Analysis of Yesenin's poem Letter to a woman, grade 9
Plan
2.Genre
3.Main theme
4.Composition
5.Size
6. Expressive means
1.History and time of creation of the poem
“Letter to a Woman” was written by Yesenin in 1924 and dedicated to the poet’s first wife, Z. Reich. The poet himself broke off relations with her in the heat of yet another hobby. In 1922, Z. Reich remarried V. Meyerhold, who adopted the poet’s children. Yesenin was very worried and regretted what happened. The poem is an attempt to justify himself to his ex-wife.
2. Genre of the work- a lyric poem in the form of a letter dedicated to a close woman.
3.Main theme. The theme of the poem is Yesenin’s justification before his abandoned wife. The poet admits that he led an incorrect, riotous life, and thereby brought suffering to his wife. At the same time, he throws a heavy accusation at the woman: “you didn’t love me.” Yesenin wanted to be simply understood, because he himself had no control over his behavior (“like a horse driven into soap”). The poet justifies himself by the post-revolutionary situation in the country, which he did not understand and because of this he wanted to die “in a drunken stupor.”
4.Composition. The work consists of two main parts: the poet’s memories of the violent past and the present. There is a clear contrast between them. Yesenin claims that he has become a completely different person. The brawler, rushing about in vague aspirations, was transformed into a philosopher, wise over the years, who understood the meaning of life.
5. Size. The poem is written in iambic meter with cross rhyme. This gives the work the character of a calm argument.
6. Expressive means. The means of expression used by Yesenin are varied. To enhance the impression, the poet uses colloquial and rude expressions: “vomiting,” “vomiting,” “drunken stupor.” There are a variety of expressive metaphors and comparisons. The poet imagines himself as “a horse driven into the soap.” At the center of the work is a large-scale comparison of post-revolutionary Russia with a ship caught in a storm. The tavern seems to be a calm hold of a ship, taking refuge in which you can isolate yourself from danger. Only after realizing the correctness of the actions of the “helmsman” can you go out on deck and calmly enjoy sailing.
7. Main idea. The main idea of the work is the poet’s maturation, his recognition of his past mistakes and delusions. This repentance is expressed both at the personal (asking for forgiveness to the woman) and at the public ("glory to the helmsman!") levels.
Let's analyze Yesenin's poem "Letter to a Woman." Who was the poet addressing? And what did he want to say with his work? Many are interested in the question: “Who is Yesenin’s “Letter to a Woman” addressed to?” After reading this article, you will know the answer.
Genre of writing in poetry
The genre of writing has long been known in prose. I remember, for example, the famous novel “Julia, or the New Heloise” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. However, in poetry, writing was made popular by silver Age. At this time, the “Letters...” of Yesenin, Mayakovsky, and later Andrei Voznesensky and other outstanding masters of lyricism were created.
However, the most reverent are the works that poets address to their beloved women. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin called his messages nothing more than dedications, as if not to a woman, but to a goddess. But Sergei Yesenin called his creation casually and simply - “Letter to a Woman.” In this article we will analyze this poem.
What is the work dedicated to?
Literary scholars consider this message to be a whole poem. They attribute him to a fundamentally new period when his views on the future of Russia are radically rethought. Despite the fact that the title of the poem is somewhat intimate (after all, the letters are addressed to someone personally, in this case to a specific woman), the work is devoted to the theme of defining an individual personality during a historical turning point. It is the form of the letter that helps the lyrical hero, when addressing his beloved, think about the future and past, both his own and his country.
The woman to whom the letter is addressed
In 1924, Sergei Yesenin wrote “Letter to a Woman.” The work was addressed to Zinaida Reich, who was, in fact, the only wife of the poet. Yesenin gave birth to two children. After breaking up with him, she became the wife of Vsevolod Meyerhold, director, and also an actress in his theater. It was after breaking up with her that Yesenin wrote “Letter to a Woman.” To whom this work is dedicated, you now know. Let's look at some important features of the poem that interests us.
Interweaving two lines
An analysis of Yesenin’s poem “Letter to a Woman” shows that it interweaves 2 lines, 2 layers: public and personal, love for the homeland and love for a woman. It begins with a personal memory. The lyrical hero describes the scene of parting with his beloved woman, who threw bitter and harsh accusations in his face. The woman wanted to break up with him because she believed that it was time for him to get down to business, that he was tormented by her “crazy life.” The lyrical hero responds by making his accusations. She simply didn’t understand him, couldn’t understand the mental discord, as well as the tragedy in the world, when one country irrevocably fades into the past, and something unknown and completely new comes to replace it.
Two parts in a poem
We can distinguish 2 parts when analyzing Yesenin’s poem “Letter to a Woman.” They are separated by sharpness, and also contrasted in emotional and meaningful terms. “Now” and “then” are separated not only by a temporary relationship - it’s like two split halves of the soul of the lyrical hero: the hope of finding the meaning of life, associated with his awareness of his “I,” and a painful lack of understanding of what is happening around.
Poem construction
Even the very structure of the poem created by Sergei Yesenin (“Letter to a Woman”) is unusual. The impression of direct, immediate reasoning is created by a free iambic. The stanza-breaking ladder highlights keywords. This concentrates the reader's attention on the most significant points.
Hero type
The type of hero is also interesting. He signs the letter as “Your acquaintance, Sergei Yesenin.” However, it is clear that the lyrical hero is not a poet. Firstly, he is not as young as Sergei Yesenin, who was only 29 years old at that moment. The hero meets the “fatal” time with an already established personality. It is difficult for him to accept the “new time”. In addition, it becomes clear that the hero is far from lyricism. Consequently, he is not a lyrical double of the poet, but an epic embodiment of the image of a person seeking his own path, involved in a conflict with “fate”, “fate”.
Time for a change
Today it is especially interesting to read “Letter to a Woman” (Yesenin). The history of the difficult post-revolutionary time, which many of us know only from school textbooks, reflected in him. The hero feels like a cornered horse, a passenger on a ship perishing in a storm. He is looking for sympathy, understanding, love. The lyrical hero himself suffers and cannot find support from those who are nearby. First of all, this applies to the beloved, because the “toss” of spiritual quests has scared her away, and she no longer needs a hero. All of Russia is compared here to a ship during sea motion. In this case, people suffer the most. In order to convey their painful state brighter and stronger, the poet uses vulgarisms and vernaculars. The time of change, the poet notes, is always a difficult time, a test of people's strength, which many cannot withstand. It is very scary to look at human weakness (“human vomiting”). The hero’s subtle soul could not stand this. She hid in a Russian tavern ("ship's hold"), finding rest.
A new worldview of the lyrical hero
The lyrical hero, having gone through the “frenzy”, falls, torment, finally came to a different worldview. After analyzing Yesenin's poem "Letter to a Woman", you will notice that he accepted that the need to search for "new glory", "new life" is historically natural. He saw, oddly enough, the desire to bring to life eternal values, such as “light work” and “freedom” in social transformations. Only being far from his homeland, he was able to understand this.
Of course, with a fair amount of self-irony, the words of the lyrical hero are heard that he is now “the most furious fellow traveler” in “ Soviet side". The word "fellow traveler", by the way, in the language of ideology meant political immaturity, class alienation. And Sergei Yesenin agreed with such definitions addressed to himself. Therefore, the voice of the lyrical hero here seems to be trying to drown out, block both the sadness of farewell and the uncertainty of his own update.
Finale of the work
In the finale, the hero asks his beloved for forgiveness. He speaks bitterly about the fact that she doesn’t need her. She now has a new family, a “smart” and “serious” husband. And the hero became just an acquaintance for her. After all, this is exactly how Sergei Yesenin signs the letter, as you remember. In the tradition of classical Russian literature, he wishes the happiness of his beloved.
Yesenin's experiment
Almost a century ago Yesenin wrote “Letter to a Woman,” the analysis (according to plan) of which we have just carried out. However, this work is still relevant today. It is included in school curriculum in literature and loved by many of our compatriots.
In the 2nd half of the 20th century, it would be customary to call the hero by his exact name: this is Eddie from the work “It’s me, Eddie”, Venichka Erofeev in V. Erofeev’s work “Moscow-Petushki”. However, in the first half of the 20th century, “Letter to a Woman” (Yesenin) was a bold experiment, which, however, justified itself.
To whom the work is dedicated, you now know. We also analyzed it. We hope the information presented in this article was useful to you.
This poem is a poetic repentance, an appeal to a loved one. It begins, as if with a question whether she remembers... But the author himself interrupts himself, because, of course, Beloved remembers everything. And unfortunately, it would be better for her to forget a lot. The Poet brought her too much suffering, but now he repents.
He remembers the scene on the ship, when he was standing against the wall... One can understand that the wall is not so much physical, but psychological. Young Yesenin no longer knew how to save himself in the sea of life. Is it possible to forget yourself by drinking?
And he remembers how his Beloved threw barbs at him, wanted to break up... How exhausted and tired she was. We know that Yesenin loved a creative and very talented woman. It’s not for nothing that in the poem she shouts that she needs to pursue her calling, and he needs to continue to sink. She compares him to a stone rolling down. And then the Poet realizes that even his Beloved does not love him. She thinks only about herself. He doesn't see how he suffers. He does not feel that he himself, his inspiration and gift are driven like a horse (a comparison is used). There is only an indifferent “host” of people around. There is a storm around (probably a revolution), and the whole earth is a ship (a metaphor is used). Here we find the most famous phrase that great things can only be seen from a distance, and not face to face.
Yes, the Poet justifies himself a little, saying that those “experienced souls” who immediately know how to live are rare. Who among us isn’t?!.. Yes, he went down into the hold of life to take his mind off the storm that was rushing somewhere, from the sinking ship, from the swearing passengers. Lose yourself in a tavern... And even destroy yourself. A terrible time of wars and revolutions, a time of destruction of all foundations, culture, and country. The Poet’s life is not even organized; it is impossible to create normally. Fear, aggression, lack of fulfillment result in ugly scandals.
But now he realized that he was tormenting not only and not so much himself, but his Beloved. In the middle of the poem, as in a song, the beginning is repeated - the motif of uncertainty and suffering.
The second part immediately states that years have passed. The poet admits that he is already completely different. He became a “fellow traveler” for the new order in the country, but this term was actually used then. The lines about the banner of labor can be read with irony or with faith, but it sheltered the Poet. And he quit arguing in a drunken stupor. Over and over again he asks for forgiveness from his Beloved for the way he was. And she knows that she is already with a serious husband, and the Poet is no longer needed. He wishes her happiness, but asks only to forgive him, but not to forget about him.
9th grade. According to plan, briefly
Analysis of the poem Letter to Yesenin's woman
Sergei Yesenin, a famous Russian poet, is especially famous for his love poetry. He himself was a very romantic and love-loving person. Women and love constantly revolved in his life. And it meant a lot to him, in fact, he lived with this wonderful feeling.
This poem was written in 1924. These were difficult times. At that time, a new government was established in Russia, which dealt harshly with dissent. Yesenin was a potential enemy, he was being watched. But this particular poem was used as proof of the poet’s loyalty to the new government. The genre of this work is writing. This was nothing new. Already before, writers and poets wrote their works in this form.
Yesenin dedicated this beautiful verse to Zinaida Reich, his first wife. He had especially warm feelings for her. However, it is noteworthy that it was Sergei who left her for some new hobby, and this was when she was pregnant. Of course, a little later the poet very much regretted his action and really wanted to correct what he had done. She married again, and Yesenin, bitterly repenting, wrote this letter as a plea for forgiveness. From it we see that it was the wife who initiated the divorce.
In fact, there is an interesting situation there. According to friends and eyewitnesses of this relationship, Zinaida deceived Sergei, acting out scenes and taking advantage of his weaknesses. In the verse we see that Yesenin reproaches her for deception. Moreover, we see the lines: “Beloved! You didn’t love me.” Love for Yesenin is not least the trust of both partners. And it was completely lost. In this line the poet does not reproach her. He simply tells the truth and feels deeply disappointed. He writes that "his ship will go down", hinting that all of his future life makes no sense. And indeed, after the divorce, he was in the worst condition and abused alcohol. However, later he managed to gather his courage and continue his life.
He subsequently wrote that he had completely forgiven his ex-wife and was no longer worried about it. Sergei Yesenin is a very bright personality, his poetry and in particular this work is truly majestic and will live forever.
Analysis of the poem Letter to a woman according to plan
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Davydova Svetlana, 11th grade, MBOU Gymnasium No. 17
Comprehensive analysis of the poem by S.A. Yesenin "Letter to a Woman"
S.A. Yesenin is one of the brightest representatives of the Silver Age (it’s not for nothing that he is called the golden voice of Russian nature). The poet's work includes poems about the Motherland, about the purpose of the poet and poetry, philosophical and, of course, love poems. One of Yesenin’s most famous lyrical works is, undoubtedly, his “Letter to a Woman,” dedicated to Z.N. Reich.
In terms of genre, this poem can be classified as a message, a letter. Using the technique of triple repetition, the poet three times (as in works of folklore, for example, love songs) addresses the addressee of the letter: “Beloved!” In the last lines, the author signs his own name, acting as a lyrical hero, and this reveals his lyrical ego (“I”). One more feature should be noted: the author is dynamic, while the heroine, the woman to whom the letter is dedicated, remains a static character.
“Letter to a Woman,” referring to Yesenin’s love lyrics, opens with the poet’s memories of his last meeting with his beloved, who wished to part with him. And from the very first lines Yesenin contrasts himself with this woman (antithesis):
Do you remember,
Of course, you all remember
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly...
He evaluates his and her feelings, coming to a bitter, disappointing conclusion:
You didn't love me.
This is the sad outcome of their relationship. She did not want to come to terms with his “crazy life” and was determined, which is conveyed by the metaphor “And they threw something sharp in my face.” But then Yesenin justifies the woman, emphasizing several times:
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm,
That’s why I’m tormented because I don’t understand -
Where does the fate of events take us...
Her justification is replaced by an attempt (even after a while) to explain her own behavior:
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
Quite unexpectedly, after the elegiac beginning, Yesenin moves away from the theme of love. Using comparisons and epithets so unusual for a love letter, the poet vividly and accurately depicts the state of his hero. Before us are his philosophical reflections, an attempt to understand and comprehend what is happening.
Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
These words later became a famous aphorism. How right the poet was... Only years later can one truly appreciate what happened. Yesenin makes such an attempt in the following lines of his letter, using an extended metaphor:
The earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
Behind new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.
Let's pay attention to the year the poem was written - 1924 - and remember the history of that time. By a ship “in a deplorable state” we mean the world after World War I, by a “Russian tavern” - Russia, by a “boiling sea surface” - the period of revolutions of the 20s, including the October revolution in Russia, and the Bolsheviks who came to power , called “someone” who changed everything in the country.
Yesenin also considers himself a member of the ship’s crew. Observing what happens to people in this cruel time, the hero
I went down into the ship's hold,
To avoid watching people vomit...
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.
For some reason, the lines of A.A.’s poem come to mind. Blok “Stranger”: “And drunkards with rabbit eyes “In vina veritas!” - they shout"; “I know, the truth is in wine”... What terrible truth of life did both poets discover for themselves? How was it to live with this? Memories of a tragic time, of the pain caused to a loved one, torment the hero of the poem.
The past, unforgotten love, do not give him peace, he rushes about, now justifying himself, now admitting his guilt before his beloved:
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired.
At the same time, the next sextine repeats stanza 4 of the poem: the author builds a letter using a ring composition within the first part of the poem (to the point) to convey his state of mind.
The first five-line of the second part suggests the unity of time and place (chronotope according to M. Bakhtin). In “Letter to a Woman,” time is turned in an interesting way: at the beginning of the poem from the present, the poet takes us into the past, into memories, the middle (with the words “now the years have passed”) personifies the present (at the same time, the line “I remembered your sad fatigue” again refers us to past events), and in the last sextina the poet wishes his beloved happiness in the future. The past and the future come together for the author of the letter in the present.
The image of the place in the poem deserves special attention. In the first lines, Yesenin draws the room where the explanation took place, then it either expands to the scale of the Earth-ship, then narrows, already to the hold-tavern, and again grows to the scale of the country, in which “now” the hero feels completely different, ready to “ for the banner of freedom and bright labor... to go even to the English Channel.”
And I feel and think differently...
Praise and glory to the helmsman.
He has something to say to the woman whom, it seems to me, he still loves and whose opinion he cares about. We will find out the reason for writing the letter. It is especially striking that the poet remembered not the relationship with this woman, not the break with her, but precisely her “sad fatigue”, which remained a silent reproach in his soul. The poet is proud of himself, glad that despite the “prediction” of his beloved woman that it was his “destiny to roll further down,” in the end he “avoided falling from the cliff. Now on the Soviet side... the most furious fellow traveler.” Now that the author-hero “has become different from who he was then,” he understands that everything could have turned out differently. The hero knows well how the fate of his beloved turned out and bitterly states:
...you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, smart husband:
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
With the help of antithesis, Yesenin again, as at the beginning of the poem, contrasts the now renewed himself and his beloved woman, coming to the conclusion that even now their happiness is impossible. And it’s not just that the heroine is married: they are different people, and each has their own path in life. But the main thing is that the word is spoken: “Forgive me...”.
The last sextina, thanks to a beautiful extended comparison, sounds completely Pushkin-like: like a blessing to this woman.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
The lines with which the poet signed give a complete picture of his feelings, which have not cooled over time, but at the same time, delicate and not compromising his beloved.
“Letter to a Woman,” written by Yesenin in the last year of his life, is rightfully considered the pinnacle of his poetic heritage about love and a work that occupies a special place not only in the poet’s lyrics, the poetry of the Silver Age, but also in our hearts.
Sergei Yesenin wrote “Letter to a Woman” in 1924. This is one of the author's most famous lyric poems. In the poem, Yesenin addresses his ex-wife, Zinaida Reich, whom the poet abandoned when she was carrying his second child. He gave up for the sake of an affair on the side, spinning in a drunken stupor.
It would seem that he is a scoundrel, a scoundrel - it is unthinkable to survive such a betrayal! Yesenin, of course, did not intend to leave the family, but it was Reich who insisted on the break, who was never able to forgive the betrayal. But, at the same time, she reacted so painfully to the betrayal of her adored husband that she later had to undergo treatment in a psychiatric clinic. Her love was too strong. Reich's love was not at all like Yesenin's love. The woman's love was huge and heavy, like an ancient stone vase filled with water. It was impossible to lift her and quench her thirst. you could only kneel down to drink this moisture and stay next to her for the rest of your life, because on your way, on your life path, you won’t take her. Overwhelming love! Love is shackles. Over time, this kind of thing burns out everything that is alive in the soul and after that nothing grows in this desert anymore. Is great love really good? If you can’t take her with you, but you can only stay nearby forever and depend on her? And Yesenin’s love was light and intoxicating, like a glass of affordable wine. It did not quench your thirst, but briefly immersed you in a feeling of euphoria.
So why did Yesenin decide to talk to Reich in a poem? They caused each other a lot of pain not because they were bad people. But only because they were people. Yesenin in this poem finally lets go of her, her former beloved, and says that the suffering has come to an end. He will no longer torment her with reproaches. He will no longer trouble her heart with memories and will not blame her for the breakup. It is very important to say that you are guilty. After all, if you don’t ask for forgiveness, the pain will last your whole life, even if you and the person part ways forever. With this poem, Yesenin asks for forgiveness, forgives himself and lets go of the pain of love killed by their own hands. What could be more inevitable than loneliness? Only a choice. And the result...
The text of the poem can be read in full on our website online.
Do you remember,
Of course, you all remember
How I stood
Approaching the wall
You walked around the room excitedly
And something sharp
They threw it in my face.
You said:
It's time for us to part
What tormented you
My crazy life
That it's time for you to get down to business,
And my destiny is
Roll further down.
Darling!
You didn't love me.
You didn’t know that in the crowd of people
I was like a horse driven into soap,
Spurred by a brave rider.
You didn't know
That I'm in complete smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That’s why I’m tormented because I don’t understand -
Where does the fate of events take us?
Face to face
You can't see the face.
Big things can be seen from a distance.
When the sea surface boils,
The ship is in poor condition.
The earth is a ship!
But someone suddenly
For a new life, new glory
In the thick of storms and blizzards
He directed her majestically.
Well, which of us is the biggest on deck?
Didn’t fall, vomit or swear?
There are few of them, with an experienced soul,
Who remained strong in pitching.
Then I too
To the wild noise
But maturely knowing the work,
He went down into the ship's hold,
So as not to watch people vomit.
That hold was -
Russian pub.
And I leaned over the glass,
So that, without suffering for anyone,
Ruin yourself
In a drunken stupor.
Darling!
I tormented you
You were sad
In the eyes of the tired:
What am I showing off to you?
Wasted himself in scandals.
But you didn't know
What's in the smoke,
In a life torn apart by a storm
That's why I'm suffering
What I don't understand
Where does the fate of events take us...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Now the years have passed
I'm at a different age.
And I feel and think differently.
And I say over festive wine:
Praise and glory to the helmsman!
Today I
In the shock of tender feelings.
I remembered your sad tiredness.
And now
I'm rushing to tell you,
What was I like
And what happened to me!
Darling!
I'm pleased to say:
I avoided falling off the cliff.
Now in the Soviet side
I am the fiercest travel companion.
I have become the wrong person
Who was he then?
I wouldn't torture you
As it was before.
For the banner of liberty
And good work
I'm ready to go even to the English Channel.
Forgive me...
I know: you are not the same -
Do you live
With a serious, intelligent husband;
That you don’t need our toil,
And I myself to you
Not needed one bit.
Live like this
How the star guides you
Under the tabernacle of the renewed canopy.
With greetings,
always remembering you
Your acquaintance
Sergey Yesenin.
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