Analysis of Lermontov's poem by M. Yu. "Sail": the main theme and images

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"Sail" is certainly one of the greatest creations of the poet M. Yu. Lermontov. In it, the main themes are the search for a place in life and the loneliness of a person. It is worth noting that in most of the poet's works, these themes are most often the main ones. Below is an analysis of Lermontov's poem "Sail". Let's also get acquainted with the history of writing the work.

History of writing

An analysis of Lermontov's poem should begin with the history of its creation. It was written by Mikhail Yurievich at the young age of 17 in 1832 in St. Petersburg. That period of life was not easy for the future poet: he had to leave Moscow and leave the university. Of course, such drastic changes in life could not but affect the inner state of the young man.

Despite the fact that he dreamed of becoming a philologist, on the instructions of his beloved grandmother, he went to St. Petersburg in order to enter the cadet school. And in this city, Mikhail Yuryevich was left alone with his experiences and thoughts about his future fate. Therefore, it is not surprising that during one ofwalks along the Gulf of Finland, he created one of the pearls of Russian poetry - the poem "Sail".

He sends the original version in a letter to M. Lopukhina. In it, the first line speaks of a distant sail. Later, the poet will replace this word, and the line will sound like this: "The lonely sail turns white." Lermontov borrowed this beginning from A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky from the poem "Andrey, Prince Pereyaslavsky." This is how the well-known poem "Sail" appeared.

Images in the work

In the analysis of Lermontov's poem, it should be noted that the main character - a sail - is not just a means of transportation on the sea. This is an image of a person who is swimming with the flow of life, trying to find his place. This is an image of a person who feels lonely among people. But he does not lose hope that someday he will be able to find answers to his questions, and that his life will be illuminated by a ray of hope.

The sea in the poem is life, and the sailboat is desperately trying to sail in the direction it needs. Yes, there are difficult periods in life, but after any storm the sea becomes calm again. But in a poem by Mikhail Lermontov, a sailboat is a person who is constantly in search, who cannot find his place, even when everything is calm in life.

There is nothing surprising in the fact that the poet chose just such images for his work. Indeed, during that period of his life, he made a difficult decision for himself: to leave everything in Moscow and start a new life in St. Petersburg. Of course, this decision was given to him.not easy, so all the experiences of the young man are reflected in this poem.

What genre is the work written in

In the analysis of Lermontov's poem, one should also indicate in which genre it is written. "Sail" can be attributed to the lyric novel. Against the backdrop of a beautiful seascape and a lonely sailboat, the poet reflects on loneliness and finding one's place in life.

In the turmoil of life, the young poet is trying to find a place along with his views, feelings, dreams. Lermontov wanted to break out of this raging current and find his own safe haven that would shelter him and calm his rebellious inner world.

Main themes of the piece

In the analysis of Lermontov's poem "Sail", two themes should be singled out, which determine the semantic component of his creation - these are the themes of loneliness and the search for meaning and place in life. It should be emphasized that they will often occur in other of his works. The poem not only colorfully describes the seascape, but also conveys the mood of the poet, who faced a difficult choice.

Mikhail Lermontov, having moved to St. Petersburg, left everything that was dear to him in Moscow, and not only his dream of philology, but also falling in love. But at the same time, the young man understands that thoughts about experiences will not help him find a place in life. That in order to find happiness, one must fight and learn to make difficult decisions.

But at the same time the poet feels alone in this colda city where he can't share his feelings with anyone. But he still hopes that, like a beam over a sailboat, his life will also be illuminated by a beam of light. But the poet feels that even having found a safe haven, he still cannot calm his rebellious nature. And so loneliness and the search for the meaning of being are the main themes of Lermontov's poems.

Artistic means of expression

In the analysis of Lermontov's poem, one of the points is the enumeration of the artistic means of expression used. "Sail" is written in iambic tetrameter using a cross rhyming method.

Expression in the poem is enhanced by the use of such means as anaphora, inversion and syntactic parallelism. Impersonations, epithets and metaphors give brightness to the images.

This was a brief analysis of the poem "Sail" by Lermontov. Despite the fact that it was written by the poet at a young age, even then one could see his talent, how surprisingly it combined deep inner feelings and mature reasoning. And this combination can be seen in one of his most famous creations "Sail".