The poem "Arion": Pushkin and the Decembrists

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

The theme of the poet and poetry is one of the main ones in Pushkin's poems. Even in his youth, he realized how great the influence of a creative, talented person and art in general on the public consciousness, what a powerful educational weapon it can be. The poet, from his point of view, is a prophet, a herald of age-old truths, morality and conscience of the people, society. However, in order to meet such a high purpose, the creative person herself must meet the high ideals of Goodness and Freedom, carry them through all life's trials.

Pushkin and the Decembrists

About how Alexander Sergeevich was faithful to the proclaimed ideas, his poems speak. In particular, those of them that are dedicated to disgraced Decembrist friends. For example, "Arion". Pushkin wrote it on July 13, 1827, on the next tragic anniversary of the execution of 5 organizers of the conspiracy. Much connected the poet with the Decembrists. He was well acquainted and closely communicated with the members of the first organization - the Union of Salvation. Then a young lyceum student Alexander enthusiastically listened to fiery speeches about the fight against slavery, freedom andequality of all people, which were spoken at secret meetings by the brothers Turgenev, Muravyov and his other friends. He is also a member of the Union of Welfare, the Green Lamp, and learns a lot from Chaadaev, whom he considers his ideological inspirer. And later, while in southern exile, the poet often attends meetings of the Southern Society, and meets with Pestel more than once. When the Decembrist uprising takes place, Alexander Sergeevich lives in Mikhailovskoye under covert police surveillance. However, he directly told Nicholas I that if he were in St. Petersburg at that moment, he would definitely go out with friends and like-minded people to Senate Square. About the same and his poem "Arion". Pushkin, whose work has always been anti-government in nature, in his various works paid tribute to the memory, respect and devotion to the Decembrists.

"In the depths of Siberian ores…", "Pushchin", "Arion"

Three poems of the poet are directly devoted to the memory of the Decembrist movement. These are the famous messages to "Pushchin" ("My first friend…"), "To Siberia" and "Arion". Pushkin wrote the first two in late 1826 - early 1827 and handed them over to his exiled comrades with Princess Muravyova, who was on her way to her husband. In them, with deep sympathy and sincere admiration, he wrote about the greatness of the feat and the high tragedy of the fate of the rebels, expressed the belief that their deed would inflame the hearts of people for inspired deeds in the name of the Fatherland and the people. A special place is occupied by the poem "Arion". Pushkin in it directly calls himself the heir and successor of the ideas of Decembrism.

TwoAriona

The poem is built as an extended allegory. It refers us to the famous ancient Greek myths, in particular the myth of Arion. According to him, the famous singer and storyteller sailed to the shores of his homeland. However, greedy shipbuilders decided to throw him into the depths of the sea in order to take possession of the property. Arion begged their last favor - to sing before his death, and then he himself threw himself into the waves.

Moved by his skill and talent, the sea god Poseidon sent a dolphin, who saved the singer and brought him on his back to the shores of Corinth. Based on this legend, Alexander Sergeevich got a slightly different Arion. Pushkin builds his poem on a completely different ideological foundation. If the myth glorifies omnipotent art, its reviving and life-affirming role, then in Pushkin the figure of the protagonist itself occupies a central place. And the life circumstances that changed the fate of the characters in both works are radically different.

Analysis of the poem

What motives does Arion combine? Pushkin's poem builds on the basis of real events. The ship's crew is not a gang of bandits, but a friendly, close-knit team, managed by a wise "helmsman". In it, everyone is busy with their own business, fulfilling their mission. The author has in mind the Decembrist movement, secret organizations and the work that its members performed in society. The team also includes the "mysterious singer" himself, full of "careless faith". Faith in what?

AnalysisPushkin's poem "Arion" makes it possible to assume that in beautiful dreams, inspired speeches, ideas about the overthrow of the autocracy. The poet does not talk about it openly. But both his contemporaries and readers of subsequent generations perfectly understood the meaning of the veiled images. What did faith face, and did the singer remain so careless? In the following lines, the author paints a picture of a cruel storm that sank the boat like a chip and killed the entire crew. “Both the feeder and the swimmer died,” he writes bitterly. Only one inspired performer was saved. What are his divine sounds now? The answer is unequivocal: “I sing the old hymns…”

Theme, idea of the work

The lines quoted above can rightfully be considered the ideological center of the work. If the theme of Pushkin's poem "Arion" is an image of the Decembrist uprising, an expression of the continuity of his ideas in the poet's work, then the key words, the semantic quintessence, are contained in this short phrase. Alexander Sergeevich never abandoned his friends, never betrayed the ideals of youth. He is faithful to them even in his mature years. Of course, like any thinking person, and even more so of this magnitude, the poet has grown wiser over the years. Over time, Pushkin was able to understand the utopian plans and actions of the conspirators. But really, given the opportunity, at any moment he would have gone out in their ranks to the historical barrier.