Poem 12 block complete. How the image of the twelve Red Army men changes in the poem A
The artistic and conceptual semantic world of the poem "The Twelve", written by A. Blok in early 1918, is immeasurably great, which allowed a number of researchers of the poet's work to perceive this work:
- The final for his entire literary path
- The embodiment of the symbolist worldview of the author
- Text with multiple contextual relationships
Meanwhile, in order to analyze this particular Blok's work within the framework of the usual method of literary criticism, we first consider its main theoretical positions in terms of plot, theme, genre, images and symbolism.
The history of the creation of "Twelve" and worldview of the poet
This work of art was written by Blok at the same time as the well-known article. Because of this, sometimes there may be a simplification or even an illusion that The Twelve was created as a poetic illustration of the main ideas of the poet, proclaimed by him in his journalism. Of course, there is some semantic "roll-call" between these two works, but the poem itself cannot be interpreted only in such a "decorative" plan. Recall that the poet's publicistic work was also special, Blok operated in it with the word not in its conceptual or terminological quality, but as an artistic coupling of different meanings. Therefore, both in poetry and journalism, he is characterized by the use of the associative and metaphorical principle.
It is well known that the poet accepted the revolution that took place in Russia - both February and October 1917 for Blok became both important and welcome events. This explanation lies in his special world-poetic and even historiosophical concept of understanding history, in which two categories occupied significant positions - the elements and music.
The concepts of "elements" and "music" in Blok
The poet invested in the concept of "elements" a whole complex of categories and conditions - natural and cosmogonic, social and psycho-emotional, spiritual and historical. This category itself appeared in his lyrics long before the revolutionary events. Already in 1910, the poet tries to divide and structure it according to the principles of ethics. Thus, Blok has the next most important category for his work - music. This concept of the poet is also ambiguous and voluminous. By its goal, Blok understands the organization and harmonization of all history and the universe. Of course, the category of "music" was introduced by the poet not in its art history meaning, but in the sense of
".. the mystical fundamental principle" of the world, the "first element" of all history (F. Stepun).
Therefore, in the poet's worldview, the revolution that happened in Russia was perceived as the birth of "new music", which Blok urged to listen to. That is, the “music of the revolution” in the poem “The Twelve” is not just the direct sounds of city noise with shots, screams, songs, but the almost mystical sound of the wind (“the world cyclone”, the wind with the “smell of orange groves”, etc.) . And the element of the revolutionary masses is the restoration of the law of morality in society, therefore it can be justified (and is justified by the poet). When the element of revolution is “fraught” with music, then all destruction is a creative act that leads to a further spiritualization of life. These conclusions from Blok's article make it possible to understand exactly how the poet perceived the revolution itself - for him it was a balance of these two categories - music and the elements.
Analysis of the poem "The Twelve" - theme, images, genre and symbols
Time-space image
The city in Blok's poem is simultaneously presented as the whole "God's world", that is, it does not have topographic specifics. His:
- “Urban signs” are buildings (they appear only twice in the text)
- Social signs are markers of taverns, cellars
In the space of the poem, the natural elements also “dominate” - these are snowdrifts, ice, wind - the task of which is to destroy the contours of what was created by man, i.e. cities. In this way, Blok introduces a cosmogonic sound into the text, which is also “complemented” by color symbolism. The poet’s black and white designate not specific objects, but cosmological phenomena:
- Time is "black evening"
- Precipitation - "white snow"
- Myth image - "in a white halo"
The function of light images here is to designate the light and shadow of the universe itself.
For red light, Block leaves a “marking” of the energy of the explosion that happened.
Time in The Twelve does not have the usual linearity from the past to the future. Here they are not separated from each other, but connected in the present, which pulsates from their interaction.
Time is connected in the poem also through the Red Army.
Images of the Red Army
Logically, these characters should express the future, but in Blok they remain “carriers of the old world”:
“In the teeth - a cigarette, a cap is crushed, / An ace of diamonds should be on the back!”
The tasks of the characters include "world fire", the destruction of the "invisible enemy", etc. That is, for Blok they are not a “new person”, but rather an “old man”. In the fellow travelers of the Red Army, a “lousy dog” is found, which they consider:
- The image of the "old world"
- The image of the shadow side of the entire universe (dog - as a symbol of the devil)
Genre "Twelve"
Blok defines the genre of The Twelve as a poem. But the work is not sustained in it as a lyrical-epic text. Rather, it is obvious here the connection of fragments of different genres, the transitions between which are also not determined by the specific tasks of aesthetics. The main characteristic of the genre decision can be called heteroglossia, through which the entire structure of the poem is organized:
- Lyrical digression - speech characteristics of the lyrical hero
- Narrative - the speech of the narrator
- Dialogue, ditty, romance, soldier's song - the speech of the characters
To summarize, Blok needed such genre heterogeneity to convey that very elemental state, disorder of the universe and a premonition of its revolutionary renewal.
Composition of the poem
But the creative possibilities of the elements, its potential to be "balanced" by music, Blok presents in "The Twelve" in their compositional solution. The integrity of the poem, so heterogeneous in genres, gives the rhythm of the march. Its predominance over other text intonations is felt as a common dominant. The marching rhythm is presented not by a separate subject, but by all participants in the work - from the narrator and the Red Army soldiers to the lyrical hero. It can be said that in this way Blok "voiced" the element itself, showing its potential for self-organization in a creative act.
The plot of the poem
The plot construction in this work is very simple, although its “outlines”, according to M. Voloshin, “are somewhat clouded”. This critic and contemporary of Blok believed that the plot construction of the entire poem is not its essence. He defined the main thing in it as "the waves of her lyrical moods", passing through the souls of her 12 main characters.
Meanwhile, the researchers of the work define the plot of the poem as the story of the hero Petrukha.
The poet in it realizes his understanding of the essence of a person who is on his way:
- is in the elemental stage (in the beginning he is just an "old man")
- can respond to the challenge of the world (spiritual conflict)
- listen to the rhythmic harmony of the universe (transform)
These stages are passed by the Red Army soldier, making a detour of the night city.
- Petruha can feel this world only bodily. His attitude to Katya is inspirited by nothing. His perception of the world is egocentric. Having received a grudge, he is puzzled by revenge. These are the actions of the "old man"
- A crime is committed, a woman is killed, to whom Petruha had feelings. The offender is alive. The destructive impulse becomes a crime against the hero himself, i.e. self-destruction
- By the repentance that came after the murder, Petruha is "reborn" - this process in Blok is presented as unambiguously creative. Moreover, the poet even singles out this character from the general group of Red Army soldiers - Petrukha "lost" the rhythm, lost his "face" as a killer, and then, having listened to the general "musicality", becomes part of the general "we".
- Anger leaves with the words of forgiveness - "prayers": "rest in peace ..."
The image of Christ in the poem "The Twelve"
Did you like it? Do not hide your joy from the world - shareMBOU "Secondary school No. 66 of Vladivostok"
Project
Poem "Twelve"
Alexander Alexandrovich Blok
Comment
Head: Egorova G.M.
Teacher of Russian language and literature
Completed:
Varitskaya Zlata, Ermolenko Lydia,
Zvereva Ekaterina, Tereshchenko Diana - students of 11 "A" class
Vladivostok
2015
Content
Project passport……………………………………………………………………………… 3
Poem………………………………………………………………………………………………4 - 11
History of creation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Plot……………………………………………………………………………………………...12
Commentary on the poem………………………………………………………………………….13-19
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………......19
References……………………………………………………………………………..20
Project passport
Project name: analysis of the poem "The Twelve" by Alexander Alexandrovich Blok.
Project goals: to reveal the meaning of symbolic images, to understand the point of view of A.A. Blok with the help of the poem "The Twelve".
Supervisor: Egorova Galina Mikhailovna - teacher of Russian language and literature, teacher of the 1st category.
Consultant: Maksimova Galina Viktorovna - teacher of Russian language and literature, teacher of the 1st category.
Project type: research.
By subject-content area: culturological (literary).
By the number of participants: group.
By the time of the event: short.
By the nature of contacts: within the class.
Form of presentation of the project: abstract (comment on the lessons).
Sources of information: textbooks, studies of the life and work of A. Blok, Internet resources.
Twelve
Black evening.
White snow.
Wind, wind!
A person does not stand on his feet.
Wind, wind -
In all God's world!
Curls the wind
White snow.
Ice under the snow.
Slippery, hard
Every walker
Slides - oh, poor thing!
From building to building
The rope is stretched.
On the rope - poster:
The old woman is killed - crying,
Never understand what it means
What is this poster for?
Such a huge patch?
How many footcloths would come out for the guys,
And everyone is undressed, undressed ...
An old lady like a chicken
Somehow rewound through the snowdrift.
Oh, Mother Protector!
Oh, the Bolsheviks will drive you into a coffin!
The wind is biting!
The frost is not far behind!
And bourgeois at the crossroads
He hid his nose in the collar.
Who is this? - long hair
Traitors!
Russia is dead!
Must be a writer
Vitiya…
And there is the long-haired one -
Sideways and behind the snowdrift ...
What is not fun today
Comrade pop?
Do you remember how it used to be
Belly walked forward
And the cross shone
Belly for the people?
There is a lady in doodle
Turned up to the other:
We've been crying, crying...
slipped
And - bam - stretched out!
Hey, hey!
Pull up!
The wind is cheerful.
And angry and happy.
Twisting the hems
Passers-by mow.
Tears, crumples and wears
Large poster:
"All power to the Constituent Assembly!"
And delivers the words:
…And we had a meeting…
…Here in this building…
... Discussed -
Resolved:
For a while - ten, for the night - twenty-five ...
... And do not take less from anyone ...
…Let's go to sleep…
Late evening.
The street is empty.
One tramp
stooping
Let the wind whistle...
Hey poor fellow!
Come -
Let's kiss...
Of bread!
What's ahead?
Come on!
Black, black sky.
Anger, sad anger
Boiling in the chest...
Black malice, holy malice...
Comrade! Look
In both!
The wind is blowing, the snow is falling.
Twelve people are coming.
Rifles black straps
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
A cigarette in the teeth, a cap is crushed,
On the back you need an ace of diamonds!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Tra-ta-ta!
Cold, comrades, cold!
- And Vanka and Katya in the tavern...
- She has Kerenki in her stocking!
- Vanyushka himself is now rich ...
- There was our Vanka, but he became a soldier!
- Well, Vanka, son of a bitch, bourgeois,
Mine, try, kiss!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Katya and Vanka are busy -
What, what are you busy with?
Tra-ta-ta!
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
Shoulder - gun belts ...
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
Let's fire a bullet at Holy Russia -
In the condo
Into the hut
Into the fat ass!
Eh, eh, no cross!
How did our guys go?
To serve in the Red Army -
To serve in the Red Army -
Lay down your head!
Oh you, grief-bitter,
Sweet life!
torn coat,
Austrian gun!
We are on the mountain to all bourgeois
Let's fan the world fire
World fire in the blood -
God bless!
The snow is spinning, the reckless driver is screaming,
Vanka with Katya flies -
electric flashlight
On the shafts…
Ah, ah, fall!
H in a soldier's overcoat
With a stupid face
Twists, twists a black mustache,
Yes, it spins
Yes, he jokes...
So Vanka - he is broad-shouldered!
That's how Vanka is - he is eloquent!
Katka-fool hugs,
Is talking…
tilted her face,
Teeth sparkle...
Oh, you, Katya, my Katya,
Fat-faced…
On your neck, Katya,
The scar didn't heal from the knife.
Under your chest, Katya,
That scratch is fresh!
Eh, eh, dance!
Painful legs are good!
Walked in lace underwear -
Come on, come on!
She fornicated with officers -
Get lost, get lost!
Eh, eh, get lost!
My heart skipped a beat!
Do you remember, Katya, an officer -
He did not leave the knife ...
Al didn't remember, cholera?
Ali memory is not fresh?
Eh, eh, refresh
Sleep with you!
wore gray leggings,
Mignon ate chocolate.
I went for a walk with the cadet -
Have you gone with a soldier now?
Eh, eh, sin!
It will be easier for the soul!
…Again rushes towards the gallop,
Flying, screaming, yelling scorcher ...
Stop, stop! Andrew, help!
Petruha, run from behind! ..
Fuck-tararah-tah-tah-tah-tah!
Snow dust rolled up to the sky! ..
Likhach - and with Vanka - ran away ...
One more time! Pull the trigger!..
Fuck it! You will know
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to walk with a strange girl! ..
Duck, scoundrel! Wait, stop
I'll deal with you tomorrow!
And where is Katya? - Dead, dead!
Shot head!
What, Katya, are you glad? - No gu-gu ...
Lie down, you carrion, in the snow!
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
And twelve come again
Behind him is a gun.
Only the poor killer
Can't see a face...
Everything is faster and faster
Slows down the step.
Wrapped a scarf around his neck -
It won't get better...
What, comrade, are you not cheerful?
What, my friend, was dumbfounded?
What, Petruha, hung his nose,
Or did you feel sorry for Katya?
Oh, comrades, relatives,
I loved this girl...
The nights are black, intoxicated
With this girl spent ...
Due to the remoteness of the trouble
In her fiery eyes
Because of a crimson mole
Near the right shoulder
I ruined, stupid,
I ruined in the heat of the moment ... ah!
Look, bastard, started a hurdy-gurdy,
What are you, Petka, a woman, or what?
True soul inside out
Thinking of turning it out? Please!
Maintain your posture!
Keep control over yourself!
Not such a time now
To babysit you!
The burden will be heavier
Us, dear comrade!
And Petruha slows down
Hasty steps...
He tosses his head
He cheered up again...
Eh, eh!
Having fun is not a sin!
Lock up the floors
Today there will be robberies!
Open cellars -
Walking now nakedness!
Oh you woe-bitter!
Boredom is boring
Mortal!
I'm on time
I'll go, I'll go...
I'm already dark
I'll scratch, I'll scratch...
I'm seeds
I'll get it, I'll get it...
Already I am a knife
Stripe, stripe!
You fly, bourgeois, sparrow!
I'll drink blood
For a sweetheart
Chernobrovushka…
Rest in peace, Lord, the soul of your servant ...
Boring!
Can't hear the noise of the city
Silence over the Neva tower
And there is no more policeman -
Walk, guys, without wine!
There is a bourgeois at the crossroads
And he hid his nose in his collar.
And next to it is pressed with hard wool
A lousy dog with his tail between his legs.
There is a bourgeois, like a hungry dog,
And the old world, like a rootless dog,
Something blizzard broke out
Oh, blizzard, oh, blizzard!
Can't see each other at all
In four steps!
The snow curled like a funnel,
The snow has risen...
Oh, what a blizzard, save!
Petka! Hey, don't lie!
What saved you from
Golden iconostasis?
Unconscious you, right,
Judge, think sensibly -
Ali hands are not in the blood
Because of Katya's love?
Take a revolutionary step!
The restless enemy is near!
Forward, forward, forward
Working people!
... And they go without the name of a saint
All twelve - away.
Ready for everything
Nothing to regret...
Their rifles are steel
To the invisible enemy...
In the alleys are deaf,
Where one dusty blizzard ...
Yes, in downy snowdrifts -
Don't take off your boots...
It beats in the eyes
Red flag.
Is distributed
Measure step.
Here - wake up
Fierce enemy...
And the blizzard dusts them in the eyes
Days and nights
All the way…
Go-go,
Working people!
…They go far with a sovereign step ...
- Who else is there? Come out!
It's the red flag wind
Played ahead...
Ahead is a cold snowdrift.
- Who is in the snow - come out!
Only a beggar dog is hungry
Wandering behind...
- Get off you, mangy,
I'll tickle with a bayonet!
The old world is like a lousy dog
Fail - I'll beat you!
…Shows his teeth - the wolf is hungry -
The tail is tucked in - does not lag behind -
The dog is cold - the dog is rootless ...
- Hey, come on, who's coming?
- Who's waving the red flag there?
- Look, it's dark!
- Who walks there at a brisk pace,
Buried for all houses?
- Anyway, I'll get you
Better surrender to me alive!
- Hey comrade, it will be bad
Come on, let's start shooting!
Fuck-tah-tah! - And only an echo
Responds to houses...
Only a blizzard with a long laugh
Drenched in snow...
Fuck-tah-tah!
Fuck-tah-tah!
…So they go with a sovereign step -
Behind is a hungry dog.
Ahead - with a bloody flag,
And invisible behind the blizzard
And unharmed by a bullet
With a gentle step over the wind,
Snowy scattering of pearls,
In a white corolla of roses -
In front is Jesus Christ.
January 1918
The history of the creation of the poem "The Twelve"
The poem was written by A. Blok in January 1918, almost a year after the February Revolution, and just two months after the October Revolution.
The poem was composed by a single spirit, in post-revolutionary Petrograd, frozen from the cold, in a state of some kind of semi-conscious feverish upsurge, in just a few days, and it took only one month to finalize it. It is necessary to imagine very well the conditions in which this work was created, which is absolutely necessary both for Blok and for all Russian poetry. Only two months after the Bolshevik coup, less than a year after the general euphoria of the democratic February Revolution ... A sharp spiritual upsurge and at the same time - fatigue after two years spent at the front, piercing winter cold and the beginning devastation, reprisals and robbery on the streets of the capital, and anxiety in front of the German troops advancing on Petrograd.
Blok said that he began to write "twelve" from the middle, with the words: "I’ll slash with a knife, slash!”, then he went to the beginning and with one spirit wrote the first eight songs of the poem. Numerical symbolism also arose from the very beginning. The fact that the Red Guard patrols actually consisted of 12 people is evidenced by both documents and memoirs (in particular, the book by John Reed). In the draft of the poem there is Blok's note: "Twelve (man and poems)."
On March 3, according to the new style, the poem "The Twelve" was published, which is significant, in the Socialist-Revolutionary newspaper "Znamya Truda", and in May it was first published as a separate book. Here is what Yuri Annenkov, the first illustrator of the poem “The Twelve,” wrote about Blok’s subtle inner mood, who communicated very closely with the poet that very year: “In 1917-18, Blok was undoubtedly captured by the elemental side of the revolution. "World fire" seemed to him a goal, not a stage. For Blok, the world fire was not even a symbol of destruction: it was a "world orchestra of the people's soul." Street lynching seemed to him more justified than a trial. "Hurricane, constant companion of coups." And again, and always - Music. "Music" with a capital letter. “Those who are filled with music will hear the sigh of the universal soul, if not today, then tomorrow,” Blok said back in 1919. In 1917, it seemed to Blok that he heard her. In 1918, repeating that "the spirit is music," Blok said that "the revolution is the music that those who have ears must hear," and assured the intelligentsia: "With your whole body, with your whole mind, listen to the revolution." This phrase was the same age as the poem "The Twelve".
The history of the poem "The Twelve" was accompanied by grandiose events, which soon came to naught. After the noises of the revolution, Blok fell into an ominous silence. He practically did not write poems, many of his ideas remained unfulfilled. Rumor has it that before his death in delirium, he wished that his main creation, the poem "The Twelve", would be put on fire. The history of the creation and Blok's enthusiasm for working on the work somewhat contradicts this fact. Exactly like the eyewitness accounts of the poet's departure to a better world.
The plot of the poem "The Twelve"
"Twelve" is an epic poem that reflects pictures of reality and resembles more a kaleidoscope.
The plot can be defined as two-layered - external, everyday: sketches from the streets of Petrograd, and internal: motivation, justification for the actions of the "twelve".
The poem begins with a description of the city panorama, with a symbolic landscape, as if drawn in black and white:
Black evening.
White snow.
Wind, wind!
A person does not stand on his feet.
Wind, wind
In all God's world!
Blok perceived the revolution as an element that rages, regardless of people; Only the strong can survive in it. The poet is characterized by the universal scale of vision: the defenseless figure of a man lost in a whirlwind of a blizzard. Contrasting colors symbolize the old and new worlds, the tragic change of eras, the disappearance of the entire old world in a snowstorm along with its inhabitants: an old woman, a decadent poet, a bourgeois, a priest, girls from a brothel. Their voices are heard as if from a "blizzard". In the poem, a cold wind, a blizzard, a snowstorm sweep away all the rubbish of the old, clearing the world for the new, the unknown.
The image of the twelve Red Guards appears in the second chapter. They are marching through the blizzards, and their very movement forward signifies the coming changes. The symbolic images of the crossroads, the bourgeois at the crossroads, the “lousy dog” mean Russia at a crossroads, a confused person trying to hide from frightening changes. The poet is trying to figure out what the revolution brings with it: renewal or darkness and cruelty.
One of the key moments of the poem is the murder of Katya. The author sees in the new reality rampant dark forces. The Red Guards and Petrukha are shown as people from the lower classes with the Ural robbery beginning, it is not without reason that the “ace of diamonds” is mentioned - the sign of a convict. Depicting the Red Guards, Blok uses a combination of high style with low, rude vocabulary.
Petka kills Katya, who cheated on him, and suffers from it. But the personal experiences of the hero are inappropriate in the days of great change. Comrades exhort Petka:
- Not such a time now.
To babysit you!
The burden will be heavier
Us, dear comrade!
Petruha overcomes "unnecessary" feelings and walks along with everyone, typing a step. They are"Ready for anything, nothing to be sorry for" they"They go without the name of a saint." But suddenly in front of the detachment of the Red Guards appears"in a white halo of roses" Jesus Christ.
He has a red flag in his hands, which turns bloody at the end of the poem. Blok understood that the path to a new life would not be without bloodshed. But the poet could not explain where this image came from in his poem. Christ"behind the blizzard is invisible", he is ahead of the time when the revolution took place. Blok believed that Christ brings"holy banner" while the revolutionaries test to the whole world"holy malice" In the poem, the image of Christ is given as a high moral ideal to which one must strive. The poet believed that people would find the way to goodness and beauty.
Block said that "The Twelve" will remain the best of all that he wrote, because, creating them, he lived entirely in modernity. Never before has the poet's soul been so receptive to the storms and thunderstorms of history. To use Blok's words, the "Twelve" concentrated in itself all the power of electricity, with which the air of October was oversaturated.
Living in modernity, the poet, with the greatest freedom and unheard-of courage, created the most modern and completely original work. There was nothing like it in Russian poetry.
Commentary on the poem
In "The Twelve" - in the symbolism of the poem, in its imagery, composition, rhythm, language, in the entire artistic structure - Blok's perception and understanding of the October Revolution is embodied in its entirety and integrity.
The poem consistently uses an artistic technique based on the effect of contrast. Thanks to this indissoluble unity of two intersecting plans, the integrity of the poem is preserved.
1 chapter. The author uses contrast in the plot of the poem:
Black evening.
White snow.
Wind, wind!
"Evening", "snow", "wind" - these are symbols expressing the confrontation of the elements."Black White". Two colors dominate, no halftones. The contrasting juxtaposition of colors determines the entire structure of the poem. The feeling of the poet is determined through color.
A person does not stand on his feet.
Wind, wind
In all God's world!
Everything sweeps in its path"wind". A world storm is raging in the universe. Two worlds are opposing - the old one ("black color ) and new ("White color ) . The poet hated the world of the well-fed, this world is defeated. The old world is given many faces: it is depicted satirically.
Its representatives are the following heroes:“an old woman like a chicken”, “bourgeois at the crossroads”, “vitia writer”, “comrade pop”, “lady in karakul”.
And delivers the words:
…And we had a meeting...
…Here in this building...
…Discussed -
Resolved:
For a while - ten, for the night - twenty-five ...
…And less - do not take from anyone ...
…Let's go to sleep…
A discordant rumble is heard: the heroes of the poem are different people. Poster"All power to the Constituent Assembly." The symbols used in the poem should distract people's attention from the key events of the unmanifested government with empty statements and pathos meetings.
Chapter 2 In the second chapter, the main symbol of the revolution appears:
The wind is blowing, the snow is falling.
Twelve people are coming.
Cheerfully, energetically said,"The wind is blowing, the snow is fluttering" and these twelve blizzards are not terrible, not dangerous. They are in it as in their native element - and they do not slip and do not fall, but only go forward towards their goal.
The Twelve are the working class, the common people, they are the heroes of the new time and the defenders of the revolution. 12 - defenders of the "new world". According to the memoirs of Blok's contemporaries, each patrol consisted of 12 people.
Rifles black straps,
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
"Lights" - the destroying force, the force of the revolution.
In the teeth - a cigarette, a cap is crushed,
On the back you need an ace of diamonds!
"Ace of diamonds" - a metaphor, a terrible sign of a convict.
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Tra-ta-ta!
This is how the Red Guards appeared to the frightened philistines. The block gives a collective, collective image. In the first moment of freedom, people show their worst qualities: they are often destructive, commit immoral acts.
But in the same chapter, several more heroes characteristic of the revolution appear:
- And Vanka and Katya are in a tavern ...
- She has Kerenki in her stocking!
"Kerenki" - paper money issued by the Provisional Government (1917, Russia)
- Vanyushka himself is now rich ...
- There was our Vanka, but he became a soldier!
- Well, Vanka, son of a bitch, bourgeois,
Mine, try, kiss!
Blok does not poeticize his characters, but shows them as they are. The poet is alien to the bourgeoisie of the hero, Vanyushka betrayed the revolution.
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
…………………….
Tra-ta-ta!
Embraces a heady sense of permissiveness. This path leads to a dead end. Violation of all moral norms: refusal of obligations, laws, responsibility.
Comrade, hold the rifle, don't be afraid!
Let's fire a bullet at Holy Russia
In the condo
Into the hut
Into the fat ass!
Chapter 3 In the third chapter, the cleansing power of the revolution is visible, which sweeps away everything in its path:
We are on the mountain to all bourgeois
Let's fan the world fire
World fire in the blood -
God bless!
The revolution had one main task - to fan the fire.
Chapter 4 In the fourth chapter, the central conflict of the poem is born: a love triangle: Katya - Vanka - Petruha. The author of the poem mocks his hero, who changed the revolution:
He is in a soldier's overcoat
With a stupid face
Twists, twists a black mustache,
Yes, it spins
Yes, he jokes...
So Vanka - he is broad-shouldered!
That's how Vanka is - he is eloquent!
Katka-fool hugs,
Is talking…
“Katka” is the embodiment of the life principle, the heroine bursts into the poem like a color contrast:
tilted her face,
Teeth sparkle...
Oh, you, Katya, my Katya,
Fat-faced…
Katya is the embodiment of not only life, but also a passionate beginning. She amazes the reader with her truth. This is reality itself.
Chapters 5,6. Further, in the fifth and sixth chapters, there follows the resolution of contradictions in the relationship between these characters, as well as the semantic "knot" of the composition of the poem: the murder of Katya, who plays one of the key roles in the poem. A suspicion creeps in that the poem is not so much about a “simple Russian woman” and her finding “such an end”. In relation to Katya, Blok uses the epithet"fat-faced", in relation to Russia -"thick". These paths are certainly interconnected, if only because they are of the same root. Likewise, the images they characterize are connected. Confirmation of this can be found in the relationship of the poem with history.
Turning to history, we will notice that a striking example of the embodiment of the image of Katya from the poem is one of the most famous rulers of Russia - Catherine 11. This woman became famous for a huge number of favorites and a great contribution to strengthening serfdom. The Empress did not particularly stand on ceremony in choosing men and at times preferred not to look at estates, and so did the heroine from the poem:
She fornicated with officers -
Get lost, get lost!
I went for a walk with the junker -
Have you gone with a soldier now?
Eh, eh, sin!
It will be easier for the soul!
The Empress can be regarded as a symbol of Russian statehood, and then the behavior of Blok's Katya can be regarded as an allegorical description of the country's foreign policy. If we apply the interpretation of the image of Katya as the personification of the state system, then the lines:
wore gray leggings,
Mignon ate chocolate ...
can be explained as a description of the state of this system. Neither"gaiters", neither"Chocolate Mignon" products of Russian industry are not. At the beginningXXcentury, as now, most goods for the use of a wealthy minority were imported from abroad. That is, the state economy was not solvent, because it could not provide all its citizens with domestic products. But even more than that, the state's unpretentiousness in choosing world allies (like Blok's Katya in choosing partners) is due precisely to the fact that the Russian economy and the well-being of its citizens depended on the goodwill of the allies to export their goods. The Empress can be regarded as a symbol of Russian statehood, against which twelve patrolmen, led by Christ, stood up.
With the murder of Katya, Blok shows the impunity and omnipotence of the blind revolutionary will. This interpretation of Katya's murder is explained by Blok's spiritual work in connection with the events of the revolution, his attitude at the beginning of 1918. The murder of Katya in the figurative fabric of the poem goes beyond the relationship between a lumpen and a prostitute and becomes a symbol denoting the madness and meaninglessness of the new world. If there hadn't been Katya's murder, if the poem had only fragments, shreds of a picture of a snow-covered city (anticipating the plotless sketches of the "new" literature), along which the detachment is walking. Blok would have succeeded in showing only the form, the outer side of the revolution. Blok, despite the fact that he depicts reality in new, more adequate forms for this reality (fragmentation, contrast, specificity of lexical means), penetrates the essence of the revolution and shows its main contradiction, which many writers of the 1920s will talk about - the opposition lofty ideal and dirty means of its movement.
Despite the serious crime that Petrukha committed, for Blok, the heir to the humanism of Russian literatureX1 Xcentury, the "poor killer" Petka is a suffering, loving person, not a wild beast, a robber. With indignation, the poet writes: “... The best people say:“We are disappointed in our people”; the best people are sarcastic, ridiculed, spiteful, they see nothing around but rudeness and atrocity (and the person is right here, nearby) ..”
But - and this is even more important - for Blok, the first poet of the Soviet era, both Petrukha and the Red Guards are not just suffering "poor" people, but rebellious fighters, revolutionary heroes, fearlessly and sacrificially going to the battle for a new life. And immediately after the rude words addressed by Petrukha to the dead Katya:"Lie down, carrion in the snow! .." - sounds like a reminder-call to action chased slogan:"Revolutionary keep step!"
Chapter 7 Vanka is now a killer, but not a simple one, but a "poor one". A common occurrence that occurs during the elemental period. The worst crime is that a person has not learned to restrain himself.
The seventh chapter reflects the bitterest and highest farewell. Petrukha's recollection of Katya is vivid, tremulous; his words are among the most penetrating in Blok's love lyrics in general:
- Oh, comrades, relatives,
I loved this girl...
Petrukha is terrified of what he has done. He loved her, that's the tragedy. Petrukha's selfishness is his own punishment.
Eh, eh!
Having fun is not a sin!
Lock up the floors
Today there will be robberies!
Open cellars -
Walking now nakedness!
Everything is mixed up in the souls of 12. They are the personification of the masses: everything is permitted to them. The worst crime"scary world" in that he did not teach a person to realize his powers in a different way.
Chapter 8 Scorched space. Separation from everyone. You have to get used to your godliness.
I'm on time
I'll go, I'll go...
There are those for whom nothing is sacred. Petersburg is buried under a layer of seeds:
I'm seeds
I'll get it, I'll get it...
The soldier's face is scornfully boorish. Illogical and completely irrational. The prayer is pronounced quite mechanically:
Rest, O Lord, the soul of thy servant...
Boring!
According to Blok, the merit of the "new" world will be that it will help a person to express himself in a different way than Petruha.
Chapter 9 There is nothing. Helplessness and despondency. They were drunk without wine when the time, people and attitude to the state changed:
Silence over the Neva tower
And there is no more policeman -
Walk, guys until the morning!
Blok sings of the new world:
The bourgeois stands like a hungry dog,
It stands silent, like a question.
And the old world, like a rootless dog,
Standing behind him with his tail between his legs.
"Mangy dog", "hungry dog" - This is the personification of the past, the outgoing.
Chapter 10
The snow curled like a funnel,
The snow has risen...
- Oh, what a blizzard, save!
- Petka! Hey, don't lie!
What saved you from
Golden iconostasis?
Unconscious you, right,
Judge, think sensibly -
Ali hands are not in the blood
Because of Katya's love?
Turns out they did it on purpose. Katka is a tool. Now these people, tied with blood, are like-minded people.
Any blind obedience is lack of freedom, a manifestation of savagery, cruelty and revenge. For Blok, "twelve" are people fighting for a "bright future".
Chapter 11 The personal recedes before the public. 12 - victims of the old world, but at the same time its enemies.
…And they go without the name of a saint
All twelve are off.
Ready for everything
Nothing to regret...
………………………..
It beats in the eyes
Red flag.
The "Red Flag" is a symbol of the future. At the end of the chapter it is said about the confrontation between the elements and people.
And the blizzard dusts them in the eyes
Days and nights
All the way…
Go-go,
Working people!
Chapter 12 There is no return of the past, but the old world does not want to retreat:
Only a beggar dog is hungry
Wandering behind...
"Dog" is a collective image of the past. The symbols of the old world areblizzard, shadow.
At the end of the poem, a collective image of the moral principle is given.
…So they go with a sovereign step,
Behind is a hungry dog
Ahead - with a bloody flag,
And invisible behind the blizzard
And unharmed by a bullet
With a gentle step over the wind,
Snowy scattering of pearls,
In a white corolla of roses -
In front is Jesus Christ.
Some believe that Jesus Christ is the image of a Man, devoid of selfish principles, selfless. (See the spelling of the hero's name). Others suggest that the name is used to rhyme:"dog, rose, Christ." Blok himself said: "Sometimes I myself deeply hate this feminine ghost." It should be remembered that"White Corolla of Roses" symbolizes the sign of death.
The final stanza contains many contradictions, for example:
Ahead - with a bloody flag
……………………………………..
In a white corolla of roses ...
Blok himself claimed: "I see angel wings behind every Red Guard."
Many believe that Christ is, as it were, elevated above everyday life and above events. He is the embodiment of harmony and simplicity, which the heroes of Blok subconsciously yearn for. In the finale of the poem, everything is enlarged, has a frankly conditional character. This is a merged image of the "twelve", and the images of the bourgeoisie and the hungry dog that reappear, and the image of Christ crowning the poem. There are no names here, all remarks consist of the most general words or rhetorical questions.
Conclusion
The poem "The Twelve" is not formally included in Blok's "trilogy", but connected with it by many threads, it became a new and higher step in his creative path. "... The poem was written in that exceptional and always short time when the passing revolutionary cyclone produces a storm in all seas - nature, life and art." This “storm in all seas” found its expression in the poem. All its action unfolds against the backdrop of rampant natural elements. But the basis of the content of this work is a “storm” in the sea of life.
The poem "The Twelve" is a truly brilliant creation, because Blok, contrary to his plan to sing the Great October and bless it in the name of Jesus Christ; managed to show both the horror, and the cruelty, and the absurdity of everything that was happening before his eyes in January 1918, a little over two months after the fatal volley of the Aurora.
Everything in the poem seems unusual: the world is intertwined with the everyday; revolution with the grotesque; a hymn with a ditty; the “vulgar” plot, taken as if from a chronicle of newspaper incidents, ends with a majestic apotheosis; the unheard-of "rudeness" of the dictionary enters into a complex relationship with the finest verbal-musical constructions.
The poem is full of symbolic images. This and images"evening", "wind", "snow" , symbolizing the revolutionary changes in Russia, which no one can hold back or stop; and a generalized image of the old, outgoing, obsolete world; and images of the Red Guards - the defenders of the new life; and the image of Christ as a symbol of the new world, bringing moral purification to mankind, the age-old ideals of humanism, as a symbol of justice, which finds its highest expression in the revolutionary aspirations and deeds of the people, as a symbol of the sanctity of the cause of the revolution. Even Blok's use of color and musical rhythm is symbolic.
All the symbols of the poem have their own direct meaning, but together they not only create a complete picture of the post-revolutionary days, but also help to understand the author's feelings, his sense of contemporary reality, his attitude to what is happening. After all, the poem "The Twelve" - for all the tragedy of its plot - is permeated with an unshakable faith in the great and wonderful future of Russia, which "infected all mankind with its health" (as the poet himself said), faith in the huge, immeasurable forces of her people, who were shackled, clamped into a “useless knot”, and now they have amazed the whole world with their scope and indestructible creative power.
The poem is striking in such an inner breadth, as if all angry, raging, just breaking the centuries-old fetters, washed in blood, Russia fit on its pages - with its aspirations, thoughts, heroic impulses into the boundless distance, and Russia is a storm, Russia is a revolution, Russia is a new hope of all mankind - this is the main symbolic image of Blok, the greatness of which gives such great importance to his October poem.
Bibliography
Blok A. Poems. Poems / A.A. Blok - M .: Soviet writer, 1982-506 p.
OK. Dolgopolov. A. Blok. – Leningrad branch, 1980
Orlov V.N. Gamayun: Blok's Life: In 2 books. Book. 2. - M.: TERRA, 1997. - 336 p. - (Portraits).
Internet resource:https:// en. // Wikipedia/ org/ wiki/ Twelve (poem).
Internet resource:http:// haiienna. people. en/ block 12 analiz. HTML.
Black evening.
White snow.
Wind, wind!
A person does not stand on his feet.
Wind, wind
In all God's world!
Curls the wind
White snow.
Under the snow is ice.
Slippery, hard
Every walker
Slides - oh, poor thing!
From building to building
The rope is stretched.
On the rope - a poster:
"All power to the Constituent Assembly!"
The old woman is killed - crying,
Never understand what it means
What is this poster for?
Such a huge patch?
How many footcloths would come out for the guys,
And everyone is undressed, undressed ...
An old lady like a chicken
Somehow rewound through the snowdrift.
- Oh, Mother Protector!
- Oh, the Bolsheviks will drive into the coffin!
The wind is biting!
The frost is not far behind!
And bourgeois at the crossroads
He hid his nose in the collar.
And who is this? - Long hair
And he says in a low voice:
- Traitors!
- Russia is dead! —
Must be a writer
Vitiya...
And there is the long-haired one -
Sideways - for a snowdrift ...
What’ is gloomy now,
Comrade pop?
Do you remember how it used to be
Belly walked forward
And the cross shone
Belly on the people? ..
There is a lady in doodle
Turned up to the other:
We've been crying, crying...
slipped
And - bam - stretched out!
Hey, hey!
Pull up!
The wind is cheerful
And angry and happy.
Twisting the hems
Passers-by ko'sit,
Tears, crumples and wears
Large poster:
"All power to the Constituent Assembly"...
And delivers the words:
And we had a meeting...
...Here in this building...
... Discussed -
Resolved:
For a while - ten, for the night - twenty-five ...
... And less - do not take from anyone ...
...Let's go to sleep...
Late evening.
The street is empty.
One tramp
stooping
Let the wind whistle...
Hey poor fellow!
Come -
Let's kiss...
Of bread!
What' ahead?
Come on!
Black, black sky.
Anger, sad anger
Boiling in the chest...
Black malice, holy malice...
Comrade! Look
In both!
2
The wind is blowing, the snow is falling.Twelve people are coming.
Rifles black straps,
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
In the teeth - a cigarette, a cap is crushed,
On the back you need an ace of diamonds!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Tra-ta-ta!
Cold, comrade, cold!
- And Vanka and Katya are in a tavern ...
- She has Kerenki in her stocking!
- Vanyushka himself is now rich ...
- There was our Vanka, but he became a soldier!
- Well, Vanka, son of a bitch, bourgeois,
Mine, try, kiss!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Katya and Vanka are busy -
What, what are you busy with?
Tra-ta-ta!
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
Shoulder - gun belts ...
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
Comrade, hold the rifle, don't be afraid!
Let's fire a bullet at Holy Russia -
In the condo
Into the hut
Into the fat ass!
Eh, eh, no cross!
3
How did our guys go?Serve in the Red Guard
Serve in the Red Guard
Lay down your head!
Oh you, grief-bitter,
Sweet life!
torn coat,
Austrian gun!
We are on the mountain to all bourgeois
Let's fan the world fire
World fire in the blood -
God bless!
4
The snow is spinning, the reckless driver is screaming,Vanka with Katya flies -
electric flashlight
On the shafts...
Ah, ah, fall!
He is in a soldier's overcoat
With a stupid face
Twists, twists a black mustache,
Yes, it spins
Yes, he jokes...
So Vanka - he is broad-shouldered!
That's how Vanka is - he is eloquent!
Katka-fool hugs,
Is talking...
tilted her face,
Pearly teeth...
Oh, you, Katya, my Katya,
Fat-faced...
5
On your neck, Katya,The scar didn't heal from the knife.
Under your chest, Katya,
That scratch is fresh!
Eh, eh, dance!
Painful legs are good!
Walked in lace underwear -
Come on, come on!
She fornicated with officers -
Get lost, get lost!
Eh, eh, get lost!
My heart skipped a beat!
Do you remember, Katya, the officer -
He did not leave the knife ...
Al didn't remember, cholera?
Ali memory is not fresh?
Eh, eh, refresh
Sleep with you!
wore gray leggings,
Mignon ate chocolate,
I went for a walk with the cadet -
Have you gone with a soldier now?
Eh, eh, sin!
It will be easier for the soul!
6
... Again, galloping towards,Flying, screaming, yelling scorcher ...
Stop, stop! Andrew, help!
Petruha, run from behind! ..
Fuck-tararah-tah-tah-tah-tah!
Snow dust rolled up to the sky! ..
Likhach - and with Vanka - ran away ...
One more time! Pull the trigger!..
Fuck it! You will know
. . . . . . . . . . .
How to walk with a strange girl! ..
Duck, scoundrel! Wait, stop
I'll deal with you tomorrow!
Where is Katya? - Dead, dead!
Shot head!
What', Katya, glad? - No hoo...
Lie down, you carrion, in the snow! ..
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
7
And twelve come againBehind him is a rifle.
Only the poor killer
Can't see a face...
Everything is faster and faster
Slows down the step.
Wrapped a scarf around his neck -
No way to recover...
- What, comrade, are you not cheerful?
- What, my friend, dumbfounded?
- What, Petruha, hung his nose,
Or did you feel sorry for Katya?
- Oh, comrade, relatives,
I loved this girl...
The nights are black, intoxicated
With this girl spent ...
- Due to the remoteness of the trouble
In her fiery eyes
Because of the crimson springs
Near the right shoulder
I ruined, stupid,
I ruined in the heat of the moment ... ah!
- Look, bastard, started a hurdy-gurdy,
What are you, Petka, a woman, or what?
- That's right, the soul inside out
Thinking of turning it out? Please!
- Maintain your posture!
- Keep control over yourself!
- Not such a time now.
To babysit you!
The burden will be heavier
Us, dear comrade!
— And Petruha slows down
Hasty steps...
He tosses his head
He's happy again...
Eh, eh!
Having fun is not a sin!
Lock up the floors
Today there will be robberies!
Open cellars -
Walking now nakedness!
8
Oh you, woe-bitter!Boredom is boring
Mortal!
I'm on time
I'll go, I'll go...
I'm already dark
I'll scratch, I'll scratch...
I'm seeds
I'll get it, I'll get it...
Already I am a knife
Stripe, stripe!
You fly, bourgeois, sparrow!
I'll drink blood
For a sweetheart
Chernobrovushka...
Rest, Lord, the soul of your servant...
Boring!
9
Can't hear the noise of the citySilence over the Neva tower
And there is no more policeman -
Walk, guys, without wine!
There is a bourgeois at the crossroads
And he hid his nose in his collar.
And next to it is pressed with hard wool
A lousy dog with his tail between his legs.
There is a bourgeois, like a hungry dog,
It stands silent, like a question.
And the old world, like a rootless dog,
Standing behind him with his tail between his legs.
10
Something blizzard broke outOh, blizzard, oh, blizzard!
Can't see each other at all
In four steps!
The snow curled like a funnel,
The snow has risen...
- Oh, what a blizzard, save!
- Petka! Hey, don't lie!
What saved you from
Golden iconostasis?
Unconscious you, right,
Judge, think sensibly -
Ali hands are not in the blood
Because of Katya's love?
- Take a revolutionary step!
The restless enemy is near!
Forward, forward, forward
Working people!
11
... And they go without the name of a saintAll twelve are off.
Ready for everything
Nothing to be sorry...
Their rifles are steel
To the invisible enemy...
In the alleys are deaf,
Where one dusty blizzard ...
Yes, in downy snowdrifts -
Don't take off your boots...
It beats in the eyes
Red flag.
Is distributed
Measure step.
Here - wake up
Fierce enemy...
And the blizzard dusts in their eyes
Days and nights
All the way...
Go-go,
Working people!
12
... They go far with a sovereign step ...— Who else is there? Come out!
It's the wind with the red flag
Played ahead...
Ahead is a cold snowdrift,
— Who is in the snow? come out!..
Only a beggar dog is hungry
Wandering behind...
- Get off you, mangy,
I'll tickle with a bayonet!
The old world is like a lousy dog
Fail - I'll beat you!
Shows his teeth - the wolf is hungry -
The tail is tucked in - does not lag behind -
A cold dog is a rootless dog...
- Hey, answer, who's coming?
Who is waving the red flag?
- Look at it, it's dark!
- Who walks there at a quick pace,
Buried for all houses?
- Anyway, I'll get you,
Better surrender to me alive!
- Hey, comrade, it will be bad,
Come on, let's start shooting!
Fuck-tah-tah! - And only echo
Responds to houses...
Only a blizzard with a long laugh
Falling into the snow...
Fuck-tah-tah!
Fuck-tah-tah...
So they go with a sovereign step,
Behind is a hungry dog
Ahead - with a bloody flag,
And invisible behind the blizzard
And unharmed by a bullet
With a gentle step over the wind,
Snowy scattering of pearls,
In a white corolla of roses -
In front is Jesus Christ. January 1918
In the twentieth century, Russia went through many trials: coup d'état, change of regime, revolution after revolution... The turbulent time dictated its conditions and required changes in public and political life. Literature, the “ruler of thoughts,” was taken to solve many urgent problems. Talented treated the revolution in different ways. Some did not accept it and left their native lands, while others remained and longed for changes for the better. Alexander Blok assured that it is necessary to listen to the revolution with all your heart and consciousness, for him it is "music that those who have ears should hear."
The history of the creation of the poem "The Twelve". Recognition of the poet, criticism
The work was written after the February one, and Blok himself admits that he developed the poem very quickly, because he wrote it, being in anticipation of changes. First, he wrote separate stanzas, and then collected them into a single composition, and in the end he was amazed at how little was crossed out in it. It is curious that the poem grew from just a few words (“I’m already striping, striping with a knife”), after which 8 stanzas instantly appeared. It was snowy January days, and the poet carried this mood through all his work. Blok's poem might not have survived to the present day, since the author, in her dying delirium, demanded that his wife, Lyubov Mendeleevna, burn his offspring, but she did not. Alexander Alexandrovich instantly turned into an enemy of the people and poets, for which Nikolai Gumilev pronounced a sentence on him: service to the Antichrist, secondary and execution of the sovereign.
Events take place in the winter in Petrograd. A blizzard blows, through which a scream, a screech are heard. A detachment of twelve Red Army soldiers is moving through the night city - the so-called fighters with the old world, who shoot mercilessly and destroy everything in their path. One of them, the sensual Vanka, kills his girlfriend Katya and subsequently survives her death, but his comrades order him to gather his strength: "now is not the time to babysit you." The squad warns the citizens of the upcoming robbery: they will eradicate everything that reminds them of the old world. They forget about God, march "without the name of a saint" and remind the praying Petka that he already has "the blood of a girl", which means that he should not expect the help of the Lord. However, in the last, twelfth chapter, He appears: "In a white halo of roses Ahead is Jesus Christ." Who is it - the savior or the destroyer - Block does not give an answer, therefore the meaning of the finale of the poem "The Twelve" is interpreted differently.
Image of Jesus
The appearance of Christ in the finale is an unexpected phenomenon, since they have already fired at Holy Russia several times and removed the cross. A hundred years have passed since the writing of the poem, and literary scholars are still considering this issue and putting forward several conjectures. Jesus leads a detachment of Red Guards and leads them to a new world - the criminals have become saints. Other researchers believe that these are the apostles, marching in a revolutionary step under the leadership of Peter. Mikhail Voloshin assures that the image of Christ in the poem "The Twelve" was introduced for a different purpose: he does not save the detachment, but, on the contrary, tries to hide from it himself. Pavel Florensky drew attention to the changes in the name Jesus - in Blok he is "Jesus", but one should not be naive and assume that a typo was made by accident. The detachment is headed by the Antichrist, who is also omnipotent, invulnerable "and invisible behind the blizzard."
Composition of the poem
"Twelve" is a response to the music of the revolution heard by Blok, and the musicality of the work is achieved by a clear rhythm. The poem is not like the previous works of Alexander Alexandrovich, and the poet seems to be in search of a new form, which he successfully succeeds. The tradition of the march will be continued later in his work by the futurist Vladimir Mayakovsky. The poem consists of twelve parts of different shapes, which are interconnected and form a single whole. If you analyze the poem "The Twelve", you can identify the dots between the stanzas that were inserted by the editors after publication - obviously, the censors considered it necessary to omit some places. At certain points, the narrative part fades into the background, and the actions are described in dialogues and monologues. The rhyme is inconsistent, and in some episodes it does not exist at all, often the action is interrupted by shooting - "fuck-tah-tah!"
Features of the language in the poem "The Twelve"
The brightest symbolist of the twentieth century - Alexander Blok - had a turning point in his work. The poet, who previously wrote poems about women and love, begins to be interested in new topics, and the onset of the revolution finally convinced him to rethink the motives of his work. very unusual - Blok wrote it in a fit of expectations, passions and collected urban folklore, not disregarding even vernacular and abusive vocabulary. The phrase "Chocolate" Mignon "ate" belongs to Lyubov Mendeleeva. Blok's prostitute Katya is "fat-faced", the lantern is "electric", the junkers are "junkerier", and Rus is "fat-assed". The author perfectly conveyed the flavor of street life, but after a complete analysis of the poem "The Twelve", one can also identify catchphrases. The stanza "... Wind, wind - in all God's world!" soon became a proverb.
That mysterious number is twelve...
Delving into the history of writing a poem, you can identify some controversial points. In the history of world culture, there are some numbers, the peculiarity of which was noticed by ancient people: they brought good luck to some, misfortune to others. The number 12 is the personification of the cosmic order and is found in European, Chinese, Vedic and pagan cultures. Since Christianity has been preached in Russia since the tenth century, the sacred meaning of this number among Christians is of interest. So, 12 is the number of the apostles of Jesus, 12 fruits of the spirit, 12 tribes of Israel; at the base of the Holy City lay 12 gates and stones, which is also very symbolic. Also, everyone knows that this figure is often found not only in religion, but also in everyday life. 12 hours a day and a night, 12 months a year. In ancient Greece and Rome, just such a number of the main gods sat on Olympus.
Twelve is a truly unusual and mysterious figure, but Blok Alexander himself warned that the poem is very symbolic, and any symbol and allusion can be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps the meaning of this number in the poem is very realistic, since at the time of the revolution, the Red Guard patrols really numbered 12 people each.
Two worlds in a work
The confrontation between the past and the new time is the main theme of the poem "The Twelve". Blok saw in the revolution "getting rid of the spiritual swamp" and firmly believed that sooner or later this should happen. The old world with its foundations was not destined to exist for a long time - for the sake of change, society is ready to make sacrifices. The poem begins with a blizzard, which is the image of the coup. "Wind, wind - in all God's world!" - against this wind of change, which seems to have swept not only Russia, but the whole world, not everyone can resist. Twelve Red Army soldiers go through a snowstorm, not being afraid of anything. The old world is powerless before the coming new one, and the harbingers of the revolution are just as uncontrollable and unstoppable.
Democracy or anarchy?
Twelve Red Army men are the main images of the poem "The Twelve". They are irreconcilable to the old foundations - they go, and they do not care. They are a reflection of the true face of the revolution, which sweeps away everything in its path, just like a blizzard. The Red Guards warn the inhabitants to lock the “floors” and unlock the cellars, since “today there will be robberies.” Such exclamations symbolize anarchy, but not the struggle of the proletariat for a better life. They despise the old world, but what can they offer in return? Destroying, they are not ready to create. They do not say: "We will build our new world, we will create it!" An analysis of the poem "The Twelve" will allow us to see the death of the country in the ongoing events. The uselessness of the revolution is confirmed by the old woman, who, seeing the poster "All power to the Constituent Assembly!", is amazed why it is needed. From such a huge flap one could sew footcloths for children, because in the current hungry and cold times, when "everyone is undressed, undressed," the state needs to take care of the well-being of the people.
Even the church is stripped of its former power. Alexander Blok depicts a priest who, if earlier "went forward with his belly" and shone with a cross, now, like everyone else, is subdued by the Red Guard, and they turn to him "comrade priest." The new government does not need the church and faith, and the Red Guards are calling for a shot at Holy Russia from a rifle.
What are the sacrifices for?
For the revolution, the life of one person means nothing against the backdrop of a worldwide blizzard. When one of the twelve Red Army soldiers named Petka accidentally kills his girlfriend Katya, he begins to lament, not believing what is happening. In the eyes of the other eleven, this looks like weakness, because it is not the place to relax at such an important moment when the fate of Russia is being decided.
Katya is a symbol of all human vices, an anti-heroine who walks with the junkers, goes to bed with everyone. She "worn gray leggings, ate Mignon chocolate" and, in general, was an atypical representative of a Russian woman. Perhaps Blok's poem was written to confirm that people like Katya really should be sacrificed for the sake of the revolution.
Chaos or harmony: what will win?
The old world is nothing, and it can no longer exist. He's about to collapse. The author compares it with the image of a rootless dog that stands behind the bourgeois, his tail between his legs. The struggle does not last long: the dark future has already passed, but is there a light in sight? What awaits the people after this blizzard? The Red Guards promise even greater destruction, because a future built on blood cannot be considered bright. Analyzing the poem "The Twelve", it is impossible not to notice that at the end the storm calms down, and the revolutionary people go into the future with a "powerful step", accompanied by a certain "white halo of roses". This is Jesus Christ. His sudden appearance promises salvation and hope that the horrors of destruction will be removed, and the people will have the strength to overcome everything in a revived Russia. It seems that harmony will soon be reborn out of chaos. For the sake of a happy life, they are ready to kill and die themselves.
Frustration with change
The revolution of Alexander Blok can be compared with the elements, which, although it purifies the world, does not yet have the ability to create. The old is destroyed, but the new, built on blood, is no better. Once Blok Alexander was waiting for the revolution, believed in it, said: "Those who are filled with music will hear the sigh of the universal soul, if not today, then tomorrow"; later, disappointed in the ongoing changes, he stopped hearing the "music of the revolution." It can be concluded that nothing new can be built through destruction - it is much better to preserve and improve what has been built up bit by bit over many centuries.
Blok Alexander
Twelve
Alexander Blok
TWELVE
1
Black evening.
White snow.
Wind, wind!
A person does not stand on his feet.
Wind, wind
In all God's world!
Curls the wind
White snow.
Ice under the snow.
Slippery, hard
Every walker
Slides - oh, poor thing!
From building to building
The rope is stretched.
On the rope - a poster: "All power to the Constituent Assembly!"
The old woman is killed - crying,
Never understand what it means
What is this poster for?
Such a huge patch? How many footcloths would come out for the guys,
And everyone is undressed, undressed ...
An old woman, like a chicken, Somehow rewound through a snowdrift.
- Oh, Mother Protector!
- Oh, the Bolsheviks will drive into the coffin!
The wind is biting!
The frost is not far behind!
And bourgeois at the crossroads
He hid his nose in the collar.
And who is this? - Long hair
And he says in a low voice:
- Traitors!
- Russia is dead!
Must be a writer
Vitiya...
And out and long-haired
Sideways - for a snowdrift ...
What is "unhappy now,
Comrade pop?
Do you remember how it used to be
Belly walked forward
And the cross shone
Belly on the people? ..
There is a lady in doodle
Turned up to the other:
We've been crying, crying...
slipped
And - bam - stretched out!
Hey, hey!
Pull up!
The wind is cheerful
And angry and happy.
Twisting the hems
Passers-by to "sieve,
Tears, crumples and wears
Large poster: "All power to the Constituent Assembly"...
And delivers the words:
...and we had a meeting...
...Here in this building...
... Discussed
Decided: For a while - ten, for "night - twenty-five ...
... And less - do not take from anyone ...
...Let's go to sleep...
Late evening.
The street is empty.
One tramp
stooping
Let the wind whistle...
Hey poor fellow!
Come up
Let's kiss...
Of bread!
What's ahead?
Come on!
Black, black sky.
Anger, sad anger
Boiling in the chest...
Black malice, holy malice...
Comrade! Look
In both!
2
The wind is blowing, the snow is falling.
Twelve people are coming.
Rifles black straps,
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
In the teeth - a cigarette, a cap is crushed,
On the back you need an ace of diamonds!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Tra-ta-ta!
Cold, comrade, cold!
- And Vanka and Katya are in a tavern ...
- She has Kerenki in her stocking!
- Vanyushka himself is now rich ...
- There was our Vanka, but he became a soldier!
- Well, Vanka, son of a bitch, bourgeois,
Mine, try, kiss!
Freedom, freedom
Eh, eh, no cross!
Katya and Vanka are busy
What, what are you busy with?
Tra-ta-ta!
All around - lights, lights, lights ...
Shoulder - gun belts...
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
Comrade, hold the rifle, don't be afraid!
Let's fire a bullet at Holy Russia
In the condo "yu,
Into the hut
Into the fat ass!
Eh, eh, no cross!
3
How did our guys go?
Serve in the Red Guard
Serve in the Red Guard
Lay down your head!
Oh you, grief-bitter,
Sweet life!
torn coat,
Austrian gun!
We are on the mountain to all bourgeois
Let's fan the world fire
World fire in blood
God bless!
4
The snow is spinning, the reckless driver is screaming,
Vanka and Katya are flying
electric flashlight
On the shafts...
Ah, ah, fall!
He is in a soldier's overcoat
With a stupid face
Twists, twists a black mustache,
Yes, it spins
Yes, he jokes...
So Vanka - he is broad-shouldered!
That's how Vanka is - he is eloquent!
Katka-fool hugs,
Is talking...
tilted her face,
Pearly teeth...
Oh, you, Katya, my Katya,
Fat-faced...
5
On your neck, Katya,
The scar didn't heal from the knife.
Under your chest, Katya,
That scratch is fresh!
Eh, eh, dance!
Painful legs are good!
Walked in lace underwear
Come on, come on!
I fornicated with officers
Get lost, get lost!
Eh, eh, get lost!
My heart skipped a beat!
Do you remember, Katya, the officer
He did not leave the knife ...
Al didn't remember, cholera?
Ali memory is not fresh?
Eh, eh, refresh
Sleep with you!
wore gray leggings,
Mignon ate chocolate,
I went for a walk with the cadet
Have you gone with a soldier now?
Eh, eh, sin!
It will be easier for the soul!
6
... Again, galloping towards,
Flying, screaming, yelling scorcher ...
Stop, stop! Andrew, help!
Petruha, run from behind! ..
Fuck-tararah-tah-tah-tah-tah!
Snow dust rolled up to the sky! ..
Likhach - and with Vanka - ran away ...
One more time! Pull the trigger!..
Fuck it! You will know
. . . . . . . . . . .
How to walk with a strange girl! ..
Duck, scoundrel! Wait, stop
I'll deal with you tomorrow!
Where is Katya? - Dead, dead!
Shot head!
What, "Katka, are you glad? - No gu-gu ...
Lie down, you carrion, in the snow! ..
Revolutionary keep step!
The restless enemy does not sleep!
7
And twelve come again
Behind him is a gun.
Only the poor killer
Can't see a face...
Everything is faster and faster
Slows down the step.
Wrapped a scarf around his neck
No way to recover...
- What, comrade, are you not cheerful?
- What, my friend, dumbfounded?
- What, Petruha, hung his nose,
Or did you feel sorry for Katya?
- Oh, comrade, relatives,
I loved this girl...
The nights are black, intoxicated
With this girl spent ...
- Because of the prowess of the trouble
In her fiery eyes
Because of the crimson springs
Near the right shoulder
I ruined, stupid,
I ruined in the heat of the moment ... ah!
- Look, bastard, started the hurdy-gurdy,
What are you, Petka, a woman, or what?
- That's right, the soul inside out
Thinking of turning it out? Please!
- Maintain your posture!
- Keep control over yourself!
- Not such a time now.
To babysit you!
The burden will be heavier
Us, dear comrade!
- And Petruha slows down
Hasty steps...
He throws his head up,
He's happy again...
Eh, eh!
Having fun is not a sin!
Lock up the floors
Today there will be robberies!
unlock the cellars
Walking now nakedness!
8
Oh you, woe-bitter!
Boredom is boring
Mortal!
I'm on time
I'll go, I'll go...
I'm already dark
I'll scratch, I'll scratch...
I'm seeds
I'll get it, I'll get it...
Already I am a knife
Stripe, stripe!
You fly, bourgeois, sparrow!
I'll drink blood
For a sweetheart
Chernobrovushka...
Rest, Lord, the soul of your servant...
Boring!
9
Can't hear the noise of the city
Silence over the Neva tower
And there is no more city
Walk, guys, without wine!
There is a bourgeois at the crossroads
And he hid his nose in his collar.
And next to it is pressed with hard wool
A lousy dog with his tail between his legs.
There is a bourgeois, like a hungry dog,
It stands silent, like a question.
And the old world, like a rootless dog,
Standing behind him with his tail between his legs.
10
Something blizzard broke out
Oh, blizzard, oh, blizzard!
Can't see each other at all
In four steps!
The snow curled like a funnel,
The snow has risen...
- Oh, what a blizzard, save!
- Petka! Hey, don't lie!
What saved you from
Golden iconostasis?
Unconscious you, right,
Think, think sensibly
Ali hands are not in the blood
Because of Katya's love?
- Take a revolutionary step!
The restless enemy is near!
Forward, forward, forward
Working people!
11
... And they go without the name of a saint
All twelve - away.
Ready for everything
Nothing to be sorry...
Their rifles are steel
To the invisible enemy...
In the alleys are deaf,
Where one dusty blizzard ...
Yes, downy snowdrifts
Don't take off your boots...
It beats in the eyes
Red flag.
Is distributed
Measure step.
Here - wake up
Fierce enemy...
And the blizzard dusts in their eyes
Days and nights
All the way...
Go-go,
Working people!
12
... They go far with a sovereign step ...
- Who else is there? Come out!
It's the red flag wind
Played ahead...
Ahead is a cold snowdrift,
- Who is in the snow? come out!..
Only a beggar dog is hungry
Wandering behind...
- Get off you, mangy,
I'll tickle with a bayonet!
The old world is like a lousy dog
Fail - I'll beat you!
... Baring his teeth - a hungry wolf
The tail is tucked in - does not lag behind
A cold dog is a rootless dog...
- Hey, come on, who's coming?
Who is waving the red flag?
- Look at it, eka darkness!
- Who walks there at a quick pace,
Buried for all houses?
- Anyway, I'll get you,
Better surrender to me alive!
- Hey, comrade, it will be bad,
Come on, let's start shooting!
Fuck-tah-tah! - And only echo
Responds to houses...
Only a blizzard with a long laugh
Falling into the snow...
Fuck-tah-tah!
Fuck-tah-tah...
... So they go with a sovereign step,
Behind is a hungry dog,
Ahead - with a bloody flag,
And invisible behind the blizzard
And unharmed by a bullet
With a gentle step over the wind,
Snowy scattering of pearls,
In a white wreath of roses
In front is Jesus Christ.
January 1918
