In literature lessons, the teacher often asks the children to draw up a plan for the analysis of a lyrical poem and write, based on it, a detailed analysis of a particular work. What should the student do in this case? What are the key features to look out for? Let's answer these questions together and put into practice what we first said in theory.
Pay attention to the biographical data of the creator
Given that poetry is a reproduction of the subjective mood, feelings, thoughts of the author, a complete analysis of the poem cannot be conceived without taking into account the specific historical circumstances that took place in the life of the writer when creating the work. However, the analysis plan for a lyrical poem (grade 11 and others) should include biographical information and facts only with the proviso that they will first be subjected to critical reflection. After all, not all information is of direct importance for a particular poem.
Usually historical and biographical commentaryincludes a description of the author's personal life (the situation that at the time of writing was happening in his family, with loved ones, friends, comrades, in relation to others, etc.) and the situation in the country (the connection of the poem with the era is especially characteristic of times turning points in the development of the state, for example, social and political motives are widely present in the lyrics of the poets of the Silver Age, whose lot was the meeting with the destruction of the old system and the birth, literally from blood and flame, of the new world).
Genre category and genre identity
Further, the plan of analysis of a lyrical poem requires the definition of a poem as a work of a certain genre. For lyrics, which, along with drama and epic, is one of the 3 types of literature, the following genres are characteristic:
- Ode is a solemn, laudatory poetic work, which is traditionally written in a high style with a predominance of book vocabulary and is dedicated to exceptional events.
- An epigram is a small lyrical work of a satirical nature, which is designed to ridicule a certain person.
- Madrigal is a jokingly complimentary or love musical and poetic poem, also small in volume.
- Romance is a small poetic creation, which, due to its melodiousness, can be superimposed on music; Traditionally, the romance reflects the moods, feelings and experiences of the lyrical hero.
- Elegy - a poem, characteristic style featureswhich are the predominant motives of sadness and sad reflections. In their content, elegies are usually deeply philosophical, imbued with grief, disappointment, doom.
- A sonnet is a work of poetic creativity that differs from other genre "brothers" in a certain system of construction and approved stylistic rules and laws. So, the Italian sonnet always consists of 14 lines (verses): 2 quatrains (quatrains) + 2 three-lines (tercet). The English sonnet includes 3 quatrains and a final couplet.
- An epitaph is a short saying usually composed in verse form in case of death and placed on a tombstone as a memorial inscription.
- Message - a letter of a poetic nature addressed to a specific person or group of recipients. The genre has subspecies and is divided into messages of love, satirical, friendly, lyrical and others.
- A hymn is a glorifying song created in honor of gods, heroes, winners, key events in the history of the people. The original elements of the genre were the request, epiclesis (sacred name) and aretalogia (a special part of the epic genus). One of the most famous works of the genre is Gaudeamus, the international student anthem.
- A song is a medium-sized lyrical work that serves as the basis for subsequent musical arrangements and, in its traditional form, consists of a series of verses and a repeating chorus.
- A lyrical poem proper is a small poetic creation that is created by the author on his own behalf or on behalf offictional lyric hero. It is for this genre that schoolchildren sometimes need a plan of analysis. There is practically no lyric poem (grade 9 and in general, high school guys know this) in elementary school. This is a genre in which writers describe the variant spectrum of feelings, emotions, the contradictions of a person's inner world, etc. Therefore, it is still typical for high school and is designed for more mature, thoughtful individuals.
Does the plan for analyzing a lyrical poem end with the definition of genre? Of course not! We can say that we are still at the very beginning of the journey!
Theme
The terms "theme" and "idea" are often difficult to perceive not only by students, but also by adults, for whom philology is not a matter of life. In order to create at least a plan for analyzing a lyrical poem (grade 8 and similar), one should understand that the topic has a more general, abstract, global meaning and answers the question: “What is this poem about?”. It can be about love (love lyrics), about friendship, about philosophy, about nature (landscape), about the place of the poet and poetry in society, it can be a work of confession, etc.
Idea
The idea is the perception of the topic and in its essence it is not only individual, but also more specific, substantive, practice-oriented. The plan for analyzing a lyric poem cannot be considered complete if the reader does not understand the idea. To achieve your goal, you can turn to auxiliary questions:
- Why, why the authorcreated something like this? What did he want to convey to the reader, what to share with him, what to say?
- What will a person learn by reading this poem?
Semantic content
In the same section, the plan for analyzing a lyrical poem provides for the analysis of the title from the point of view of the initial formation of expectations, assumptions, building a certain mental vector for the development of the content. Does the title convey the essence of the poem? Usually you can get an affirmative answer to this question, but this is far from a constant. Quite often, writers resort to the method of deceived expectations, opposition (antithesis) of the title and the inner content of the verse. The author did all this consciously, which means that such essential details should not be overlooked in the analysis. The semantic content can also be understood by activating the channels of perception. To do this, just answer a few questions:
- What does the poem allow you to see, hear, feel?
- What associations and thoughts does it evoke?
- What mood does it create?
- How, in terms of language design and the use of artistic tropes, does the author achieve a certain atmosphere?
Next, we move on to a detailed analysis of the art form.
Form as a frame for content
If we are talking about a plan for analyzing a lyrical poem according toliterature, we should never forget about the existence of a unity of content and form. It is no coincidence that the writer uses certain techniques, a certain structure, stanza, rhythm and meter - all this is subject to a common plan. Therefore, it would be advisable to analyze the work from the point of view of its belonging to a literary movement, in terms of composition, or division into semantic components (sometimes linear, ring, parallel, etc.) and syntactic and strophic articulation.
Rhythm, or periodic repetition of homogeneous elements in a poem, measured size (whether the work is written in iambic, trochee, anapaest, amphibrach, dactyl, sponde or pyrrhic), rhyme (rich or poor, male or female) and rhyme (cross, steam room, girdle) - all these are indispensable elements of analysis in the case when the goal is a good auxiliary plan for analyzing a lyric poem (grade 7 and beyond) and, as a result, an exhaustive examination of the work itself.
Analysis of Pushkin's lyric poem: key points
In order to show what a competent analysis should look like, let's take the poem "Anchar", created by Alexander Sergeevich in the period from September to November 1928. Let's start the analysis of Pushkin's lyric poem with biographical information that is important for creation.
It was created after the return of the poet from exile in Mikhailovsky. By this point, his hopes of free creativity were completely destroyed. ATThe work is based on semi-legendary stories about the poisonous Anchar tree, allegedly growing on the island of Java. This is a lyrical poem, however, the presence of a clear storyline makes it related to the lyrical-epic genre - a ballad.
Analysis of Pushkin's lyrical poem requires consideration of the composition. It consists of 2 parts, which include 5 and 4 stanzas. In the verses of the first part, the reader becomes an observer of a lifeless picture of the world, in the center of which is the “terrible sentry”. Time seemed to stop here, and the space of bare, empty territories opened up and occupied the whole universe. In Part 2, we move into the realm of human relationships between the “master” and the “slave.”
How does the form in "Anchar" help to express the essence?
The size of the poem is iambic tetrameter with pyrrhic, i.e. omission of stress in the foot. Yamb, Pushkin's favorite size, was associated by the poet with maximum freedom in versification. That is why here, in a work that reflects the social injustice of the world order, where the theme of freedom and tyranny is so clearly raised, the meter and other details, as it were, reveal to the reader one of the key ideas of Pushkin's genius - this is active disagreement, a clear, loud protest against the infinity of power one person over another.
You can complete the analysis of this work related to civil lyrics with your own thoughts, polemics or agreement withauthor's position.
