Anna Akhmatova did not like to be called a poetess. She heard something dismissive in this word. Her poetry, on the one hand, was very feminine, intimate and sensual, but, on the other hand, it contained quite masculine themes, such as creativity, historical upheavals of Russia, and war. Akhmatova was a representative of one of the modernist trends - acmeism. The members of the Workshop of Poets group, an acmeist organization, believed that creativity was a craft, and a poet was a craftsman who should use the word as a building material.
Akhmatova as an acmeist poet
Akemism is one of the trends of modernism. Representatives of this trend came into conflict with the Symbolists and their mysticism. For acmeists, poetry is a craft, you can learn it if you constantly practice and improve. Akhmatova was of the same opinion. Acmeists in verses have few images and symbols, words are carefully selected, therefore it is not necessary to use them in a figurative sense. One of the most famous poems written by Akhmatova is “Courage”. The analysis of the poem shows how significant the Russian language was for the poetess. Ator treats him very reverently and respectfully: this is manifested both at the level of form and at the level of content. There are practically no means of expressiveness in the poem , phrases are short and capacious.
Anna Akhmatova "Courage"
The analysis of the poem must begin with the history of creation. Anna Akhmatova began work on the Wind of War collection immediately after it began, in 1941. It should have been her contribution to the victory, her attempt to raise the morale of the people. The poem "Courage" entered into this cycle of poems and became one of the most striking.
Theme and idea of the poem
The main theme of the poem is the Great Patriotic War. Akhmatova implements this topic in her own way. The main thing that people need, so Akhmatova believes, is courage. An analysis of the verse shows how, in just a few lines, the poetess was able to express the idea that the enemies lay claim to the destruction of Russian culture, to the enslavement of Russian people. She does this by calling the most important thing for a Russian person - the Russian language, distinctive and unique.
Size, rhyme, rhetoric and stanza
Analysis of the verse "Courage" Akhmatova must begin with a consideration of its construction. It is written by five-foot amphibrach. A similar size gives the verse recitativeness and clarity, it sounds jerky, inviting, rhythmic. There are three stanzas in the poem. Two of them are full quatrains, that is, they consist of four lines connected by a cross rhyme. The third stanza suddenly breaks off on the third line, which consists of only one word - “forever”. Akhmatova thereby emphasizes the significance of this word, her steadfastness and confidence in the power of the Russian people and the country as a whole. With this word, she sets the general mood of the text: Russian culture will exist forever, no one can destroy it. Of course, neither the language, nor the culture of the country can survive without a people who must necessarily show courage, simply can not give up.
“Courage”, Akhmatova: analysis of expressive means
In any plan of analysis of the verse there is always a point "means of expression." Moreover, it is not enough just to write them out, you also need to determine the function of each of the means in the text. As noted above, acmeists used little pictorial means in their poems, and Akhmatova adhered to the same principle. “Courage,” the analysis of which necessarily requires consideration of the lexical and syntactic figures of speech, is of great interest. The poem begins with a detailed metaphor. "Our watch" is a gloomy modernity. Akhmatova’s lot fell on hard times: World War I, revolution, civil war ... And then World War II ... Akhmatova didn’t leave the country when the first wave of emigration surged, she didn’t leave her during the years of the Nazi invasion. Akhmatova personifies Russian speech and the Russian word, referring to him as a friend, to "you". In connection with this personification, a metaphor arises - we will save from captivity. This metaphor means that if Hitler Germany defeated Russia, the Russian language would fade into the background, children would not be taught to it, it would stop developing. And the decline of the Russian language means the complete decline of Russian culture and the destruction of centuries-old traditions and the nation as a whole.
The poem uses lexical repetition, the author focuses on some meanings: hour-hours, courage-courage (in the first stanza). The poetess also used syntactic parallelism in the second stanza, which enhances the effect of the idea that the Russian people will fight fiercely, to the last drop of blood, not sparing themselves, showing courage. Akhmatova (analysis proved this) does not betray the canons of acmeism, but speaks of an urgent problem.