What is the main idea of ​​the work Motherland. Analysis of the poem Lermontov's homeland

History of writing

Analyzing Lermontov’s poem “Motherland” you involuntarily become imbued with the history of the writing of this creation. Back in 1841, the author created this work, out of a feeling of love and care for his native Fatherland. The theme of the Fatherland has always cared and excited the poet. And this is no coincidence, because Lermontov was concerned about the fate of Russia, which is in the hands of the ruling people, whose views are destructive for the broad Russian soul. Numerous references from opponents of the current government outraged and worried Lermontov. This work was not published in Russian publishing houses for a long time, since the government saw in it a threat, Decembrist motives, with which it waged a fierce struggle.

The poem “Motherland” was written when the author was in the Caucasus, but there, far from his native places, the poet glorifies the beauty of his native landscapes inherent in the Central Russian region. In the poem, the author shares his impressions of traveling around Russia, where the opinion of the rich and powerful dominated.

What is the poem about?

When analyzing the poem “Motherland” by Lermontov, one should notice the boundless expression of the author’s love for the people of Russia and its beauties. The poet speaks of a certain connection that connects all Russians with our nature. It is clearly visible how the poet rejoices with the Russian people and how he grieves for them. Like most Russians, in Lermontov’s soul there is a “dislike” for a rich society, serfdom, injustice and impunity. At the same time, the author clearly indicates his positive attitude towards ordinary people, peasants and nature.

The poet is outraged by the dominance of shortcomings and remnants of the past in the minds of rulers and the neglect of the people's needs. In this regard, the anxiety of his soul about his native land is noticeable. This can be read in the following lines: “But I love - for what, I don’t know myself - its cold silence of the steppes...”. The entire poem is literally permeated with patriotic feelings, care, love and anxiety for the future of Russia.

Genre

The entire work is designed in the genre of the author’s lyrical reflection. In the poem “Motherland” the idea of ​​the existence of a Russian village connected with Russian nature is closely intertwined. Lermontov considers the suffering of the Russian people his pain and anxiety. The philosophical meaning of the future of the Russian village correlates with the future of the entire state. Uncontrollable love and pain for our native Fatherland sounds throughout the entire reading. Carrying out an analysis of Lermontov’s “Motherland,” I want to stand up for the defense of both the Russian village and Russia itself.

main idea

In ideological expression, Lermontov’s “Motherland” appears in the image of the poet’s strong and powerful love for his Motherland. This patriotic love sweeps through the entire written work and creativity of the poet. This poem belongs to the author’s later works, as if Lermontov had a presentiment of his imminent departure from life and pain for the Fatherland he left behind. With this work, the poet wants to tell his opponents that one of the main directions of his work is love for his native side. The meaninglessness of the crowd’s reproaches about his lack of concern for his Motherland, he wants to cross out this poem. That is why in the work “Motherland” the word “love” is heard so often.

Speaking lovingly about the Motherland, Lermontov steadily and firmly praises the natural beauty and difficult peasant life. He writes: “I love my fatherland, but with a strange love!”, as if there is a confrontation between joy and pain for my native Fatherland. The poem more than once speaks of the denial of the social order that Lermontov hated. One gets the impression that in the current situation, the poet, despite everything, loves and is rooting for his Motherland.

Method of versification

Reading the work “Motherland” from the first lines there is a feeling of solemnity and joy for the native Fatherland. The beauty of Russian nature, gradually sung by the poet in the first lines of the poem, is replaced by a certain tone of longing for its future. The concept of the state in Lermontov’s work is separated from the concept of “Motherland”. The author expresses his personal feelings about the fate of Russia using various epithets. The poet conveys the emotional pain for the Motherland for the ruling autocracy and peasant slavery to the reader through comparison and the use of fewer metaphors.

Initially, the work is dominated by iambic hexameter, which later changes to a slightly different rhyme scheme. The composition of the first lines is full of images of nature: steppes, forests, rivers. In the second part of the work, the integral features of Russian life predominate: the wagon train, the hut. There are numerous personifications of natural objects with human feelings: “Her steppes are coldly silent.” In Lermontov’s understanding, “Motherland” is closely intertwined with the fate of peasants, exhausted by work and heavy burdens.

The most popular February materials for 9th grade.

In this poem M.Yu. Lermontov's theme of love for the motherland is intertwined with the theme of nature, and this is what gives it a special originality.

The poem begins with the lyrical hero saying that his love for the Fatherland is “strange.” Neither glory nor “old cherished legends” touch his soul.

But at the same time, the poet loves Russian nature: “the cold silence of the steppes,” “forests... swaying,” “river floods.” The poet’s gaze seems to cover all the expanses of his native land. And then his gaze begins to capture more detailed pictures: he sees the sad “lights ... of villages,” “smoke of burnt stubble,” a convoy, birches on a hill, a threshing floor, huts, and the daring dance of men. The picture seems to narrow and the images become more and more concrete. He is ready to watch the men dance almost until the morning, and this gives the lyrical hero a feeling of unity with the people, which is why he calls his love “strange.” After all, it does not fit into the framework of the ideas of his contemporaries.

The linguistic means used by Lermontov are expressive. This is achieved by the fact that in the poem, in the absence of metaphors, many epithets are used (“cherished legends”, “in a dewy evening”, etc.). The theme of love for the homeland is emphasized by the threefold repetition of the verb “love,” which directly shows the attitude of the lyrical hero to the pictures described in the poem.

The compositional structure of the poem is interesting: the beginning is solemn, the poet talks about his love for the Fatherland, the size of the poem is iambic hexameter. But then the picture changes, and we see the beauty of Russian nature, imbued with a note of sadness, reflection on the fate of an ordinary person, the poem becomes more personal, and therefore the size of the verse is not maintained, the rhyme is free.

Although there are no accusatory words or appeals in this work, contemporaries perceived it as a challenge to the autocratic system of Russia. The poem was published only after the death of M.Yu. Lermontov.

Option 2

The work relates to the poet’s civil lyricism and, as the main idea, represents the author’s reflections on the theme of the homeland, fatherland, revealed from the point of view of romantic and realistic images. The genre direction of the poem is defined in the form of lyrical reasoning, thoughts, which have roots in the poetic work of the Decembrists.

The structural composition of the poem is a two-part system, in which the first part expresses the poet’s personal feeling for his native land in the form of a kind of denial, and the second part enthusiastically describes images of Russian nature, as well as peasant life. Thus, the poet emphasizes the opposition in the form of contrast between the polemical image of the first six lines and the elegy.

A distinctive feature of “Motherland” is the poet’s use of free iambic as a poetic meter, represented by pentameter, hexameter, turning into tetrameter, in combination with various rhyming methods in the form of cross, pair and ring rhyme.

Among the artistic means of expression in the poem there are forms of vivid epithets, detailed metaphors, magnificent comparisons, extraordinary personifications, as well as a special device in the form of a personifying epithet, which serve as important clarifying elements of poetic content.

In addition, to enhance the emotional impact of the poetic narrative, the poet uses high-style phrases that convey the solemn and at the same time emotional mood of the work.

The main idea of ​​the poem is the description of the internal image of the homeland, which, in his opinion, deserves special attention. Therefore, a noteworthy point is the poet’s symbolic image of the Russian birch, which he was one of the first to use.

In addition to the theme of the homeland, the work contains motifs of loneliness, and also raises the problem of values, which is revealed in demonstrating the main dignity of the homeland, which does not have a rich treasury, but a complete threshing floor of ordinary peasant people.

The semantic load of the poem expresses the author’s idea of ​​the need to glorify in poetry not only the great victories and achievements of one’s homeland, but also simple everyday trifles, as well as the splendor of Russian nature, which are a true manifestation of a citizen’s patriotic feelings for his own homeland.

Analysis of Lermontov's poem Rodina according to plan for grade 9

Analysis plan

  • The history of writing the poem
  • What is the poem about?
  • main idea
  • Method of versification
  • Artistic Features
  • Significance

The history of writing the poem Motherland

It is noteworthy that the poem was written by M. Yu. Lermontov in exile in the Caucasus in 1841. It is assumed that the initial motivation for writing was a trip across Russia to the Caucasus. Being far from his homeland, far from the events and moods that agitated the Russian intelligentsia of that time, one can feel a change in the poet’s inner world. If earlier he was obsessed with Decembrist, Narodnaya Volya sentiments, then this verse reveals an appeal to the depths of his own soul.

This is the second time Lermontov ended up in exile. The difference was striking; his first exile was more like an exploratory walk. Mikhail Yuryevich spent most of his time studying the ethnicity of the Caucasus, admiring in amazement and making sketches of the delightful mountain nature, and studying local dialects. For the second time, the poet found himself in the very crucible of hostilities. The disgraced poet was detained for a duel with the son of the French ambassador. It is noteworthy that after the sword broke during the duel, the opponents switched to pistols. The ambassador's son Barant, who fired first, missed. Then Lermontov showed nobility by refusing to shoot at his opponent and fired to the side.

This ended the conflict, the opponents reconciled and separated. But the incident became known to the authorities. Duels were strictly prohibited at that time; the poet again found himself in the Caucasus on charges of concealing illegal actions. By order of Emperor Nicholas himself, the command was ordered to involve him in the most dangerous military operations. But M.Yu. Lermontov, being a brave man, from the very first showed himself as a courageous warrior and was even noted by the command in an official report. And so, against the backdrop of a merciless, bloody war, the poem “Motherland” appears, which at first had the name “Fatherland”.

According to one version, the author changed the name because a verse with the same name already existed. It was a pathetic, narrow-minded poem by a court poet. According to another version, the concept of fatherland was very often used by the Decembrists and Narodnaya Volya. In order not to further disturb people's minds and aggravate their situation, the poem was renamed. It is not known for certain which version is correct.

What is Lermontov's poem Rodina about, grade 9

“I love my fatherland, but with a strange love!” - from the first line the author points out the non-trivial nature of what he is going to convey. The next five stanzas sweep aside all standards of perception and lead into the deep world of sensory perception. It is no secret that Lermontov was a very talented painter, and true artists perceive the world emotionally and try to express their feelings in their works.

In addition, war, death, blood suddenly fell on the poet. Such shocks always radically change a person’s views and force them to rethink their values. If his undoubtedly brilliant early works are permeated with youthful maximalism, glorification of female beauty, and filled with heroic fervor, then this poem is from a man who has already known the value of many things. No wonder V.G. Belinsky summed up: “...what a thing – Pushkin’s, that is, one of Pushkin’s best.”

The beginning of the verse rejects the standard ideals of both the author himself and the society in which he lived, and neutralizes the superiority of the intellect. It is strange, after such a beginning, to discern in this work any sentiments against the tsar, the political system, or concern for the poor people. Rather, the poet subjects himself to deep introspection. The beginning of the poem is created under the auspices of the prefix “not”, by this Lermontov seems to be saying that what is expressed here is not at all what you are used to perceiving. Next, like a true master, he takes us through a gallery of artistic images recalled from his memory.

Each stanza is like a separate painting created with several strokes of the brush of a genius. But, what is most amazing, each fragment miraculously comes together into a single amazing work, where there is nothing to be taken away or added. You can only resonate with it, evoke that true feeling that makes your heart ache, makes you want to cry and laugh simply because this feeling exists. “Love for the Fatherland” is a very worn-out and hackneyed concept, but Lermontov managed to peel off all this husk and expose the true connection of a person with his native land.

Genre of the poem Lermontva Motherland

If we talk about the genre of the poem “Motherland”, then everything is very ambiguous. Without a doubt, this is a deep philosophical work, so it can be classified as meditative poetry. But the first six lines completely fall out of this definition. In them, the author seems to come into conflict with himself and established views. This part of the verse should rather be perceived as a polemical elegy. Next, the poet takes the reader through idyllic pictures of rural pastoralism at its best. In general, the work still most closely corresponds to the genre of philosophical (meditative) lyrics.

The main idea of ​​the poem Motherland (Lermontov)

There are two lines in the poem that actually define its idea: “I love my fatherland, but with a strange love!” and “But I love - for what, I don’t know.” If we combine these lines in the light of the entire work, we come to a complete definition of the idea: True, pure love for the homeland is a deep feeling that is not related to knowledge or reasonable logic, but defines the very essence of a person.

Method of versification

In his poem, Lermontov uses a mixed, heterogeneous iambic. The work consists of 26 lines, which, in turn, make up 2 stanzas. 1st stanza – initial 6 lines, 2nd stanza – remaining 20. The author uses cross rhyme, as well as ring and pair rhyme.

Artistic Features

For expressiveness, he uses the metaphors “A couple of white birches”, “The floods of its rivers are like seas”; epithets “Trembling lights of sad villages”, “And on a holiday, in a dewy evening”; personification of “Trembling lights of sad villages”; assonance, alliteration.

The significance of the poem

M.Yu. Lermontov brings the concept of “love for the motherland” to a completely new perception, for himself, first of all. He found that true, deep feeling that is the primary source and invites the reader to do the same. Throughout his short life, the poet protested against stupid standards and clichés dictated by secular society. "Motherland" was a rethinking and protest against the ideas of patriotism at that time. Dobrolyubov wrote about Lermontov on this occasion: “...becomes decisively above all prejudices of patriotism and understands love for the fatherland truly, sacredly and rationally.”

The great purpose of this work for generations of all times is to push them to rethink their views, to make the reader understand through whose eyes he looks at the world. With his philosophical, lyrical reflections, he suggests turning your gaze inward to find the true foundation. In their lives, people often operate with other people’s imposed standards and understandings. The author, using himself as an example, suggests stripping off everything superficial in order to see your true individuality. Only a society of bright individuals who respect the views of others can achieve true greatness and freedom.

Without a doubt, Lermontov’s “Motherland” is one of the most brilliant works of Russian literature. It feels like the work was ahead of not only its time, but also ours.

Analysis of the poem Motherland according to plan

You might be interested

  • Analysis of the poem to Miloy Akhmatova

    Anna Akhmatova's first poems were published in 1911. The poetess's early lyrics were entirely filled with the theme of love and suffering because of it. Although Akhmatova was an Acmeist poet

  • Analysis of Baratynsky's poem Star

    The poem "Star" was written in 1824. It tells about the night sky, in which many luminous stars are concentrated. There are so many of them that it is suggested to choose one and give it a name

  • Analysis of the poem “Fool heart, don’t beat” by Yesenin

    Like any real poet, Yesenin foresaw his own death, he wrote Foolish Heart... in 1925 and very little time later he left this world in a very tragic way

  • Analysis of the poem by Nightingale Nekrasov, grades 5, 6

    The work is dedicated to the plight of the common people. Describing a scene from peasant life, Nekrasov shows the injustice of the existing system in relation to the lower strata of the population.

  • Analysis of the poem Fantasia by Balmont

    Balmont is often easily recognized by his characteristic syllable and method of rhyming. Its rhythm and rhymes seem to roll over the next lines and create a peculiar feeling of some pressure, immersion in the poem

Analysis of the poem Rodina Lermontov

Plan

1. History of creation

2.Genre

3.Main theme

4.Composition

5.Size

6. Expressive means

7.great idea

1. History of creation. The poem “Motherland” was written by Lermontov in 1841. It was originally called “Fatherland” by the author. It is considered a polemical response to the poem “Fatherland” by Khomyakov, which appeared in 1839. Khomyakov was an extreme supporter of Slavophilism. In his poem, he defends the ideas of humility of the Russian people and their selfless loyalty to the Orthodox faith. Only in this did the Slavophiles see the greatness of Russia. Lermontov had more democratic views. The poet’s too free thoughts were the reason that the poem was not published by Russian publishing houses for a long time.

2. The genre of the work is a lyrical poem, observation and reflections of the author about his homeland.

3. The main theme of the poem is the feeling of the poet’s inextricable connection with his country. For Lermontov, the Motherland is not high society with its petty interests and endless intrigues. In “Motherland,” Lermontov admits that he himself does not understand the reasons for his boundless love for the Fatherland. The first lines contain a hidden polemic with the Slavophiles. For the poet, the great deeds of his ancestors and “cherished legends” are not so important. His love for the Motherland is “strange”, absorbed with his mother’s milk.

Lermontov is fascinated by the unpretentious Russian landscape. If the pampered nobles are disgusted by the very thought of traveling in a simple cart across the bumpy Russian expanses, the poet finds this particularly attractive. Only by experiencing the life of ordinary people can one understand and love Russia. Instead of the noisy metropolitan life, Lermontov is attracted to the artless aspects of peasant life.

The poet does not give a direct opposition, but it is felt in the work. He will happily exchange a magnificent ball for a “dance with stomping and whistling.” In his loving attitude towards village life and the common people, Lermontov develops Pushkin's democratic views. The poet calls on high society to turn to national roots, to pay attention to those whose efforts create the true greatness of Russia.

4. Composition. The opening six lines of the work set its entire tone. Lermontov declares his love for the Motherland, which has no boundaries or any specific reasons. The second part is a lyrical description of Russian nature and peasant life, through which the author’s thoughts and feelings emerge.

5. The meter of the work is iambic hexameter, which towards the end changes to a free rhyme meter.

6. Expressive means. To describe the Russian landscape, Lermontov uses expressive epithets: “cold”, “boundless”, “trembling”. A generalized view of all of Russia is presented by detailed metaphors (“the cold silence of the steppes,” “the boundless swaying of forests”) and a vivid comparison (“river floods..., like seas”). The beginning of the work is written in a solemn style with the use of “high” phrases: “bought with blood”, “proud trust”. Gradually the language becomes simpler and more specific. This increases the emotional impact. The poem becomes more spiritual, affecting directly a person’s feelings.

7. The main idea of ​​the poem is selfless love for the Fatherland, which is made up of simple, at first glance, imperceptible details. Lermontov is convinced that this feeling cannot be educated or somehow influenced its development. This love arises involuntarily in the soul of every Russian person.

I love my fatherland, but with a strange love! ‎ My reason will not defeat her. ‎‎ ‎ Neither glory bought with blood, nor peace full of proud trust, nor cherished legends of dark antiquity stir in me a joyful dream. ‎‎ But I love - for what, I don’t know myself - ‎‎ Her steppes’ cold silence, ‎‎ Her boundless swaying forests, ‎‎ The floods of her rivers are like seas. On a country road I love to ride in a cart and, with my slow gaze piercing the shadows of the night, meet on the sides, sighing for an overnight stay, the trembling lights of sad villages. ‎‎ ‎ I love the smoke of burnt stubble, ‎‎‎ ‎ A convoy train spends the night in the steppe ‎‎‎ ‎ And on a hill in the middle of a yellow cornfield ‎‎‎ ‎ A pair of whitening birches. ‎‎‎ ‎ With joy, unfamiliar to many, ‎‎‎ ‎ I see a complete threshing floor, ‎‎‎ ‎ A hut covered with straw, ‎‎‎ ‎ A window with carved shutters. ‎‎‎ ‎ And on a holiday, in a dewy evening, ‎‎‎ ‎ I’m ready to watch until midnight ‎‎‎ ‎ To dance with stomping and whistling ‎‎‎ ‎ To the talking of drunken peasants.

The creative heritage of the Russian poet and writer Mikhail Lermontov includes many works that express the author’s civic position. However, the poem “Motherland,” written by Lermontov in 1941, shortly before his death, can be classified as one of the most striking examples of patriotic lyrics of the 19th century.

Writers who were contemporaries of Lermontov can be divided into two categories. Some of them sang the beauty of Russian nature, deliberately turning a blind eye to the problems of the village and serfdom. Others, on the contrary, tried to reveal the vices of society in their works and were known as rebels. Mikhail Lermontov, in turn, tried to find a golden mean in his work, and the poem “Motherland” is rightfully considered the crowning achievement of his desire to express his feelings towards Russia as fully and objectively as possible.

One consists of two parts, different not only in size, but also in concept. The solemn introduction, in which the author declares his love for the Fatherland, is replaced by stanzas that describe the beauty of Russian nature. The author admits that he loves Russia not for its military feats, but for the beauty of nature, originality and bright national color. He clearly distinguishes concepts such as homeland and state, noting that his love is strange and somewhat painful. On the one hand, he admires Russia, its steppes, meadows, rivers and forests. But at the same time, he is aware that the Russian people are still oppressed, and the stratification of society into rich and poor becomes more pronounced with each generation. And the beauty of the native land is not able to veil the “trembling lights of sad villages.”

Researchers of this poet's work are convinced that by nature Mikhail Lermontov was not a sentimental person. In his circle, the poet was known as a bully and a brawler, he loved to mock his fellow soldiers and resolved disputes with the help of a duel. Therefore, it is all the more strange that from his pen were born not bravura patriotic or accusatory lines, but subtle lyrics with a touch of slight sadness. However, there is a logical explanation for this, which some literary critics adhere to. It is believed that people of a creative nature have amazing intuition or, as it is commonly called in literary circles, the gift of foresight. Mikhail Lermontov was no exception and, according to Prince Peter Vyazemsky, he had a presentiment of his death in a duel. That is why he hastened to say goodbye to everything that was dear to him, taking off for a moment the mask of a jester and actor, without which he did not consider it necessary to appear in high society.

However, there is an alternative interpretation of this work, which, undoubtedly, is key in the poet’s work. According to the literary critic Vissarion Belinsky, Mikhail Lermontov not only advocated the need for government reforms, but also foresaw that very soon Russian society with its patriarchal way of life would change completely, completely and irrevocably. Therefore, in the poem “Motherland,” sad and even nostalgic notes slip through, and the main leitmotif of the work, if you read it between the lines, is an appeal to descendants to love Russia as it is. Do not exalt her achievements and merits, do not focus on social vices and imperfections of the political system. After all, homeland and state are two completely different concepts that should not be tried to be brought to a single denominator even with good intentions. Otherwise, love for the Motherland will be seasoned with the bitterness of disappointment, which is what the poet who experienced this feeling was so afraid of.

Analysis of the poem

1. The history of the creation of the work.

2. Characteristics of a work of the lyrical genre (type of lyrics, artistic method, genre).

3. Analysis of the content of the work (analysis of the plot, characteristics of the lyrical hero, motives and tonality).

4. Features of the composition of the work.

5. Analysis of means of artistic expression and versification (presence of tropes and stylistic figures, rhythm, meter, rhyme, stanza).

6. The meaning of the poem for the poet’s entire work.

The poem "Motherland" was written in 1841. In mid-January 1841, the poet traveled from the Caucasus to St. Petersburg. He saw Russia again, from the Caucasus to the Baltic Sea. Lermontov reflected his impressions in this work. In one of the early editions it was called “Fatherland”. Researchers associate this original name with the fact that Lermontov’s poem was polemically directed against the Slavophile poet A.S. Khomyakov, who glorified the “humility” and religiosity of the Russian people in his “Fatherland” (1839).

We can classify the poem as landscape and philosophical lyrics. As critics noted, in this work we encounter “a rare... coincidence of the feeling of nature with the feeling of the homeland.” Its main theme is the theme of the Fatherland, Russia. The work combines the genre features of an ode, a thought, and a lyric poem. The style is realistic.

At first, the poet talks about his love for the Motherland and notices the “strange” nature of this feeling, its conflict with reason, with reason:

I love my fatherland, but with a strange love!
My reason will not defeat her.
Nor glory bought with blood,
Nor the peace full of proud trust,
Nor the dark old treasured legends
No joyful dreams stir within me.
But I love - for what, I don’t know myself -...

The cultural origins of Russia, its virtues and conquests, military glory, the majestic peace of the state - nothing evokes “pleasant dreams” in the poet. As Dobrolyubov notes, Lermontov here contrasts the prejudices of patriotism with true, holy, reasonable love for the fatherland.

And the next part of the poem reveals the poet’s feelings. At first, a wide panorama of Russia appears before our eyes, its “general characteristics”: “cold silence of the steppes,” “boundless swaying forests,” “river floods like seas.” Then the artistic space seems to narrow, the picture becomes more specific. The hero confesses his love for Russian nature, creating pictures of different seasons (summer and autumn), approaching the life of the Russian village:

On a country road I like to ride in a cart
And, with a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night,
Meet on the sides, sighing for an overnight stay,
Trembling lights of sad villages.
I love the smoke of burnt stubble,
A convoy spending the night in the steppe
And on a hill in the middle of a yellow field
A couple of white birches.

As the researchers note, the “country road” here reminds us of the path of life. Lermontov's color scheme: blue (rivers and seas), green (forests), black (night), yellow (lights, fields, straw), white (birch trees). The lyrical hero perceives the Motherland and nature with all his senses - sight (“with a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night”), smell (“I love the smoke of burnt stubble”), hearing (“dancing with stomping and whistling to the talk of drunken peasants”).

So, gradually, the poet opens up the simple world of peasant life:

With joy unknown to many,
I see a complete threshing floor
A hut covered with straw
A window with carved shutters...
And on a holiday, on a dewy evening,
Ready to watch until midnight
To dance with stomping and whistling
Under the talk of drunken men.

Textually, this picture echoes Pushkin’s passage from “Eugene Onegin”:

Now the balalaika is dear to me,
Yes, the drunken tramp of a trepak
In front of the threshold of the tavern;
My ideal now is a housewife;
My desires are peace,
Yes, a pot of cabbage soup, and a big one.

As Dobrolyubov wrote, “the fullest expression of pure love for the people, the most humane view of their life cannot be demanded from a Russian poet.” In this poem one can hear not only open admiration and hidden warmth of feelings, moreover, one can hear here the motive of pride in Russia, its majestic and proud nature, original culture, and national flavor. A motive that opposes the poet’s original mood. “We must live our own independent lives and bring our originality into the universal. Why should we all reach for Europe and the French,” Lermontov wrote in a letter to A.A. Kraevsky.

The construction of the poem is based on the principle of antithesis. It consists of two parts. The first part is Lermontov’s defense of his individual and personal understanding of the concept of the Motherland. The poet here rejects official patriotism and official nationality. The antithetical nature is emphasized by the repetition of negative particles in each line of the first part. The second part is the poet’s declaration of love for small, “unofficial”, people’s Russia, for its nature, for its people. This motive is expressed in repetitions of the verb: “but I love...”, “I love to jump,” “I love smoke.”

The poem is written in free iambic. Lermontov uses different types of rhyme: cross, pair, ring. The poet uses a variety of means of artistic expression: metaphors (“glory bought with blood”, “peace full of proud trust”, “no joyful dreams stir within me”, “a slow gaze piercing the shadow of the night”), personification of “the cold silence of the steppes”), epithets (“boundless forests”, “trembling lights”, “sad villages”), anaphora (“Her steppes are cold silence, Her boundless forests are swaying”), alliteration (“The floods of her rivers are like seas”), assonance (“Not full of proud peace of trust").

Thus, nature in this work is inextricably linked with the feelings of the lyrical hero, with his thoughts about the Fatherland, about the life of the people, with his simple life, with his sorrows and joys. We should consider the poem “Motherland” in the context of the poet’s entire work. And here we should note that the topic of Russia, the people and the historical fate of the Russian people worried M.Yu. Lermontov throughout his entire creative career. Poems such as “Borodino”, “Two Giants”, “Cossack Lullaby”, “Testament”, “Farewell, Unwashed Russia” are devoted to this topic. The same theme is heard in Lermontov’s poem “Sashka” and in “Song about the Merchant Kalashnikov.”