To help the student: analysis of Derzhavin’s poem “Confession”

G.R.Derzhavin - senior fellow and pen teacher A.S. Pushkin. Literary scholars have written a lot about what role the poet's work played for the development of Russian art, what a wonderful galaxy of creative personalities appeared thanks to him. One of the best lyric texts of the author is the poem “Confession”.

History of the work

It is common for any poet to take stock of his work, at one time or another, to assess what has been done, and outline future prospects. Gabriel Romanovich did not depart from the rule. We all know his software "Monument". But today we recall another, no less interesting lyrical reflection of the poet and analyze the poem Derzhavin's "Confession." It was written in a mature period of life and work, when the author was already widely known and recognized in literary circles. However, realizing how much his poetic method differs from the then existing traditions and wishing to be as understood as possible by readers and fellow writers, Derzhavin considers it his duty to clarify his own aesthetic and ethical principles and ideals. After all, he is often accused of mixing genres, using “low,” that is, colloquial, vocabulary. But after all, it was precisely the work of this poet that was recognized as the pinnacle of Russian classicism! Therefore, an analysis of Derzhavin’s poem “Confession” is important for understanding its basic nature. This small work, written in 1807, contains a kind of poetic code.

Author and lyric hero

Since 1803, Gabriel Romanovich has relieved himself of all state powers and is resigned, in the "embrace of rural silence." The estate of Zvanka becomes a real literary shelter of the poet, in which a large number of works are created. His creativity takes on a philosophical orientation, which can be clearly seen by doing an analysis of Derzhavin’s poem “Confession”. The lyrical hero of the work is identical to the author. The poet directly emphasizes: he is the same person as everyone, and he has the same weaknesses, hobbies as other mortals: seduction by vanity and brilliance of light, fascination with female beauty, popularity, fame. Therefore, at the end of the work, paraphrasing the well-known biblical statement, the author exclaims to his invisible interlocutor-readers: throw my stone on the coffin if you yourself are not like that!

Theme, idea

By analyzing Derzhavin’s poem “Recognition” by keywords, we identify its ideological and semantic center: “the mind and heart of man were my genius.” It is “humanity,” that is, humanity, with the kindness, sincerity, faith in all the best that is characteristic of it. This is confirmed by other examples of the text: the hero does not like to pretend to be “a philosopher to take a look”, in poetry he does not glorify himself, but the higher forces that awarded him with talent. In every possible way emphasizing precisely the human nature of his gift, Derzhavin “Recognition” builds on the principle of opposition. He emphasizes that if he glorified the kings, then not because of loyal feelings, but in order to sing the virtues needed by government officials and point them to the powers that be. Victories were praised, so that descendants knew about important events of their history, were proud of them, and their country, their time, too, was raised to the podium of great achievements. In the eyes of the lyrical hero and truth, he "blurted out" the nobles, criticizing them not out of envy or anger, but to make them better. It is sincerity, truthfulness, openness to the world and people that Derzhavin considers to be the main advantages of his poetry. “Recognition”, the analysis of which we have made, allows us to assert this fully. That is why the gift of Gabriel Romanovich, his unique poetic heritage, is valuable to us. Closing the era of classicism of Russian literature, he managed to give it a lively human appearance. Therefore, Pushkin sincerely considered Derzhavin his brilliant teacher.