Analysis of Pushkin's shortest poem "Echo"

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

"Echo" is one of Pushkin's shortest poems. He wrote it in 1831, and then published it in the almanac "Northern Flowers". This verse was written at a time when the poet was still happy, had the opportunity to communicate with family, friends and think about what his role is in this mortal world.

Direction and genre

The poem "Echo" by Pushkin belongs to philosophical lyrics and is a worthy example of realistic poetry. It fully reveals the essence of the poet, comparing his actions with such a phenomenon as an echo. Once upon a time, realist prose writers wrote that the writer reproduces with a pen everything he sees. Pushkin, on the other hand, uses the image of sound in his comparison. But the essence of this does not change: a writer and/or a poet are the people who reflect life.

Theme

Alexander Pushkin was one of the first Russian lyricists to question the role of the poet. In the poem "Echo", Pushkin compares himself and all writers with the phenomenon of an echo, which gives rise to a response in empty air to every sound. Modern poets deeply felt social changes and expressed their thoughts regardinghappening in rhymed lines. Even if not always objectively, but sincerely enough, the works of writers and poets echo the events of the present.

True, not everyone can understand the meaning of most poems, yes, and society will always doubt their importance and necessity. Therefore, when describing the features of the echo, Pushkin did not forget to note that it responds to any sound, but no one notices this.

You don't have a response… So are you, poet!

With this expression, the author only emphasizes that the poet should not count on a decent attitude from the public.

But Pushkin's biggest concern is that those who can change the state system, abolish serfdom and improve the lives of ordinary people, better turn a blind eye to the appeals of poets. Like echoes, poets are heard but not taken seriously.

Composition and rhyme

In this poem, all lines are addressed to the echo, although syntactically this appeal is absent. Only by the title it is clear who the lyrical hero is talking to, if you remove the title, the poem will turn into a riddle.

The last sentence is the conclusion of the whole poem. The compositional basis here is psychological parallelism. That is, the author compares the echo as a natural phenomenon with the role of the poet.

To express such a complex philosophical thought, Pushkin had to resort to a complex form - sextins. There is a rare sextine hererhyme: aaaab. In addition, all rhymes are male, and this creates a special rhythm.

Pushkin's shortest poem "Echo" is built like a riddle: something is described here, but what exactly, the poet does not name. Pushkin, as befits a true genius, reflected the inexorable loneliness of the poet. In whatever era he created, he will always be rejected by society.