The article will examine in detail one of the most famous poems by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and analyze it. “Village” (Pushkin) is a work that reflected the political views of the poet, his opinion about the role of the Russian peasantry in the life of the country.
The work of the great poet is divided into several stages. However, they are all united by a number of themes and features that arose in the early period of Pushkin’s formation. Communication with the Decembrists and famous writers had a particularly strong influence on the formation of the writer’s artistic consciousness. Also, the development of his literary abilities was influenced by Russian folklore and Western European culture and literature.
The second stage of the poet’s work, dating back to the post-lyceum period, reflects the analysis of the poem “Village”. During this period, Pushkin led an active political and social life; he was especially concerned about the need to adopt reforms that would help change the autocratic structure of Russia. Subsequent periods of the poet's work are associated with exile. Romantic, philosophical, and later realistic motives begin to predominate in them.
The analysis of any poem is carried out according to a certain plan, which can be as follows:
As noted above, the poem belongs to the second, St. Petersburg period of the poet’s work and was written in 1819. Active secret meetings with the Decembrists, communication with Chaadaev and Ryleev - everything influenced the theme of the poem “Village”. The analysis of Pushkin's poem includes the poet's statements about the despotism of autocracy, about the political and social lack of freedom of people, about the inhumanity of serfdom.
The main theme of the work is the problem of serfdom. Pushkin strives to show its destructiveness, barbarism and anti-humanism. To focus on cruelty and unfair treatment of the people, the poet resorts to contrast. Structural analysis of the verse “Village” (Pushkin) allows us to talk about a two-part composition.
The first part of the poem (ends with the words “In the depths of the soul…”) reflects an idyllic picture of village life. Pushkin glorifies its peace, natural beauty, harmony; it gives inspiration and promotes creativity and poetic pursuits, and morally purifies. The second part sounds like a sharp contrast, where the poet openly speaks out against autocratic despotism, points out the suffering of the oppressed people, the unnaturalness of serfdom and the cruelty of the slave system.
The lyrical hero is a person who is able to appreciate the beauty and harmony of the world that exists according to the laws of nature, which is the village. For him, this is an idyllic world, “a haven of peace... and inspiration,” here he finds freedom. The poet paints a heavenly picture: fields, meadows, “a garden with its coolness and flowers,” “bright streams,” “the peaceful sound of oak forests.”
The hero in the first part appears as a romantic with a finely organized soul and the ability to feel beauty, in the second part - from a civic position, which is confirmed by the analysis. “Village” (Pushkin) is a work where the poet’s lyrical “I” is dramatically transformed, the romantic turns into a politician who perfectly understands the shortcomings of the monarchical system of his country. The image of the landowners is noteworthy: “The lordship is wild, without feeling, without law...” This ignorant oppressive force lives off the “skinny slavery.”
The lyrical hero bitterly regrets that his voice cannot “disturb hearts,” so he is unable to change the arbitrariness going on in the country. His cherished dream is to see the “dawn of enlightened freedom” so that the landowners stop appropriating “the labor, the property, and the time of the farmer.”
The poem is written in the form of an oratorical speech in which the poet expresses the thoughts and ideas of progressive people of his time. The story begins with an appeal to the beauty of the village and a description of the idyll. Such an introduction is absolutely consistent. Continuing to develop his thoughts in the chosen style, the poet builds the second and third stanzas in the same way. He uses the same technique in the second part, starting stanzas with the word “here.” The abundance of exclamatory and interrogative sentences is also determined by the oratorical style. Pushkin turns to such a compositional structure for a reason. His poem is a call not only in content, but also in form. This is an open speech that demands the elimination of injustice that arose centuries ago.
A structural analysis of Pushkin’s “Village” allows us to conclude that the poem is written alternating with tetrameter. The rhyme is cross, male rhyme (1st, 3rd lines) alternates with female rhyme (2nd, 4th lines).
Not only the content is different, but also the different parts of the poem “Village”. The analysis of Pushkin’s work can be continued by the fact that the poet intonationally builds the beginning so that the reader is immersed in a world of calm and friendliness. This atmosphere is created thanks to the epithets: “peaceful noise”, “silence of the fields”, “azure plains”.
The second part is more expressive, the poet is outraged and excited. Hence there are many words with a bright emotional connotation: “wild lordship”, “relentless owner”, “destroying people”, “burdensome with a yoke”.
Opposition against serfdom is the main theme of the poem “Village”. A brief analysis of Pushkin's work showed that the poet rebels against the tyranny of autocracy and desires justice and freedom for the Russian people.
Alexander Pushkin was a liberal-minded citizen who preached an active life position. He often criticized government officials for their failure to ensure well-being and prosperity for the people, the driving force of Russia. One such incriminating poem is “The Village.”
"The Village" was written in 1819. If we agree on the periods of creativity, the poem can be attributed to the second, St. Petersburg stage. The work was also influenced by new socio-political ideas, secret meetings of the Decembrists, and communication with them. At that time, the poet was keen on discussions about the injustice of autocracy and the inhumanism of serfdom.
It was at this time that Alexander Sergeevich joined the secret union of the Decembrists, which even then hatched draft constitutions limiting the power of the tsar. However, the new supporters of the enthusiastic and ardent poet were in no hurry to take him into action. They were afraid that the failure of a revolutionary action would entail severe punishment, and they wanted to protect the talented Pushkin from the furious wrath of the autocracy, which could result in death for the poet. Therefore, the creator’s contribution was purely literary, and he learned about the Decembrists’ performance on Senate Square in 1825 only after it took place, without taking part in it and without tarnishing his name.
It can be noted that the poem is written in the genre of oratory. The author is the voice of all progressive-minded people of that time who do not agree with the system of serfdom. Pushkin specifically turned to this genre, since the work is a kind of call to end injustice. This gives grounds to classify “The Village” as a realistic movement. Although there are also traits of romanticism. The Creator is a typical romantic hero, opposed to the society of the nobility. Using the example of the antithesis of village and city, we see the principle of dual worlds characteristic of this direction. There is an ideal world and a reality opposed to it.
The poem is written in iambic hexameter alternating with iambic tetrameter. The rhyme is cross, male rhyme (1st, 3rd lines) alternates with female rhyme (2nd, 4th lines).
The composition “Villages” can be defined as two-part. When reading, a bright antithesis catches the eye. In the first part, the poet glorifies the beauty of nature, talks about how he has a good rest and breathes easily in the village. Then it’s as if a completely different poem begins, as the mood changes dramatically. In the second part, Pushkin talks about the “other side of the coin” of this beauty - the “wild lordship”.
Thus, with the help of composition, the author expresses the main idea of the poem: serfdom spoils the people and ruins the future of the country. Our lands are rich and fertile, our nature is beautiful and gentle, our people are highly moral and strong. But the insensitive and selfish government crosses out all these advantages, robbing its own descendants with exorbitant consumption and irresponsible attitude towards these riches.
The lyrical hero can appreciate nature and feel merging with the world. The poet paints a blissful picture: fields, meadows, “a garden with its coolness and flowers,” “bright streams,” “the peaceful sound of oak forests.” Then the author’s lyrical “I” changes. From an enthusiastic connoisseur of beauty, he turns into an ardent opposition critic who understands the shortcomings of the social structure of his homeland. He does not leave himself alone, saying that his gift is not piercing enough to penetrate hard hearts.
The image of the landowners is noteworthy: “The lordship is wild, without feeling, without law...”. These are ignorant, greedy and vicious people who feast on the “skinny slavery”. The poet sympathizes with the peasants, in particular the “young maidens” who “bloom for the whim of an insensitive villain.” Pushkin spent a lot of time in his country estates, so he knew a lot and saw how other neighbors treated their serfs. Moreover, the author notes that the gentlemen have no reason to consider themselves superior to the common people, because both the master and the serf are equally ignorant and wild. Only one rises due to his suffering and righteous work, and the second only falls in our eyes because he is an unjust tyrant.
The author rebels against the cruelty of the autocracy and desires freedom for his compatriots, whom he considers equal to himself, no matter what class they belong to. He is trying to convey to people the idea that it is no longer possible to live in such injustice.
In addition, the meaning of “The Village” is to show the contrast between the beauties and blessings of the Russian land and those who manage it. The lordship ruins the country, oppresses the people, but it itself is of no use, because such power only corrupts the soul. The main idea of the poem is that the poet with all his might wants to bring “the beautiful dawn of enlightened freedom closer.”
The main means of artistic expression in “The Village” is antithesis - it helps to reveal the author’s intention. Pushkin designs the first part in such a way that the reader is immersed in an atmosphere of calm. This is created thanks to the epithets: “peaceful noise”, “silence of the fields”, “azure plains”.
The second part of the work is more emotional, Pushkin is dissatisfied and even outraged by the current situation. From this follows many words with a bright emotional connotation, mainly epithets: “wild lordship”, “relentless owner”, “destroyer of people”, “burdensome with a yoke”. With the help of anaphora (in the second part of the poem, the lines begin several times with the word “Here”), Alexander Sergeevich tries to list everything that he is dissatisfied with, to express all the ugliness that he observes.
Interesting? Save it on your wall!Greetings, deserted corner,
A haven of peace, work and inspiration,
Where the invisible stream of my days flows
In the bosom of happiness and oblivion.
I am yours: I exchanged the vicious court for Circus,
Luxurious feasts, fun, delusions
To the peaceful sound of oak trees, to the silence of fields,
For free idleness, a friend of reflection.
I am yours: I love this dark garden
With its coolness and flowers,
This meadow, filled with fragrant stacks,
Where bright streams rustle in the bushes.
Everywhere in front of me there are moving pictures:
Here I see two lakes, azure plains,
Where the fisherman's sail sometimes turns white,
Behind them are a series of hills and striped fields,
Scattered huts in the distance,
On the damp banks wandering herds,
The barns are smoky and the mills are cold;
Everywhere there are traces of contentment and labor...
I am here, freed from vain shackles,
I am learning to find bliss in the truth,
With a free soul to worship the law,
Do not listen to the murmurs of the unenlightened crowd,
Participate in answering a shy plea
And don't envy fate
A villain or a fool - in unjust greatness.
Oracles of the ages, here I ask you!
In majestic solitude
Your joyful voice can be heard more clearly.
He drives away the gloomy sleep of laziness,
The heat in me gives rise to work,
And your creative thoughts
They ripen in the depths of the soul.
But a terrible thought here darkens the soul:
Among flowering fields and mountains
A friend of humanity sadly remarks
Everywhere ignorance is a murderous shame.
Without seeing the tears, without listening to the groan,
Chosen by fate for the destruction of people,
Here the nobility is wild, without feeling, without law,
Appropriated by a violent vine
And labor, and property, and the time of the farmer.
Leaning on an alien plow, submitting to the scourge,
Here skinny slavery drags along the reins
An unforgiving owner.
Here a painful yoke drags everyone to the grave,
Not daring to harbor hopes and inclinations in my soul,
Here young maidens bloom
For the whim of an insensitive villain.
Dear support for aging fathers,
Young sons, comrades of labor,
From their native hut they go to multiply
Yard crowds of exhausted slaves.
Oh, if only my voice could disturb hearts!
There seems to be a barren heat burning in my chest
And hasn’t the fate of my life given me a formidable gift?
I'll see, oh friends! unoppressed people
And slavery, which fell due to the king’s mania,
And over the fatherland of enlightened freedom
Will the beautiful dawn finally rise?
Even at a very early age, Pushkin felt the injustice of the world around him. These beliefs were reinforced by freedom-loving communication with Lyceum friends. Gradually, the poet develops strong views that form the basis of his worldview. They consist in recognizing the highest value of freedom. Pushkin considers autocratic power to be a cruel tyranny, and the main obstacle to Russia on the path to justice is the preservation of serfdom. These views were shared by the Decembrists. In 1819, Pushkin briefly visited the village. Mikhailovskoye, where he writes the poem “Village”. In it, he directly states the dangers of serfdom, which turns the majority of the country's population into slaves. The work is written in the genre of elegy, but in the second part elements of civil lyricism appear.
The poet describes a real landscape with. Mikhailovskoe (“two lakes... plains” - Malenets and Kuchane). He does not spare colors in describing the magnificent poetic corner. The author contrasts the “silence of the fields” with “luxurious feasts”, serene peace in the lap of nature, and the bustle of metropolitan life. The first enthusiastic glance of an art connoisseur notes only positive aspects. The picture of the patriarchal idyll is not disturbed in any way. Against the backdrop of a magnificent landscape, “traces of contentment and labor” are visible everywhere.
In this garden of Eden, the poet takes a break from all the worries and worries associated with metropolitan society. He is truly inspired. The soul of the lyrical hero is open to comprehending the highest “Truth”.
The second part disrupts the existing harmony. The poet does not remain an idle observer. Calm reflection leads him to a “terrible thought” about what is hidden behind the picture of well-being. Pushkin realizes that the entire idyll is based on lawlessness. The power of the landowners is gross arbitrariness in relation to ordinary peasants. Personal freedom has been trampled into the mud. Ordinary people do not have the right to control not only their labor, but also their destiny. The whole life of a peasant is aimed at satisfying the needs of his master. The young generation, which is filled with bright hopes, has no future. Beautiful girls become victims of debauchery, and young men join the ranks of “tormented slaves.”
The work is written in a “high style.” The author uses many solemn words and expressions (“oracles of centuries”, “murmuring”, “listening”). The use of a capital letter gives the poem special expressiveness to give the word greater meaning (“Law”, “Fate”, “Owner”).
In the finale, Pushkin expresses the hope that he will be able to see with his own eyes the abolition of serfdom, carried out “by the tsar’s mania,” and not as a result of a bloody uprising.
"Village" Alexander Pushkin
I greet you, deserted corner, a haven of peace, work and inspiration, where an invisible stream of my days flows in the bosom of happiness and oblivion. I am yours - I exchanged the vicious court of Circe, Luxurious feasts, fun, delusions for the peaceful sound of oak trees, for the silence of the fields, for free idleness, a friend of reflection. I am yours - I love this dark garden With its coolness and flowers, This meadow filled with fragrant stacks, Where bright streams rustle in the bushes. Everywhere in front of me are moving pictures: Here I see azure plains of two lakes, Where a fisherman’s sail sometimes turns white, Behind them are a row of hills and striped fields, Scattered huts in the distance, Roaming herds on the damp banks, Smoky barns and chilly mills; Everywhere there are traces of contentment and labor... I am here, freed from vain shackles, Learning to find bliss in the truth, To adore the law with a free soul, Not to listen to the murmurs of the unenlightened crowd, To respond with participation to a shy plea And not to envy the fate of a Villain or a fool - in unjust greatness. Oracles of the ages, here I ask you! In majestic solitude, your joyful voice is more audible. It drives away the gloomy sleep of laziness, creates heat in me for work, and your creative thoughts ripen in the depths of your soul. But a terrible thought here darkens the soul: Among the flowering fields and mountains, a friend of humanity sadly notices the murderous shame of ignorance everywhere. Not seeing the tears, not heeding the groan, chosen by fate for the destruction of people, Here the wild nobility, without feeling, without law, Appropriated with a violent vine And the work, and the property, and the time of the farmer. Bending over an alien plow, submitting to the whips, Here skinny slavery drags along the reins of an inexorable owner. Here, with a painful yoke, everyone is dragged to the grave, Not daring to nourish hopes and inclinations in the soul, Here young maidens bloom For the whim of an insensitive villain. The dear support of aging fathers, Young sons, comrades of labor, From their native hut they go to multiply the Yard crowds of exhausted slaves. Oh, if only my voice could disturb hearts! Why is there a barren heat burning in my chest And the fate of orbit has not given me a formidable gift? I'll see, oh friends! an unoppressed people and slavery that fell due to the king’s mania, and over the fatherland of enlightened freedom Will a beautiful dawn finally rise?
In 1819, 20-year-old Pushkin came briefly from St. Petersburg to his family estate Mikhailovskoye. It was here that his famous poem “Village” was written, in which the author analyzes not only his own life, but also evaluates the socio-political events that are taking place in Russia.
The poem “Village” was created in the form of an elegy, but its measured rhythm, which sets one in a philosophical mood, is very deceptive. If in the first part of the work the poet confesses his love for his homeland, emphasizing that it was in Mikhailovsky that he was once serenely happy, then in the second part “a terrible thought here darkens the soul.”
Pushkin’s pessimistic mood is explained quite simply. As a teenager, the poet repeatedly thought about how imperfectly and unfairly the world was structured. People who are forced to work on the land from morning to night eke out a miserable existence. And those who are accustomed to spending their days in idle pleasure do not deny themselves anything. However, these thoughts were formed more clearly in the poet a little later, when in St. Petersburg he became quite close friends with the future Decembrists, imbued with their then-advanced ideas of brotherhood and equality. That is why in the first lines of the poem “Village,” the poet casually mentions that he “traded the vicious courtyard of the Circus” for “the peaceful noise of the oak trees, for the silence of the fields.” This opposition is not used by the author by chance. Pushkin, turning to his native land, admits: “I am yours.” He identifies himself not with the high society, on which his fate and brilliant future essentially depend, but with ordinary peasants, who in spirit are much closer and more understandable to the poet than the counts and princes, who believe that the world is ruled exclusively by money. Therefore, having returned to Mikhailovskoye, Pushkin notes that “here I am, freed from vain shackles, learning to find bliss in the truth.”
However, the active and stormy nature of the poet cannot enjoy the peace and tranquility of rural life for long while the world is sliding into the abyss. The poet is depressed by the fact that people in his circle prefer not to notice the poverty and wretchedness of life of the serfs and do not consider them to be people. Against the background of the tears and suffering of thousands of oppressed people, a “wild lordship, without feeling, without law” reigns, thanks to which others appropriate the labor of slaves. And at the same time they believe that this is quite fair, because they are almost gods who came to this life solely in order to receive all imaginable and inconceivable pleasures.
In contrast to the “masters of life,” the poet very figuratively and succinctly reproduces the life of those who carry a “burdensome yoke to the grave.” Such concepts as justice and freedom are alien to these people, since they do not know that such a thing is, in principle, possible. After all, from time immemorial, “here are young maidens in bloom for the whims of insensitive villains,” and young men, who should become a reliable support for their fathers, “go to multiply the courtyard crowds of exhausted slaves.”
Addressing his people, downtrodden and oppressed, the poet dreams that his voice “can disturb hearts.” Then the author would be able to change the world for the better with his poems and restore justice. However, Pushkin understands that it is almost impossible to do this, even with a huge poetic gift. Therefore, in the last lines of the poem, the poet wonders whether he will get to see “slavery that fell due to the king’s mania.” Pushkin still believes in the inviolability of autocracy and hopes that the sanity of the august person will be able to put an end to the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Russian serfs who, by the will of fate, were born slaves.
Poem " Village"was written by Pushkin in 1819, during the so-called “St. Petersburg” period of his work. For the poet, this was a time of active participation in the socio-political life of the country, visiting the secret union of the Decembrists, friendship with Ryleev, Lunin, Chaadaev. The most important issues for Pushkin during this period were the social structure of Russia, the social and political lack of freedom of many people, and the despotism of the autocratic-serf system.
The poem “Village” is dedicated to the topic of serfdom, which was extremely relevant for that time. It has a two-part composition: the first part (before the words “... but the thought is terrible...”) is an idyll, and the second is a political declaration, an appeal to the powers that be.
For the lyrical hero, the village is, on the one hand, a kind of ideal world where silence and harmony reign. In this land, “a haven of peace, work and inspiration,” the hero gains spiritual freedom and indulges in “creative thoughts.” The images of the first part of the poem - “the dark garden with its coolness and flowers”, “light streams”, “striped fields” - are romanticized. This creates an idyllic picture of peace and tranquility. But a completely different side of life in the village opens in the second part, where the poet mercilessly reveals the ugliness of social relations, the arbitrariness of the landowners and the powerless situation of the people. “Wild lordship” and “skinny slavery” are the main images of this part. They embody the “murderous shame of ignorance,” all the wrongness and inhumanity of serfdom.
Thus, the first and second parts of the poem are contrasting, opposed to each other. Against the backdrop of beautiful, harmonious nature, the kingdom of “happiness and oblivion” depicted in the first part, the world of cruelty and violence in the second looks especially ugly and flawed. The poet uses the technique of contrast to more clearly reveal the main idea of the work - the injustice and cruelty of serfdom.
The selection of figurative and expressive language means serves the same purpose. The intonation of speech in the first part of the poem is calm, even, and friendly. The poet carefully selects epithets, conveying the beauty of rural nature. They create a romantic and peaceful atmosphere: “the stream of my days is flowing”, “the mills are creeping”, “the lakes are azure plains”, “the peaceful noise of oak forests”, “the silence of the fields”. In the second part the intonation is different. Speech becomes agitated. The poet selects apt epithets and gives an expressive speech description: “wild lordship”, “chosen by fate for the destruction of people”, “exhausted slaves”, “relentless owner”. In addition, the last seven lines of the poem are filled with rhetorical questions and exclamations. They demonstrate the indignation of the lyrical hero and his reluctance to put up with the unjust structure of society.
