“Reflections at the Main Entrance” Nikolai Nekrasov
Here front entrance. On special days,
Possessed by a servile illness,
A whole city with some kind of fear
Drives up to the treasured doors;
Having written down your name and rank,
The guests are leaving for home,
So deeply pleased with ourselves
What do you think - that’s their calling!
And on ordinary days this magnificent entrance
Poor faces besiege:
Projectors, place-seekers,
And an elderly man and a widow.
From him and to him you know in the morning
All the couriers are jumping around with papers.
Returning, another hums “tram-tram”,
And other petitioners cry.
Once I saw the men come here,
Village Russian people,
They prayed at the church and stood away,
Hanging their brown heads to their chests;
The doorman appeared. “Allow me,” they say
With an expression of hope and anguish.
He looked at the guests: they were ugly to look at!
Tanned faces and hands,
The Armenian boy is thin on his shoulders,
On a knapsack on their bent backs,
Cross on my neck and blood on my feet,
Shod in homemade bast shoes
(You know, they wandered for a long time
From some distant provinces).
Someone shouted to the doorman: “Drive!
Ours doesn’t like ragged rabble!”
And the door slammed. After standing,
The pilgrims untied their wallets,
But the doorman did not let me in, without taking a meager contribution,
And they went, scorched by the sun,
Repeating: “God judge him!”
Throwing up hopeless hands,
And while I could see them,
They walked with their heads uncovered...And the owner of luxurious chambers
I was still in deep sleep...
You, who consider life enviable
The intoxication of shameless flattery,
Red tape, gluttony, gaming,
Wake up! There is also pleasure:
Turn them back! Their salvation lies in you!
But the happy are deaf to goodness...The thunder of heaven does not frighten you,
And you hold earthly ones in your hands,
And these unknown people carry
Inexorable grief in the hearts.Why do you need this crying sorrow?
What do you need these poor people?
Eternal holiday quickly running
Life doesn't let you wake up.
And why? Clickers3 fun
You are calling for the people's good;
Without him you will live with glory
And you will die with glory!
More serene than an Arcadian idyll4
The old days will set.
Under the captivating sky of Sicily,
In the fragrant tree shade,
Contemplating how the sun is purple
Plunges into the azure sea,
Stripes of his gold, -
Lulled by gentle singing
Mediterranean wave - like a child
You will fall asleep, surrounded by care
Dear and beloved family
(Waiting impatiently for your death);
They will bring your remains to us,
To honor with a funeral feast,
And you will go to your grave... hero,
Silently cursed by the fatherland,
Exalted by loud praise!..However, why are we such a person?
Worrying for small people?
Shouldn't we take our anger out on them?
Safer... Even more fun
Find some consolation in something...
It doesn’t matter what the man will endure:
This is how providence guides us
Pointed out... but he’s used to it!
Behind the outpost, in a wretched tavern
The poor will drink everything down to the ruble
And they will go, begging along the road,
And they will groan... Native land!
Name me such an abode,
I've never seen such an angle
Where would your sower and guardian be?
Where would a Russian man not moan?
He moans across the fields, along the roads,
He groans in prisons, in prisons,
In the mines, on an iron chain;
He groans under the barn, under the haystack,
Under a cart, spending the night in the steppe;
Moaning in his own poor house,
I am not happy with the light of God's sun;
Moans in every remote town,
At the entrance of courts and chambers.
Go out to the Volga: whose groan is heard
Over the great Russian river?
We call this groan a song -
The barge haulers are walking with a towline!..
Volga! Volga!.. In spring, full of water
You're not flooding the fields like that,
Like the great sorrow of the people
Our land is overflowing, -
Where there are people, there is a groan... Oh, my heart!
What does your endless groan mean?
Will you wake up full of strength,
Or, fate obeying the law,
You have already done everything you could, -
Created a song like a groan
And spiritually rested forever?..
Analysis of Nekrasov’s poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance”
The textbook poem “Reflections at the Front Entrance” was written by Nikolai Nekrasov in 1858, becoming one of the many works that the author dedicated to to the common people. The poet grew up on a family estate, but due to the cruelty of his own father, he realized very early that the world was divided into rich and poor Nekrasovs, and he himself was among those who were forced to eke out a semi-beggarly existence. Since he was disinherited and earned his living independently from the age of 16. Understanding what it was like for ordinary peasants in this soulless and unjust world, the poet regularly addressed social issues in his works. What depressed him most was the fact that the peasants did not know how to defend their rights and did not even know what exactly they could count on under the law. As a result, they are forced to turn into petitioners, whose fate directly depends not so much on the whim of a high-ranking person, but on the mood of an ordinary doorman.
Petitioners visit one of the houses in St. Petersburg especially often, because the governor lives here. But getting to him is not an easy task, since a formidable doorman stands in the way of the applicants, shod “in homemade bast shoes.” It is he who decides who is worthy of meeting with an official and who should be driven away, even despite a meager offering. Such an attitude towards petitioners is the norm, although the peasants, naively believing in the myth of the good master, blame his servants for everything and leave without achieving justice. However, Nekrasov understands that the problem lies not in the doormen, but in the representatives of power themselves, for whom there is nothing sweeter than “the intoxication of shameless power.” Such people are not afraid of “thunders from heaven,” and they easily solve all earthly problems with the power of their own power and money. Needs ordinary people Such officials are not at all interested, and this is what Pot focuses on in his poem. The author is outraged that there is such a gradation in society, because of which it is impossible to achieve justice without money and high social status impossible. Moreover, the Russian peasant is a constant source of irritation and a reason for anger for such a bureaucrat. No one thinks about the fact that it is the peasants who hold everything together modern society which cannot do without free labor. The fact that all people, by definition, are born free is deliberately hidden, and Nekrasov dreams that someday justice will triumph.
“Reflections at the Main Entrance” Nekrasov
"Reflections at the Front Entrance" analysis of the work - theme, idea, genre, plot, composition, characters, issues and other issues are discussed in this article.
History of creation
The poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance” was written by Nekrasov in 1858. From Panaeva’s memoirs it is known that on one of the rainy days autumn days Nekrasov saw from the window how, from the entrance in which the Minister of State Property lived, a janitor and a policeman were driving away the peasants, pushing them in the back. A couple of hours later the poem was ready. The genre scene, which became the basis of the poem, was supplemented with satire and generalizations.
The poem was published by Herzen in the magazine "Bell" without the author's signature.
Literary direction, genre
The poem realistically describes the illness of the entire Russian society. The nobility is lazy and indifferent, the rest are subservient to her, and the peasants are powerless and submissive. The genre scene at the front entrance is a reason to think about the fate of the Russian people and Russian society. This is an example of civil poetry.
Theme, main idea and composition, plot
Nekrasov's poem is plot-based. It can be roughly divided into 3 parts.
First part - description an ordinary day from the life of the entrance. On special days important person come for visits or just leave a name in the book. On weekdays, the poor, the “old man and the widow,” come. Not all applicants receive what they ask for.
The second part is dedicated to the “owner of luxury chambers.” It begins with the appeal of the observer - the lyrical hero. The negative characterization of the nobleman ends with a call to wake up and turn back the petitioners. The following describes the supposed life and death of the nobleman.
The third part is a generalization and elevation of this particular case into a typical one. No on native land such a place where the Russian peasant, the sower and guardian of this land, would not suffer. All classes are in a state of spiritual sleep: both the people and the owners of luxurious palaces. There is a way out for the people - to wake up.
The topic of reflection is the fate of the Russian people, the breadwinner - the Russian peasantry. The main idea is that the people will never make their way to the main entrances of the masters; these are residents of different non-overlapping worlds. The only way out for the people is to find the strength to awaken.
Meter and rhyme
The poem is written in multi-foot anapest with a disordered alternation of trimeter and tetrameter. Female and male rhymes alternate, the types of rhyme also change: ring, cross and adjacent. The ending of the poem became a student song.
Paths and images
The poem begins with metonymy combined with metaphor. The city is obsessed with the servile disease, that is, the inhabitants of the city servile, like slaves, before the nobleman. At the beginning of the poem, the petitioners are dryly listed. Special attention The narrator devotes time to describing the men and uses epithets: ugly, tanned faces and hands, thin Armenian, bent backs, meager contribution. The expression " Let's go, they're burning with the sun"has become an aphorism. A piercing detail evokes compassion: the peasants who were driven away walk with their heads uncovered, showing respect.
The nobleman is described using stilted metaphors. He holds earthly thunders in his hands, but heavenly ones do not fear him. His life is an eternal holiday. Sweet epithets of romantic poets describe heavenly life nobles: serene Arcadian idyll, captivating Sicily sky, fragrant tree shade, purple sun, azure sea. The end of the nobleman's life is described with irony and even sarcasm. The hero will be silently cursed by his homeland, his dear and beloved family eagerly awaits his death.
The third part uses metonymy again. Lyrical hero addresses his native land, that is, all its inhabitants. He opens the life of a groaning people to all classes. Verb moans repeats like a refrain. The song of the people is like a groan (comparison).
After addressing the Russian soil, Nekrasov turns to the Volga. He compares the people's grief with the overflowing waters of the Russian river. In this part, Nekrasov again uses epithets Spring is full of water, people are cordial, the groan is endless. The last appeal is a question to the people: will they wake up, or will their spiritual sleep last forever, according to the natural course of things? For the realist Nekrasov, this question is not rhetorical. There is always a choice, reality is unpredictable.
Nekrasov’s poem “Reflections at the Front Entrance” was written based on the poet’s personal impressions; he wrote it in just a few hours. Brief Analysis“Reflections at the Front Entrance” according to the plan, which can be used in a literature lesson in the 7th grade, will help schoolchildren understand the work more deeply.
Brief Analysis
History of creation- the work was written in 1858; the name of Nekrasov was first published in Herzen’s magazine “The Bell”.
Theme of the poem- the fate of the Russian people in general and peasants in particular. It will never make its way to the masters and will never intersect with their world, so all that remains for ordinary people, according to Nekrasov, is to find the strength within themselves and awaken on their own.
Composition – this work consists of three parts, each of which has its own characters and a short story.
Genre- civil lyrics.
Poetic size– multi-foot (three- and four-foot anapest).
Metonymy – “a city possessed by a servile disease.”
Epithets – “cherished doors“, “magnificent entrance”, “tanned faces and hands”, thin Armenian”.
Metaphors – “heavenly thunders do not frighten you, but you hold earthly thunders in your hands“.
Irony – “dear and beloved family (looking forward to your death)“.
History of creation
Avdotya Panaeva spoke about how this poem was written. According to her, one stormy autumn day in 1858, the poet looked out the window at the neighboring front door, where many petitioners flocked, whom both the janitor and the policeman drove away with sticks. Panaeva saw that the poet was very saddened by what he saw, it deeply struck him. Nekrasov immediately, based on fresh impressions, sketched out a genre scene using real peasant images, supplemented it with satire and generalization - and literally a couple of hours later he finished his creation. The history of the creation of the work shows how concerned the poet was with the fate of the people. At the same time, he saw that the peasantry was in the same sleep as the nobles - that is why “Reflections at the Front Entrance” became a call to awakening.
Later, Herzen published it in the magazine “Kolokol”, but the poet’s signature was not under the poem. Subsequently, the last part of “Reflections at the Front Entrance” became a student song.
Subject
The main theme is the sad fate of the Russian peasantry, forced to come with a petition to the rich and leave with nothing, humbly taking off their hats and submitting to their fate. The scene that Nekrasov shows, according to his plan, should encourage people to think about the unjust structure of society, and the images of peasants should evoke sympathy.
Composition
The work is an example of compositional perfection - it is divided into three parts, each of which poses its own problem, but at the same time they are all united by a common meaning.
So, at the very beginning, a “solemn” day is described at the ceremonial of a rich nobleman, to whom they come to ask for favor. Not everyone gets what they wanted, and the men are completely driven away.
The second part tells about a nobleman who is sleeping when a crowd is already standing at his entrance. His life, according to the lyrical hero, is secure, but empty - and will remain so until his death.
The third part shows that what happened at the nobleman’s house is not an exception, but a typical case for Russian realities. In Rus', not only nobles sleep, but also peasants - this is the problem posed in the verse.
Genre
This shining example genre of civil lyricism, because the poem not only describes the problem of Russian society, but also clearly expresses the position of the author, who advocates a national awakening. Nekrasov is equally indignant and indifference of the lazy nobility, and the servility of smaller people before her, and the obedience of the peasantry.
In this work, Nekrasov uses such a poetic meter as a multi-foot anapest - three- and four-foot segments alternate. The rhyme is also varied - both masculine and feminine are used. The poet also alternates types of rhyme, using ring, cross and adjacent rhymes.
Means of expression
This work of the poet is filled expressive means. So, Nekrasov used the following techniques:
- Metonymy- “a city possessed by a servile disease.”
- Epithets- “cherished doors”, “lush entrance”, “tanned faces and hands”, thin Armenian.”
- Metaphors- “Heavenly thunders do not frighten you, but you hold earthly ones in your hands.”
- Irony- “dear and beloved family (waiting impatiently for your death).”
In addition, the poet also creates vivid images, using a comparison to describe barge haulers (“a groan is called a song,” that is, a song is like a groan). The poem also has an antithesis: the images of peasants, ugly, exhausted, in homemade bast shoes, are contrasted with the image of a nobleman who sleeps sweetly and eats deliciously, spending his life in idleness.
One of the most famous works the great Russian poet Nikolai Nekrasov - the poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance”, the analysis of which is an important milestone schooling. It was written in 1858. All poetic texts the author is imbued with compassion for the fate Russian people, but “Reflection...” especially reinforces this leitmotif.
Reflection practice
The process of reflection, reflection, self-immersion is an integral element of great Russian literature. Almost all leading poets necessarily had works called “Duma”. It is also enough to recall “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” by Radishchev or “Moscow - Petushki” by Erofeev. In absolute accordance with this exclusively Russian literary manner of “thinking deeply,” he wrote his “Reflections at the Front Entrance” and fits harmoniously into this literary and philosophical thought.
History of creation
It is known that the poetic character of the work - the front entrance itself - existed in reality. It was this that the Russian poet observed every day from his window. And quite often he had to witness how every day a crowd of those who were waiting for the grace of being accepted with their requests and aspirations stood at this entrance, among whom “both an elderly man and a widow.” Having once seen the unfolding picture, he transferred this place to the poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance.”
However, there was a reason that prompted him to record the daily observed picture. In general, one of the features of Nekrasov’s poetry is documentary. He strives to capture as honestly as possible the event that excited him or the person who surprised him. Here, too, a moment was recorded that struck the author and was imprinted in his memory. “Reflections at the Front Entrance” and the analysis of its subtle contrast show the depth of the author’s experiences.
To the mob
One day Nekrasov saw from the window how true representatives of the Russian nation had gathered as petitioners at the entrance opposite - men working on the land, growing bread, without straightening their backs. He touchingly describes these petitioners who pray to the church, “hanging their fair-haired heads to their chests.” However, no one is touched by the fate and requests of this main arm of Rus', no one wants to darken their firmament of a carefree life with such unsightly characters, their appearance and their pleas. The peasant, the flesh of the Russian land, whom Nekrasov and others extolled wonderful poets and the writers, the faceless doorman called them rabble, just glancing over their threadbare clothes.
The thought of the Russian peasant never left Nekrasov and was concentrated, among other things, in the poem “Reflections at the Front Entrance.” Analysis of the text shows how oppressed the poet was by the reluctance and inability of ordinary people to defend themselves. The peasants do not know their rights and are forced to become petitioners. Nekrasov keenly felt the depth of this subordination. “Reflections at the Front Door” proves this with every word.
The main character is the people
Doorman, trained for for many years work in his prestigious position, he is trained to instantly understand who is standing in front of him and what kind of reception should be given to whom. He immediately saw that the petitioners were “ugly to look at”, that “the Armenian was thin on the shoulders.” In such detail, with great compassion, boldly, one might say, lovingly, Nekrasov describes appearance worn out by hard work and the long way men.
But the created idyllic image is immediately interrupted by a rude “drive”, and immediately follows a detailed argument: “ours does not like ragged rabble.” As if someone struck with a whip, “the door slammed.” The most poignant thing, reflecting almost the entire history of the life of the Russian people, their aspirations and disappointed hopes, Nekrasov expressed in one phrase, informing the readers that the petitioners “untied the wallets.” However, that “meager contribution”, which the men may have been saving for a considerable amount of time, was not awarded even a slight glance from the doorman. Obviously, for him these are pitiful pennies, but for the man it is his sweat and blood. This permeates “Reflections at the Front Entrance”; the theme of the poem is precisely the people.
Owner of luxury chambers
An important technique of the poem “Reflection...” is the vivid contrast between the one who asks and the one who is asked. Nekrasov’s appeal to the one who “does not like the ragged mob” takes up almost a third of the entire work. He calls him “the owner of luxurious chambers”; the poet characterizes his life by listing idle, meaningless activities, such as “red tape, gluttony, gambling.” And such a life, the author is indignant, he considers “enviable,” he is “happy,” and therefore “deaf to good.” The nobleman entered the poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance” not by chance, and his fate will be sad.
The poet appeals to him, to his conscience, speaking about those whose “salvation” he can become. But then the author seemed to come to his senses, asking a question about to a greater extent to himself: “What do you need these poor people?” With his sorrow for the fate of the people, to which Nekrasov dedicated all his work, for the Russian peasant, he imbues literally every stanza that follows the description of the brilliant life of the owner of the chambers. He says that there is no such corner on Russian land where the groan of a man can be heard. Nekrasov reinforces the entire severity of his life by repeated repetition of the word “moaning.” It is in this verb, as well as in related words, that the author concentrates his main thought about the people. The grief contained in the poem “Reflections at the Front Entrance” and the analysis of the feelings of ordinary men urge readers to pay attention to this.
Hope of Eternal Sorrow
The ending of the poem is permeated with both an appeal and at the same time a question to those to whom the author dedicated his work. In this question-call, the motif of a dream sounds, as stable as the motif of a groan, which in Nekrasov’s poetry sounds steadily and constantly. The motif of sleep in relation to a man means a call to wake up. In relation to the nobleman, he predicts his end. This contrasting use of one motif enhances the contrast between the main themes of the work. Main idea"Reflections at the Front Door" is about demonstrating the contrast not only of the characters, but also the realities of their lives.
Carrying through oneself a feeling of compassion
Such zeal for his people, to whom Nekrasov dedicated almost all of his works, was associated with deeply personal experience. His father’s cruelty and disinheritance introduced Nekrasov very early to the ugly truth of life. From the age of 16, he was forced to earn money himself and early on he understood exactly how the world works. What he found most difficult was the fact that the peasants, whose lives were oppressed by eternal fear and the struggle for survival, did not even try to defend their rights, becoming petitioners and depending on the moods of not even the major ranks, but their servants. All this was included, to one degree or another, in “Reflections at the Front Door,” the plan for which probably began much later.
The poem “Reflections at the Main Entrance” was written by Nekrasov in 1858. From Panaeva’s memoirs it is known that on one rainy autumn day, Nekrasov saw from the window how, from the entrance in which the Minister of State Property lived, a janitor and a policeman were driving away peasants, pushing them in the back. A couple of hours later the poem was ready. The genre scene, which became the basis of the poem, was supplemented with satire and generalizations.
The poem was published by Herzen in the magazine "Bell" without the author's signature.
Literary direction, genre
The poem realistically describes the illness of the entire Russian society. The nobility is lazy and indifferent, the rest are subservient to her, and the peasants are powerless and submissive. The genre scene at the front entrance is a reason to think about the fate of the Russian people and Russian society. This is an example of civil poetry.
Theme, main idea and composition, plot
Nekrasov's poem is plot-based. It can be roughly divided into 3 parts.
The first part is a description of an ordinary day in the life of the entrance. On special days, people come to visit an important person or simply leave their name in a book. On weekdays, the poor, the “old man and the widow,” come. Not all applicants receive what they ask for.
The second part is dedicated to the “owner of luxury chambers.” It begins with the appeal of the observer - the lyrical hero. The negative characterization of the nobleman ends with a call to wake up and turn back the petitioners. The following describes the supposed life and death of the nobleman.
The third part is a generalization and elevation of this particular case into a typical one. There is no place on our native land where the Russian peasant, the sower and guardian of this land, does not suffer. All classes are in a state of spiritual sleep: both the people and the owners of luxurious palaces. There is a way out for the people - to wake up.
The topic of reflection is the fate of the Russian people, the breadwinner - the Russian peasantry. The main idea is that the people will never make their way to the main entrances of the masters; these are residents of different non-overlapping worlds. The only way out for the people is to find the strength to awaken.
Meter and rhyme
The poem is written in multi-foot anapest with a disordered alternation of trimeter and tetrameter. Female and male rhymes alternate, the types of rhyme also change: ring, cross and adjacent. The ending of the poem became a student song.
Paths and images
The poem begins with metonymy combined with metaphor. The city is obsessed with the servile disease, that is, the inhabitants of the city servile, like slaves, before the nobleman. At the beginning of the poem, the petitioners are dryly listed. The narrator pays special attention to the description of men and uses epithets: ugly, tanned faces and hands, thin Armenian, bent backs, meager contribution. The expression " Let's go, they're burning with the sun"has become an aphorism. A piercing detail evokes compassion: the peasants who were driven away walk with their heads uncovered, showing respect.
The nobleman is described using stilted metaphors. He holds earthly thunders in his hands, but heavenly ones do not fear him. His life is an eternal holiday. Sweet epithets of romantic poets describe the heavenly life of a nobleman: serene Arcadian idyll, captivating Sicily sky, fragrant tree shade, purple sun, azure sea. The end of the nobleman's life is described with irony and even sarcasm. The hero will be silently cursed by his homeland, his dear and beloved family eagerly awaits his death.
The third part uses metonymy again. The lyrical hero addresses his native land, that is, all its inhabitants. He opens the life of a groaning people to all classes. Verb moans repeats like a refrain. The song of the people is like a groan (comparison).
After addressing the Russian soil, Nekrasov turns to the Volga. He compares the people's grief with the overflowing waters of the Russian river. In this part, Nekrasov again uses epithets Spring is full of water, people are cordial, the groan is endless. The last appeal is a question to the people: will they wake up, or will their spiritual sleep last forever, according to the natural course of things? For the realist Nekrasov, this question is not rhetorical. There is always a choice, reality is unpredictable.
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