1
“Earlier they lived as if in a fog,/ This very day—one believes with difficulty!/ Peasants go to listen to/ a radio concert in the evening.”
2
The church building in the background is constructed with “onion domes” on top, making it recognizable as a Russian Orthodox church. Religion was seen as incompatible with Soviet society, and therefore this church building has been repurposed into a Soviet clubhouse and gathering place.
3
The banner above the entrance to the converted church reads “today radio-concert,” emphasizing the fact that technological advancements have superseded religion and continues to progress, while religion is only capable of staying stagnant. The banner is also red, coding it as Soviet, while the church building itself contains no red imagery.
4
The line of people outside of the new Soviet club is very diverse, with peasant men, women, and children, some warmly dressed, and some barefoot, This emphasizes the theme of access with electrification, and the belief that it can function as a “great equalizer” in Soviet society.
5
“The red birds fly/ across a starry barricade,”
6
The red airplanes flying overhead, referred to in the text as “birds,” are another great advancement in Soviet society and aviation practices. The planes are of course red, to symbolize their progress as being uniquely Soviet. Being equated with birds that fly across a “starry barricade” may be in order to naturalize their presence, indicating that aviation is becoming as common to the Soviet Union as birds, universally seen and accessible.
7
“Children read the alphabet/ from glowing rockets.”
8
The letters beneath the airplanes equate technological advancements with education, emphasizing just one of the multiple functions of technology.
9
The three children, all diverse looking and dressed differently, stand with their bodies facing the airplanes and looking up at the sky. One child even points up at the planes—they are engaging and fascinating, as well as educational, to the young children.