Analysis of Blok’s poem “Rus”: history of creation, theme, composition and means of expression

Analysis Plan

The poem reveals the extraordinary talent of Alexander Blok and his love for his native land. The work can be analyzed according to plan:

History of creation;
topics and problems;
main idea;
genre and direction;
poetic meter;
composition;
means of expression.

Each of these points can be briefly described. The analysis reveals the history of writing the work, the poet’s intention when creating it, as well as the features of the poem.

History of creation

Blok finished writing the poem in the fall of 1906. This work dates back to the early period of the poet’s work. Later the verse was submitted for publication in the second volume of Blok's lyrics. Alexander Alexandrovich wrote his “Rus” during the First Russian Revolution. He was very worried about the people and thought about the tragic fate of his country. During the revolution, the government brutally dispersed workers' protests and suppressed any dissent.

There was terrible cruelty felt both from the protesters and from the authorities. The poet believed that Russia, despite its high level of development, during this period returned to a wild, primitive state, because it could not find its way.

These thoughts were reflected in the text - the motif of the road and the libertine became the main one in the text. The poet felt that the country was not yet ready for revolution. And therefore Rus' in his poem appears dormant.

Analysis of the poem Rus Blok

What poet or writer would not have a heartache for his homeland? If there are any, they are very few. But how does a talented person with the gift of writing pour out his experiences? He creates a new work. Alexander Alexandrovich Blok was no exception, and in 1906, during the First Russian Revolution, he wrote a poem dedicated to his Motherland, torn apart by the people. People seem to be in a state of drowsiness, like the lyrical hero in the poem, they do not know what they are doing, they are like blind kittens trying to follow the smell of milk.

Reality intertwines with fiction, the lyrical hero, being in a sweet dream of forgotten times that have long since sunk into oblivion, still clings to the symbols of the present. In his view, Russia is a fairy-tale country, which is perfectly conveyed by the epithets “night round dances” and “diverse peoples.” The first associations that arise with this are ancient rituals, sacraments, magic and sorcery. There is no coherent image of Blok’s Rus'; only individual features can be identified: unusual, but poor, pure, but poor. The work is built on such a means of artistic expression as personification: Rus' appears before readers in the image of a woman. As is customary in ancient folk tales, the poem contains hyperbolic elements: “girdled by rivers,” “surrounded by wilds.”

The poetic meter matches the work itself: it seems to be a simple iambic, but at the same time, Blok dilutes it with two unstressed syllables - pyrrhic, which fits perfectly into the mythical picture of the poem. The combination of male and female rhyme adds fuel to the fire, plunging the reader into an atmosphere of mystery. The structure of the poem is also interesting: Blok uses the “ring” stylistic device, i.e. repeats his sentence in different parts of the text (“I doze - and behind the doze there is a secret, and in mystery Rus' rests”).

The lyrical hero adores his homeland, worries about its fate, which is why he drives himself into a state of frustration. He remembers the past and considers it ideal; he would like everything to return to normal. Rus' is his life, no matter what it was, no matter what it became. He is connected with his homeland forever.

Briefly according to plan

Topics and issues

The main theme of the poem was the historical development of the country. Throughout his work, the poet thought about the pressing issues of the country and reflected on love for his homeland. In the poem, Blok describes the difficult path of the Russian people, their traditions. The author talks about the endless nature of his homeland. He imagines his homeland as magical, mysterious, but at the same time poor. She has come a long way and achieved a lot, which is worth being proud of.

In addition to the main theme, the poem also raises other issues:

Nature theme. The author describes the endless expanses of the homeland and its beauty, which is hidden in the plants and animals living on its territory.
Homeland theme. The image of Rus' has feminine features. The lyrical character deifies his country, considers himself and other inhabitants unworthy of it. Because Rus' is an ideal that combines strength, maternal love, brotherly support and support, tenderness and affection of a beloved woman. Russia is divinely pure and kind, although it has suffered a lot during its existence.
The theme of wars and upheavals. The calm, measured life of Russia at that time, as well as Ancient Rus', was constantly interrupted by the fact that people continually declared war on each other. But the country, even going through tragic, bloody moments in its history, was always ready to help its people, heal the souls of people and become for them a reliable shelter from all troubles.
The block also touches on the problem of the right path and life choices. The author, in the person of the lyrical hero, recalls that many roads were trodden in his native land. People made their choice, walked their path in this life. But the road they chose, alas, was not always happy; there were many dangerous ones, ones that it was better not to walk on.

Alexander Blok says that every person living in the world is trying to find his true path and find his place on earth. So he starts talking about the meaning of human existence and his purpose in this huge world.

The revolution of 1905 had a great influence on A. Blok. She revealed the complete inconsistency of his revolutionary ideals. At the same time, the bloody events showed the poet a real picture of reality. From that time on, he began to gradually move away from symbolism. Instead of vague and unclear images, themes that are directly related to real life appear in his work. One of them is the theme of the Motherland. Blok was very fascinated by the image of long-suffering Russia. He saw in him a possible way out of a difficult situation. The theme of national unity seemed like a salvation for a society that was torn apart by contradictions. In 1906, the poet wrote the poem “Rus,” which is imbued with great love for his country.

The image of a Woman, which Blok glorified in the past, is transformed into the image of Eternal Russia, personifying at the same time Mother, Wife and Friend. The poet emphasizes her divine origin and mysterious appearance: “I will not touch your clothes.” The patriotic theme in Russia has always been closely connected with Orthodoxy. However, Blok does not use religious symbols at all. Before us rises pre-Christian pagan Rus' with its ancient legends and beliefs (“sorcerers with sorcerers”, “witches ... with devils”). The poet describes the immensity of his country, its multinationality. Of particular importance to him is the rich Russian history, rooted in ancient times.

The lyrical hero in the poem is in a state of “sleep”. Blok means that Russia has not yet emerged from its eternal sleep. The Russian soul contains enormous internal forces that are waiting to be awakened. Despite all its greatness, the country is still poor and miserable. A sad motif appears, associated with the image of a lonely night singer in a cemetery. The author notes that his songs express a generalized feeling of love for the Motherland, not tied to anything specific. In this one can see the poet’s hint at various political movements, each of which offered its own only true path for Russia. They are only capable of “sullying the original purity” of their Motherland. Blok believes that he was able to preserve a “living soul” that feels sincerely worried about the fate of the country. The last quatrain almost completely repeats the first. The author closes the composition by depicting the integral image of Eternal Russia.

The poem “Rus” is a vivid example of a patriotic theme in Blok’s work.

main idea

The main idea of the poem is that a person can truly love only his homeland and only expect reciprocity from it . The main idea of the work is at the same time an answer to the question that arose in the head of the lyrical character when he was walking half asleep to the cemetery. The hero comes to the conclusion that the Russian land has endless strength, because it draws it from the fact that it gives everything to its people.

With this, the author tried to express the idea that Rus' shares all the troubles with the people and thereby heals two souls at once - hers and his. When the homeland gives people the necessary help, it itself gains strength. Russia is inextricably linked with its people and its soul is expressed in them. And no matter how the country gets lost on its way, it will still have to walk this long, long-suffering road, because only it is righteous.

Analysis of the poem by A.A. Bloc "Rus"

The poem “Rus,” included in the second volume of Blok’s lyrics, was written in 1906. Here the poet raises one of the central themes of mature creativity - the theme of the homeland. The poem is permeated with the spirit of antiquity. The author takes the reader to those distant times when “diverse peoples” led “night round dances.” The lyrical hero sees in his Rus' some kind of incomprehensible secret, a riddle:

You are extraordinary even in your dreams.

I won't touch your clothes.

I doze - and behind the doze there is a secret,

And in secret - you will rest, Rus'.

In this poem, Rus' appears not just as mysterious and enigmatic, but also as a fairy-tale, magical country inhabited by “witches and sorcerers” and where “witches amuse themselves with devils.” But Rus' is not only depicted as mysterious and enchanting. She is also poor, sad, in rags. And yet the lyrical hero is bewitched by her and in love with her. The secret of Rus' is not in its fabulousness, and not even in its captivating beauty, but in the fact that it “has not tarnished the original purity.” This is the solution to the mystery that the author began the story about in the first stanza and mentioned again in the last, final (ring composition).

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Genre and meter

The poem belongs to the poet's philosophical lyrics. It is written in the form of an appeal from the author to his homeland. Since the verse was created during the revolutionary years, it is a vivid example of the patriotic direction in the lyrics of Alexander Alexandrovich. The work does not describe the events that were happening in the state at that time, but the poet, through symbolic images, was able to convey his feeling of anxiety for the future of the Russian people.

The poem is written in iambic tetrameter with stress on the second syllable. The rhyme in it is cross. There is a pyrrhic in each line which makes the verse easier to understand. Blok often divided the work into parts with one stressed or several unstressed sounds. Due to this, the intense life of the lyrical character is emphasized.

Features of the composition

Compositionally, the poem can be divided into two parts. They are connected by the figure of a lyrical character:

The first part is more hidden, it describes the historical appearance of Rus', its rich nature and the poverty of the people living on its territory.
The second part tells about the lyrical hero, his deep feelings about the fate of the fatherland and his place in this world.

The poet clearly separated the two parts of the poem by using the adverb “so” at the beginning of the seventh stanza. This technique is called assimilation. With its help, the entire previous text is presented in the form of a figurative comparison to what will be said later.

The composition of “Rus” can be considered classic: at the end of the verse the same lines are repeated as at the beginning. This structure of the poem is called circular.

At the beginning of the work, the rhythm accelerated from the repetition of “where,” but after the sixth stanza there is a change in intonation and the rhythm slows down, forming all the conditions for the character’s thoughts. Due to this, it seems that he has calmed down and his soul has found a foothold. The lyrical work is distinguished by its dynamism. In it, external movement reflects the intense inner life of the poet.

Images and symbols

At the very beginning of the work, Alexander Blok introduces the image of Rus'. Her soul manifests itself in the thicket of the forest, the murmur of river waters, and moss-covered swamps. The ancient enchantress Rus' has come a long way from the mysterious times of sorcerers and witches to the amazing modern Russia with its rich cultural heritage and long-standing traditions. They were inherited from many peoples who once lived in its territories, and have now merged into one. At the same time, the image of the homeland is not at all idealized - it is at the same time sublimely noble and very poor and dressed in cheap clothes.

The second part of the poem reveals the character and image of the lyrical hero. His conversation is like a confession, in which he thinks about his life path and evaluates all the events that once happened to him through the fate and character of his beloved homeland. Throughout the entire verse, the character is looking for an answer to the question of how Russia can endure so many difficulties and hardships along the way, but nevertheless remain pure and untouched. The hero tries to understand how, despite everything, she can save the souls of her people from vices.

Poem text

You are extraordinary even in your dreams. I won't touch your clothes. I doze - and behind the doze there is a secret, And in the secret - you rest, Rus'.

Rus', girded by rivers and surrounded by wilds, with swamps and cranes, and with the dull gaze of a sorcerer,

Where the diverse peoples From edge to edge, from valley to valley They lead night round dances Under the glow of burning villages.

Where sorcerers and sorcerers enchant the grains in the fields, and witches amuse themselves with devils in the snow pillars of the road.

Where the blizzard violently sweeps up to the roof - a fragile dwelling, And the girl sharpens her blade against her evil friend Under the snow.

Where all the paths and all the crossroads are worn out by a living stick, and the whirlwind whistling in the bare twigs sings the legends of antiquity.

So - I recognized poverty in my slumber of my native land, And in the flaps of its rags I hide my soul's nakedness.

I trampled the sad, night path to the graveyard, and there, spending the night in the cemetery, I sang songs for a long time.

And I myself didn’t understand, I didn’t measure, to whom I dedicated the songs, what god I passionately believed in, what girl I loved.

You rocked a living soul, Rus', in its vastness, And now - it did not sully the Original purity.

I doze - and behind the doze there is a mystery, And Rus' rests in mystery, It is extraordinary even in dreams. I won't touch her clothes.

Artistic techniques

To give the poem expressiveness, Alexander Alexandrovich used many means. Brief analysis of tropes:

“You will rest, Rus'” - the author addresses the country as if it were a living person. Blok introduced several more personifications - “the spotless soul”, “the whirlwind sings legends”.
Epithets - “cloudy gaze”, “night round dances”, “pillars of snow”, “living soul”, “burning villages”, “various faces”, “white”. All of them made the verse more vivid and the images memorable.
The poem is filled with many metaphors - “a living stick”, “cereals enchant”, “the glow of burning villages”, “road pillars”, “girdled by rivers”, “surrounded by wilds”.
Blok also used periphrases in the work - “whistles in the bare twigs”, “in the rags of her rags”.
Inversion - “I will not touch your clothes,” “the blizzard is violently sweeping,” “the poverty of my native country,” “I have trodden the path,” “I am spending the night in the cemetery.”

At the beginning of the first and second stanzas, Alexander Blok emphasized the words “Rus” and “you,” thereby focusing attention on his trusting and respectful attitude towards the fatherland. From the third to the seventh stanzas, anaphora is used and the word “where” is repeated at the beginning, which highlights the pictures of nature that create a detailed image of the homeland.

An analysis of Blok’s “Rus” will help you understand the essence of the work and its peculiarity. It will help schoolchildren in preparing for lessons and writing essays.

Analysis of Blok's poem Rus

The image of Russia has been repeatedly sung in the works of Russian poets and writers, and Alexander Alexandrovich Blok was no exception. In his poem “Rus,” Blok created an image of his homeland that comes to him in his slumber.

The image of Rus' in Blok’s poem is contradictory: Rus' is vast, spacious and on the other hand, has clear boundaries, it is real and at the same time full of mystery and enigma, it is poor, wretched, but extraordinary, clean, it is in rags, but these rags are sacred . For the lyrical hero, Rus' is not a warm house and a birch tree under the window, but rivers and wilds, swamps and cranes, these are night dances, these are dilapidated houses, violent blizzards, roads with deep ruts, a howling blizzard, a graveyard, poverty, rags, mystery, and in contrast to all the poverty, an untouched original purity. The lyrical hero is overcome by opposing feelings: on the one hand, pain for the state of his homeland, and on the other, admiration and respect for it.

The language in which the poem is written is of a high bookish style: drowsiness (half-asleep), rest (sleep), gaze (look), fragile (rotten, dilapidated), exhausted (exhausted), stick (stick), glow (light). The use of words from book vocabulary conveys the greatness of the created image and the reverent attitude towards it.

The poem has a ring frame: the first and last stanzas are repeated, which allows the reader to plunge into the sleepy visions of the lyrical hero, but if in the first stanza the lyrical hero addresses Rus' itself, then in the last he looks at it from the side.

The entire poem is permeated with an atmosphere of witchcraft, not magic, but rather dark, frightening, unfamiliar witchcraft. The mention in the poem of sorcerers and sorcerers, devils and witches creates this atmosphere. Also helping to create the mood of the work are the epithets “night”, “burning” and the mention of the graveyard where the lyrical hero sang songs. The same atmosphere is created by the metaphor “the living stick is exhausted.”

The author compares deep potholes and ruts on the road with traces of a stick, and immediately the image of an old man with heavy steps and a stick in his hand, or an old woman with an evil look, appears in my head. Blok was one of the symbolists, which is clearly felt in this work, because the image created by the poet is full of symbols, mysticism, does not have a clear expression, the world of things is intertwined in it with the world of thoughts, and sometimes it is difficult to draw a boundary between them. The image of the lyrical hero himself is fuzzy, unclear, undefined.

The poem has 44 verses (lines), divided into 11 stanzas (quatrains). The poem is written in iambic tetrameter. The rhyme in the poem is cross rhyme, in odd verses it is exact feminine (the penultimate syllable of the verse is stressed), in even verses it is exact masculine (the last syllable of the verse is stressed).

1906

Analysis of the poem Rus according to plan