Anna Akhmatova is the greatest poet of the Silver Age, a strong and courageous woman. Her fate can not be called serene and easy, a lot of difficult trials fell on the lot of the woman. However, she did not lose her strength of mind until the very end and sought to share her perseverance and experience in her own verses. One of the works written by Anna Akhmatova, “Courage” (we will present an analysis of the poem below), will be the subject of this article.
About the poet
Today, the name of Anna Akhmatova is known all over the world, however, modern censorship did not miss many of her poems for publication. The closest people to Akhmatova were subjected to severe repression - the first husband Nikolai Gumilyov, the third husband Nikolai Punin and the beloved and only son Lev Gumilyov. Men were arrested by order of the authorities and declared enemies of the people. The torment of the mother, who carried the transfer to her son in prison, stood endless lines at any time of the year, survived despair and fear, but did not lose her courage, are described in the famous poem “Requiem” - a monument to tragedy and grief. It becomes clear by reading the poetry’s poems and analyzing them: Akhmatova’s courage not to occupy! She was a person with a strong character and for the most part wrote about her own feelings, although the works of art are fictitious.
In political matters, Anna Akhmatova always remained on the side of the people. This was also demonstrated in the poem Requiem, where the poetess described her place among the unhappy wives and mothers sobbing in queues in the cold, and in the poem Courage, dedicated to the fortitude of the Russian people.
Anna Akhmatova, “Courage”: An Analysis of the Poem
The work was written in 1942, during the Great Patriotic War. This is the most important fact that should be considered when conducting an analysis of “Courage”. Akhmatova herself experienced the hardships of the war and could not be indifferent to this event. Of course, in the poem, the poet addressed the people. Courage is what is inherent in Russian people. Only the Russian people are able to forget about despair and fear, gather their last strength into a fist and rebel against black injustice. Anna Akhmatova speaks on behalf of the people, she herself equates herself with the people, the pronoun "we", used throughout the text of the poem, indicates the unification of ourselves and others. Cohesion in difficult wartime is the only way to win. And this is the main strength of the people, their meaning. An analysis of Akhmatova’s “Courage” allows us to conclude that the patriotic spirit is strongest in her, and she, without any doubt, would have rushed into the battle for her own Motherland.
Remembering the exploits of Soviet soldiers and even children and women, there is no doubt that for their beloved country, for truth and justice, people were ready to lose their homes and property, to go under bullets without fear and regret, to give their lives for the common good and future of their descendants.
Poetry during the war
During the war, the support of poets was very important for people and fighters. Words of courage and fearlessness motivated the soldiers, with verses and songs they went into battle, passed them from mouth to mouth. Akhmatova’s poem has great power, her words are addressed to everyone.
The poetess calls to remember about what should be shown her courage: for the sake of preserving the motherland, for the sake of future generations, for the sake of a peaceful sky above her head. The Russian people would not allow the Nazis to seize their land, make slaves of their children, destroy the culture and the Russian word, because the Russian language is the greatest heritage for posterity. This is what the poetess claims in the last lines of her poem. The main thing that Anna Akhmatova calls for is courage.
A brief analysis of the poetic characteristics of the work is provided below.
Poetics
The poem is written in a solemn, proclaiming tone, sounding loudly, as if Anna Akhmatova herself were reciting it. The analysis of the verse “Courage” shows that it is written by the four-foot amphibrach. The poem sounds emotionally, but expression is issued only at the end of the last line and is shown by means of an exclamation point. The work uses few epithets, they are abundantly applied only to the characteristics of the Russian word: "great", "free", "pure". This emphasizes its importance in the poem, in the history of the country and in the life of the poetess herself.
After analyzing Akhmatova’s “Courage”, it can be said that only a person who wholeheartedly cares for his homeland, has become inflamed with patriotism, could write such a poem. Anna Akhmatova is broadcasting from the crowd, she herself is among the people, which is why her work sounds so strong and so sincere.