Poems about Russia occupy a rather extensive niche in the work of A.S. Pushkin. The poet paid special attention to the village, the life of peasants, and the beauty of Russian nature. Pushkin's work "The Village" is an example of this kind of lyrics. In it, the author touches on many contemporary problems.
History of creation
As you know, Pushkin was friendly with the Decembrists. He attended secret circles and meetings, the most active participants of which were Chaadaev, Bestuzhev, Pushchin. This hobby could cost Pushkin exile to Siberia. However, the author paid for his freedom-loving lyrics only by sending them to the Caucasus (to the South Exile), and subsequently to a settlement in his native estate Mikhailovskoye. Pushkin wrote the poem "The Village" even before exile, when in 1819 he came from St. Petersburg to stay at Mikhailovskoye. It clearly sounds one of the most important topics of the leading authors of that time - the abolition of serfdom, oppression of the tsarist government.
Subjects, problems, ideological content
An analysis of Pushkin's poem "The Village" shows that its meaning is multilayered. The verse is quite large in volume, thanks to this, Pushkin was able to reveal several topics in it at once.
Firstly, he talks about the beauty of the Russian countryside. The author wants to show how beautiful and picturesque the expanses of our country are. Without hiding, he also admires the people, their way of life.
Secondly, the author talks about privacy and its benefits. According to Pushkin, in the village it is better to write and create, because there you even breathe more freely. Pushkin admires the fact that in Mikhailovsky he can completely immerse himself in thoughts and creativity, because there is no running around, fuss, murmuring.
Thirdly, the poet raises the problem of serfdom. Slavishness, poverty, the degraded position of the peasants - that is what else Pushkin saw in the countryside. "Village" is a poem built on contrast.
Composition
An analysis of Pushkin’s poem "The Village" will not be completely complete without considering its construction. Logically, the text is divided into two parts. In the first, Pushkin rejoices that he finally fell into the "haven of tranquility, work and inspiration." In the second, he is indignant at the fact that "the nobility is wild, without feeling, without law" reigns in him. Thus, the verse is built on the antithesis that allows the author to express his main idea. Russia is a beautiful country in which there is everything, but there is no right political and social structure in which everyone has the right to development, education and a worthy existence.
We can meet similar thoughts with many poets. For example, with Lermontov: "I love the Fatherland, but with a strange love ...". Here Lermontov also expresses his love for the Motherland, for its vastness and beauty, but he is dejected by what is happening in the state. We see the same with Blok in the poem "Russia", where the author openly calls the country a beggar.
Analysis of Pushkin's poem "Village" in parts
It is necessary to trace how the mood of the work changes from one part to another, what poetic means the author uses.
Part one
So, the first part of the work is very lyrical. In order to convey the beauty of rural nature, the author resorts to various means of expression. In the very first lines we see peripheral. After all, Pushkin never used the word "village", calling it a "quiet corner." Perifrase we see later. Secular life in St. Petersburg, balls and salons, the author called the "vicious courtyard of Circe." This Pushkin continues the tradition of the 18th century, in which it was customary to attract images from ancient mythology. Using this comparison, the author demonstrates that secular, urban life easily lures people into their networks, time flies there quickly, as in the castle of Circe, the person does not even notice how useless his life goes. Describing the landscape, the author resorts to such epithets as "light", "azure", "winged". One can see with what tenderness Pushkin treats all the details. "Village" is a poem that contains only what, in his opinion, is characteristic of our country. And these are gardens, meadows, rams and mills, fields, cornfields and hills.
But already in the first part, the idea sounds that the author is not just happy for solitude, that his creative thoughts are not asleep, he is eager for action, he wants to convey the idea to readers, he wants to draw attention to the problem, which will be discussed in the second part of the verse.
Part two
“Terrible” thought does not allow the lyrical hero to enjoy all the beauty and tranquility. The idea that this region is not just secluded, but it is also abandoned, wild, ignorant. The nobility reigns here. However, an analysis of Pushkin’s poem "The Village" suggests that slavery is also masked behind this word, which the poet will say two lines below. Pushkin is not particularly afraid of persecution and persecution, because the work sounds very sharply and sharply. The author talks about everything: about work without rights and privileges, about tyranny, about anger, calling the nobles "villains", hinting that many peasant girls became victims of immoral landlords, about cruelty.
The meaning of the final lines
However, does Pushkin think that Russia has no chance of a brighter future and that it is doomed to eternal inequality? In the end, the poet directly addresses his people. He regrets that he is unable to “light” the hearts of people, that his gift is wasted. The ending of the poem sounds very emotional and bright. Rhetorical questions and exclamations set intonation, creating the necessary atmosphere. Pushkin does not position his verse "Village" as an open call for revolution. He believes that slavery will be overthrown "by the mania of the king." This is a peculiarity of the author’s lyrics, who didn’t want forcible destruction of the existing system, didn’t want the country to go into ruin (as it happened at the beginning of the 20th century). He appealed primarily to the wisdom of the ruler, for which he was sent into exile.
So, serfdom is one of the main topics that A.S. Pushkin addressed. "Village" (year of writing - 1819) is an example of freedom-loving lyrics in which the poet expresses his dissatisfaction with the oppressed position of the people. But at the same time, he is proud of his Motherland, which boasts beauty and wealth, traditions and history, strength and spiritual perfection of the people.