1961 The poem “Native Land” was written. In the Leningrad hospital in the last years of the poetess’s life, with an epigraph from her own poem.
An analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Native Land” should begin with an answer to the question: “Why is it the native land, and not the country, not Russia?”
The poem was written for the twentieth anniversary of But Anna Andreevna writes not about the country, but about her native land, the fertile soil - the nurse. By the sixties, the tradition of worshiping the earth was a thing of the past, but Anna Andreevna is sure that ethnic memory still lives in the souls of people. And yes, “this is dirt on the galoshes,” but without it Russia would be nowhere. This dirt feeds us and takes us into itself at the end of life’s journey. The poetess’s lines have a huge meaning. There is no need to write odes about the land, you just need to remember that this is part of our homeland.
The theme of the homeland has always sounded in Anna Andreevna’s poetry. It was not just devotion, but service to the fatherland, despite any trials. Akhmatova was always with the people. Near. Together. She did not look down on her native people, like other poets.
Why not Russia, but the land? Because the poetess perceives her homeland not as a country, but as the land on which she was born and lives. She does not accept the political system, repression and war. But she loves her homeland, the people with whom she lives, and is ready to endure all the hardships with them.
She already wrote about this in 1922. “I’m not with those…” - it was from this poem that the last lines for the epigraph were taken. And over four decades, despite everything, her attitude towards her native land has not changed. But during these 40 years there was a lot of tragedy, both in her fate and in the fate of the country.
An analysis of Akhmatova’s poem “Native Land” cannot be complete without knowing the poetess’s life story. It is impossible to understand how courageous and devoted she had to be in order not to renounce her words and beliefs of forty years ago, if you do not know what she experienced during these years.
The analysis of A. Akhmatova’s poem “Native Land” should not begin in the traditional manner - with analysis of rhymes and other things, this will not give anything. And we should start with what happened before the writing of this poem in the life of “Anna of All Rus',” as her contemporaries called her. Only then will the deep meaning of the work become clear, all the bitterness and all the patriotism invested in it.
In 1921, Anna Andreevna learns that her close friend is leaving Russia. And this is how she reacts to the departure of her loved one: she writes, “I am not with those who abandoned the earth.” A poem written the following year and included in the collection Anno domini. In this poem there is indignation, anger and a fully expressed civil spirit, which should have changed in connection with subsequent events, but is only strengthened.
From 1923 to 1940, Anna Andreevna was not published. And this is hard for her. She was subjected to indirect repression. But that wasn't the hardest part. In 1935, her son Lev was arrested. And also her husband, but he was soon released. And Lev Nikolaevich, after a brief release, was arrested again. For five years, Akhmatova lived in tension and fear - whether her son would be pardoned or not.
In 1940, a wind of hope appears; the poetess is allowed to publish, some people are released from Stalin’s camps. But in 1941 the war begins. Hunger, fear, evacuation.
In 1946, when the grip of censorship seemed to have weakened, Anna Andreevna was expelled from the Writers' Union and the publication of her collections was prohibited. In fact, she is deprived of her livelihood. In 1949, Anna Andreevna’s son was arrested again, and again she stood in lines with parcels.
In 1951, she was reinstated in the Writers' Union. In 1955, the homeless poet was given a small house in the village of Komarovo near Leningrad, after being evicted from the Fountain House in March 1952. However, they are in no hurry to print it. And for several years Akhmatova’s poems have been published in samizdat.
In May 1960, Anna Andreevna began to suffer several heart attacks, and her ordeal in hospitals began. And in this condition she is in the hospital at the time of writing “Native Land”. What kind of will and devotion did you have to have in order to carry your love for your homeland through all the losses and not change your civic position?
The work is about love for the homeland, but the word “love” itself is not in it. When analyzing Akhmatova’s poem “Native Land,” it is easy to understand that it is deliberately excluded. The poem is structured in such a way that even without this word it reveals all the love for one’s native land. For this purpose, the two-part nature of the work is used, which is clear from the change in size.
The change in size immediately catches your eye when you analyze the poem “Native Land”. Akhmatova checked everything clearly. Iambic hexameter - first 8 lines. Next, the transition to anapest is three-foot, and after that - four-foot. Iambic is a denial of something that is not included in the poetess’s understanding of love. Anapest is a statement of a simple definition. Man is part of the earth, and to freely consider it yours means to love it.
It is also necessary to note the meaning of the word “land” itself when analyzing the poem “Native Land”. Akhmatova used them in pairs. The poem has two meanings. The first is the place where we live and die, a place that cannot be abandoned, no matter what happens. The second is soil, dust, “crunch in the teeth.” Everything is simple here. Both epithets (“promised”, etc.) and “decorative” vocabulary (“breedit”, “incense”) remain in the first, iambic part. The second part consists of vernacular language, there are no epithets. Everything is much simpler, but deeper. True love does not need pathos.
A. Akhmatova “Native Land”.
The poem was written in 1961 in a hospital, on the verge of death, and was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. It is not about the country as such, but about its eternal symbol - the fertile black soil, which grain growers still revere as their breadwinner. In the poem, the poetess showed a simple philosophical view of the future. L. Chukovskaya, in her notes about Akhmatova, recalls: “I wanted to leave, “Native Land” really hit my nerves.”
Speaking about the Motherland, poets usually show love for their native land through the landscape. Akhmatova does not have it. The land is only mentioned in the title.
Multiple negatives in the first stanza:we don’t carry it on our chests, we don’t make it up, it doesn’t bother us, it doesn’t seem – and confidence in the following:
For us it'sdirt on galoshes,
Yes, for us it iscrunch on teeth.
And we grind, and knead, and crumble
Those unmixed ashes, - prompt the reader to think that the poetess is having an argument-dialogue with someone. Its genre is a sonnet. The theme of the poem sounds in three quatrains, and in the last couplet (But we lie down in it and become it, That’s why we call it so freely - ours. .) - result. The epigraph (the poem “I am not with those who abandoned the earth” (1922)) is very important for Akhmatova. The key image in both the epigraph and the poem is “earth”: it is soil (dust, dirt), it is also dust (dust, remains), this is the country, this is the Motherland. The collective image of the lyrical heroine says that she is part of the people. That is why the suffering of the lyrical heroine is the suffering of the people (remember “Requiem”).
The motive for death sounds very calm: “But we lie down in it and become it, that’s why we call it so freely – ours.” Akhmatova says that at any moment we can turn to dust, but at the same time, this is a change of generations.
These simple final lines contain the highest philosophical meaning: there is no need to say pompous words about the native land, it is enough just to remember that it, the native land, is part of such a concept as “homeland”.
The theme of the homeland in the poetry of Anna Akhmatova occupies one of the most important places. In the poem “Native Land,” she views the homeland not as a country, but as a land that has nurtured and raised its children. We offer you a brief analysis of “Native Land” according to a plan that will be useful to 8th grade students in preparing for a literature lesson.
History of writing– The verse was written in 1961, and refers to the final period of the poetess’s work.
Theme of the poem- Love to motherland.
Composition- Compositionally, the poem is divided into two parts. In the first part, the lyrical heroine denies any external manifestation of love for her homeland, and in the second she shares her definition of the homeland.
Genre– Patriotic lyrics.
Poetic size– The first 8 lines are written in iambic, the next 6 lines are written in anapest, using cross and pair rhymes.
Metaphors – « dirt on galoshes”, “crunch on teeth”.
Epithets – “cherished”, “bitter”, “promised”.
Inversion– « We don’t do it in our souls.”
The poem was written by Anna Andreevna in her declining years, in 1961, during her stay in the hospital. This was the final period in Akhmatova’s work - a time of reflection, memories and summing up. The work was included in the collection entitled “A Wreath for the Dead.”
After the October Revolution, Akhmatova had many chances to leave the country, where chaos and rebellion reigned. Many relatives and friends of the poetess lived in Europe, but every time she received an invitation, she flatly refused to leave the places dear to her heart. Anna Andreevna sincerely did not understand how one could live far from one’s homeland, among strangers. In 1917, at a turning point in the history of Russia, the poetess made her conscious choice - no matter what, to share the fate of her homeland.
However, such a decision cost Akhmatova a lot of tears. She had to endure the execution of her husband, the arrests of friends who were shot or rotted alive in the camps, and the arrest of her only son.
Akhmatova shared the fate of millions of fellow citizens during the Great Patriotic War. Anna Andreevna survived all the horrors of besieged Leningrad, hunger, and the threat of repression constantly hung over her.
In 1961, the poetess wrote her poem “Native Land,” which she dedicated to the land-nurse, a patient and forgiving mother, the value of which modern society has ceased to understand.
The central theme of the work is love for the homeland. However, the poetess presents this feeling without excessive pathos. Moreover, she rejects any manifestation of pathos in this matter, believing that putting feelings on display reeks of falsehood and feigned patriotism.
At the center of Akhmatova’s work is not the country as such, but the fertile nurse-land, which gives its children shelter, food and inexhaustible strength. This is the main idea of the poem. The poetess is sad that the land began to be treated only as a natural resource, but not as the greatest value that a person has.
Akhmatova conveys to readers the idea of her work - a person can only call his homeland if he lives in it, despite all the obstacles and difficulties of life. After all, a mother is never changed, even if she is far from ideal in some way: she is loved and accepted for who she is, with all her advantages and disadvantages.
The peculiarity of the compositional structure of the poem lies in its conditional division into two parts.
Anna Andreevna makes it clear that true love for the homeland is devoid of bright external manifestations and does not have the goal of conquering the listener. This is a very intimate feeling that manifests itself differently for each person.
The poem “Native Land” is written in the genre of patriotic lyrics. The poetess herself defined the genre she used as “civil lyrics.”
When writing the poem, Akhmatova did not adhere to a strict external form. Thus, the first eight lines are written in iambic, and the remaining six are written in trimeter and tetrameter anapest. The feeling of freedom of the composition is enhanced by the alternation of two types of rhyme - paired and cross.
The peculiarity of the poem “Native Land” is that it does not abound in means of expressiveness. The poetess conveys its meaning simply and laconically, without the use of various artistic means.
But, nevertheless, in the work there are epithets(“cherished”, “bitter”, “promised”), metaphors(“dirt on galoshes”, “crunch on teeth”), inversion(“we do not do it in our souls”).
Average rating: 4.9. Total ratings received: 17.
The poem is called “Native Land” - this is a very important word for everyone. In fairy tales, heroes always carried a handful of their native land with them. And she helped them - she gave them strength in battles. Even at the most dangerous moment she helped out!
Here the author Anna (Akhmatova) writes that they do not carry this earth on their chests. In my opinion, this is in vain, but this means that the heroes of the poem are serious, adult people who do not believe in fairy tales. Also, the heroes with her (Anna uses the word “we”) do not write poems about the Motherland “to the point of sobbing,” that is, poems that would make one want to cry. And they don’t even dream about their native land...
And their dreams are difficult. In reality, their land does not seem like paradise to them. (We at home also know that in other countries life is often more fun and simpler! But this does not make us love our country any less.) And here are good words about the fact that, on the other hand, they do not sell or buy their land. They probably wouldn’t exchange their grandparents’ house (even a very old one) for an apartment in a high-rise building in the very center of the city.
The heroes also get sick and, in general, live poorly on this earth. I feel sorry for them. But this, of course, is not the fault of the Motherland. They don't remember her specifically. For them, it is simply a natural part of life - the basis.
Anna further asserts (at the beginning of each line “yes”) that the Motherland for “us” is just dust and dirt, which you just swear at. But he immediately calls her dust. That is, this is what remains from the old days, from fires, from everything... And what remains from everything. Their ashes will be mixed with that old one, so they have the right to call this land theirs.
There are a lot of outdated words in the poem, the meaning of which I can only guess... There is also a beautiful and strange epigraph.
I liked the poem, although it could have been more optimistic. But I know that poetry, in general, is often sad. In sadness you can notice subtleties that slip away in joy. The verse is not very long, but capacious.
The poem "Native Land" was written by Akhmatova when she was in one of the hospitals in Leningrad.
The work belongs to the civil-patriotic lyrics, filled with a feeling of compassion, sincerity, and mystery. The first years after the war were a rather difficult stage in the life of the poetess. Tragedies in the family, lack of freedom of speech and press, persecution and a lot of negative emotions. Imbued with the spirit of patriotism, the poem was created in secret from a wide public circle. Akhmatova’s native land continued to be so. Many poets and writers emigrated from the country at that difficult time, but Akhmatova, no matter what, continued to believe in the victory of truth and common sense.
“Native Land” - the poem is imbued with popular recognition. Pure love and reverence for one’s country are the feelings that permeate every line of the poem.
The work is not large in size and consists of only 14 lines, the first half is written in iambic meter, and the final part is written in anapest. The cross rhyme: “breasts are stirring, composing is paradise” gives a feeling of free composition.
It is important to note that the whole of Russia, which is famous for its fertile soil, is represented in the image of the land. It is precisely this kind of Russia (loose, dirty, but at least its own) that the Russian people observe before them day after day, for whom Akhmatova writes.
The main theme is the image of a country dear and dear to the heart. Her image appears not majestic, but quite everyday. The native land in the understanding of the Russian people is a place of hard work.
The poem leads the reader to philosophical reflection. At the end, the author expresses his personal position regarding the understanding of what the native land is. It becomes like this only for those who live on it and go into it. Immediately in the reader’s mind a parallel image of a mother arises, whom no one chooses or changes throughout her life. Akhmatova managed to prove by personal example all her devotion and loyalty to her native country, despite the difficulties and oppression from the authorities.
The work “Native Land” is not replete with artistic means of expression, because Akhmatova had a desire to present everything simply and freely. The method of comparison used in the sentence: “we do not make land in our souls an object of purchase and sale,” creates an emphasis on the fact that the Motherland is one in the soul of a patriot.
After the revolution in our country, a lot of poets decided to move from hungry Russia to a well-fed and moneyed Europe. It should be noted that such a poetess as Anna Akhmatova also had quite a few opportunities to change her place of residence, but, however, she did not decide to take advantage of any of them, sincerely believing that Russia is her homeland, and leaving her homeland means betraying it. That is why, when Anna received various similar offers from relatives and acquaintances, she experienced a strong feeling of annoyance, sincerely not understanding how people could so easily just up and leave everything, going for an easy life.
That is why, after she experienced terrible and difficult years in the life of our country in 1961, the poetess wrote the poem “Native Land”. Anna considers the main goal of her work to be the opportunity to convey to more people the main idea: everyone has one homeland, and leaving your homeland means betraying yourself.
But, despite this, this work is not about the country, but about its fertile power, about its land. The earth that feeds and waters everyone, giving not only food, but also shelter, and much more.
However, it is worth noting that in past times the attitude towards the land was completely different, so the poetess considered it necessary to point out this fact too.
The fact is that by the time this poem was written, the tradition of bowing to the earth had become a thing of the past, and it was replaced by a new direction. Now land is treated as nothing more than a natural resource.
But it is worth noting that Anna Akhmatova considered herself one of those people who still understood the importance of the earth for every person.
This is exactly what she wanted to express in her poem and she completely succeeded.
As for various epithets, the poem is fully filled with them. Each artistic element used allows us to make this poem so bright, colorful and memorable.
In conclusion, I would like to say that even in the modern world, in the era of developed humanity, we should not forget about the benefits the earth gives us and how much people receive from it, actually depending on it. Therefore, it is simply impossible to treat this natural resource in an obscene and disrespectful manner, considering it to be nothing more than just your opportunity to earn income. When making a profit from the land, do not forget to return it in replacement. Respect what our ancestors have preserved for us for centuries.
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We don’t carry them on our chests in our treasured amulet,
We don’t write poems about her sobbingly,
She doesn't wake up our bitter dreams,
Doesn't seem like the promised paradise.
We don’t do it in our souls
Subject of purchase and sale,
Sick, in poverty, speechless on her,
We don't even remember her.
Yes, for us it’s dirt on our galoshes,
Yes, for us it's a crunch in the teeth.
And we grind, and knead, and crumble
Those unmixed ashes.
But we lie down in it and become it,
That's why we call it so freely - ours.
In the last years of her life, themes of deep philosophical analysis of her own destiny, which was very difficult, appeared in Akhmatova’s work. The poetess belonged to the old world, swept away by Soviet power. She had a sharply negative attitude towards the revolution, but even anticipating future suffering, she did not want to leave Russia. Loyalty to the Motherland resulted in the execution of her husband and the exile of her beloved son. Akhmatova’s creativity was not recognized; she constantly felt the close attention of punitive authorities. All these troubles did not shake the boundless patriotism of the poetess. During the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War, Akhmatova’s works reappeared in print and enjoyed enormous popularity. For the next anniversary of the beginning of the most terrible test in the history of the country, the poetess wrote the poem “Native Land” (1961), in which she gave her explanation of patriotism.
Akhmatova made the final lines from her own poem “I am not with those who abandoned the earth...” as the epigraph to the work. Forty years later, the poetess continues the theme she started a long time ago. She means people for whom the political regime has no importance in front of the main value - their native land. Such people could not leave the country, even if they hated the Soviet system. They neglected their own well-being and lives for the sake of their land. Their patriotism is devoid of pathos and heroism. Such people do not strive to publicly declare their feelings, counting on approval (“we don’t write poems while weeping”).
Akhmatova hints at those false patriots who are abundant both abroad and in the Soviet Union. Their enthusiastic declarations of love for the Motherland are based only on material gain. Russia became for them “an object of purchase and sale.” It just so happens that the most terrible disasters reveal the true essence of people. During the Great Patriotic War, many opponents of Soviet power abandoned their beliefs and expressed full support for the Russian people. A large number of people returned to Russia to join the ranks of its fighters. By their example, they confirmed Akhmatova’s thoughts about true patriots.
For the poetess, the Motherland is the Russian land itself in the literal sense (“dirt on the galoshes,” “crunch on the teeth”). Only by truly experiencing how precious this land can be can you consider it yours. Akhmatova believes that a Russian person should die on his native land. Thus, he becomes part of it, and even after death joins the Motherland.
Akhmatova’s tragic fate allows her to rightfully call the Russian land her own. Her life is an example of true patriotism, which deserves great respect.
