Analysis of the poem “To Chaadaev” (A. Pushkin)

The central motif of Pushkin’s poem “To Chaadaev,” as well as in the ode “Liberty,” is the languid anticipation of “The Holy Minute of Liberty” (this is the tenth line, which occupies a central place in the 21-line poem). The message is addressed to a like-minded person who does not need to explain his position in detail. With him, the lyrical hero shares experiences that arose at a turning point in age.

At the same time, generalization emerges behind psychological specificity, since it is a reflection of the general animation that colors the worldview of an entire generation. The lyrical hero is not alone; he can, outlining the specifics of his condition, hope that he will be understood (“...deception has afflicted us...", "...desire still burns in us...", "We are waiting ...,” “our names”), will support, respond to “wonderful impulses.” He sees his task as strengthening his friend’s faith in the imminent onset of the era of “captivating happiness”, without doubting his choice, because they are all “burning” with freedom, waiting for its arrival, ready to fulfill the duty of honor (“As long as hearts are alive for honor... "), considering the memory of their contribution to the fight against “autocracy” as a reward.

In terms of content, the poem “To Chaadaev” by Pushkin, the analysis of which interests us, is divided into two parts. In the first (it occupies a quatrain with cross rhyme) youthful illusions about happiness in love, about the realization of hopes, and achieving fame are recalled. They “live” the imagination, filled the soul, but, “like a dream,” they dissipated with the advent of maturity:

Love, hope, quiet glory

Deception did not last long for us,

The youthful fun has disappeared

Like a dream, like morning fog...

Illusions are deceptive (the word itself comes from the Latin “to deceive”), but in being carried away by them, the soul’s ability to “burn” with ideals, live by enduring values, and listen to unearthly voices was revealed. This property of the inner world has not disappeared, but other concepts have come to the fore. The opposite union is not only constantly implied in the antithesis of two periods in a person’s life, it separates the parts of the poem (“But desire still burns within us...” - the fifth line, so important that the sound correspondence to it appears not only in the rhyming line of the quatrain - 8th, but also in the following, 9th and 12th this is a reminder of the main idea).

There is no division into stanzas in the message; the unity of the text, written in iambic tetrameter, helps create the impression that the hero’s monologue is consistently moving towards the final confirmation of the timeless significance of “burning”, “hope”, “impulses” caused by the thirst for liberation of the fatherland from the “yoke of fatal power” (“And on the ruins of autocracy/They will write our names!”). Freedom is not only recognized as a rational (from the Latin “reasonable”) requirement, it becomes the content of spiritual life, filling the world of feelings. Love for the homeland has replaced youthful hobbies; the lyrical hero is ready to devote himself entirely to it:

But the desire still burns within us,

Under the yoke of fatal power

With an impatient soul

Let us heed the calling of the Fatherland.

The word “heed” (first person plural: “we listen or heed”) is now rarely used, so special mention must be made of its meaning. To listen is to listen carefully, listen, absorb what you hear or read, direct your mind and will to reach a speculative conclusion. Pushkin affirms an effective attitude towards the misfortunes of the homeland, the need of the younger generation to intervene in the course of history, correcting mistakes, influencing the course of events.

The intensity of feelings and the intensity of the search for a way out of the historical impasse are conveyed through comparison and hyperbole. Waiting for the “minute of freedom,” the lyrical hero languishes, as if before a love date:

We wait with languid hope

Holy moments of freedom

How a young lover waits

Minutes of a faithful date.

The date appears faithful, he has no doubt about the coming of the kingdom of freedom, but the minutes leading up to it drag on like centuries, so it is so important to instill hope in his comrade-in-arms, to encourage him not to give up trying to bring the ideal to life. The wonderful impulses of his soul will not go unnoticed, since they are like a signal fire, the beating of the heart is a countdown of the moments until the main event. Artistic exaggeration (hyperbole) appears in the poem “To Chaadaev” by Pushkin due to the fact that the meaning of civic feelings is sharpened, they require self-sacrifice: impatience becomes “burning”, a high goal colors existence as a whole, turns it into a life “for honor”. The call to dedicate the best movements of the soul to the fatherland is a continuation of the thought of love for it as the content of the inner world of a mature person who has abandoned “youthful amusements”:

While we are burning with freedom,

While hearts are alive for honor,

My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland

Beautiful impulses from the soul!

Along with comparison and hyperbole, metaphors and stylistic turns are important in the figurative series of the poem, where the properties of one object are transferred to another by similarity or contrast (hidden). The metaphor is the expression “we burn with freedom.” Here you can see two planes: objective (flame) and figurative (animation). They are compared, intersected, merged into one image. This is a hidden comparison (devoted to the ideal of freedom, which has captured us completely, burns us as if we were in flames), however, the absence of separation between plans, their merging in one expression, which becomes the meaning of the metaphor, introduces new shades. The metaphor conveys not only an impression so vivid and tangible that one phrase can be used to judge the spiritual world of the lyrical hero’s peers, but also the aesthetic value, important for the poet, of their ideals. The reflections of a fire are beautiful, they are likened to the impulses of the soul, and, conversely, high feelings resemble tongues of flame rising to the sky. The convergence of the signs of the two phenomena has long been noticed, which is expressed in the everyday metaphor of “fiery feelings,” but in Pushkin’s poem it is concretized and, in connection with this, characterizes socio-political aspirations. Thanks to her, the motive of sacrifice, the expectation of death at the stake, is introduced into the understanding of one’s future. A tragic reflection falls on modernity, and therefore friends and like-minded people are perceived as a generation of heroes who consciously chose their path, foreseeing that for fighters against autocracy the only reward will be memory. Their fighting spirit should be supported by the knowledge that they are fulfilling a great mission - they are awakening Russia from an age-old sleep, bringing closer the sunrise, the ray of which will disperse the “condensed darkness”, “eternal darkness” (A.N. Radishchev. “Liberty”, stanza 54 ) bondage. In this they become like the “creator” of the world himself and create a new reality (ibid.). Their special gift is also the ability to perceive the captivity of their tragic fate as true happiness:

Comrade, believe: she will rise,

Star of captivating happiness,

Russia will wake up from its sleep,

And on the ruins of autocracy

They will write our names!

The last statement is highlighted due to two features: rising intonation and end-to-end rhyme (on, our, names), consonant with the male rhymes of the previous quatrain (she, sleep). The sentence in it is not completed; the fifth, final line is its continuation. A transfer effect occurs (a stylistic device consisting of emphasizing a word located on the border of lines included in one sentence, but divided metrically as parts that make up a stanza; here there is no breakdown into stanzas, the poem is divided into quatrains in connection with the rhyme scheme, the appearance of a pentaverse disrupts it, which helps highlight the “extra” line). Attention is drawn to the significance of the opposing side; the enemy in the battle for the freedom of the homeland is autocracy, embodying the power of evil, hated by the lyrical hero (“the oppression of fatal power” is an image that continues the generalizations in Pushkin’s ode “Liberty”: “unjust power” “fatal” misfortune of the people life “everywhere”, stanza 3).

Is it possible, when speaking about Pushkin’s freedom-loving lyrics, to replace the concept of “lyrical hero” with the word “author”? Undoubtedly, they are close; the worldview outlined in the poems was characteristic of those representatives of Pushkin’s generation who saw the purpose of their life in counteracting social trends that were unacceptable to them, in supporting the interests of the oppressed strata. The autobiographical nature is also obvious due to the fact that the message is addressed to a specific person, Pushkin’s senior friend P.Ya. Chaadaev (1794-1856). The poet met him in 1816, when he was still a lyceum student, and Chaadaev graduated from Moscow University and then entered military service. As a hussar officer, he took part in the Patriotic War (in the battles of Borodino, Tarutino, Leipzig and other battles). After the war, he returned to the capital, where he became famous as a person sharply critical of the existing social order. Chaadaev was a member of the Decembrist Northern Society, but while abroad in 1823-1826, he did not take part in the uprising. The impressions from meetings with this bright personality were reflected not only in Pushkin’s lyrics, but also in the comedy of A.S. Griboyedov's "Woe from Wit", the prototype of the main character of which was Chaadaev (the surname Chatsky is an echo of his name). Several Pushkin poems were dedicated to him, showing how highly the poet valued his friend. Their socio-political views had a lot in common; Chaadaev could be called the lyrical hero of the message, a comrade in the fight against the “fatal power.” In another poem, he is compared with M.Yu., who participated in the murder of the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar and led the Republicans in opposition to the second triumvirate. Brutus, as well as with the Athenian leader of the democratic group Pericles:

He is the highest will of heaven

Born in the shackles of royal service.

He would be Brutus in Rome, Pericles in Athens,

And here he is a hussar officer.

(“To the portrait of Chaadaev”, 1820)

Carrying out the analysis, it should be noted that Pushkin attached great importance to friendship with Chaadaev, speaking of it as “happiness” (entry in the “Kishinev Diary”, April 1821), and therefore it is not accidental that he was addressed in the message as one whose name will stand on a par with others in the characteristics of a generation “burning” with freedom. And yet neither the author nor Chaadaev are depicted in the poem in all the complexity of their spiritual world. One of his features is in the foreground, and the main attention is paid to it. The peculiarities of the worldview of the fighters for the coming of the “chosen” day (A.N. Radishchev) of liberation are prototypical for creating the image of a lyrical hero, perceived in the context of this work, similar to the characters of Pushkin’s poems, other images of freedom-loving lyricism, each of which nevertheless retains originality. Even between the authors in the ode “Liberty” and in the message “To Chaadaev” there is a difference due to the difference in artistic goals.

If in the ode the lyrical hero seeks to confirm educational truths using historical examples, expressing his personal attitude towards the vices of power and the long-suffering of its slaves, then in a message to a friend it is important to determine the origins of the commonality between them. They are connected primarily by emotional (from the Latin “excitement”) factors. The main one is the delight of knowing that the fate of heroes awaits them, that the road of “honor” is ahead of them, an activity that will bring fame. All the values ​​acquired in early youth pale in comparison to the new attitude to fight fate itself (the “fatal” force). The desire “burns” in them to prove their love for their homeland by sacrificial service to it, hope turns into “languishing hope”, fame will make them known to their descendants. All this is not a deception of a child’s dream, but a reality, dangerous, but accepted by the “impatient soul” with joyful anticipation of the “sure date.”

The poetic artistic means used in the poem made it possible to highlight the dominant attitude. It is important not only for characterizing the figurative structure of this message, but also in general for characterizing the lyrical hero of Pushkin’s early poetry. Freedom for him is a necessary condition of life, the impulse towards it is wonderful, despite the fact that you cannot reach it, like a star. The key metaphor of the message (“the star of captivating happiness”) emphasizes the similarity between the spiritual and social planes. No matter how far ideal aspirations are from everyday life, a person is assessed by the lyrical hero depending on his ability to subordinate his life to the achievement of lofty goals, to sacrifice youth to the common cause, giving up excellent aspirations if they contradict him. Thus, already in the early lyrics, there is a noticeable affirmation of the rightness of life, history, to know which is the task of a thinking person, and to express the beauty of the laws of the world is the happiness of the artist. At the same time, for the lyrical hero of Pushkin, a person is important in all the uniqueness of his thoughts and feelings, directing volitional efforts to overcome imperfection, which he feels as injustice, the domination of darkness. He strives to bring happiness to people by opening the way to light, a star rising (“it will rise”) over the earthly community of people, like the sun. The dawn, unnoticed by many people immersed in their worries, is anticipated by those who are confident of its imminent arrival, but the lyrical hero is ready to tirelessly prove its inevitability, to find ever new colors to describe what has befallen them. These are sacrifices, losses, suffering, but also finding the meaning of life, “captivating happiness.”

The poem “To Chaadaev” by Alexander Pushkin is imbued with a freedom-loving spirit and clearly expresses the political and civic views of the poet. To better understand it and see the details, it is worth reading a brief analysis of “To Chaadaev” according to plan. The presented analysis of the work can be used to explain the material in a literature lesson in 9th grade.

Brief Analysis

History of creation- the poem was written in the early period of the poet’s work, in 1818. It is addressed to a friend of the young Pushkin, Pyotr Chaadaev. Published by the almanac “Northern Star” in 1829, with distortions and without the consent of the author.

Theme of the poem– freedom and the fight against autocratic rule, the hope that Russia will “awaken from its sleep.”

Composition– the work is built on the principle of “thesis - antithesis”, based on contrast. The first part talks about the past, which the author considers naive youth. The second is dedicated to the present, and the third to the future. The motif of awakening from sleep opens and closes the work, looping the composition.

Genre- a message to a friend, which becomes a message to the whole society, Pushkin’s genre innovation.

Poetic size– iambic tetrameter with ring and cross rhyme.

Metaphors – “the desire still burns“.

Epithets – “youthful fun“, “morning fog“, fatal power“.

Oxymoron – “quiet glory“.

Comparison – “like a dream, like morning mist“, ““.

Appeal – “a friend of mine G".

Inversion – “fatal power“.

History of creation

The verse was written in 1818, when the author, who later somewhat disagreed with his older friend Pyotr Chaadaev in his views on life, still saw in him a wise mentor and a lyceum friend. The freedom-loving ideas of Pyotr Yakovlevich were also close to Pushkin. Chaadaev was a member of the Decembrist society, and for his “Philosophical Letter,” which outlined Pyotr Yakovlevich’s views on the social structure, he was declared crazy.

The fact that in 1818 Pushkin was a member of the liberal community “Green Lamp”, whose members criticized the regime of the ruling Russian emperor, also left its mark on the work.

Subject

The main theme of the work is not friendship, although in fact it is a friendly message. But this is only formal - in fact, Pushkin is talking about freedom, the overthrow of the autocracy and the possible awakening of Russia for a better future. This is truly a political work, so it was used as a means of propaganda. Before publication (the version in the magazine “Northern Star” is distorted compared to the original) it was distributed in lists. It examines all the problems that concern both Chaadaev and Pushkin himself.

Despite the confidential, friendly tone, the poem conveys a strong civic position. The poet himself is ready to move away from private interests for the sake of the restoration of Russia and calls on others to do the same. He is absolutely convinced that in the future the country will become free.

Composition

Compositionally, this work is divided into three parts.

In the first, the author, still young and naive, waits for love and fame, but gradually “ morning fog” his life dissipates. In the second part, he has already gotten rid of the illusions of his youth, but this does not mean that he has resigned himself - he is waiting and hoping for a better future. Finally, the third part is a look into the future, where “ Russia will wake up from sleep“.

The motif of awakening is also present in the first part - thus the composition becomes looped.

The emotional mood of the poem also changes - if at the beginning the lyrical hero is sad, he is upset that the hopes of his youth were not fulfilled, then at the end he is cheerful, despite the fact that real life is still sad. But he persistently calls on all members of society to try to change the situation.

The lyrical hero embodies the ideas of Pushkin himself, so his image can be considered autobiographical. The poet believes that the state can develop and prosper, but for this it is necessary to change the existing way of life.

Means of expression

In his message, Pushkin uses numerous means of expression. There is only one metaphor in it - “ the desire still burns“, but there are also others:

• Epithets – “ youthful fun“, “morning fog“, fatal power“, “holy liberty”, “an impatient soul.”
• Oxymoron – “ quiet glory“.
• Comparison – “ like a dream, like morning mist“, “how a young lover waits for the moment of their first date“.
• Appeal – “ a friend of mine G".
• Inversion – “ fatal power“.
• Metonymy – “ star of captivating happiness.”

Pushkin’s favorite iambic tetrameter makes the poem as simple as possible and at the same time convincing. This poetic meter allows you to simply and at the same time clearly express an idea. But what makes it especially expressive is the last stanza, which consists of five lines.

Society knew Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin not only as a talented poet, but also as a person sympathetic to the ideas of the Decembrists. The court considered him a freethinker, and the poet was sent into exile for his bold statements, and later his work was subject to strict censorship by the tsar. One of his early poems, “To Chaadaev,” the analysis of which is presented below, was called the anthem of the Decembrists.

History of writing and publication

The analysis of “To Chaadaev” should begin with the history of the creation of the poem. It was written by the poet in 1818 and was not originally intended for publication. The poem was recorded while Pushkin was reading it to close friends. Later, the creation was delivered to the recipient (Chaadaev), and the recording of the poem began to be passed from hand to hand.

The work was distributed secretly among St. Petersburg residents. It was published only in 1829 in the almanac “Northern Star” by M.A. Bestuzhev in a very modified form. From the moment of the creation of this message, Alexander Sergeevich gained the reputation of a freethinker and supporter of the ideas of the Decembrists.

Recipient's identity

The analysis of “To Chaadaev” should be continued with a short story about the personality of the poem’s addressee. This was Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev - one of Pushkin’s closest friends from his days at the Lyceum. When Alexander Sergeevich served in St. Petersburg with the rank of collegiate secretary, he often went to visit his friend. Pushkin shared with Chaadaev all his experiences and thoughts.

While still a lyceum student, the poet loved to discuss the socio-political situation in the country with Chaadaev. Therefore, the friends were connected not only by warm memories of their youth, but also by common aspirations. The message contained a call for the overthrow of the autocracy. But the poet himself did not at all strive to advertise his position. Alexander Pushkin soon forgot about his literary freethinking.

The message was delivered to Pyotr Chaadaev, who at that time was already a member of the society of future Decembrists, known as the “Union of Welfare.” Many of its members perceived Pushkin's poem as a call to action. Subsequently, after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, the poet more than once reproached himself for imprudence. He believed that this message served as the impetus for an attempt to overthrow the autocracy. The story of the creation of “To Chaadaev” is an example of the power a word has. And if for Pushkin his call was simply literary free-thinking, then for the Decembrists this message became an anthem.

Genre of the work

One of the points of analysis of “To Chaadaev” is the determination of the genre in which the poem is written. It should be classified as a very popular genre of friendly message in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. This genre was distinguished by a free form of expression of thoughts, so the poem acquired the features of a confidential conversation between close people.

The addressees of the message were both real persons and fictional characters. This genre was not limited by various formal conventions. Therefore, in his works the author could communicate with the reader on equal terms, which gave a touch of trust to the poem.

The plot of the work

The basis of the plot of the poem “To Chaadaev” is reflections on the growing up of a person. The poet no longer harbors illusions about fame and love. Youthful dreams collided with harsh reality, and now the author already doubts the correctness of his views. The poet compares them to a dream, a fog, which dissipates just as quickly. Some of Alexander Sergeevich's contemporaries saw in this an allusion to Emperor Alexander the First, in whose reign the poet became disillusioned.

Then the poem “To Chaadev” continues with bursts of freethinking. Instead of naive youthful dreams, the poet receives a love of freedom and a sense of civic duty. For Alexander Sergeevich, such a transition was natural, and only each citizen’s awareness of his duty could make the country free.

But the poet did not deny that ardent impulses could meet with an obstacle in the person of those who did not want to change the social structure in the state. Alexander Sergeevich believed that all his strength should be devoted to serving the Motherland. And then, as a reward for their labors, their names will be remembered by their descendants.

Political subtext

In his message “To Chaadaev,” Pushkin also expressed dissatisfaction with the tsarist government. Emperor Alexander the First called himself a true liberal, and many expected from his rule reforms that would improve the lives of peasants. But all the talk about the abolition of serfdom remained just talk. And it is not surprising that the young poet became disillusioned with the autocracy.

Alexander Sergeevich no longer believed the royal promises. But the poet believed in people in whose hearts the fire of justice still burned. He believed in those for whom freedom and a sense of duty to the Fatherland were not an empty phrase. It was they, according to Pushkin, who were supposed to free Russia from autocracy. And then justice would reign in society.

What is this work about?

It is difficult to highlight the main idea of ​​the poem "To Chaadaev." Most are accustomed to viewing it from a patriotic point of view. Therefore, for many, the main purpose of this message was to call the Decembrists to action. But initially this creation was not intended by the author for a large number of people.

Therefore, the main idea was not a call for the overthrow of the autocracy. This is an appeal to Chaadaev, whom the young poet admired. He was confident that his friend would go down in history, that his deed was good. And Pushkin expressed his admiration and confidence in this in a friendly message. He had a sincere conversation with his close friend, in which he touched on topics that worried him - the growing up of a person, the social situation in the country and admiration for Chaadaev and his ideas.

The rhythmic side of the poem

The poetic meter of “To Chaadaev” is Pushkin’s famous iambic tetrameter. The rhyming method is cross and ring. The message can be divided into quatrains and a final quintuple, in which the poet spoke about the future of Russia.

Literary tropes

Thanks to what means of expression did “To Chaadaev” become the anthem of the Decembrist movement? This is the socio-political vocabulary that the poet used when creating the message. This gave the friendly message a sublime (one might even say pathetic) and patriotic character. Of all the synonyms for the word “homeland,” Pushkin uses “fatherland,” which evokes a warmer response from readers.

Socio-political vocabulary was a distinctive feature of the poetry of the Decembrists. Therefore, the poet, who knew and was friends with many Decembrists, used it in writing a message to his friend. Pushkin contrasts power to the free people, using epithets. For autocratic power, he chooses the word “fatal” - this emphasizes its dark side, its reluctance to help the people. He characterizes freedom with the adjective “holy” - the poet emphasizes that freedom is the highest value for the people.

The poem itself is built on an antithesis - the opposition of youthful dreams and a sense of responsibility, civic duty, the tsarist regime, serfdom to an equal society in which all people are equal and free. This feature of the composition emphasized reflections on the maturation of the individual, how from a reckless, ardent youth the poet became a man who was not indifferent to the future of his country.

Criticism of the poem

Despite the fact that the message began to be passed from hand to hand and became known in society, nevertheless, some contemporaries criticized this literary freethinking. Some were indignant that the main characters should be Pushkin and Chaadaev - these freethinkers, secular jokers, dandies. But, most likely, the poet did not mean only them: Alexander Sergeevich may have written about the entire society of the Decembrists, who sought to make the life of society better.

Some of the poet's contemporaries reproached him for too frivolously comparing duty with a love date. But this was the peculiarity of the poet’s message: he combined personal experiences with a sense of patriotism.

The message “To Chaadaev” is an example of how Pushkin was able to inspire people with his poems. Alexander Sergeevich chose such words that they touched everyone’s heart and forced the Decembrists to act. This poem reflects the high ideals of A.S. Pushkin and his belief that a bright future will come for the Fatherland. In this poem, the political and lyrical directions are not opposed, but complement each other, creating a poem in which there is a place for both the poet’s personal experiences and a sense of patriotism.

Love, hope, quiet glory

Deception did not last long for us,

The youthful fun has disappeared

Like a dream, like morning fog;

But desire still burns within us;

Under the yoke of fatal power

With an impatient soul

Let us heed the calling of the Fatherland.

We wait with languid hope

Holy moments of freedom

How a young lover waits

Minutes of a faithful date.

While we are burning with freedom,

While hearts are alive for honor,

My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland

Beautiful impulses from the soul!

Comrade, believe: she will rise,

Star of captivating happiness,

Russia will wake up from its sleep,

And on the ruins of autocracy

They will write our names!

Updated: 2011-05-09

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• Analysis of A.S. Pushkin’s poem “To Chaadaev”

Historical and biographical material

History of creation and date of writing of the poem

The poem was written in 1818. Ever since his lyceum years, Pyotr Yakovlevich Chaadaev was a close friend of the poet, despite the difference in age. During the period when this poem was created, Pushkin saw in his friend a person endowed with freedom-loving ideals, but at the same time wise with life experience. Chaadaev was a member of the “Union of Welfare” (secret Decembrist society). For publishing his views in the Philosophical Letter, he was declared insane by the government.

Pushkin addressed several more poems to Chaadaev, but they were already very different from the one created in 1818 in their mood.

The main theme of the poem

Despite the fact that the poem is written in the genre of a friendly message, the theme of friendship cannot be considered the leading one in it. Here we hear the theme of freedom and the fight against autocracy, hope for the awakening of Russia. The political views and sentiments that were common for both Chaadaev and Pushkin are reflected. “To Chaadaev” served as a means of political agitation and was widely distributed in lists.

Poem composition

The composition of this poem can be divided into three parts. The first is an analysis of the past, of naive youth. The second is self-analysis in the present tense. And the third is a look into the future. The composition is circular: at the beginning and at the end there is a motif of awakening from sleep.

Lyrical hero

At first, the lyrical hero remembers the past. He is disappointed that his hopes were not realized. Now he has woken up from his dreams. But his main desire to serve for the good of his Motherland never faded away. It cheers him up and lifts his spirits. And the hero compares this desire with the feeling of love. With his message he not only inspires faith in others, but also encourages himself.

Prevailing mood and its changes

At the beginning of the poem there is a minor motif - the hero’s dreams are dispelled by the phenomena of real life. Then the mood becomes cheerful, there is still hope in the hero. The appeal of the lyrical hero sounds like a call, very persistently.

Vocabulary of the poem

Pushkin uses the vocabulary of the so-called “high style”: “heed”, “hope”. There are also socio-political concepts: “power”, “freedom”, “oppression”.

Poetic syntax

The poem contains a wide variety of means of artistic expression. These are comparisons (“like a dream, like morning fog”), metaphors (“desire burns,” “we are burning with freedom,” “Russia will rise from sleep”), and epithets (“quiet glory,” “holy liberty”).

The work is written in iambic tetrameter, using ring and cross rhymes. Divided into quatrains and finally a quintet. The intonation in each part is independent.

Analysis of the poem

1. The history of the creation of the work.

2. Characteristics of a work of the lyrical genre (type of lyrics, artistic method, genre).

3. Analysis of the content of the work (analysis of the plot, characteristics of the lyrical hero, motives and tonality).

4. Features of the composition of the work.

5. Analysis of means of artistic expression and versification (presence of tropes and stylistic figures, rhythm, meter, rhyme, stanza).

6. The meaning of the poem for the poet’s entire work.

The poem “To Chaadaev” was written by A.S. Pushkin in 1818. It is addressed to a person whose friendship the poet valued very much. P.Ya. Chaadaev was five years older than Pushkin, he had rich life experience, an excellent education (Moscow University), and was a man of deep, encyclopedic mind. He took part in the Patriotic War of 1812, in 1816–1820. was an officer in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. Chaadaev had a great influence on the young poet; Pushkin valued his friendship with him very much. The poet addressed several messages and the quatrain “To the Portrait of Chaadaev” to Pyotr Yakovlevich, in which he compares his senior comrade with the heroes of antiquity:

He is the highest will of heaven
Born in the shackles of royal service.
He would be Brutus in Rome, Pericles in Athens,
And here he is a hussar officer.

The message “To Chaadaev” became widespread in the lists. In a distorted form, without Pushkin’s knowledge, it was published in the almanac “Northern Star” for 1829. But it was completely printed only in 1901.

The genre of the work is a friendly message. The style is romantic, which combines the intonations of love and civil lyrics. However, the message refers to civil, freedom-loving poetry. Its main theme is the theme of freedom, this is the dream of the awakening of Russia.

As researchers have repeatedly noted, in this poem Pushkin writes on behalf of an entire generation that is only still realizing its goals and objectives. The message begins on a sad note: delight in life, love, hopes - all this turned out to be just a deception, a myth, a pipe dream. And this kind of loss often took place in the poet’s contemporary reality. Dreams of glory and freedom often turned into bitter disappointment when confronted with the realities of life. This was the case with Chaadaev. This is exactly what the poet talks about in the first lines of the poem:

Love, hope, quiet glory
Deception did not last long for us,
The youthful fun has disappeared
Like a dream, like morning fog...

However, then the poet’s sad tone gives way to a cheerful and life-affirming one:

But the desire still burns within us,
Under the yoke of fatal power
With an impatient soul
Let us heed the hope of the Fatherland
Holy moments of freedom
How a young lover waits
Minutes of a faithful date.

The inspired dream of “holy freedom” cannot be drowned out by either the difficulties of struggle or the “yoke of fatal power.” The poet here compares serving the Fatherland with a feeling of love, with the ardor of a young lover. At the same time, the important thing is that this heat of the soul should not burn out or cool down.

The poet’s appeal to his older friend is so persistent and inviting:

Comrade, believe: she will rise,
Star of captivating happiness,
Russia will wake up from its sleep,
And on the ruins of autocracy
They will write our names!

And this appeal is not to Chaadaev alone, but to the entire generation.

Compositionally, we can distinguish three parts in the work. The first part is the lyrical hero’s thoughts about the past, a kind of analysis of bygone feelings, attitudes, hopes characteristic of naive youth. The second part is an analysis of your feelings in the present. The center of the poem is a call to a friend and like-minded person:

While we are burning with freedom,
While hearts are alive for honor,
My friend, let's dedicate it to the fatherland
Beautiful impulses from the soul!

The third part is thoughts about the future, revealing the hero’s ardent faith in the idea of ​​freedom, in the possibility of transforming Russia. At the end of the poem, the same motive appears as at the beginning - awakening from sleep. Only in the finale does this motive sound very broadly: this is no longer the individual attitude of the hero, but the attitude of the whole people, Russia. The intimate lyrical intonation here becomes civilly pathetic. In this sense, we can talk about a ring composition.

The message is written in iambic tetrameter, cross and ring rhymes are used. The entire work is divided into quatrains and a final five-line. Each group is independent in its intonation. Pushkin uses a variety of means of artistic expression: metaphor (“we are burning with freedom”, “desire is burning”, “Russia will rise from sleep”), epithets (“quiet glory”, “minutes of holy freedom”), comparison (“Young fun has disappeared, Like a dream like morning fog"). The message uses “high” style vocabulary (“heed”, “fatherland”, “hope”), socio-political terms (“oppression”, “power”, “liberty”, “freedom”, “honor”, ​​“autocracy” ).

Thus, in the romantic message “To Chaadaev” Pushkin moves away from romanticism in its traditional thematic embodiment. The main idea of ​​the work is the idea of ​​freedom and knightly service to the Fatherland.