The theme of the poet and poetry occupies one of the central places in the work of A. S. Pushkin. Such poems as "The Prophet", "The Poet and the Crowd", "To the Poet", "The Monument" most clearly reflect the idea of the Russian genius about the appointment of the poet.
The poem "To the Poet" was written in 1830, during the period of sharp attacks on Pushkin in the reactionary press. The controversy with the editor of the newspaper "Northern Bee" Bulgarin forced Alexander Sergeevich to turn in his short lyrical work to the immortal image of a misunderstood poet. In the first quatrain, Pushkin urges the poet not to cherish "the love of the people." Having experienced the "minute noise of enthusiastic praise" and the "judgment of a fool", he recognizes firmness, calmness and gloom as the best of human qualities in the fight against the laughter of the "cold crowd". The personal principle permeates the poem so strongly that the image of the lyrical hero and the image of Pushkin himself merge into a single whole. Pushkin sees the goal of the life of a faithful servant of the muses in voluntarily following the path along which "the free mind attracts." Acting exactly as he wrote himself, without leaving the chosen path, the poet did not demand "rewards for a noble feat", but only improved "the fruits of his beloved thoughts." According to Pushkin, everything is inside the poet: the highest award, "the highest court." Only the "exacting artist" can "severely" appreciate his work. Does the poet then need a crowd of people who, instead of listening to inspired lines, “spits on the altar”, where the poetic fire burns? “You are the king: live alone,” Pushkin writes, as if answering this question hidden in the poem. The idea of the poet's loneliness and alienation takes on a different meaning in the 1828 poem "The Poet and the Crowd". The words addressed to the mob are filled with resentment and bitterness of misunderstanding: “Go away - what does a peaceful poet care about you!” But after only two years, loneliness is perceived by Pushkin as a state of harmony and peace of mind in which the poet is able to create his masterpieces. This state gives the poet a happy opportunity not to notice the scolding of the crowd, trying "in childish playfulness" to shake the "tripod" from which he broadcasts the truth.
The poem "To the Poet" is written in the form of a sonnet, which means it consists of two quatrains with the same rhyme and two three-verses that contain the main idea. Choosing the form of a sonnet, which is not as common in Russian poetry as the classical poem of four quatrains, Pushkin once again emphasized the exclusivity and divine destiny of the poet, by whose will the thought is clothed in the word, and the word in life.
Poet.
Poet! do not value the love of the people.
Enthusiastic praise will pass a moment's noise;
Hear the judgment of a fool and the laughter of the cold crowd,
But you remain firm, calm and gloomy.
You are the king: live alone. By the road of the free
Go where your free mind takes you,
Improving the fruits of your favorite thoughts,
Not demanding rewards for a noble feat.
They are in you. You are your own highest court;
You know how to appreciate your work more strictly.
Are you satisfied with it, demanding artist?
Satisfied? So let the crowd scold him
And spits on the altar where your fire burns
And in childish playfulness your tripod shakes.
Reference material for the student:
Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich is a representative of the galaxy of the most outstanding and honored writers of Russia. According to most Russians, Pushkin is the most famous and popular Russian writer and poet both in Russia and around the world.
Years of life: 1799-1837.
The most famous works and works:
Ruslan and Lyudmila (1817-1820)
Caucasian prisoner (1820-1821)
Gypsies (1824)
Count Nulin (1825),
Poltava (1828-1829)
Tazit (1829-1830)
House in Kolomna (1830)
Angelo (1833)
The Bronze Horseman (1833)
Eugene Onegin (1823-1832)
Boris Godunov (1825)
The Miserly Knight (1830)
Mozart and Salieri (1830)
Feast in Time of Plague (1830)
Mermaid (1829-1832)
Arap of Peter the Great (1827)
A novel in letters (1829)
Tales of the late Ivan Petrovich Belkin (1830)
Shot
Blizzard
Stationmaster
young lady-peasant
Dubrovsky (1833)
The Queen of Spades (1834)
The Captain's Daughter (1836)
Bridegroom (1825)
The Tale of the Priest and his Worker Balda (1830)
The Tale of the Bear (1830-1831)
The Tale of Tsar Saltan, his glorious and mighty son Prince Gvidon Saltanovich and the beautiful swan princess (1831)
The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish (1833)
The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Bogatyrs (1833)
The Tale of the Golden Cockerel (1834).
The secular life of Moscow, which absorbed Pushkin at the beginning of 1827, made it impossible to concentrate on the creative process, to immerse himself in poetry. Only at the beginning of June, having changed his place of residence to St. Petersburg and, later, to Mikhailovskoye, Alexander Sergeevich returns to thinking about the role of the poet in society, about the influence of poetic art on the worldview of his contemporaries. The result of the reflections is the poem "The Poet", sent from the estate and published in the same year by the Moscow Bulletin.
The main theme of the poem
What is the purpose of the artist in society? Is a talented person free to create, wanting only to express himself and his position, or should the desire to change the way of thinking of the inhabitants for the better be a prerequisite? What is the difference between the ability to add lines and true vocation? Does the burden of talent impose serious obligations?
As a deep and sincere person, Alexander Sergeevich did not leave the thought of his mission in this world, about which five emotional quatrains narrate in a concise form.
Everyday life, everyday life, idleness and vanity have a depressing effect on the hero of Pushkin's poem. Pessimism comes through in the opening lines. The muse is silent, the poet suffocates without inspiration and creative flight. Nothing distinguishes him from the main mass, he cannot make this world kinder and brighter.
But at an unexpected moment, not dependent on the will of the poet, a secret door opens in the soul and a person, succumbing to a higher power, reveals all the power and uniqueness of his talent. Now there are no stereotypes and social frameworks, there is complete freedom of expression and self-righteousness, the consciousness of a noble destiny and a lofty goal.
Structural analysis of the poem
It is easy for the reader to distinguish two components of a small-sized work: a dull existence among cares that do not represent true value and the happiness of the creative flight of a lyrical hero.
The adjectives carefully chosen by the author add a negative connotation to the first quatrains: “cold”, “vain”, “insignificant”.
In the second part, the general mood changes: using such epithets as “holy”, “sacred”, “divine”, Pushkin is not afraid of pathos and exaggerations, he is confident in the highest purpose of poetic art.
In the popular iambic tetrameter, two ways of alternating rhymes compete: ring and cross. The alternative rhyme makes a noticeable difference in the mood of the story.
The sublime style and emotionally colored epithets, the opposition of vanity and inspiration, the motive of the independence of a genius from secular rules allow us to attribute this work to romanticism.
Pushkin's piercing lyrics, revealing all the facets of his extraordinary personality, colorfully and convincingly talk about what really excited the genius, about which he considered he had no right to remain silent. The relationship of a gifted person and the world, the role of poetry in solving social issues - these are the most important themes that occupy a central place in several creations, including The Poet. An artistic gift, according to Alexander Sergeevich, obliges its owner to certain actions: by the power of the word, a writer must strive to cleanse the world of dirt and vices, add beauty and justice.
Writers in our country are very talented individuals who could convey to readers through the word and reveal to them actual problems. That's just not always the opinion of the crowd coincided with the opinion of the writer. Often the work of the poet was subjected to severe criticism. Creativity was also criticized. But the poet did not give up, but continued to create. Just in a difficult period, a wonderful verse to the Poet appeared, which we will analyze.
Wrote his poem "To the Poet" A.S. Pushkin in 1830, it reveals the theme of the poet and poetry, and the relationship between the poet and the crowd. This is the period when Pushkin's work was criticized, and relations with the public became aggravated. But the poet does not lose heart. Moreover, he is firm in his position and gives good advice to other creative personalities. The author urges not to pay attention to the public, whose praises can be momentary, because they can be followed by laughter and the judgment of a fool. The poet must remain calm and firm. He, like a king, must follow his own path and improve his thoughts, not expecting praise from the outside, not demanding any rewards, and most importantly, not listening to the court of fools.
Analyzing the writer's poem to the Poet, we hear how Pushkin calls not to succumb to the wishes of others, but to go his own free way. Only the author himself can be the judge of his work. Only he can become the highest court and evaluate his work in all severity. Only the poet himself has the right to draw conclusions, and if the work turned out to be worthy, if it revealed the topic, revealed the problem, showed the truth, albeit bitter, this is the greatest praise. Let the crowd scold and spit, let the tripod sway in childish playfulness, the main thing is to be satisfied with the result of the work yourself, to be independent of the crowd.
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin gave a huge impetus to the development of Russian poetry. His originality, innovation, sparkling talent helped to clear the art of versification from obsolete forms, to get rid of the heavy style. The poet was in constant search, creating his own unique style. He thought a lot about the importance of literature in the formation of public consciousness and about his own destiny. Therefore, Pushkin repeatedly returned to the theme of the relationship between the poet and the world around him, each time rethinking it.
Can an ordinary person with a poetic gift be a real poet, or is something else needed? Does the artist have the right to create words for his own pleasure, or is his mission to bring light and good to people? Can society accept and understand a true poet, and is he obliged to serve the people? What is the essence of poetry? Pushkin spent his whole life looking for answers to these and other questions, expressing his thoughts in poetry.
Work "Poet" was created in 1827 and then published in the journal "Moscow Bulletin". In this poem, Alexander Sergeevich again reflects on the historical destiny of the poet.
Compositionally, the work consists of two parts. In the first we see the life of a poet without inspiration. Bye "his holy lyre is silent", he is no different from ordinary people, immersed in everyday bustle. Poet "insignificant" and his soul "feels a cold dream".
In the second part of the poem, the lyrical hero hears "divine verb" inspiration, from which his soul awakens to creativity. "Fun of the World" and "human rumor" become alien to him. "Wild and Rough" the poet seeks to leave society for a while in order to find solitude among the wild.
The events described in the poem, according to researchers of Pushkin's work, reflect the real facts of his biography. The poet spent the whole winter and spring of 1827 in Moscow, where he was immersed in secular life. Numerous festivities and balls left practically no time for creativity. But at the beginning of the summer, Pushkin arrived in St. Petersburg, and then moved to Mikhailovskoye, where he again took up the pen. The poem "Poet" appeared already in the first letter he wrote from the village.
In it, Pushkin argues that the poet cannot control his inspiration. It appears and disappears by the will of God. The gift of versification is a reward and a punishment at the same time. A poet is a person who lives by special rules. As a herald of beauty, he is higher than those around him, although he may have vices and weaknesses no less than others - “and among the children of the insignificant world, perhaps he is the most insignificant of all”.
In the poem, Pushkin used images and vocabulary that are typical for romantic poetry: "folk idol", "proud head", "desert waves", "awakened eagle". Idea of independence the poet from people's rumors, his flight from society, the sublime style of presentation are also characteristic of romantic literature. Therefore, the poem "Poet" is quite logical to attribute to this literary direction.
The opposition of the two principles of the lyrical hero is achieved through emotionally colored epithets. In the first part they are filled with negativity: "insignificant children", "cold dream", "vain light". The second part of the poem is more optimistic: "broad-noise oak trees", "proud head", "screeching eagle". The significance of poetic creativity is emphasized by sublime phrases: "divine verb", "holy lyre", "sacred sacrifice". The same task is performed by the comparison of the poet's soul with a proud, freedom-loving eagle.
The poem is written iambic tetrameter. Pushkin used two types of rhyme in it - cross (ABAB) and ring (ABBA). Perhaps this construction is due to the fact that the lines with cross rhyming are devoted to the theme of the relationship of the lyrical hero with society, and the quatrains with ring rhymes are devoted to his attitude to creativity.
Eternal theme of the poet's mission and poetry is revealed in the poem succinctly and concisely. Pushkin always saw the meaning of creativity in awakening bright feelings and kindness in the hearts of his readers. In terms of ideological load, the poem "Poet" is akin to Pushkin's work "Prophet", written a year earlier.
- "The Captain's Daughter", a summary of the chapters of Pushkin's story
- "The daylight went out", analysis of Pushkin's poem
- "I remember a wonderful moment ...", analysis of Pushkin's poem
The theme of the relationship between the poet and the world around him has always been important for Pushkin, since poetry was his life. A brief analysis of the “Poet” according to the plan will tell the students of the 8th grade about another important work in which the poet considered this idea. With its help, in a literature lesson, one can show the transformation of the views of Alexander Sergeevich, rethinking many of his postulates.
Brief analysis
History of creation- written in 1827, the work was immediately printed - in the same year it was published by the magazine "Moscow Bulletin".
Theme of the poem- the role of the poet in public life.
Composition- two-part: the first part tells about the life of the poet without inspiration and creativity, and in the second he is already awakening thanks to the sounds of the blessed lyre.
Genre- Philosophical lyrics.
Poetic size- tetrameter iambic.
epithets – “sacred sacrifice”, “vain light”, “holy lyre”, “divine verb”, “human rumor”, “folk idol”, “proud head“.
Metaphors – “Apollo does not require a poet to the sacred sacrifice”, “the lyre is silent”, “the soul tastes a cold sleep”, “the soul will start”, “the fun of the world”, “the shores of the desert waves”.
Comparison – "like an awakened eagle."
History of creation
Pushkin spent the first half of 1827 in Moscow, where social life prevented him from concentrating on creativity. And only in the second half of the year, when he retired to his estate in Mikhailovsky, inspiration came to him. It was these two events that he symbolically captured in the poem “The Poet”, which he sent directly from Mikhailovsky to the “Moskovsky Vestnik”, where the work was published in the same year.
Obviously, Alexander Sergeevich not only sought to rid poetry of the old forms - he was also going to give it a new content. In search of an answer to the question of what the essence of the poetic gift is, he spent his life. And this poem is one of the moments when he rethought his own destiny and the purpose of poetry in general.
Topic
The poem is devoted to the "eternal" theme of the poet's mission in society, but this time it was considered from an unexpected angle. Pushkin expresses the idea that the poetic gift is the soul of a creative person. Without his call, in the eternal bustle of days, he does not just become an ordinary person, in fact he turns into an empty vessel.
Composition
The poem is divided into two parts, that is, it has a two-part composition. In the first, Alexander Sergeevich draws the image of a poet who is so busy with secular fuss that he does not fulfill his main purpose - he does not write poetry. Most likely, this is a poetic generalization of the time he spent in Moscow.
He says that without inspiration, a dull existence awaits the poet, filled with empty entertainments that only burn out his soul and do not benefit the heart. The first part is painted clearly negatively.
But in the second, the situation changes dramatically, because the poet hears a divine call - he is freed from the rules of secular society and can again soar, supported by inspiration. Thus, Pushkin concludes that without his creativity, without the ability to write, a creative person is insignificant. It, on the contrary, gives him wings, frees him. That is, creativity is not just the meaning of life, but, one might say, the very essence of the poet. His purpose is to write poetry.
Genre
This work is one of the examples of Pushkin's philosophical lyrics. Alexander Sergeevich in it again considers the topic of his destiny as a poet, but discovers for himself and the reader its new, unexpected facets. Concisely and concisely, he says that he sees the meaning of his life in awakening a bright beginning in readers, giving them pleasant emotions.
For this work, Pushkin used his favorite poetic size - iambic tetrameter. At the same time, the rhyme in it is used differently, both in pairs and ring. At the same time, it is impossible not to replace that where the ring rhyme is used, the author speaks of creativity, and for the part relating to relationships with society, he uses cross rhymes.
means of expression
In this poem, the poet used a variety of tropes to translate his idea. These are expressions such as:
- epithets- “sacred sacrifice”, “vain light”, “holy lyre”, “divine verb”, “human rumor”, “folk idol”, “proud head”.
- Metaphors- “Apollo does not require a poet to the sacred sacrifice”, “the lyre is silent”, “the soul tastes a cold sleep”, “the soul will start”, “the fun of the world”, “the shores of the desert waves”.
- Comparison- "like an awakened eagle."
With their help, Pushkin creates a vivid contrast between the two states of mind of the poet, gives the first part a negative, and the second - a light and bright emotional coloring.
