The Bronze Horseman is one of Pushkin's famous poems. It is written in an interesting style, since among the main characters there are only the man Eugene and the monument to the Bronze Horseman.
At the beginning of the work, the monument is shown as a living being that is able to feel and think. The meaning of the horseman is that he symbolizes Peter 1, the ruler who built the city of Petersburg.
Actions take place in the fall. Eugene is a hardworking young man who believes that all his deeds will surely lead to honor and independence. He has a beloved Parasha.
One day, a heavy downpour began, a real flood, which threw the whole city into turmoil. People fled in panic. Eugene himself was able to climb onto the lion statue. All the time he thought about his beloved, since her house was near the bay.
The second part of the poem describes what happened after the flood. Eugene hurries to his beloved to make sure she is safe. But he sees that everything is demolished. Not even the usual trees.
From shock, the main character begins to go crazy, he laughs wildly and cannot pull himself together. Soon the city began to live its own life again, only Eugene could not recover. He began to live on the street, ate what he found.
For a long time he existed in this way, until he returned to the Bronze Horseman again. The madness made him think that the monument was chasing him. The end of the poem is the quick death of the protagonist.
The theme and idea of the work lie in the most acute issues that Pushkin often understood in his works. He wanted to understand what exactly a people needs in order to be free. Pushkin strongly lost faith in the reign of the tsar and dreamed of freedom. He described his experiences in this poem.
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Pushkin A. S. The Bronze Horseman, 1833 The method is realistic.
Genre - poem.
History of creation . The poem "The Bronze Horseman" was written in Boldin in the autumn of 1833. In this work, Pushkin describes one of the most terrible floods that occurred in 1824 and brought terrible destruction to the city.
In the work "The Bronze Horseman" there are two main characters: Peter I, who is present in the poem in the form of a reviving statue of the Bronze Horseman, and the petty official Eugene. The development of the conflict between them determines the main idea of the work.
Plot. The work opens with an "Introduction", in which Peter the Great and his "creation" - Petersburg are famous. In the first part, the reader gets acquainted with the main character - an official named Eugene. He lies down, but cannot fall asleep, entertained by thoughts of his situation, that bridges have been removed from the rising river and that this will separate him from his beloved Parasha, who lives on the other side, for two or three days. The thought of Parasha gives rise to dreams of marriage and a future happy and modest life in the family circle, together with a loving and beloved wife and children. Finally, lulled by sweet thoughts, Eugene falls asleep.
However, very soon the weather deteriorates and the whole of St. Petersburg is under water. At this time, on Petrovskaya Square, astride a marble statue of a lion, the motionless Eugene sits. He looks at the opposite bank of the Neva, where his beloved and her mother live in their poor house very close to the water. With his back to him, towering above the elements, "the idol on a bronze horse stands with outstretched hand."
When the water subsides, Evgeny discovers that Parasha and her mother have died and their house is destroyed, and loses his mind. Almost a year later, Eugene vividly recalls the flood. By chance, he ends up at the monument to Peter the Great. Yevgeny threatens the monument in anger, but suddenly it seems to him that the face of the formidable king is turning to him, and anger sparkles in his eyes, and Yevgeny rushes away, hearing the heavy clatter of copper hooves behind him. All night the unfortunate man rushes about the city, and it seems to him that the rider with a heavy stomp is galloping after him everywhere.
P problematics. A brutal clash of historical necessity with the doom of private personal life.
The problem of autocratic power and the disadvantaged people
“Where are you galloping, proud horse, and where will you lower your hooves?” - the question of the future of the Russian state.
Several thematic and emotional lines: the apotheosis of Peter and Petersburg, the dramatic narration of Eugene, the author's lyricism.
Intention: a symbolic clash of two polar opposite forces - an ordinary little man and the unlimited powerful force of an autocratic state
Evgeny The image of a shining, lively, magnificent city is replaced in the first part of the poem by a picture of a terrible, destructive flood, expressive images of a raging element over which a person has no power. The element sweeps away everything in its path, carrying away fragments of buildings and destroyed bridges, “pale poverty’s belongings” and even coffins “from a washed-out cemetery” in streams of water. Among those whose lives were destroyed by the flood is Eugene, whose peaceful cares the author speaks at the beginning of the first part of the poem. Eugene is an “ordinary man” (“small” man): he has neither money nor ranks, he “serves somewhere” and dreams of making himself a “humble and simple shelter” in order to marry his beloved girl and go through life with her.
The poem does not indicate either the hero's surname or his age, nothing is said about Yevgeny's past, his appearance, character traits. By depriving Yevgeny of individual features, the author turns him into an ordinary, faceless person from the crowd. However, in an extreme, critical situation, Eugene seems to wake up from a dream, and throws off the guise of "insignificance" and opposes the "copper idol".
Peter I Since the second half of the 1820s, Pushkin has been looking for an answer to the question: can autocratic power be reformist and merciful? In this regard, he artistically explores the personality and state activities of the “reformer tsar” Peter I.
The theme of Peter was painful and painful for Pushkin. Throughout his life, he repeatedly changed his attitude towards this epoch-making image for Russian history. For example, in the poem "Poltava" he glorifies the victorious king. At the same time, in Pushkin's abstracts for the work "The History of Peter I", Peter appears not only as a great statesman and tsar-worker, but also as an autocratic despot, tyrant.
The artistic study of the image of Pyotr Pushkin continues in The Bronze Horseman. The poem "The Bronze Horseman" completes the theme of Peter I in the work of A. S. Pushkin. The majestic appearance of the Tsar-Transformer is drawn in the very first, odically solemn, lines of the poem:
On the shore of desert waves
He stood, full of great thoughts,
And looked into the distance.
The author contrasts the monumental figure of the king with the image of harsh and wild nature. The picture, against which the figure of the king appears before us, is bleak. In front of Peter's eyes is a wide-spread, rushing into the distance river; around the forest, "unknown to the rays in the fog of the hidden sun." But the gaze of the ruler is fixed on the future. Russia must establish itself on the shores of the Baltic - this is necessary for the country's prosperity. Confirmation of his historical correctness is the execution of "great thoughts". A hundred years later, at the time when the plot events begin, the "city of Petrov" became the "midnight" (northern) "diva". “Victory banners” wind at the parades, “huge masses are crowded along the banks”, ships “crowd from all over the earth” come to the “rich marinas”.
The picture of St. Petersburg not only contains an answer to Peter's plan, it glorifies the mighty power of Russia. This is a solemn hymn to her glory, beauty, royal power. The impression is created with the help of elevating epithets (“city” - young, magnificent, proud, slender, rich, strict, radiant, unshakable), reinforced by the antithesis with “desert” nature hostile to man and with “poor”, miserable” her “stepson” - little man. If the huts of the Chukhons “blackened ... here and there”, the forest was “unknown” to the sun’s rays, and the sun itself is hidden “in the fog”, then the main characteristic of St. Petersburg is light. (shine, flame, radiance, golden skies, dawn).
Nature itself strives to drive away the night, "spring days" have come for Russia; The odic meaning of the depicted picture is also confirmed by the fivefold repetition in the author's speech of the admiring "I love."
The author's attitude to Peter the Great is ambiguous . On the one hand, at the beginning of the work, Pushkin utters an enthusiastic hymn to the creation of Peter, confesses his love for the “young city”, before the splendor of which “old Moscow faded”. Peter in the poem appears as "Idol on a bronze horse", as "a powerful master of fate".
On the other hand, Peter the Autocrat is presented in the poem not in any specific deeds, but in the symbolic image of the Bronze Horseman as the personification of inhuman statehood. Even in those lines where he admires Peter and Petersburg, an intonation of anxiety is already audible:
O mighty lord of fate!
Are you not so above the abyss,
At a height, an iron bridle
Raised Russia on its hind legs?
The tsar also appears before Eugene as a “proud idol”. And this idol is opposed by a living person, whose “brow” burns with wild excitement, “embarrassment”, “flame” is felt in the heart, the soul “boils”.
Conflict . The conflict of the "Bronze Horseman" consists in the collision of the individual with the inevitable course of history, in the opposition of the collective, public will (in the person of Peter the Great) and the personal will (in the person of Eugene). How does Pushkin resolve this conflict?
Opinions of critics about which side Pushkin is on differed. Some believed that the poet justified the right of the state to dispose of a person's life and takes the side of Peter, as he understands the need and benefit of his transformations. Others consider Yevgeny's sacrifice unjustified and believe that the author's sympathies are entirely on the side of "poor" Yevgeny.
The third version seems to be the most convincing: Pushkin, for the first time in Russian literature, showed all the tragedy and insolubility of the conflict between the state and state interests and the interests of the private individual.
Pushkin depicts the tragic conflict of two forces (personality and power, man and state), each of which has its own truth, but both of these truths are limited, incomplete. Peter is right as a sovereign, history is behind him and on his side. Eugene is right as an ordinary person, humanity and Christian compassion are behind him and on his side
The plot of the poem is completed, the hero died, but the central conflict remained and was transferred to the readers, not resolved, and in reality itself, the antagonism of the "tops" and "bottoms", the autocratic power and the destitute people remained.
The symbolic victory of the Bronze Horseman over Eugene is a victory of strength, but not of justice. The question remains” “Where are you galloping, proud horse, and where will you lower your hooves?” This is a metaphorically expressed main question for the author, the question of the future of the Russian state.
(Search for an answer) The problem of the people and power, the theme of mercy - in "The Captain's Daughter". Even in troubled times, honor and mercy must be preserved.
“... The best and most lasting changes are those that come from the improvement of morals, without any violent upheavals”
Human relationships should be built on respect and mercy
Good is life-giving
The image of the natural element in the poem by A. S. Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman"
The Bronze Horseman is the first urban poem in Russian literature. The theme of the poem is complex and multifaceted. The poem is a kind of reflection of the poet about the fate of Russia, about its path: European, associated with the reforms of Peter, and original Russian. The attitude towards the deeds of Peter and the city that he founded has always been ambiguous. The history of the city was presented in various myths, legends and prophecies. In some myths, Peter was presented as the “father of the Fatherland”, a deity who founded a certain intelligent cosmos, a “glorious city”, a “beloved country”, a stronghold of state and military power. These myths originated in poetry and were officially encouraged. In other myths, Peter was the offspring of Satan, the living Antichrist, and St. Petersburg, founded by him, was a “non-Russian” city, satanic chaos, doomed to inevitable disappearance.
Pushkin created synthetic images of Peter and Petersburg. Both concepts complement each other. The poetic myth about the founding of the city is developed in the introduction, focused on the literary tradition, and the myth about its destruction, flooding - in the first and second parts of the poem.
Two parts of the story depict two rebellions against autocracy: the rebellion of the elements and the rebellion of man. In the finale, both of these rebellions will be defeated: poor Eugene, who until recently desperately threatened the Bronze Horseman, will reconcile himself, the enraged Neva will return to its course.
It is interesting in the poem that the riot of the elements itself is depicted. The Neva, once enslaved, "taken prisoner" by Peter, has not forgotten its "old enmity" and with "vain malice" rises up against the enslaver. The "defeated element" is trying to crush its granite fetters and is attacking the "slender masses of palaces and towers" that arose at the behest of the autocratic Peter. The city turns into a fortress besieged by the Neva.
The Neva River, on which the city lies, outraged and violent:
In the morning over her shores
Crowded crowds of people
Admiring the splashes, the mountains
And foam of furious waters.
But by the force of the wind from the bay
Blocked Neva
Went back , angry, vehement,
And flooded the islands.
… From the disturbed depth
the waves rose and got angry,
There the storm howled
There were debris...
The story of the flood acquires a folklore-mythological coloring. The enraged Neva is compared now with a frenzied "beast", then with "thieves" climbing through the windows, then with a "villain" who burst into the village "with his ferocious gang." In the poem there is also a mention of a river deity, the violence of the elements is compared with it:
… water suddenly
Flowed into underground cellars,
Channels poured to the gratings,
And Petropolis surfaced like a triton,
Immersed in water up to my waist.
For a moment it seems that the "defeated element" triumphs, that Fate itself is for it: “The people \ Sees God's wrath and awaits execution. \ Alas! everything is dying…”
The rebellion of the elements depicted by Pushkin helps to reveal the ideological and artistic originality of the work. On the one hand, the Neva, the water element is part of the urban landscape. On the other hand, the anger of the elements, its mythological coloring, reminds the reader of the idea of St. Petersburg as a satanic city, non-Russian, doomed to destruction. Another function of the landscape is associated with the image of Eugene, the "little man". The flood destroys Eugene's humble dreams. It turned out to be disastrous not for the city center and its inhabitants, but for the poor who settled on the outskirts. For Eugene, Peter is not "ruler of the half world" but only the culprit of the disasters that befell him, the one “…whose fateful will \ Under the sea the city was founded…”, who did not take into account the fate of small people not protected from disaster.
The surrounding reality turned out to be hostile to the hero, he is defenseless, but Eugene turns out to be worthy not only of sympathy and condolences, but at a certain moment is admired. When Eugene threatens the "proud idol", his image acquires the features of a genuine heroism. At these moments, the miserable, humble inhabitant of Kolomna, who has lost his home, a beggar vagabond, dressed in decayed rags, is completely reborn, strong passions, hatred, desperate determination, the will for revenge flare up in him for the first time.
However, the Bronze Horseman achieves his goal: Eugene resigns himself. The second rebellion is defeated, like the first. As after the riot of the Neva, "everything went back to the old order." Eugene again became the most insignificant of the insignificant, and in the spring his corpse, like a corpse
vagabonds, fishermen buried on a deserted island, "for God's sake."
USE Pushkin "The Bronze Horseman"
Read the given fragment of the text and do tasks B1-B7; C1-C2.
Complete tasks B1-B7. Write down your answer in the form of a word, a combination of words, or a sequence of numbers.
Then, on Petrova Square,
Where a new house has risen in the corner,
Where above the elevated porch
With a raised paw, as if alive,
There are two guard lions
On a marble beast,
Without a hat, hands clenched in a cross,
Sitting motionless, terribly pale
Evgeny. He was afraid, poor
Not for myself. He didn't hear
As the greedy wave rose,
Washing his soles,
How the rain hit his face
Like the wind, howling violently,
He suddenly took off his hat.
His desperate eyes
Pointed at the edge of one
They were motionless. Like mountains
From the disturbed depth
The waves got up there and got angry,
There the storm howled, there they rushed
The wreckage… God, God! there -
Alas! close to the waves
Near the bay
The fence is unpainted, yes willow
And a dilapidated house: there they are,
Widow and daughter, his Parasha,
His dream... Or in a dream
Does he see it? or all of our
And life is nothing, like an empty dream,
Heaven's mockery of the earth?
And he, as if bewitched,
As if chained to marble
Can't get off! around him
Water and nothing else!
And turned his back on him
In the unshakable height
Over the perturbed Neva
Standing with outstretched hand
Idol on a bronze horse.
IN 1. Specify the genre of the work
IN 2. In which city do the events described in this story take place?
Answer: __________________________________
VZ. In The Bronze Horseman, Pushkin created a generalized artistic image of Yevgeny as a "little man". What term is used to call such images?
Answer: __________________________________
AT 4. In the above fragment, A.S. Pushkin uses a technique based on the repetition of homogeneous consonant sounds. Name it.
… Like mountains
From the disturbed depth
The waves got up there and got angry,
There the storm was angry, there they rushed
Wreckage…
Answer: __________________________________
AT 5. A.S. Pushkin calls Peter I "an idol on a bronze horse." Indicate the trope, which is the replacement of a proper name with a descriptive phrase "
Answer: __________________________________
AT 6. Name the figurative and expressive means of the language, based on the comparison of objects or phenomena.
… or all of our
And life is nothing like an empty dream,
Heaven's mockery of the earth?
Answer: __________________________________
AT 7. The poet in The Bronze Horseman perceives the flood not only as a natural phenomenon, but also as an analogue of life's storms and hardships. What is the name of such a symbolic image, the meaning of which goes beyond the limits of the objective meaning?
Answer: __________________________________
To complete tasks C1 and C2, give a coherent answer to the question in the amount of 5-10 sentences. Rely on the author's position, if necessary, state your point of view. Justify your answer based on the text. Performing task C2, select for comparison two works of different authors (in one of the examples, it is permissible to refer to the work of the author who owns the source text); indicate the titles of the works and the names of the authors; justify your choice and compare the works with the proposed text in the given direction of analysis.
Write down your answers clearly and legibly, following the rules of speech.
C1. What role does the description of various natural phenomena play in this fragment?
(C1. How did the fate of Yevgeny change under the influence of the devastating flood?)
C2. In what works of Russian literature are natural forces involved in the fate of the characters, as in The Bronze Horseman, and in what ways are their roles similar?
As in the poem by A.S. Pushkin's "The Bronze Horseman" is the power of the state opposed to the tragedy of the "little man" Yevgeny?
Use quotes and terms!!!
1. In the introduction, it is necessary to say about the time of writing the work, about the subject or problems of the poem, name the conflict of the work, which is indicated in the topic.
2. In the main part of the essay, we reveal the main conflict of the work.
- The majestic image of Peter in the introduction to the poem. Glorification of the sovereign power of Russia. The historical necessity of the founding of the city.
- The tragedy of the "little man" Eugene.
- A symbolic clash of two polar opposite forces - an ordinary little man and the unlimited powerful force of an autocratic state in the images of the Bronze Horseman and Eugene.
Conflict resolution. The victory of force, but not of justice.
3. In conclusion:
- a specific answer to the question stated in the topic. (How ...? - Symbolically in the images of the flood as an analogue of life's storms and hardships. Symbolically in the images of the Bronze Horseman and the driven, resigned Eugene.
The time of the creation of the poem. Plot and timing. Subject
A.S. Pushkin wrote the poem "The Bronze Horseman" in October 1833 in Boldino.
The plot basis of the work is Petersburg flood of 1824. Pushkin emphasizes the strict historical authenticity of the events described in the poem. So, in the author's preface to the work, he notes: "The incident described in this story is based on truth."
The time frame of the poem is wider than its plot action. The poet makes excursion into the era of Peter I, talks about great the intention of the autocrat. Then he talks about the changes that have taken place a hundred years later. The author describes the flood of 1824 itself and the events immediately following it. The most important theme of the work is also the fate of the "little man".
Issues
The main problem posed in The Bronze Horseman is personalityand state. Pushkin comprehends the deep contradiction between the personality of the "little man" and autocratic power. In the context of this problem, Pushkin reveals the historical inconsistency of the activities of Peter I. On the one hand, the reforms he carried out strengthened the Russian State. The city built on the Neva has become a symbol of the greatness and glory of Russia. On the other hand, this city turned out to be the cause of misfortunes, suffering, death of the “little man”.
Another important problem of the work is human and nature. In the elements of nature, Pushkin showed the formidable Divine power, rebellious to man, not subject to the will of the kings.
Ideological orientation
The ideological meaning of the poem is ambiguous.
One side, Pushkin glorifies the deeds of Peter, admires the beautiful city on the Neva, bows before the greatness and glory of Russia.
On the other side, the poet deeply sympathizes, sympathizes with the “little man”, who became an unwitting victim of Peter's reforms.
Genre originality
"The Bronze Horseman" is lyric epic poem. It combines the narrative of events and characters with the lyrical self-expression of the author. So, for example, the introduction to the poem includes an excited monologue of the poet glorifying Petersburg.
Pushkin also gives his own genre definition of The Bronze Horseman. In the subtitle, he names the work Petersburg story. Pushkin, with his work, establishes a new genre in Russian literature of the St. Petersburg story about a poor official, a “little man”. Subsequently (already in prose form) this genre will be developed in the works of N.V. Gogol, F.M. Dostoevsky, and other Russian writers.
Composition: plot construction, main images
The poem includes introduction and two parts.
Introduction contains exposition image of Peter I. The tsar appears here as an outstanding statesman who set himself the task of transforming Russia, making it a great state, cutting through a “window to Europe”.
Although the tsar is described in the introduction as a real historical person, he already looks monumental here. 1 . The majestic figure of the autocrat is shown against the backdrop of wild, pristine nature:
On the shore of desert waves
stood is he, full of great thoughts,
And looked into the distance.
The poet tells about the grandiose plan of Peter:
And he thought:
From here we will threaten the Swede,
Here the city will be founded
To spite an arrogant neighbor.
Nature here is destined for us
Cut a window to Europe
Stand with a firm foot by the sea.
Here on their new waves
All flags will visit us,
A hundred years have passed, and the young city,
Midnight countries beauty and wonder,
From the darkness of the forests, from the swamp blat
Ascended magnificently, proudly ...
Pushkin does not hide his admiration for the work of Peter. Hence the high style, the use Slavisms(“young city”, “beauty and wonder of midnight countries”, “from swamps of blat”).
Then follows lyrical monologue poet, where he talks about his love for St. Petersburg. The poet admires the architecture of the city, the majestic course of the Neva, the beauty of the white nights:
I love you, Peter's creation,
I love your strict, slender look,
Neva sovereign current,
Its coastal granite,
Your fences have a cast-iron pattern,
your thoughtful nights
Transparent dusk, moonless brilliance ...
Pushkin glorifies military power Russia:
I love belligerent liveliness
Amusing Fields of Mars,
Infantry troops and horses
monotonous beauty,
In their harmoniously unsteady formation
Patchwork of these victorious banners,
The radiance of these copper caps,
Shot through and through in battle.
These lines reminded Pushkin's contemporaries of Russia's glorious victory in the War of 1812.
The poet emphasizes the importance of such solemn moments in the life of the Russian Empire as birth of an heir to the throne and victory over the enemy, and the jubilation caused by these events turns out to be akin to the joy of contemplating the spring awakening of the Neva:
I love, military capital,
Your stronghold smoke and thunder,
When the midnight queen
Gives a son to the royal house,
Or victory over the enemy
Russia triumphs again
Or breaking your blue ice
The Neva carries him to the seas
And, feeling spring days, rejoices.
Thus, Pushkin's Petersburg is a symbol of a new, transformed Russia.
Meanwhile, the reforming activity of Peter, according to the poet, brought Russia and its people not only greatness, but also severe suffering. “My story will be sad,” the poet remarks at the end of the introduction, preparing the reader for the mournful events described in the first and second parts of the poem.
first part"The Bronze Horseman" opens with a gloomy picture of autumn nature. Neva is compared to a sick person:
Above the darkened Petrograd
November breathed autumn chill.
Rushing in a noisy wave
At the edge of its slender fence,
Neva rushed about like a patient
At the time of the guests home
Eugene came young ...
exposition the image of the central character occupies the first half of the first part poems. The poet explains why he chose the name "Eugene" for his hero:
We will be our hero
Call by this name. It
Sounds nice; with him for a long time
My pen is also friendly.
Eugene comes from an ancient aristocratic family. However, in the era when the action of the poem takes place, his surname speaks to few people about something:
We don't need his name.
Although in the past
It may have shone
And under the pen of Karamzin
In native legends it sounded
But now with light and rumor
It is forgotten...
Eugene - typical petty official, "little man":
Our hero
Lives in Kolomna, serves somewhere,
It shy of the noble and does not grieve
Not about the deceased relatives,
Not about the forgotten antiquity.
It should be noted that the “little people” are the product of Peter the Great's reforms, which turned Russia into a state of officials.
We should not forget that the gallery of "little people" in Russian literature goes back to Pushkin. Samson Vyrin from the Stationmaster is the first in their line, the second is Evgeny from the Bronze Horseman. Later, Russian literature will include the heroes of Gogol (for example, Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin from The Overcoat), writers of the "natural school", Dostoevsky.
O world outlook"little man" can be judged by his dreams:
What was he thinking about? About,
That he was poor, that he labored
He had to deliver
And independence, and honor ...
Marry? Well... why not?
It's hard, of course.
But well, he's young and healthy
Ready to work day and night;
He somehow arranges himself
Shelter humble and simple
And Parasha will calm down in it.
Eugene, unlike the autocratic tsar, is not concerned with grandiose plans of a state scale, but with urgent matters: he dreams of family happiness, of raising children.
It is also significant that Eugene's beloved is not an aristocratic lady, but a simple girl Parasha, with whom he is going to share a modest and difficult family life.
In the poems of the poet expressed sympathy"little man", sincere Attention to his concerns.
When creating images of Peter and Evgeny, Pushkin resorts to antithesis, which emerges already in the introduction to the poem and in its first part. The majestic figure of Peter against the backdrop of the deserted, calm Neva is contrasted with Evgeny, immersed in the hustle and bustle of life, a “small” and, by state standards, an insignificant person, returning home near the river, restless, restless, inspiring the hero with fear for loved ones.
Second half of the first part the poem is dedicated to the description floods. Raging Neva acts as a merciless natural element that takes revenge on a person for trying to limit her freedom, chained in granite. When describing a natural disaster, Pushkin uses detailed personifications, comparisons, colorful epithets. The Neva appears before us as a terrible beast that destroys everything around:
The Neva swelled and roared,
Cauldron bubbling and swirling,
And suddenly, like a wild beast,
Rushed to the city...
It is no coincidence that Alexander I, at the end of whose reign the flood of 1824 occurred, utters significant words: "The kings cannot control the elements of God." The forces of nature are symbolized here by God's wrath against people who have decided to subjugate the elements, and here even the king is powerless. Nature takes revenge on man for arbitrariness over her.
It is significant that Pushkin emphasizes the inextricable connection between the disasters caused by the flood and Peter's long-standing decision to build a city in this very place - contrary to the laws of nature. As a result, the terrible suffering of the inhabitants of St. Petersburg, especially the "little people", turned out to be the result of Peter's activities in the previous century.
Not by chance at the end of the first part of the poem, the images of Peter I and Eugene again opposed, only the autocrat appears here no longer as a historical figure, but as a statue, an "idol". Eugene, fleeing the flood, sits "on a marble beast" and sees in front of him a motionless statue of Peter. At the same time, the monument turns out to be “turned back to him”: it turns out that the desperate “little man” cannot count on help:
And with his back turned to him,
In the unshakable height
Over the perturbed Neva
Standing with outstretched hand
Idol on a bronze horse.
In the second part poems are about the death of Parasha, about craziness Eugene, about him rebellion against power, finally about his own death.
Parasha's death acquires a symbolic meaning in the poem: it is a sign misfortunes all ordinary people - Petersburg residents , turned out to be hostages of Peter's reforms. The death of the bride was also the cause of Eugene's madness. His consciousness could not stand the ordeal:
But my poor, poor Eugene...
Alas! His confused mind
Against terrible shocks
Didn't resist...
It should be noted that the motive of madness in connection with the theme of St. Petersburg is widely covered in subsequent Russian literature. Let us recall, for example, Gogol's Notes of a Madman, Raskolnikov's nightmares in Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.
The second part of the poem contains her climax- story about rebellion hero against the power that the statue of Peter represents. The author prepares the reader in advance for this new confrontation between Eugene and the Bronze Horseman. The details of their first meeting, which happened during the flood, are repeated again:
Eugene shuddered. cleared up
It has terrible thoughts. He found out
And the place where the flood played
Where the waves of prey crowded,
Revolting viciously around him,
And the lions, and the square, and that,
Who stood still
In the darkness with a copper head ...
Poet in lyrical monologue refers to the statue of Peter - a symbol of autocratic power:
Where are you galloping, proud horse,
And where will you lower your hooves?
O mighty lord of fate!
Are you not so above the abyss,
At a height, an iron bridle
Raised Russia on its hind legs?
Pushkin emphasizes here the grandeur of the appearance of Peter. Meanwhile, the figure of Eugene at the moment of his rebellion against the idol becomes majestic in its own way. It is no coincidence that the poet in the description of the "little man", as in the description of the statue of the autocrat, uses high-style vocabulary. 1 :
Around the foot of the idol
The poor madman walked around
And brought wild eyes
On the face of the ruler of the semi-world.
His chest was shy. Chelo
It lay down on the cold grate ...
Two opponents are stylistically “equalized”: the “ruler of the semi-world” has “face”, the rebel has “brow”. The hero in a frenzy utters words filled with anger:
Welcome, miraculous builder!
Already to you!
The riot ends nightmare Evgenia. The Bronze Horseman pursues his prey.
In a peculiar epilogue, not titled by the author, but highlighted textually, tells about of death unfortunate Evgeniya who could not stand the fight with a cruel fate:
Found my madman
And then his cold corpse
Buried for God's sake.
play an important role in the work symbolic images. Image Petersburg carries the idea of a new, transformed Russia with its greatness and glory. At the same time, St. Petersburg is a symbol of misfortune, the suffering of ordinary people.
Raging Neva- a symbol of God's wrath that fell on a person who planned to subjugate the natural elements.
Finally, Bronze Horseman- the personification of autocratic power in its tragic opposition to the people. The horse is the Russian people, the Horseman is the autocrat who raised his subjects “on their hind legs”.
Questions and tasks
1. Where and when did Pushkin write the poem "The Bronze Horseman"? What is the plot of the story? Outline the time frame of the events described in the poem. List the main themes of the work.
2. What problems does the poet comprehend in The Bronze Horseman? What is the originality of the author's interpretation of such a problem as the individual and the state?
3. Describe the ideological orientation of the poem. Why can't the position of the author be called unambiguous?
4. Why is The Bronze Horseman a lyrical epic? What genre definition did Pushkin himself give to the poem? What is the uniqueness of The Bronze Horseman as a Petersburg story? Who else among Russian writers created works in this genre?
5. What parts does Pushkin's poem consist of? What compositional elements does the introduction include? How does Peter I appear before us in the introduction? What does the poet say about Peter's plan? How Pushkin draws Petersburg a hundred years after its foundation. Describe the author's lyrical monologue. What exactly fascinates him "Peter's creation"?
6. What can you say about the exposition of the image of Eugene at the beginning of the first part of the poem? How does the author describe the Neva? How does he present the central character to the reader? What does Pushkin write about the name and surname of the hero, about his origins, occupations, dreams, ideals? What can you say about Evgeny's beloved? Why can Eugene be called a "little man"? When and for what reasons did this socio-historical type of people arise? Which of the Russian writers first discovered it? What other characters - Pushkin himself and other authors - can be attributed to this literary type?
What is the meaning of the antithesis "Peter - Eugene"?
7. How does Pushkin draw the raging elements? What artistic techniques does he use here? What is the meaning of the words of Alexander I quoted by the poet? How is the theme of the flood of 1824 related to the theme of Peter's reforms? Explain the meaning of the episode of confrontation between Eugene and the statue of Peter during the flood.
8. What are the main events of the second part of the poem. Why does the death of Parasha and the madness of Yevgeny acquire symbolic meaning in the work?
9. Describe the climax of the action of the poem? Why can we say that the images of Eugene and Peter at the moment of the hero's rebellion are stylistically equal? What causes a hero's rebellion? What is the symbolic meaning of Eugene's death? Which description serves as an epilogue in the poem?
10. Summarize the meaning of the symbolic images in the poem. Why is the symbolic image of St. Petersburg interpreted ambiguously? How can one interpret the meaning of the image of the raging Neva? Comment on Pushkin's interpretation of the image of the Bronze Horseman.
11. Outline and prepare oral presentation
A. S. Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman" combined both historical and social issues. This is the author's reflection on Peter the Great as a reformer, a collection of various opinions and assessments about his actions. This poem is one of his perfect writings that have a philosophical meaning. We offer a brief analysis of the poem for review, the material can be used to work in literature lessons in grade 7.
Brief analysis
Year of writing– 1833
History of creation- During his "golden autumn", when Pushkin was forced to stay in the Boldin estate, the poet had a creative upsurge. In that "golden" time, the author created many brilliant works that made a great impression on both the public and critics. One of such works of the Boldino period was the poem "The Bronze Horseman".
Subject- The reign of Peter the Great, the attitude of society to his reforms - the main theme of "The Bronze Horseman"
Composition– The composition consists of a large introduction, it can be considered as a separate poem, and two parts, which deal with the main character, the devastating flood of 1824, and the meeting of the hero with the Bronze Horseman.
Genre- The genre of "The Bronze Horseman" is a poem.
Direction - Historical poem describing actual events, direction- realism.
History of creation
At the very beginning of the history of the creation of the poem, the writer was in the Boldin estate. He thought a lot about the history of the Russian state, about its rulers and autocratic power. At that time, society was divided into two types of people - some fully supported the policy of Peter the Great, treated him with adoration, and the other type of people found in the great emperor a resemblance to evil spirits, considered him a fiend, and treated him accordingly.
The writer listened to different opinions about the reign of Peter, the result of his reflections and the collection of various information was the poem "The Bronze Horseman", which completed his Boldino heyday of creativity, the year of writing the poem is 1833.
Subject
In The Bronze Horseman, the analysis of the work displays one of the main topics- power and a small person. The author reflects on the rule of the state, on the collision of a small man with a huge colossus.
Myself the meaning of the name- "The Bronze Horseman" - contains the main idea of the poetic work. The monument to Peter is made of bronze, but the author preferred another epithet, more ponderous and gloomy. Thus, through expressive artistic means, the poet depicts a powerful state machine, for which the problems of small people suffering from the power of autocratic rule are indifferent.
In this poem, conflict between the little man and the authorities does not have its continuation, a person is so small for the state, when "the forest is cut down - the chips fly."
In different ways one can judge the role of one person in the fate of the state. In his introduction to the poem, the author characterizes Peter the Great as a man of amazing intelligence, far-sighted and decisive. Being in power, Peter looked far ahead, he thought about the future of Russia, about its power and invincibility. The actions of Peter the Great can be judged in different ways, accusing him of despotism and tyranny in relation to the common people. It is impossible to justify the actions of a ruler who built power on the bones of people.
Composition
Pushkin's ingenious idea in the features of the composition of the poem serves as proof of the poet's creative skill. A large introduction dedicated to Peter the Great and the city he built can be read as an independent work.
The language of the poem has absorbed all genre originality, emphasizing the author's attitude to the events he describes. In the description of Peter and Petersburg, the language is pretentious, majestic, completely in harmony with the appearance of the emperor, great and powerful.
A completely different language is the story of a simple Eugene. Narrative speech about the hero is in the usual language, reflects the essence of the "little man".
The greatest genius of Pushkin is clearly visible in this poem, it is all written in the same meter, but in different parts of the work, it sounds completely different. The two parts of the poem following the introduction can also be considered a separate work. These parts tell about an ordinary man who lost his girlfriend in a flood.
Eugene blames the monument to Peter for this, implying in it the emperor himself - the autocrat. A person who dreams of simple human happiness has lost the meaning of life, having lost the most precious thing - he has lost his beloved girl, his future. It seems to Evgeny that the Bronze Horseman is chasing him. Eugene understands that the autocrat is cruel and ruthless. Crushed by grief, the young man goes crazy, and then dies, left without the meaning of life.
It can be concluded that in this way the author continues the theme of the “little man”, developed at that time in Russian literature. By this he proves how despotic government is in relation to the common people.
main characters
Genre
The work "The Bronze Horseman" belongs to the genre of a poetic poem with a realistic direction.
The poem is large-scale in its deep content, it includes both historical and philosophical issues. There is no epilogue in the poem, and the contradictions between the little man and the whole state remain open.
The basic idea
The poem "The Bronze Horseman" was written by A. S. Pushkin in 1833. It was not immediately allowed to print because of the presence of the theme of the relationship of the individual with the authorities. However, in 1837, with some censorship changes, the poem was published in Sovremennik. This is Pushkin's last work on the topic of the formidable Tsar Peter I and his transformations. In it, the monumental figure of the king is contrasted with harsh nature. Despite the fact that Peter I was able to conquer the elements and build a royal city on the banks of the Neva, nature remained inflexible. She still rebelled from time to time, and with each new storm, hundreds of civilians died.
A. S. Pushkin based his poem on the relationship of the individual with power and the relationship of man with nature. An ordinary person risks his life and well-being, fulfilling the will of the authorities. The same situation can be seen in the poem "The Bronze Horseman". While a poor young official named Yevgeny is making plans for the future, a devastating storm is playing out in the city built on the banks of an eccentric river by the will of Peter I. In
during this element, the girl of the protagonist dies - his only hope for a peaceful existence. Only with her he connected all his dreams and hopes for the future. I wanted to build a family with her, have kids and continue to live.
However, fate is relentless. She deprives Eugene of the meaning of life, and at the same time he loses his mind. At the time of the events, Peter I had already become the property of history. He is depicted as a gigantic idol on a bronze horse. Despite this, he remains an object of worship and a symbol of autocracy. Ordinary people bow as they pass by and are afraid to look up at him. Only the insane Eugene decided during the next storm to go and look angrily into the eyes of the rider, which he later regretted very much. All night after that, it seemed to him that the rider was pursuing him on his bronze horse.
Thus, the poor Petersburg official became a victim of "historical necessity". On the one hand, he is a victim of the authorities, on the orders of which the city was once built on the banks of an eccentric river. On the other hand, he is a victim of elemental nature, against which even the figure of the king fades and becomes bleak. It is noteworthy that the author carried the duality of characters and images through the entire poem. So, two Peters (a living and proud idol), two Eugenes (a poor official and a madman), two Neva (an adornment of the city and its threat) and two Petersburgs (the majestic city of Peter the creation and the killer city) meet in it. This compositional split is the main philosophical idea of the poem - the idea of a person and his value.
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