Each poet in his own way portrayed his homeland. Someone in the image of a mother, someone claimed that the native land is a mother or lover. Others personified it, tried to show it as an individual person who also worries, suffers, loves and endures.
Alexander Alexandrovich managed to combine several versions of the images. At the same time, with each new poem, a new image of the Motherland opens in the lyrics of the Bloc. But this does not mean that the perception of his native land is scattered, his attitude towards him is changing. The poet understands and accepts the Motherland in all its versatility, grandeur and poverty, grace and suffering.
The concept of homeland for the block
The theme of the Motherland in the work of the Bloc was not initially present. She became the summary stage of his life. But it was he who became one of the most important in the fate of the poet.
The block did not come to such a topic immediately. She appeared after the poet’s long wanderings and many sufferings experienced. This contributed to the complete immersion of A. Block in the subject. And that is precisely why he did not limit himself to the stereotyped depiction of the Motherland as an abstract value. Or, on the contrary, as a certain territory, the existence of which is limited in the spatio-temporal continuum.
That is, Russia does not exist for him only now, and only from one border pillar to another along the surface. It penetrates things and destinies, dissipates in the air, is absorbed into the earth.
It is logical that with such an understanding and experience of the topic, the image of the Motherland in the work of the Bloc cannot have one face and the same image in the mirror of poetic mastery.
Variants of the image of the Motherland Block
To accurately reflect his feelings about his native land, Block used his poetic image in several ways. Literary scholars distinguish such options in which the Motherland is displayed in the lyrics of the Bloc:
- fabulousness - not a personified image of a magical land, with fabulous creatures, riddles, mysterious forests;
- romanticism - the Motherland is portrayed as the beloved of a young youth, tender, tremulous, unique;
- historicism is a land that has a past, its own history, and one cannot ignore them;
- poverty and suffering are not so much an image of the Motherland as a generalization of its inhabitants, who are undergoing not the best of times. But they do not betray their land, but accept it as it is, but with the hope of positive changes;
- a generalized image of a living creature - the Motherland is a living creature similar to man, but the characteristic is given only through abstract concepts, and not the concretization of certain features of the exterior;
- optimism - in this vein, the Bloc expresses its hopes for a brighter future for the country, believes in future favorable changes.
Fairy tales in the image
We find the image of Russia as a fairy-tale, mythical land in the poem “Russia”. Not only the described landscape resembles the folklore characteristics of a fictitious area, but also the mention of unrealistic creatures such as witches, witches, warlocks, traits and others. Elements of the environment - wilds, swamps - are also often used in mythological tales.
The colors that pop up in the imagination with this description are mainly black, gray, dirty green, brown.
But a sharp transition to a calm, peaceful contemplation of nature not only makes it clear that the first impression was erroneous. Such a sharp contrast emphasizes the mystery of Russia - either darkness and fears, then silence and laziness (the sea lazily washed the coast, yellow cliff, fields).
Romanticization of the image of the motherland
But the mythologization of the image of the Motherland is not an innovation of the Bloc. Many of his predecessors turned to this technique. Another thing is that he presented a fairy tale and reality in sharp contrast.
As you know, mythical images are inherent in the era of romanticism. But Blok was not a romantic, because the sublime images in his poetry take on a different character than their predecessors. So, the poet approached the fate of his homeland not from the philosophical, abstract side. He loved Russia, as they love a woman - selflessly, passionately.
But, as Aleksandr Aleksandrovich himself said, this is because in the world of poetry, in which he seeks to stay everywhere, there is no division into his own and the general. Everything in common, which concerns the very heart of the poet, becomes automatically personal. The intimate in poetry is put on public display, with the goal of being heard and understood.
Homeland is a woman. Beloved, a young beauty, a wife, but not a mother, as Blok's predecessors had represented her in her work. This is an unbridled, strong, alluring diva, but at the same time gentle, meek, beautiful. The poet lends an image of intimization, endowing it with those traits that are inherent in the Beautiful Lady sung by him.
As a decadent, he claims that only beauty is worth loving. Suffering is also an exalted feeling that everyone should accept and pass through himself, but not lose himself. Therefore, in order to love Russia, you first need to feel compassion for it, to comprehend the depth of its sorrows.
Russia in the diachronic section
The theme of the Motherland in the work of the Bloc is not limited only to the contemporary author. In order to better understand the nature of such a phenomenon, he resorted to historical excursions.
The concepts of Russia, the Homeland Blok identifies, and therefore the history of the country is inseparable from the life of every person who inhabits it. This is if we consider the concepts in a romantic context, too. So, we are interested in the past of the beloved, her fate, as a patriot, is attracted by history.
A series of poems "On the Kulikovo Field" is dedicated to the history of Russia. It provides a panoramic image of the life of the country from the Mongol-Tatar yoke to the present. In addition, the poet expresses his hopes for a brighter future for Russia, because it strives forward, has overcome a lot, has suffered, and after this prosperity invariably sets in.
Russia is poor and long-suffering
As in the contrast of landscapes, Russia is a heterogeneous country and in general well-being. We are talking about the poverty of individual citizens, which is adjacent to the incredible wealth of others, and the fate of the country as a whole. Heavily worried about the share of his native land in difficult political and economic conditions, the poet nevertheless expresses his deep confidence that everything will change.
Even in the "golden years" in Russia, "three worn braces" were fluttered, and painted knitting needles got involved in loose slopes. That is, everyone is trying to acquire personal material well-being, forgetting about the public. This is one of the key, according to the author, problems of Russian society.
With all this external poverty, Blok focuses on fertile soil, the wealth of the earth. The poet describes the feeling of love for the Motherland as pure, naive, virgin. It is the theme of the Motherland in Blok's poetry that echoes the motives of emotions about first love and its tears. The same suffering, crystalline, unsullied, he suffers when he thinks about the fate of the country.
Personalized image without reference to specifics
A new vision of the image of the native land gives us an analysis of the poem "Homeland". The block in its cycle gives us an understanding of the image of Russia as well as a personified being. But at the same time there is no attachment to a specific personality or collective image.
Homeland is something, or rather, someone generalized. Alive, but ephemeral. She stands behind the soul of the author as his main wealth and greatest suffering.
The country breaks away from the earthly, material and appears as the highest matter. Rather, this is not the image of the homeland itself, namely, love for it. This suggests a partial departure of the Bloc from decadence. He does not live in a material world, but in a sublime, detached from earthly concerns. But he immediately admits attachment to a real being - the Motherland.
Optimism in the image of Russia
With all the pessimistic, at first glance, depiction of Russia, the theme of the Motherland in Blok's poetry is nevertheless highlighted in an optimistic way. The author hopes for a quick change of position. He explains this with a simple law of justice, which will surely triumph. Russia, which has undergone many revolutions, wars, devastation, poverty, simply cannot help becoming a superpower rich power.
He compares it to a trio, which is harnessed by dashing horses that do not know rest. Neither the “loose track” nor the blizzard are so scary.
And so a cycle of poems was born, which only Blok could write at that time - “Homeland”. The analysis of verses from the cycle gives confidence in a bright future and hope in better times.
Tools for creating an image of the Motherland
One of the most common means that the poet uses is personification. The theme of the Motherland in the work of the Bloc acquires a close sound, Russia itself is now turning into a young girl, now into a wild and unbridled woman, now it becomes a fabulous place.
The theme of the Motherland in Blok's poetry is also revealed through the development of the image. Almost all the options for presenting the image are built on this, to a greater or lesser extent, which is confirmed by the analysis of the poem. "Homeland," Blok has not in vain chosen such a simple name for the cycle. This is the result of the poet’s work, the expression on paper of all his thoughts and worries that have accumulated throughout life.
Bloc's innovation in the image of the Homeland
The predecessors of the poet in the image of the homeland also used a tool such as personification. And many of them revived the image, instilling it in a feminine guise. But the theme of the Motherland in the work of Blok acquired a new meaning - this is not a mother, as others described her, but a girlfriend, bride, wife. That is, she is in grief and joy goes shoulder to shoulder with the lyrical hero. And it does not patronize, but itself needs protection.
Also unusual is the presentation of the image in the form of something living, but at the same time abstract. Russia is not a picture, an image, but an object associated with each of its things.