N. Nekrasov is one of the most famous fighters for the freedom of the people. His writings, dedicated to the lower strata of society, were often criticized by contemporaries. "Elegy" was a response to unfair criticism. Learn it in 9th grade. We invite you to familiarize yourself with brief analysis"Elegy" according to the plan.

Brief analysis

History of creation- the work was written in 1874, when the poet had already managed to observe the changes that the abolition of serfdom led to.

Theme of the poem- the life of the people during serfdom and after it; the role of the poet in the fate of the people.

Composition- The poem is divided into several semantic parts: a story about peoples dragging in poverty and about their union with the muse, a story lyrical hero about his service to the people, reflections on the life of the people after the abolition of serfdom.

Genre- civic poetry.

Poetic size - four-foot anapaest, parallel rhyme AABB.

Metaphors – "He speaks changeable fashion"," would flourish God's world”, “mourn their fate, the Muse will serve them”, “Muse whispered to me”, “golden harvest”, “questions boiling in the mind”, “cool twilight”.

epithets – "naive hobby", "slow old man", "secret questions", "peasant suffering".

Comparisons - "dragging in poverty ... like lean herds".

History of creation

N. Nekrasov with young years stood for the freedom of the people. This problem became the leading one in his work. Few of the poet's contemporaries understood and accepted his ideas. Most often, sharp criticism was directed at his poems. This did not stop the poet, it only fueled his rebellious moods.

In 1861 Serfdom canceled, but it did not bring the expected freedom and happiness to the people. N. Nekrasov continued to devote lines to the lower strata of society and again there were ardent critics of his work. In 1874, the poet wrote the analyzed poem. So he responded to critics and in art form argued his public position.

Subject

The poem raises issues relevant to Nekrasov's time and literature - the life of the people during and after serfdom; the role of the poet in the fate of the people. The theme is revealed through the prism of perception of the lyrical hero, who merges into a single whole with the author.

In the first lines, the lyrical hero talks about the attitude of his contemporaries to the "suffering of the people." Here he speaks not only on his own behalf, so the story is told in the first person plural. They believe that this topic is outdated and poets should not waste time on it. The lyrical hero does not try to keep up with fashion. He looks into the eyes of reality, where he sees that the people require the help of poets and the Muse. Muse, according to Nekrasov, is an ally of the people. She knows how not only to mourn the people, but also to fight for their fate, calling for attention. « the mighty of the world» to ordinary people. Already the first stanza tells the reader that the poet is meant by the image of the lyrical hero.

Gradually, the lyrical hero moves on to the story in his own name. He admits that he dedicated his work to the people, so his heart is calm. He was lucky to watch the liberation of the people, but the joy did not last long. The hero soon noticed that freedom was only formal, it did not change the life of the peasants for the better. He doubts what he sees, so he asks the question: “Has freedom finally brought a change to the people's destiny?”

Thinking about " new life"of the people become a source for new poems about the fate of the people. In them, the lyrical hero tries to find an answer, but, alas, the attempts are in vain.

The "Elegy" implements the idea of ​​the need to fight for freedom, important role in which he plays poetic art. The poet also claims that formal liberation cannot be trusted, because it does not always mean the onset of happiness and the end of the struggle.

Composition

The work is divided into several semantic parts: a story about peoples dragging in poverty and about their union with a muse, a story of a lyrical hero about his service to the people, reflections on the life of the people after the abolition of serfdom. The formal organization of the poem corresponds to the content: the text is divided into four stanzas with different amount verses (from 10 to 14).

Genre

The genre of the work is civil lyrics, as the author tells about the life of the people. The poetic size is a four-foot anapaest. N. Nekrasov uses parallel rhyming AABB.

means of expression

To fully disclose the topic and convey the idea to the reader, the author uses expressive means. They help convey internal state lyrical hero. prevail in the poem metaphors: “changeable fashion speaks”, “God’s world would flourish”, “mourn their fate, the muse will serve them”, “Muse whispered to me”, “golden harvest”, “questions boiling in the mind”, “cool twilight”. The monologue is completed epithets- "naive hobby", "slow old man", "secret questions", "peasant suffering" and comparison- "dragging in poverty ... like lean herds." To convey the mixed feelings of the lyrical "I" allows oxymoron"tears are sweet". In set artistic means both traditional associations and individual author's ones were embodied.

"Elegy" Nikolai Nekrasov

Let the changing fashion tell us
That the theme is the old "suffering of the people"
And that poetry must forget it.
Don't believe me guys! she doesn't age.
Oh, if years could age her!
God's world would flourish! ... Alas! while the nations
Dragging in poverty, submitting to scourges,
Like lean herds across mowed meadows,
Mourn their fate, the muse will serve them,
And in the world there is no stronger, more beautiful union! ...
To remind the crowd that the people are in poverty,
While she rejoices and sings,
To excite the attention of the mighty of the world to the people -
What better service could the lyre serve?...

I dedicated the lyre to my people.
Perhaps I will die unknown to him,
But I served him - and my heart is calm ...
Let not every warrior harm the enemy,
But everyone go to battle! And fate will decide the battle ...
I saw a red day: there is no slave in Russia!
And I shed sweet tears in tenderness ...
“Enough to rejoice in a naive passion, -
Muse whispered to me. - It's time to go forward:
The people are liberated, but are the people happy?

Do I listen to the songs of the reapers over the golden harvest,
Is the old man walking slowly behind the plow,
Does it run through the meadow, playing and whistling,
Happy child with father's breakfast,
Do the sickles sparkle, do the scythes ring together -
I'm looking for answers to my secret questions
Boiling in the mind: "In recent years
Have you become more tolerable, peasant suffering?
And the long slavery that came to replace
Has freedom finally made a difference
In people's destinies? into the tunes of rural maidens?
Or is their discordant melody just as sorrowful? .. "

Evening is coming. Driven by dreams
Through the fields, through the meadows lined with haystacks,
Thoughtfully wandering in the cool semi-darkness,
And the song itself is composed in the mind,
recent, secret thoughts live performance:
I call blessings on rural labors,
I promise curses to the people's enemy,
And I pray to a friend in heaven of power,
And my song is loud!.. It is echoed by valleys, fields,
And the echo of distant mountains sends her feedback,
And the forest responded ... Nature listens to me,
But the one about whom I sing in the evening silence
To whom are the dreams of the poet dedicated,
Alas! he does not heed - and does not give an answer ...

Analysis of Nekrasov's poem "Elegy"

Nikolai Nekrasov, who devoted most of his works to the people, describing their hard lot, was often called a “peasant poet” and criticized for paying too much attention to the life and life of the peasants. After the abolition of serfdom in 1861, attacks on the poet by literary critics and officials intensified, as he still continued to address his works to the lower strata of society, believing that their lives had not improved at all.

Finally, in 1874, wanting to respond to his opponents for undeserved reproaches and insults, Nikolai Nekrasov wrote the poem "Elegy", from the title of which we can conclude that this time we will talk about something noble and graceful. This was the irony of the poet, who once again devoted poetry to the plight of his people and tried to find an answer to the question, did the peasants really begin to live better after the abolition of serfdom?

The poem begins with an appeal to the poet's unknown opponents, whom he convinces that "the old theme of" the suffering of the people "" is still relevant, if only because the peasants, having received freedom, are still in poverty. And the poet considers it his duty to draw the attention of the “powerful world” to the problems ordinary people, believing that this is its purpose. “I dedicated the lyre to my people,” Nekrasov notes, and there is not an ounce of pathos in these words. After all, the poet own experience I learned what it is like to live in poverty and sometimes not even have a roof over your head. Therefore, Nekrasov notes that he is “calm in his heart” and does not at all regret that the heroes of his works are not eccentric secular girls, officials and aristocrats, but peasants.

Nekrasov notes that he was lucky to see a “red day” when serfdom was abolished, which caused the poet to “sweet tears”. However, his joy was short-lived, because, according to the author, the inspiring muse ordered him to go forward. “The people are liberated, but are the people happy?” the poet asks.

He tries to find the answer to this question in Everyday life peasants who are still forced to bend their backs in the field in order to feed themselves and their families. Observing how quickly work is in full swing during the harvest, how women sing harmoniously and harmoniously, wielding a sickle, and happy children run into the field to give breakfast to their father, Nekrasov notes that such a picture evokes peace and tranquility. However, the poet understands that problems are still hidden behind the seeming external well-being., after all, only a few of these rural workers can count on a better share, education and the opportunity to learn that you can live in a completely different way, earning not hard physical labor but by intellect.

So, completing his "Elegy", the author notes that he does not know the answer to the question of whether the peasants now live better. And even the heroes of his numerous works are not able to objectively say whether they really became happy. On one side of the scales - freedom, on the other - hunger and poverty, because now they themselves are responsible for own life and very often do not even know how to dispose of it. At the same time, Nekrasov is well aware that natural process The migration of yesterday's serfs has already begun, and their yesterday's masters are taking advantage of this, who buy gratuitous labor for a penny, which does not know how to defend their rights due to illiteracy and admiration for the masters imbibed with mother's milk. As a result, thousands of yesterday's peasants doom themselves and their families to starvation, not even suspecting that those who managed to profit from the abolition of serfdom are still profiting from their work.

The name of the Russian poet and publicist Nekrasov is closely connected with the concept of civil folk lyrics. Nikolai Alekseevich, a nobleman by birth, lived in the interests of the most numerous class of contemporary Russia - the peasantry. The poet was disgusted by the hypocritical position of the landowners, who, despite their education and liberal sentiments, continued to be feudal lords, in fact, slave owners. That is why Nekrasov deliberately dedicated his lyre to the people, hoping that the burning poetic word would find a response and be able to change something. This idea is also heard in the work "Elegy". Nekrasov's verse still looks modern today.

How did the poem "Elegy" appear?

The people and the motherland are the central theme of all Nekrasov's works. However, not all contemporaries sympathized with the mood of the poet. Making an analysis of the poem "Elegy" by Nekrasov, it is impossible not to mention that lyrical work became an answer-refutation to those critics who reproached the poet for having "written his name" on the subject of the suffering of the people and was not able to say something new. The dedication that precedes the lines of the "Elegy" is addressed to the friend of the poet A. Erakov - deeply sympathetic and smart person. The work was presented to him on his name day and was accompanied by a letter in which the poet said that these were his “most sincere and beloved” poems.

The historical background against which Nekrasov worked

The “Elegy”, the analysis of which will be presented in the article, was written in 1874, thirteen years after the problem that worries Nekrasov’s heart is expressed in the question: is the people freed from the fetters of serfdom happy? No, the expected flourishing did not happen, simple people just as destitute and oppressed. Nekrasov was a supporter of the so-called "American" way of developing capitalism in Russia, in his opinion, the peasant will only live happily and freely when he runs his own household. The practice of exploitation was sharply and uncompromisingly condemned by the poet and citizen Nekrasov.

"Elegy". Analysis of the content of the poem

In the first part, the author refers to fashion trends in which there is no place for social sentiments, and laments that the times when poetry can glorify beauty have not yet come. The muse should loudly appeal to the conscience of the “powerful ones of the world” while “the peoples languish in poverty” and dutifully endure their physical and moral slavery. Further, the poet claims that he himself “dedicated the lyre” to the people and expresses his credo: even if the result is not immediately visible, and efforts seem hopeless, nevertheless, “everyone go to battle!” In the second part of the poem, idyllic pictures peasant life introduces Nekrasov to the reader. "Elegy" (we will later supplement the analysis of the work with a study poetic devices used by the author) very gently and at the same time sublimely conveys the poet's love and respect for the working people. In the third part, Nekrasov appeals to nature, personifying the universe, and contrasts her lively and passionate response with the indifferent silence of the people, to whom the passionate appeals of the poet are dedicated.

Artistic features of the poem

When Nekrasov proclaimed that a poet must be a citizen, they blamed him, they say, civic motives replaced poetry in his works. Is it so? An analysis of the verse "Elegy" by Nekrasov confirms that the poet was not at all alien to spectacular poetic devices. Written in iambic six-foot with pyrrhias, the poem immediately takes on an excitedly solemn intonation and recalls high examples of classicism. This is also evidenced by the words of high style: “heeds”, “virgins”, “rock”, “dragging”, “repeating”, “lyre”. Examining the poem, we are convinced of how skillfully Nekrasov uses the personification. "Elegy", the analysis of which, of course, is not exhausted by enumeration, presents fields and valleys attentively listening to the lyrical hero, and the forest - responding to him. The epithets are very expressive: “red day”, “sweet tears”, “naive passion”, “slow old man”, “excited by dreams”. The people under oppression are expressively compared with the "lean herds" in the "mowed meadows". Lira is metaphorically interpreted as a warrior serving for the benefit of people.

Nikolai Nekrasov, "Elegy". Genre form analysis

The genre of elegy originated in ancient times, the word is translated into Russian as "the plaintive motive of the flute." This is a sad, thoughtful and even dull lyrics, the purpose of which is to describe and create in the listener sad thoughts about the transience of time, about separation from lovely people and places, about the vicissitudes of love. Why did Nekrasov choose this particular genre for his social poem? His love for the people was not rhetorical in nature, it was sharp, tragic and inescapable. The elegiac genre, prepared to express very personal feelings, emphasizes how carefully, intimately and painfully the poet's attitude to the people's lot. At the same time, Nekrasov, as it were, crosses out the tradition of devoting lyrical creations to individual experiences and polemically proclaims another “fashion” - the lyre should reflect public interests as purely personal.

Finally

Possibly, in the poet's works, the lyrics were inferior to citizenship, and his poems do not enchant with the elusive breath of harmony. However, who will argue with the fact that Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov is wise, in the highest degree compassionate, and the future of his country is dear to him? It is for this that we are grateful to this great Russian poet.

In 1874, and is a response to the numerous attacks and accusations of the poet that in his works he constantly talks about the plight of the common people. In 1861, serfdom was abolished in Russia. The Conservatives were extremely unhappy with this, considering the decree an excessive premature measure. At the same time, their rage against the defenders of the people intensified. Nekrasov reflected his thoughts on the abolition of serfdom in his work, ironically calling it "Elegy". The poem is dedicated to the poet's friend - A. Erakov.

Genre of the poem

Despite its name, the work can be attributed to the genre of civil lyrics, as it expresses the poet's reflections on the remaining difficult situation of the peasants.

Main theme of the poem

The main theme of the poem is rhetorical question the author on whether the life of the peasantry has really improved. Nekrasov claims that "the suffering of the people" is an inexhaustible theme for creativity. The upper classes cannot enjoy life in peace until the calamity of the common people in the country ceases.

The poet proudly declares: "I dedicated the lyre to my people." He does not care about recognition and honor. Having devoted his whole life to singing the suffering of the peasants, Nekrasov fulfilled his civic duty.

The abolition of serfdom is a "red day" for the poet, who finally brought the long-awaited freedom. However, after several years, Nekrasov begins to be tormented by the thought: is there really an improvement. His reflections on this and questions remain unanswered and hang in the air, inviting readers to answer them for themselves.

Nekrasov makes subtle allusions to the imaginary achievement of prosperity, mentioning the "people's enemy" and sadly noting that the people to whom he dedicates his work "does not heed ... and does not give an answer."

Composition

The poem can be divided into two parts. In the first, Nekrasov points out that creativity must necessarily protect the common people and describe their troubles. The transition to the second is the question: "Are the people happy?" after the reform. The second part consists of the poet's reflections on this painful question.

The size

The poem is written in iambic six-foot, which gives it solemnity and a touch of classicism.

Expressive means

Nekrasov makes extensive use of epithets in describing the plight of the peasantry ("lean herds", "sorrowful ... tune") and his imaginary well-being ("red day", "golden harvest"). The poet compares himself to a warrior fighting for a just cause. The upper classes of society are metaphorically represented in the image of the "people's enemy". The solemnity of the poem is emphasized by the use of high-profile "classic" words: "dragging", "rock", "heed".

The main idea of ​​the poem is not expressed explicitly. The reader himself must guess that the bitter truth is hidden behind the author's lyrical reflections. The people were never delivered from their suffering, only the form changed, but not its age-old dependence itself.

Plan analysis of the poemElegy

• History of creation
• Genre of the work
• The main theme of the work
• Composition
• Artwork size
• The main idea of ​​the poem

Poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Elegy"

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Topic 95

Poem by N.A. Nekrasov "Elegy"

Perception, interpretation, evaluation

When you pick up an unfamiliar literary work, the first thing you pay attention to is the title. What is "Elegy"? Why did Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov name his creation that way?

In the “Dictionary of Literary Terms” you can read the following: “Elegy is a genre form of lyrics. The themes of the elegy are diverse: patriotism, the ideals of civil and military prowess, the joy and sorrow of love. In the new European literature, the elegy loses its clarity of form, but acquires a certainty of content, becoming an expression of predominantly philosophical reflections, sad reflections, sorrow.

It was the latter that found a vivid reflection in Nekrasov's "Elegy" (1874). The theme of mournful reflections on the suffering of the people, the theme of the widespread oppression of serfs is the most important direction in Nekrasov's work.

Now let's analyze the content of the "Elegy", and then there will be no questions about the validity of the chosen title.

Let the changing fashion tell us
That the topic is old - “the suffering of the people”
And that poetry should forget it, -
Don't believe me guys! she doesn't age.

The poem was written thirteen years after the reforms of 1861. The people are “liberated”, they “have land”, they are “happy”. What kind of "suffering of the people" can we talk about?! These are relics of the past. But such a statement is fundamentally wrong. And Nekrasov understands this, he “reminds that the people are in poverty”, he is aware of the significance of the problem. Our attention is drawn to the outdated form of stress in the word “getting old”, which was typical for Russian literature XIX century (remember at least Chatsky's statement: “What is older is worse”). When reading, willy-nilly, you pay attention to the word itself, and to the whole sentence, which expresses one of the main thoughts of the entire poem.

Reading lines:

Alas! while the nations
Dragging in poverty, submitting to scourges,
Like lean herds on mowed meadows, -
you involuntarily recall the “Village” by A.S. Pushkin:
Leaning on an alien plow, submitting to whips,
Here, skinny slavery drags along the reins.

By this similarity, Nekrasov, as it were, agrees with the thesis “that the topic is old -“ the suffering of the people ””, but at the same time he shows that after fifty-five years no significant changes have occurred in society, and emphasizes that the topic has not lost its relevance.

The comparison of the people with the herds is noteworthy. What is a herd? How to explain this concept in relation to people? This is a large mass of people who are not able to think, they obey only the “shepherds”. The role of a “shepherd” could be claimed by the noble intelligentsia, but, like the people, they do not really think about this and about life in general, they live according to the rules established by them, and cannot (or do not want to), due to their weakness, accept any those are drastic decisions. Hence the comparison with the crowd.

But back to the people. Without a shepherd, the herd is an "amoeba-like" mass of people incapable of accepting independent decisions, obeying the influence of some external factors that do not depend on it, but ready to “get along” with them. The same definition applies to serfs, whose rights are universally infringed, turning them into slaves. But the serfs believe that this is how it should be, they don’t even think about freedom, believing that nothing needs to be changed - that’s how it is, therefore, that’s how it should be. Why think when the “kind” gentleman has already decided everything for you.

Reflecting on this topic, you recall Pushkin's poem "Freedom sower of the desert ...":

Graze peaceful peoples!
The cry of honor will not wake you up.
Why do the herds need the gifts of freedom?
They must be cut or sheared.

You can dedicate your lyre, your thoughts, aspirations, life to the people... but it will remain deaf, like a herd...

"Elegy" is addressed to some young men, but who are these young men? Let's remember " railroad» Nekrasov, little Vanya, who learned the bitter truth about the construction of the first Nikolaev railway in Russia. Then, in 1864, the lyrical hero of Nekrasov tried to convey the truth to the boy, who still had his whole life ahead of him, in the hope that he, a representative of the new generation, would alleviate the fate of the serfs and save the people from suffering. Ten years later, in 1874, the lyrical hero of Nekrasov again tries to do the same. “And what about Vanya? - you ask. - The poem is addressed to the "young men", he himself wrote about it. The question is quite appropriate. In essence, the “young men” represent the same Vanya, who has only matured by ten years, and his peers. But why are the same thoughts addressed to “the same person”? After all, so much time has passed, the people are “free”, why repeat yourself, this is no longer in vogue? It is possible, it is not possible, but this is what Nekrasov is trying to make clear to the younger generation:

“Enough to rejoice in a naive passion, -
Muse whispered to me: - It's time to go forward:
The people are liberated, but are the people happy?..”

The lyrical hero of Nekrasov is stubbornly looking for an answer to the question:

Freedom finally made a difference
In people's destinies? into the tunes of rural maidens?
Or is their discordant melody just as woeful? ..

He wanders through the fields, absorbed in thoughts of people's happiness. He, like Gogol in Dead Souls, asks the question: “Where is Russia rushing to now?” But she does not give an answer. The same can be attributed to Nekrasov's "subject of chanting":

And my song is loud!.. It is echoed by valleys, fields,
And the echo of distant mountains sends her feedback,
And the forest responded... Nature listens to me...

It is no coincidence that Nekrasov uses metaphor and personification here. The poet, as it were, revives nature: valleys, fields understand the song of the lyrical hero; the “echo of distant mountains” even responds to her, apparently trying to enter into a “discussion” of the song; the forest generally responded ... nature listens to the lyrical hero ... Everything is wonderful: if nature “responded”, then people should understand the hero even more, but the following lines are unexpected for the lyrical hero, author, reader:

But the one about whom I sing in the evening silence
To whom the poet's dreams are dedicated, -
Alas! he does not heed - and does not give an answer ...

In this striking contrast, Nekrasov shows how difficult it is to help the people when the one to whom “the poet’s dreams are dedicated” remains passive and inert in relation to the “people’s defenders”. Alas, this is how it historically happened in Russia ...

At the end of his life, Pushkin wrote the poem "I erected a monument to myself not made by hands ...". In this work, he summed up his creative activity, he appreciated himself as a poet, realized his mission:

And for a long time I will be kind to the people,
That I aroused good feelings with lyre,
What's in my cruel age I glorified freedom
And he called for mercy on the fallen.

"Elegy" Nekrasov also wrote at the end of his life and also summed up his work, also assessed himself as a poet:

I dedicated the lyre to my people.
Perhaps I will die unknown to him,
But I served him - and my heart is calm ...

I especially want to say about the composition of the poem. The beginning of the Elegy is very polemical. This is Nekrasov's answer to the statement of the literary critic O.F. Miller, who believed that “the direct description of the suffering of the people and the poor in general” was already “exhausted” by the poet and that he “began to somehow repeat himself when he took up this topic.” The rest of the poem is tied around this answer and partially complements the original judgments addressed to O.F. Miller.

So, let's sum up. "Elegy" is a kind of mirror of Nekrasov's work. Everything is here: the theme of the plight of the people, and the theme of serving the people, and the poet's view of modern reality ... not without reason in the lines of his letter to A.N. The poet writes to Yerakov: “I am sending you poems. Since these are my most sincere and beloved of those written by me in recent times I dedicate them to you, my dearest friend...”

"Elegy" is a wonderful example of Nekrasov's civil lyrics. The main idea of ​​this poem is to prove that the people suffered and still suffer, despite the reforms. It is also very important for Nekrasov to convey his thoughts about the need for some kind of change in the situation of the people to the youth, for whom the poet has all hope. The poet did what he could, now it's the turn of "Vanya with peers"...

Kirill KRAINEV,
10th grade, school number 919, Moscow
(teacher - I.O. Uchambrina)