“Sail” is, of course, one of the greatest works of the poet M. Yu. Lermontov. The main topics in it are the search for a place in life and the loneliness of a person. It is worth noting that in most of the works of the poet, these topics are most often the main ones. Below is an analysis of Lermontov’s poem “Sail”. We also get acquainted with the history of writing the work.
Writing history
An analysis of Lermontov’s poem is worth starting with the history of its creation. It was written by Mikhail Yurievich at a young age of 17 in 1832 in St. Petersburg. That period of life was not easy for the future poet: he had to leave Moscow and leave the university. Of course, such drastic changes in life could not but affect the inner state of the young man.
Despite the fact that he dreamed of becoming a philologist, according to the instructions of his beloved grandmother, he went to Petersburg in order to enroll in a cadet school. And in this city, Mikhail Yuryevich was left alone with his feelings and thoughts about his future fate. Therefore, it is not surprising that during one of the walks along the Gulf of Finland, he created one of the pearls of Russian poetry - the poem "Sail".
He sends the original version in a letter to M. Lopukhina. In it, the first line speaks of a distant sail. Later, the poet will replace this word, and the line will sound like this: "The sail turns white." Lermontov borrowed this beginning from A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky from the poem "Andrei, Prince Pereyaslavsky." So the famous poem "Sail" appeared.
Images in the work
In the analysis of Lermontov’s poem, it should be noted that the main character - the sail - is not just a means of transportation by sea. This is the image of a person who goes with the flow of life, trying to find his place. This is the image of a person who feels lonely among people. But he does not lose hope that someday he will be able to find answers to his questions, and that his life will shine with a ray of hope.
The sea in the poem is life, and the sailboat is desperately trying to sail in the direction he needs. Yes, there are difficult periods in life, but after any storm the sea becomes calm again. But in the poem of Mikhail Lermontov, a sailboat is a person who is constantly in search, who cannot find his place, even when everything is calm in life.
It is not surprising that the poet chose just such images for his work. Indeed, in that period of his life, he made a difficult decision for himself: to leave everything in Moscow and start a new life in St. Petersburg. Of course, this decision was not easy for him, so all the experiences of the young man were reflected in this poem.
In what genre is the work written
An analysis of Lermontov’s poem should also indicate in which genre it was written. "Sail" can be attributed to the lyrical short story. Against the backdrop of a beautiful sea landscape and a lone sailboat, the poet reflects on loneliness and the search for his place in life.
In the bustle of life, the young poet is trying to find a place along with his views, experiences, dreams. Lermontov wanted to break out of this raging current and find his own safe haven that would shelter him and calm his rebellious inner world.
The main themes of the work
In the analysis of Lermontov’s poem “Sail”, two themes need to be distinguished that determine the semantic component of his creation - these are the themes of loneliness and the search for meaning and place in life. It should be emphasized that they will often be found in his other works. The poem not only colorfully describes the seascape, but also conveys the mood of the poet, who faced a difficult choice.
Mikhail Lermontov, having moved to St. Petersburg, left everything that was dear to him in Moscow, and not only his dream of philology, but also love. But at the same time, the young man understands that thoughts of experiences will not help him find a place in life. That in order to find happiness, your harbor needs to fight and learn to make difficult decisions.
But at the same time, the poet feels lonely in this cold city, in which he cannot share his experiences with anyone. But he still hopes that, like a ray above a sailboat, his life will also be illuminated by a ray of light. But the poet feels that even having found a quiet haven, he still will not be able to calm his rebellious nature. And therefore, loneliness and the search for the meaning of life are the main topics of Lermontov’s poems.
Artistic expressive means
In the analysis of Lermontov’s poem, one of the points is the listing of the used artistic means of expression. "Sail" is written in four-legged iamba using the cross-rhyming method.
Expression in a poem is enhanced by the use of tools such as anaphora, inversion, and syntactic parallelism. Impersonations, epithets and metaphors give brightness to images.
This was a brief analysis of the poem "Sail" by Lermontov. Despite the fact that it was written by the poet at a young age, even then one could see his talent, how surprisingly it combined deep inner feelings and mature reasoning. And this combination can be seen in one of his most famous creations, “Sail”.