her heart, the desire to help and dedication contributed to the fact that Kai became human again, ceasing to be a soulless doll.

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The girl shows that despite everything it is important to remain kind, understanding, sincere and strong – only then can you overcome anger.

While magic, strength and power were available to the Snow Queen, she did not have the most important thing – love, the sorceress simply could not understand this feeling.Gerda, in turn, had nothing but love, but it was thanks to her that the girl was able to defeat the evil spell and overcome the difficulties encountered on the way.

The young heroine does not have the slightest inclination to gain personal gain, this is what makes her invulnerable. Gerda had no goal to fight and win – she just came and with the warmth of her heart destroyed everything bad.

If we turn to the characters that the girl met on the way to Kai, then not all of them will turn out to be extremely positive, despite the apparent kindness.For example, the old woman, despite the fact that she surrounded the girl with care, wanted to keep Gerda by her side against her will – in this case, she is not much better than the insidious Snow Queen.

Turning to the young and selfless heroine of the fairy tale, you can see that the girl does not have a tendency to get attached to something – she adheres to her own path, thanks to which, without knowing it, she conquers the most terrible evil in the world – selfishness and indifference.

Biography

Gerda was born into a poor family.Despite the difficult financial situation, parents and grandmother tried to give the child a happy childhood. The family lives under the very roof of an apartment building. The young heroine is distinguished by an attractive appearance:

“The hair was curled, and the curls surrounded the girl’s fresh, round, like a rose, face with a golden radiance.”

Mom and Dad built a flower garden for Gerda, which the girl looked after together with the neighbor’s boy Kai. The guys have been friends since childhood and spent a lot of time together.

The relationship changed when Kai became hostage to the fragments of the magic mirror, distorting the perception of the world. Having hit the boy in the eye and in the heart, the fragments turned Kai against Gerda.

The girl’s best friend goes missing, the adults decide that the boy is dead. Only Gerda does not accept such a truth and with the onset of spring goes in search. The first person to whom the girl addresses is the local river. Gerda offers the elements an exchange: the river returns Kai to her, and the heroine gives her only value – new red shoes.The river does not help the girl, but carries her to the house of the old witch.

Naive Gerda allows herself to be bewitched and carelessly lives in the old woman’s house at the end of spring and all summer. The chance reminds the girl of the purpose of her path. After consulting with local flowers and finding out that Kai is not buried in the ground, Gerda returns to the search.

The road leads a brave girl to a beautiful castle. The questions of the talking raven confirm the hunch – Kai lives in the palace and is quite happy with the local princess.The girl persuades the crow to take her inside. Alas, the bridegroom of the princess turns out to be another boy.

Good rulers listen to the sad story and present the girl with warm clothes and a golden carriage. The gifts came in handy. Gerda again embarks on a difficult journey. In the nearest forest, bandits attack the expensive carriage.

A little robber saves Gerda from death, deciding to take the girl into her collection of curiosities. At night, when the robber falls asleep, the white doves tell the girl where to look for Kai.The delighted Gerda shares what she has learned with the jailer. Despite the environment, the heart of the young robber has not yet hardened. The thief releases Gerda, giving the accompanying reindeer.

So, on the back of a mighty animal, the heroine gets to Lapland. The duo makes their first stop at the house of an old Lapland woman. The woman, having learned the fate of the deer and Gerda, gives the heroes a strange message on the road, written on dried cod. The old woman asks to convey a message to a friend of the Finns.

Having reached Finnmark, Gerda finds the old woman’s dwelling.While the heroes are warming up after a long journey, the Finnish woman carefully examines the incomprehensible letters. The reindeer, who, during the trip, became imbued with sympathy for his companion, asks his new acquaintance to help Gerda. But the Finnish woman, seeing the girl’s character traits, has a different opinion on this matter:

“Don’t you see how great her strength is? Can’t you see that both people and animals serve her? After all, she walked around half the world barefoot! It is not for us to borrow her strength! Strength is in her sweet, innocent childish heart. If she herself cannot penetrate into the palaces of the Snow Queen and extract the fragments from Kai’s heart, then we will not help her even more! ”

Having reached the entrance to the Snow Queen’s garden, Gerda is left alone – the reindeer is waiting for her at the entrance.Prayers help the girl to reach the castle. The angels who came to the rescue drive away the Snow Queen’s guards from the heroine and do not allow them to harm Gerda.

The house of the evil lady of the snow bewitches the girl, although during the journey the castles ceased to amaze Gerda. Seeing Kai, the heroine throws herself on her friend’s chest. Warm tears rolling from the girl’s eyes melt the ice in the boy’s heart, and the mention of Christ in his favorite psalm makes Kai himself cry. So the fragments of the cursed mirror came out from the body of the young man.

The happy heroes set off on their way back and, having reached their home, realize that they have matured a lot during the journey. Only their hearts remained the same kind and pure.

Gerda – the young savior

According to the plot of the tale, Kai and Gerda have been friends for many years, spending a lot of time with each other. Both were born into families whose wealth was modest. Together, children learn to see the beauty of the world in simple things and appreciate every moment of life.

Kai and Gerda especially enjoyed playing with each other in winter.After all, the snowy season gives children so many entertainment inaccessible in the summer. However, friends did not expect that one frosty day they would say goodbye for a long time.

The Snow Queen bewitched Kai by deceit – he was hit by an enchanted shard that turned his heart into ice. The boy could not resist the evil magic alone, which is why he gradually turned into an insensitive, cruel and evil young man. He forgot about all the good things, including Gerda.

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When the girl’s friend disappeared, she was puzzled by what had happened, but continued to hope and believe that Kai would return home and they would again spend all their free time with each other.However, winter was coming to an end, and the boy was not there.

Young Gerda decides to go in search of a friend. On her way, the girl will meet many adventures and trials. She will also face the powerful sorcery of the Snow Queen.