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Ethan Howard
Dr. McCarthy
UHON 1010
2 October 2016
Adapt or Die
Most people think having the right answer is the key to intelligence. However, when
looking at a situation more in-depth, intelligence is all about asking the right question. In David
Benioffs City of Thieves, Russian prisoners, including Lev and Koyla, are asked to read a
newspaper. They are then grouped together based on whether or not they can read and those
judged literate are slaughtered. On the surface, this is simply a literacy test. It is assumed that the
only people who will survive are those with the knowledge of reading. However, the author
structures this scene to show there is a big difference between the two. Throughout this scene,
Benioff shows how knowledge without intelligence is useless while demonstrating how powerful
the two are when combined.
At the beginning of this scene, the Germans tell the Russian prisoners each of you will
read aloud one paragraph. Those we judge literate will come with us to VyborgThose who fail,
wellThe work will be a little rougher (191). The novel suggests the educated will receive the
benefits and the illiterate will be punished. From the moment the prisoners hear these lines, they
began to make assumptions that if they can demonstrate their knowledge they will be rewarded.
Therefore, after the literates complete their test and are marching off, they are halted and faced
front. Even then they didnt understand what was happening to them. How could they? They
were good students; they had passed the test and been rewardedGerman troopers leveled their
submachine guns and fired at the line of RussiansThe Germans reloaded, walked over to the

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wall, and fired single sots into the heads of anyone still breathing (196). In this situation, the
expected outcome for these prisoners is life. In reality, they get the exact opposite, which is
death. This part confuses the reader because it contrasts the expected outcome, a reward, with
reality, which is death. The people who were killed in the scene believe knowledge to be
something they could use to get a reward. This is a dangerous line of thinking because it creates a
society who only works for the benefits and not the actual learning or experience.
In this scene the novelist makes a suggestion that the Nazis allowed the more intelligent
prisoners, Lev and Kolya, to survive. This decision by the Nazis, even though its unintentional,
demonstrates that some of the illiterate ones are the more intelligent ones. In doing this, the
Nazis show their lack of intelligence because they allow some of the prisoners, Lev and Kolya,
to manipulate their own system against them. As a majority, most of the illiterates tried to feign
intelligence and this is obvious because they were taking the test seriously frown[ing] as they
tried to decipher the letters (192). In other words, they were trying to be like the literates
because they were not intelligent enough to read the situation around them.
There are three types of people present in the literacy scene: the ignorant, the arrogant,
and the intelligent. The ignorant ones were not educated enough to actually read the paper;
therefore, their ignorance saved their lives. The other group, the arrogant ones, were too
confident and tried to impress the Germans. For example, they only had a read a small section
for the Nazis to determine their literacy level, but many of them kept going after they were told
to stop, giving little flourishes to the bigger words, demonstrating their ease with the vocabulary
(192). They were not arrogant until they began to read more than they were required just to
flaunt their status and achievements. For them, education is viewed as a tool to elevate their
social status and not to actually gain intelligence. Therefore, when someone fails to combine

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their knowledge with intelligence, such as the arrogant ones do, they have trouble applying it to
situations around them in order to recognize what must be done. The fact they were arrogant is
not necessarily what got them killed, but it certainly made the Germans more eager to
demonstrate their dominance and authority. Their example goes to show knowledge without
intelligence is a characteristic of fools because they never can see what is right in front of them.
However, the main characters, Lev and Kolya, are different cases from those two groups and
represent the select few of the intelligent ones.
Based on passages earlier in the book, Lev and Kolya grew up cultured and educated
because of the homes they were raised in. This gives them the ability to learn how to use
knowledge combined with intelligence, unlike the other two groups in the literacy test scene.
This is evident in Lev as he enjoys playing chess and strategizing his moves (227). An activity
such as chess, gives Lev a chance to practice applying his knowledge to the game around him.
For example, it would do him no good to only memorize the moves of each piece, but not know
how to use them to win. Kolya has a passion for literature, philosophy, music, and writing and is
even writing his own story. He has a true appreciation for the arts. Therefore, it infuriates him
when the Nazis show their work as being superior and he states, They really want to match
Goethe and Heine against Pushkin and Tolstoy? Ill give them musicAnd philosophy (193).
The fact that the Nazis condescending attitude offends Kolya shows how cultured he has become
because of the passion he displays for the arts. Levs interest in chess and Kolyas love for the
arts gives them a type of knowledge they can use to apply in dangerous situations, such as the
one in this scene. Knowledge becomes intelligence as soon as it is applied to decipher the world
and the situations within it.

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Since the two main characters know how to apply their intelligence because of their
background they are able to recognize those who are feigning it and using it for their own
personal gain. Kolya even mocks the literates stating they want a prize because they can read
the newspaperthey think theyre the only culture in Europe? (193). He realizes not only can
he match their knowledge but he can top it. Therefore, when the Germans approach Kolya, he is
prideful and is ready to show this patronizing Fascist the real face of Russian letters (193).
However, Levs glare convinces Kolya not to do it, and he follows Levs lead. This is a tough
situation for Kolya because he is a very prideful individual who likes to demonstrate his
knowledge whenever he gets the chance to. However, in this situation, the glare from Lev tells
Kolya one thing: Knowledge without intelligence will get him killed, but the two combined will
keep him alive. In order to be intelligent and stay alive, both of them must act illiterate. This
establishes these illiterates, Kolya and Lev are intelligent because they not only have the
knowledge, but they choose to combine it with intelligence to save each other.
Benioff uses the structure of this scene to teach his readers about the importance of
applicable knowledge in an unexpected way. The fact the literates are killed instead of the
illiterates goes against the expected outcome. However, Lev and Kolya recognize this earlier
than most people would because of their previous educational experience and above-average
intellect. The combination of those things end up saving their lives. These characters do not only
have the answers but they also possess the additional ability to ask the right questions at the right
times. This is the mark of true intelligence when it is combined with knowledge.

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Works Cited
Benioff, David. City of Thieves: A Novel. New York, NY: Viking, 2008. Print.