Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin is a great Russian poet and prose writer. All literary forms are present in his work: dramatic works and fairy tales, poems and elegies, odes and much more. One of the most famous works of the author is the poem "To Chaadaev".
It was written in 1818. During this period, a literary work received a friendly message, and this work of the writer belongs precisely to this genre.
It is addressed to the lyceum friend of the poet - Petr Yakovlevich Chaadaev and is of a confidential nature. The poem belongs to civil lyrics, the style is romantic.
“To Chaadaev” was written during the period of Pushkin’s membership in the Green Lamp community of writers, where liberal ideas are spread and criticism of the Alexander regime takes place, and, of course, this left its mark on this work. Despite the fact that the genre is a friendly message, the motive of friendship is not the main one. In the poem, such is the theme of liberty and the struggle against autocracy. It reflects the views and political preferences of the author. The main idea of this creation is a call, an appeal to like-minded people to move away from private interests and turn to civil problems, in this work there is an absolute conviction of the future in freedom.
Compositionally, the poem can be divided into three parts, which are built on the reception of antithesis, that is, opposition to each other.
First, the poet analyzes what happened once upon a time, talks about the past, about youth, which consisted in love, glory and hope:
"Love, hope, quiet glory
The deceit did not live long for us,
"We are waiting with languor of hope
Minutes of the freedom of the saint ... "
And in conclusion, Pushkin talks about the future of his generation, of all people whose views coincide with his own:
“Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness
Russia will wake up from sleep ... "
The composition of the poem is circular: both at the beginning and at the end there is a motif of awakening from sleep: “Young amusements have disappeared,
Like a dream, like a morning mist…”, “Russia will wake up from sleep…”
There is one storyline that develops the idea of the civil maturation of a person.
The system of images of the poem helps the author to better convey all his feelings and emotions to the reader. The main image of this creation is a lyrical hero who reflects on his fate, the fate of society and Russia as a whole. His desire is to serve for the good of the Motherland, to make the country prosper. This desire is compared to the feeling of unquenchable love. There is an autobiographical feature here, because Pushkin was one of the supporters of changes in the way of life and power in order for the state to develop and prosper.
The mood of the poem changes as the story progresses. At the beginning, a minor motive prevails, the hero’s dreams are destroyed by cruel reality, but as soon as the story of the future begins, the general mood of the work becomes cheerful, there is little hope for a better outcome of events.
"To Chaadaev" is written in iambic tetrameter, using ring and cross rhymes. The intonation in each part is independent. As such, there is no sound recording. However, there are techniques of alliteration and assonance, that is, the repetition of identical consonants and vowels: “Deceit did not live long for us”, “Under the yoke of fatal power”. This gives the work a special sound expressiveness.
The poem is imbued with a large number of visual means that help to more clearly convey the mood and feelings of the author. These are comparisons (“like a dream, like a morning fog”), and metaphors (“burning desire”, “we burn with freedom”, “Russia will rise from sleep”), and epithets (“quiet glory”, “liberty of the saint”). This work is characterized by socio-political vocabulary: "Fatherland", "oppression", "power", "honor".
Thus, the poem by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin "To Chaadaev" is a kind of call for all citizens to stand up for the Motherland, protect and glorify Russia. It is imbued with love, sincere faith in the happy future of the state.
Back in 1818, this poem became widely known among the Decembrists and became their literary anthem. It was not planned to be published and was written for reading in narrow circles, but the transfer from hand to hand did its job and already in 1929 the poem “To Chaadaev”, distorted in style, was published in the anthology “Northern Star”. In the circles of the Decembrists, thanks to this work, A. Pushkin gained fame as a freethinker, but due to a number of poems, he was in exile more than once.
History of writing
Chaadaev was a longtime friend of Pushkin, with whom they loved to discuss politics, things happening in Russia since their lyceum times. After many years, their friendship only gained strength, they trusted each other with all their secrets, desires and dreams. Pushkin said that Chaadaev is a real happiness that makes his life richer. So, in the first lines of the verse "To Chaadaev" it is said about the carefree youthful years, when they did not have serious problems, and they were only intoxicated with public recognition and literary success. In addition, in the first quatrain one can see criticism towards Alexander I, condemnation of his reforms, suppression of the Decembrists and endless repressions.
In the following lines, Pushkin says that fame and youthful maximalism could not suppress the desire to make the world a better place, starting, of course, with Russia, so that the inveterate autocracy would disappear. Particular attention is focused on the fact that serfdom has not yet been abolished, despite the royal order. The poet expresses dissatisfaction, acting as the leader of the opinions of the youth of that time, but he still understands that the highest authorities are unlikely to make concessions, they are so deeply mired in lies and depravity.
It is precisely because of this that in the last lines of his work “To Chaadaev”, Pushkin calls on the people overthrow the autocracy. Previously, no one dared to make such an open call. But it should be remembered that Pushkin was not going to advertise such a violent point of view at all, and initially this poem was only for a narrow circle of people, more precisely, for the Decembrists.
By the time of the active distribution of the work, Peter Chaadaev himself had already taken the place of a member of the Masonic lodge and joined the Decembrist society, called the “Union of Welfare”. The latter just accepted the lines of the poem as an explicit call, for which they were sent to Siberia. After the sad event, Pushkin was killed for a long time, wanting to alleviate the fate of his friends, but could not do anything for this.
What two distinct parts can a verse be divided into?
- lyrical appeal to a friend;
- civil appeal to the people.
Genre and composition
In the poem “To Chaadaev” we see a message, but, as a rule, the message is addressed to a good friend or lady of the heart (which is classified as a lyrical work), and here the appeal to the whole people dominates. Thus, Pushkin created a new genre - a civil message.
The composition of this work built through antithesis, which indicates the presence of contrast. If the beginning is saturated with sadness, youthful longing, then the ending is full of accusatory mood.
It is worth noting that Pushkin used socio-political vocabulary to reveal the theme of the work.
It includes words such as:
- homeland;
- oppression;
- power.
They were characteristic of the times of the Decembrists, and many young authors, without stint, filled their creations with them, trying to induce people to take action.
Idea Analysis
In addition to the appeal, the author tries to reflect the difficult transition, called growing up. Especially the growing up of a person as a full-fledged citizen who will participate in the affairs of his homeland, defend her honor and be truly faithful. At the beginning of the poem, you can see how all the charms of youthful life (quiet glory, hope, love) turn into nothing under the yoke of an adult and difficult fate.
The little boy's hopes for freedom and glory are questioned. That is why Pushkin compares them with a fleeting dream, fog - they are able to dissipate just as quickly, leaving no trace behind.
In the second part, Pushkin's feelings develop into something more - an appeal not to his desires, but to desires of the people, motherland.
The size of the poem is iambic tetrameter.
The sound of the poem, analysis of its mood
The poem sounds solemn, cheerful. It calls people to move, since it is addressed not only to Chaadaev, but to the entire Russian population. Pushkin calls on people to serve the Fatherland, to remain faithful to it and not to allow repression by the government. There are lines in the work showing that the Fatherland is suffering under the yoke of power, and it needs to be saved, helped to get out of this terrible trap, released.
A significant role in the poem "To Chaadaev" is played by the concept of honor. Only in this case it plays the role of conscience - a call to goodness and nobility. If a person is ready to let conscience into his soul, then he will not remain indifferent to his own Motherland and stand up for her freedom.
On this, the analysis of Pushkin's poem "To Chaadaev" and the analysis of the topic came to an end.
Closely connected with the movement and ideas of the Decembrists. In many of his poems, directly or implicitly, the poet touched on this topic. For example, the analysis of Pushkin's poem "To Chaadaev" allows us to reveal the idea of a work that is directly related to this political movement. And the history of the creation of this text opens up additional opportunities for its ideological characterization and definition of the theme of the verse.
In the analysis of the poem, the following questions should be addressed in sequence:
- The history of writing the text (date, year, key events).
- Determine the genre of the poem.
- Describe the idea and theme, literary direction.
- Determine the size of the poem, describe the composition and its connection with the content of the poem "To Chaadaev".
Each paragraph of the plan reveals a certain important aspect of the text. Taken together, they represent a comprehensive analysis.
The history of writing a poem
Elements of the history of writing a verse are hidden in its title. Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev was a close friend of Alexander Sergeevich during his studies at the Lyceum. Young people talked a lot, shared their creativity, discussed the political situation in the country. This verse was addressed to Pyotr Chaadaev when he was already a member of the Decembrist movement.
Many then perceived Pushkin's lines as a call for the overthrow of the autocracy. Because of this, the poet even accused himself of negligence, free-thinking. But the poem inspired the Decembrists so much that they proclaimed it the anthem of their movement. The handwritten text was passed from hand to hand, rewritten in notebooks.
The writing of the poem is attributed to 1818 and its creation is associated with the speech of Alexander I during the Polish Sejm. Alexander Sergeevich distrusted the promises of the tsar and, it is possible that he was washed after what he heard, they formed into poetic lines. The verse was first published by Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin in the almanac Sirius (1827). Readers were able to see only 4 lines of the work. Later, in the same abridged form, it was published in the almanac "Northern Star".
Interesting! Today, in some literary circles, the authorship of these lines is disputed.
Genre
In the 19th century, the "friendly message" was a popular genre. It is characterized by:
- The presence of the addressee;
- friendly orientation;
- Confidential tone.
The poem "To Chaadaev" meets the requirements of this specific genre.
If we consider it from the point of view of the classification of lyrics, it can be attributed both to intimate (there are reflections on the personal) and to civil lyrics (social and political topics are touched upon).
The idea and theme of the poem
The thematic basis of the verse is reflections on the maturation of the individual. The lyrical hero begins to doubt the correctness of his views, realizes the transition to a new life stage, and perceives all the past as a “deceit” (“Love, hopes of quiet glory did not long deceive us”). These lines are about the fact that romantic youth is left behind.
At the same time, there is a certain loftiness, youthful enthusiasm and readiness to change something. This mood is not accidental: the lyrics written in the lyceum years are distinguished by inspiration, loftiness, and some pathos.
The idea of the poem is the exaltation of freedom and the struggle against autocracy, inspiration for change and the fulfillment of the "fatherland of vocation".
The idea of the poem is the rise of freedom
Composition of the poem
The poem can be conditionally divided into 4 ideological and thematic blocks.
- The first four lines are a mood of protest, a sense of the fallacy of past views and an awareness of change and maturation.
- The next 8 lines are a statement that deep down, even despite the erroneous views of the past, there is still a desire to change something even in a difficult political situation. In this passage, the political subtext clearly emerges (condemnation of the current situation: "..Under the yoke of fatal power").
- In the next four lines, the author formulates the call. Addressing a certain friend, the lyrical hero simultaneously addresses the whole people. In these words, youth, lyceum ardor and inspiration are felt.
- The last 4 lines are a statement of faith, a kind of prophecy that Russia will change, and those who took part in this will forever imprint their names in history.
Each of these passages uses appropriate artistic techniques to achieve the desired effect and impact on the reader.
Useful video: the theme and idea of \u200b\u200bthe poem "To Chaadaev"
Artistic techniques
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin in the lines of the poem to Chaadaev uses several important artistic techniques in poetry:
- : opposition of duty and regime, freedom and serfdom;
- the use of marked vocabulary: "homeland" instead of "homeland" to create an inspired mood in the verse. “Liberties” instead of “freedom”, as well as the words “autocracy”, “listen”, “with languor”. Vocabulary of this format sets the general pathetic tone of poetry. This influenced the recognition of these lines as the anthem of the Decembrists;
- comparisons: “like a dream, like a morning mist”, “how a young lover waits”;
- metaphors: “deceit does not live us”, “we burn with freedom”, “hearts are alive for honor”, “will wake up from sleep”.
All these techniques make poetry bright, expressive. From a friendly message, it turns into a motivational treatise that inspires and proclaims the beginning of new times. The author uses a typical iambic tetrameter. This, together with cross and ring rhyming, creates rhythmic text that is easy to read and remember.
Important! The size, rhythm and lexical fullness of the text contributed to its rapid spread among the future Decembrists.
Key Images
In this work, three key images can be distinguished: the lyrical hero (author), the addressee (Chaadaev) and Russia.
The image of the lyrical hero is the author. Although he was afraid to admit his freethinking, these thoughts belonged to Alexander Sergeevich. In this verse, he is encouraged and disappointed, bold and grown up. He feels the pressure of time (“As long as we burn with freedom, while our hearts are alive for honor”), he feels the strength in himself for change.
The friend he is addressing does not appear directly in this verse. But the author constantly uses the word "we" in his speech, which indicates a commonality of views and zeal. The very tone of the work allows us to characterize the addressee as a person equal to Pushkin, who can be trusted and reveal his aspirations.
The image of Russia in poetry is closely connected with political overtones. In the first half of the verse, the author uses the words "under the yoke of fatal power", consciously choosing lexemes that sound loud and unambiguous. They describe the state of the country at the time the verse was written. The words "Russia will rise from sleep" characterize the state of the motherland not so directly. It means that the country is asleep, is not aware of its movement, and this state of sleep must be stopped.
The accusations and criticism concerned more the personality of the poet himself, and not the poem. He was accused of freethinking, freethinking. There is a theory that for some time Alexander Sergeevich denied his authorship, and because of this, even today in literary circles, disputes about who was the author of this work do not subside.
Useful video: Analysis of the poem "To Chaadaev"
Conclusion
The above analysis plan will help to parse any poetic or prose work. Based on his points, it is easy to describe the main idea, composition and artistic techniques used by the author.
The poem "To Chaadaev" was written by A.S. Pushkin when he was 19 years old. At this youthful age, it often seems to young people that they have known life, they have experienced everything and they know everything. The young poet dreamed of serving the Fatherland, of making Russia great and happy. He also calls on his best friend, officer of the Semenov regiment Pyotr Chaadaev, to do the same. The poem "To Chaadaev" reflects the real mood of the youth of the 19th century.
Unfortunately, the minds of nineteen-year-olds in the 21st century do not strive to serve the Fatherland and their people. The slogan of our century is every man for himself.
However, we will not deviate from the topic set - an analysis of Pushkin's poem "To Chaadaev", a spiritual and lyrical poem, which became a kind of anthem for the Decembrists. This work was not intended for publication in journals. Even if the young poet wished to publish it, censorship would never have missed it. But the poem still found its admirers, it walked through the hands of educated youth, copied into albums, and subsequently ended up on the emperor's table.
The poem is written in the form of a friendly message. The genre of verse is civil lyrics, which originated at the beginning of the 19th century against the background of the growth of civic consciousness among young nobles. The War of 1812 played a major role in this. The officers began to look differently at the peasantry, who raised the "club of the people's war" against the French invasion. The progressive youth of the nobility set itself the goal, first of all, to achieve the abolition of serfdom. And only the most radical minds sought to overthrow the autocratic power.
Pushkin himself was a passionate and ardent nature. This very passion was feared by his friends, trying to keep the talented poet at some distance from their plans and the secret society. But this passion was expressed in the work in question.
An analysis of the verse "To Chaadaev" requires a few words about the composition. The poem consists of three parts, divided into time periods - past, present and future. The past is a carefree adolescence, filled with dreams of love, of future glory. This quatrain is written in a calm lyrical tone. The present is the oppression of the fatal power, the expectation of a holy moment of liberty, the desire to do something for this. This part is a call to action.
And finally, the future:
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness
Russia will wake up from sleep
And on the ruins of autocracy
Write our names!
This sounds pathetic.
Pushkin, without knowing it, expressed with this poem the mood of the participants in various secret societies that subsequently came out to the Senate Square in St. Petersburg.
The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. Cross rhyme alternates with ring rhyme. Women's (unstressed) stanzas alternate with men's.
The interpretation of the poem "To Chaadaev" causes conflicting interpretations and disputes of various critics. There are also those who believe that this work was not written by Pushkin. Some Pushkinists believe that the tone of the poem is not revolutionary, that Pushkin simply praises his like-minded person for the fact that Chaadaev's worldviews coincide with his own. But if we recall that Chaadaev was 5 years older than the poet, and already occupied a certain position in society, such an interpretation looks unconvincing. We must not forget that the future Decembrists themselves saw in this work a call to action.
There is an opinion that the spark of love of freedom and struggle against autocracy was lit by Alexander I, who told General Maison: "... Finally, all peoples must be freed from autocracy ...". After this imprudent remark of the emperor, talk about the overthrow of the autocracy became almost legal. Some mentors in the lyceum also spoke about this. The ardent Pushkin accepted with all his heart the ideas of freedom and the struggle against autocracy.
Pushkin met officer Pyotr Chaadaev while studying at the Lyceum. He was 5 years older than Pushkin, he served in the Vasilchikov Guards Corps. They often talked among themselves on freedom-loving topics. And therefore it is no coincidence that Pushkin dedicated this poem to Pyotr Chaadaev.
Compositionally, the poem is divided into 3 parts. Part 1 consists of one stanza. This past. Youthful entertainment, dreams of glory, which had time to vanish like a dream.
The second part of the poem is the real one. The fire of desire burns in us, and we are waiting for the moment of liberty of the saint. The third part of the poem is a call to dedicate beautiful impulses to the homeland of the soul. And at the same time the future.
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Russia will wake up from sleep
And on the ruins of autocracy
Write our names!
According to its content, it belongs to the genre of civil lyrics, and is written on a political theme. It was one of those poems for which the poet fell out of favor with those in power, and was expelled from the capital. Its main idea, the emotional content of this work is the idea of the struggle against tsarism and the overthrow of the autocracy. This idea is imbued with other works of the poet of his youthful period. On the topic of politics and the social structure of Russia, the poet repeatedly argued with Chaadaev. A brilliant officer, being 5 years older than Pushkin, managed to take part in military battles, drove Napoleon to Paris, therefore, he was in Europe, rotated in high society, and was better than Pushkin, familiar with the political situation in Russia and abroad . He did not support such a radical mood of a young friend.
The poem became a kind of anthem for the Decembrists, who copied it from each other, kept the treasured sheets in their diaries and albums.
At the end of the poem, Pushkin wrote:
Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness
Russia will wake up from sleep
And on the ruins of autocracy
Write our names!
Could the young Pushkin know that 100 years after the writing of this work, the “beautiful impulses” dedicated to the motherland will ruthlessly shoot the royal family, and will not even spare the children, so that God forbid, one of the offspring would not demand the restoration of royal power.
Could the poet assume that the flower of Russian culture and nation - the most educated nobility, (including his descendants), would be mercilessly shot, and some of them would flee the country in order to eventually dissolve in other nations, forget their language and culture. That the next century, the entire XX century, Russia will be torn apart by political strife, wars, terror. That in a few months the state, created over the course of three centuries of the reign of the Romanov dynasty, will be destroyed like a house of cards. And only in those years the country rested and licked its wounds, when strong, strong power appeared in it.
