"Anchar" Alexander Pushkin

In the desert, stunted and stingy,
On the ground, hot in the heat,
Anchar, like a formidable sentry,
It stands alone in the entire universe.

Nature of thirsty steppes
She gave birth to him on the day of wrath
And green dead branches
And she gave the roots poison.

Poison drips through its bark,
By noon, melting from the heat,
And it freezes in the evening
Thick transparent resin.

Not even a bird flies to him
And the tiger is gone - just a black whirlwind
He will run to the tree of death
And rushes away, already pernicious.

And if the cloud waters,
Wandering, its dense leaf,
From its branches, already poisonous,
Rain flows into flammable sand.

But man is man
He sent to the anchar with an imperious look:
And he obediently went on his way
And in the morning he returned with poison.

He brought mortal resin
Yes, a branch with withered leaves,
And sweat on the pale brow
Flowed in cold streams;

He brought it - and weakened and lay down
Under the arch of the hut on the bast,
And the poor slave died at his feet
The invincible ruler.

And the prince fed that poison
Your obedient arrows
And with them he sent death
To neighbors in foreign lands.

Analysis of Pushkin's poem "Anchar"

Alexander Pushkin is rightfully considered one of the outstanding Russian poets. Moreover, his talent was appreciated during the author’s lifetime, which was a rarity in literary circles of the 19th century. However Pushkin had quite a lot of enemies, and among them was the ruling elite of Tsarist Russia, for which the poet also did not have the warmest feelings. However, taught by bitter experience and not wanting to find himself in exile again, Alexander Pushkin in his work of a later period refrained from openly denouncing the authorities, veiling it with subtle allegorical images.

The poem "Anchar", created in 1828, is one such work. His final version is quite decent and resembles a medieval ballad. However, drafts of this poem have survived to this day, where a parallel is clearly drawn between Russian Tsar and a formidable eastern ruler who sends an innocent slave to death.

Anchar is a deadly tree, the sap of which has been used since time immemorial to lubricate arrowheads with which eastern warriors hit the enemy. Nothing grows near the poisonous anchar, and animals try to avoid the place where this tree is located. However, this does not stop the powerful warrior who wants to get the anchar juice. With one glance he directs his servant to a lost place, knowing in advance that he is destined to die. But what does the life of a slave mean when the success of a military operation is at stake?

This behavior is typical not only for eastern rulers, but also for Russian autocrats. However, Alexander Pushkin still did not dare to openly denounce the Russian Tsar, for whom the life of a simple peasant or soldier is not worth a penny. As a result, the poem “Anchar”, if you do not try to draw a parallel with reality, can be classified as a beautiful and gloomy epic. However, the draft versions of this work clearly indicate what the author actually had in mind when he created this epic work filled with hopelessness, cruelty and inevitability of what is happening.

Researchers of the poet’s work draw another parallel between the poem “Anchar” and the political situation in Russia in the first half of the 19th century. In their opinion, the formidable eastern ruler identifies not so much the king as the whole country, which is ready to send “obedient arrows” poisoned with poison to various countries peace. In other words, Russia seeks to start wars in order to strengthen world dominance. And at the same time, she does not intend to take into account the lives of thousands of soldiers whom she sends to certain death in order to carry out her aggressive plans.

However, if in draft“Anchara” the poet expresses the hope that the darkness will recede and the formidable eastern ruler will nevertheless be defeated, then in the final version Pushkin leaves it to the readers themselves to predict the course of events. And the point is not only that the author does not want to once again tease the censorship, which is already very picky about each of his works. Probably, Alexander Pushkin realizes that the current generation is not yet able to overthrow the autocracy, and such an idea is not viable, if only because Russia is not yet ready for such drastic changes. At the same time, any attempts to change the situation will be immediately stopped, and the most ardent patriots and reformers of the country will have to fall from arrows poisoned by anchar juice. But simply - to be exiled to Siberia, regardless of titles, ranks and noble origins.

In the creative heritage of A.S. Pushkin, the poem “Anchar” stands out in a special way. The French writer Prosper Merimee wrote: “This poem had the misfortune of being accepted by the censorship as a revolutionary dithyramb.”

Plan for analysis of A.S. Pushkin’s poem “Anchar”
1. History of the creation of the work
2. Composition (construction of a work of art)
3. Theme, the main idea and the idea of ​​the poem
4. Characteristics of the lyrical hero
5. Techniques for revealing images
6. Genre of the work
7. Meter and rhythm of the poem
8. My attitude to the work

1. The poem “Anchar” is one of the most significant works of the poet. Work on its creation began by the author in late August - early September 1828. The place where the work was written is Malinniki, the Tver estate of the Wulfs. The work was completed on November 9, 1828, published in the almanac “Northern Flowers” ​​(late 1831, approximately December 24).

It can be assumed that the date - November 9, 1828 - was intentionally put by the author in the draft manuscript. For the poet, the poem “Anchar” was significant and it was important for him to tie it to a specific historical period. Psychological condition Pushkin while working on the work was not the best. He was under the watchful eye of censorship. The poet wanted to go abroad, then to the Caucasus. But he did not receive permission for these trips. Alexander Sergeevich’s position was further complicated by the fact that in the case of the poem “Andrei Chenier” the resolution State Council secret surveillance was established over him.

In the literary community, there are disputes about what prompted the poet to write a poem in the style of an oriental legend. Most likely, the impetus for writing was his reading in Russian periodicals of a note by the doctor of the Dutch East India Company F.P. Fourche about an ominous tree, the tree of poison. It is believed that Pushkin, a keen connoisseur of “sound images”, was fascinated by unusual word“anchar” and the very fact of the existence of the fatal, all-terrifying tree was remembered.

Also at the origins of the creation of the poem lies the fact that “Anchar” is a poetic response to the reproaches of Katenin, who implicitly condemned Pushkin’s work “Stanzas”, finding in it motives of loyalty to the tsar.

2. The poem “Anchar” is constructed according to the following principle:
- the plot of the work,
- the main conflict (contradiction), the development of the action - this is the second compositional part (it begins with the conjunction “But”)
- a fleeting denouement (it begins with the adversative conjunction “A”)

The poem has only nine stanzas. In the beginning (the first five stanzas), the author introduces us to the anchar. Anchar is the name of an Indian tree whose sap contains deadly poison. Easterners told many legends about him.

The last stanza, beginning with the adversative conjunction “A,” tells us about the period when the slave is no longer alive. Why did the king need resin? Fill the “obedient arrows” intended for neighbors with poison.

3. What is the poem “Anchar” about? This poem is about the unrighteous world order, about the role of man in it.

This work is about the tragic, irreconcilable relationship between an invincible ruler and a poor, powerless slave. In his work, Pushkin addresses a theme that runs like a red thread through all of his work: the theme of freedom and tyranny.

At the beginning of the poem, the author introduces the concept of “anchar”, this is a “tree of poison”. The poison present in the tree permeates everything from roots to leaves. All sorts of things Living being, approaching the terrible tree, dies. Neither beast nor bird approaches it, knowing its harmful properties. And the highest being on earth, man, sends another man to the tree for deadly resin.

The main idea of ​​the poem is Pushkin’s active protest against the unlimited power of one person over another. The tragedy is that both the bearer (prince, king) and the subjects (disenfranchised slaves) find this power natural and legitimate.

main topic poems are universal evil, viewed from both a philosophical and a universal human point of view. Evil is the scourge of humanity. The symbol of evil is anchar - “tree of death.” Correlates with anchar philosophical problem life and death.

4. Lyrical hero- “a conventional literary concept that covers the entire range of works created by the poet.” One should not equate the personality of the poet with the lyrical hero.

The thoughts and feelings of the lyrical hero change throughout the narrative. First, the lyrical hero tells us about the Anchar tree, which brings death to all living things. He talks quite calmly, as calmly as one can talk about death. But an ominous chill and menacing intonations are present in his story. Further the degree increases. The lyrical hero says that animals do not approach the scary tree. And the person whom nature has endowed with higher intelligence (!) sends another person to him. Sends you to certain death. In the story of the lyrical hero one can feel a hidden, disguised hatred of what is happening.

5. Techniques for revealing images (using the example of a landscape)
The main task is to understand how the landscape contributes to revealing the intent of the poem. The landscape is ascetic and expressive. The landscape in the poem carries a negative load; it is the personification of death. Everything that is before our eyes is saturated with tragedy.

Paths and figures ( language means figurative disclosure of the ideological content of the work and the author’s assessment):
Epithets: “In the desert, stunted and stingy”, “Flammable sand”, “Black whirlwind”
Metaphors: “Nature gave birth... gave water” “A whirlwind will come... rushes away”
Antithesis (opposition): “lord” - “slave”
Old Slavonicisms and archaisms: “cold” “evening”, “whirlwind”, “obedient”

6. Genre
“Anchar” is a work of philosophical orientation. The genre of the poem is a lyric-epic plot poem. The narrative is stylized as a parable, an ancient legend.

7. Meter and rhythm
The meter of the poem “Anchar” is iambic tetrameter.

When analyzing the poem “Anchar”, one cannot help but pay attention to its rhythmic originality. In the first five stanzas, which define anchar, there is a similar arrangement of stress. Each line has three stresses, the sixth syllable is unstressed. Due to this, the rhythmic pattern is intonationally homogeneous. This kind of homogeneity is entirely justified. The properties of the anchor are being listed. The only exceptions are four-stress and two-stress lines.

Four-beat: “It stands - alone in the whole universe”, “And the tiger does not come - only a black whirlwind”, “The rain flows into the flammable sand.”

Two-beat: “And it freezes in the evening”

“But a man is a man...” - the word “man” repeated twice emphasizes the tension of the situation. The lyrical hero is shocked, indignation is felt in his voice. Here Pushkin combines all means of sound expressiveness: repetition of words, repetition of sounds, dominance of the sound “a” (“Sent to the anchar with an imperious look”). The beginning of the second part is rhythmically supported. The sixth stanza, beginning with the conjunction “but,” is two-stressed.

As for showing the story of a slave, this also has its own intonation and rhythmic pattern. The narration is told in three-beat lines. When the tragic denouement comes - “And the poor slave died at his feet”, a four-beat line follows, and then a two-beat line.

Conclusion: combining all the details, elements, right down to the location of the drums and unstressed syllables, give originality to the rhythm, and determine the artistic value, strength and weight of the work.

8. I liked the poem “Anchar” for its power, clearly written poetic images, unusual comparisons, and unique approach to revealing the topic.

It would seem that Pushkin told us just a parable, but this parable is a dormant volcano.

Pushkin is a singer of freedom, he always guards human rights.

In the desert, stunted and stingy, On the ground, heated by the heat, Anchar, like a formidable sentinel, Stands - alone in the whole universe. The nature of the thirsty steppes gave birth to His on the day of wrath And the greenery of dead branches And the roots were filled with poison. The poison drips through its bark, melting in the heat by midday, and hardens in the evening as a thick, transparent resin. Even a bird does not fly to him, And a tiger does not come - only a black whirlwind runs onto the tree of death And rushes away, already corruptible. And if a cloud waters, wandering, its dense leaf, from its branches, already poisonous, the rain flows into the flammable sand. But the man Sent the man to the anchar with an imperious look: And he obediently set off on his way, And by morning he returned with poison. He brought mortal resin and a branch with withered leaves, And sweat flowed down his pale brow in cold streams; He brought it - and weakened and lay down under the arch of the hut on his bast, and the poor slave died at the feet of the Invincible ruler. And the prince imbued His obedient arrows with that poison, and with them he sent death to his neighbors in foreign lands. * Tree of poison.

The main theme of the verse is world evil. Pushkin paints the image of evil as an eternal problem of human existence on earth. Its symbol becomes the “tree of death” - anchar. The philosophical problem of life and death correlates with it. At the same time, the poet refers in this poem to the most important topic, running through all of his work - the theme of freedom and tyranny, but reveals it in a general philosophical sense, which was characteristic of his poetry of his mature period. During these years, the ideal of freedom in Pushkin's understanding merges into the system of universal human values ​​and no longer appears in his work as a purely political category, which was inherent in his early lyrics. In “Anchar” Pushkin presents his view of the system where there is unlimited power of one person (prince or tsar, as he was originally called in the poem) over another. The poet sees in its very essence the source of evil and reveals this the most important idea throughout the course of the poem.

In an aura of gloomy and menacing grandeur, the “tree of evil” appears before us from the first lines of the poem. The most ominous and terrible of all the inhabitants of the desert - the world of hot sands, waterless steppes, black whirlwinds - the anchar seems to reign over everything around him:

In the desert, stunted and stingy,
On the ground, hot in the heat,
Anchar, like a formidable sentry,
Stands alone in the whole universe.

The “tree of death” soaked in poison becomes an image of gigantic, cosmic evil - it is not without reason that Pushkin notes that nature gave birth to the deadly tree on the “day of wrath.” It is significant from this point of view that, speaking about the desert and heat, hot soil and hot sand, Pushkin nowhere mentions either the sun or light. Anchar seems to be shrouded in darkness: a “black whirlwind” spins around it, its leaves are “dense,” that is, dark, impenetrable to light. The intensification of images of darkness associated with the anchar is, of course, symbolic. This is a metaphor for world evil. But nature itself is alien to evil, and therefore everything in nature shuns the anchar: “even a bird does not fly to it, and a tiger does not come.” Anchar is a mistake of nature, and therefore it is isolated from everything natural, everything living.

But man violates the eternal laws of nature, which make it possible to isolate evil. In human society itself, based on tyranny and slavery, evil becomes law. The drafts of this poem show how long Pushkin was looking for the right word to express the unnaturalness of such a social structure. It is not the prince, the leader or the king, but “the man” who sends him to the deadly tree. By nature they are equal - they are “man” and “man”. But in social order this natural equality is violated. The tyrant sends his slave to the anchar because he is a ruler who has complete control over not only freedom, but also the life of the slave submissive to him. After all, a slave who understands that he is being sent to death takes it for granted: he “obediently set off on his way.” Regretting the sad fate of the “poor slave” who, having returned with poison, dies “at the feet of the invincible ruler,” Pushkin does not justify him. The absolute, unlimited freedom of one turns out to be just as disastrous as the complete submission and absolute dependence of the other. Pushkin pronounces judgment on both, because both of them are responsible for the spread of evil in the world. The slave dies, but the anchar poison he obtained will bring death to thousands of other people.

This is how the poet expresses the most important idea of ​​the poem: evil begets evil. At the same time, evil in nature is combined with social evil, the poison of the anchar with the power of the prince. The role of the prince in the second part of the poem turns out to be similar to the role of the anchar in the first: both of them bring evil, and the prince directly borrows his deadly power from the anchar:

And the prince fed that poison
Your obedient arrows
And with them he sent death
To neighbors in alien borders.

In this final stanza of the poem, the prince, as it were, becomes an anchar himself, only the latter poisons by virtue of his natural properties, and the prince consciously, with his evil will. Thus, internal untruth gives rise to external untruth, evil will turns into a deadly force that brings death to others, and a society built on slavery and tyranny inevitably becomes the source and conductor of evil.

A.S. Pushkin spent 4 years in exile for his freethinking (1920-1924). After his release, censorship not only did not leave him alone, but also tightened control. Alexander Sergeevich very soon saw that free creativity for the workers of his time was just a pipe dream. Nevertheless, Pushkin did not abandon his pen and his harsh but fair thoughts. It is known that, having learned about the persecution, the poet wanted to move to the Caucasus, but the authorities did not give permission to move.

In 1828, the authorities accused the poet of creating works with anti-government tendencies. They were discovered in the poem “Gavriliad” and the poem “Andrei Chenier”. They ordered secret surveillance of Pushkin. Finding himself hostage to such difficult circumstances, Alexander Sergeevich picked up his traditional weapon against persecution by the authorities - pen and paper. This is how the poem appeared.

At the time of writing the poems, the poet was on the Wulf Malinniki estate near Tver. The author worked on the work throughout September-November 1828. The result of painstaking work was a laconic but succinct text. All thanks to the original allegory. Pushkin used the stories of travelers who visited the island of Java. They claimed that there was an anchar tree on the island. It is capable of emitting a substance that poisons the air, and its juice can easily take life. The Aborigines poisoned arrows intended to kill enemies with anchar juice. The juice was collected only by those whom the leaders sentenced to death.

On our lands, the first mentions of a poisonous tree appeared at the turn of the 18th – 19th centuries. Publications about Anchar were distributed in periodicals, so Pushkin had enough information about him. Researchers suggest that the main source for the poet was F.P.’s note. Fourche, a doctor who worked for the East India Company. The stories of travelers are considered semi-legendary, but they became excellent soil for creating an allegorical image of an oppressive government that kills those who stand in its way.

It should also be taken into account that shortly before the appearance of Pushkin’s “Anchar”, P. Katenin (a contemporary poet of Alexander Sergeevich) created the poem “Regrets”. It talks about the “tree of life,” which was interpreted as mercy, the goodness of the king. Many researchers believe that anchar is the antithesis of the image from Katenin’s poem, since, in fact, it can be considered a “tree of death.”

1832 – date of appearance of “Anchara” in print in the almanac “Northern Flowers”. Even the “exotic” allegory could not hide real meaning works. The head of the Third Section, Benkendford, saw in the images of universal evil a reflection of the tyranny of Tsarist Russia. Pushkin had to explain himself.

The poem became widespread only after the death of Alexander Sergeevich. For example, it was used by the philosopher I. Ilyin to characterize the revolution that led Tsarist Russia to death. Researchers of the poet’s work called “Anchar” a shot from which Pushkin slowly died.

Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote the poem “Anchar” in 1828. Two years after returning from exile. The work was first published in the almanac “Northern Flowers”. This poem is filled philosophical meaning, it is stylized as an ancient legend.

The plot of the poem echoes the legend about the Anchar tree, which grows on the island of Java. The tree is so poisonous that not only its sap is poisonous, but even the air surrounding it can kill anyone who approaches it. This legend was quite popular. More than one writer has resorted to the image of the anchar.

The poem is written in allegorical language. Hidden in it secret meaning. Anchar is an image of a despot, endowed with unlimited power, who destroys and destroys all living things. Literary scholars are debating who or what, according to the author’s idea, is hiding under the mask of the anchar. After all, he repeatedly touched on the topic of freedom and tyranny in his works.

For Pushkin this work was of particular importance. It has a close connection with the era in which the poet lived. Alexander Sergeevich was persecuted and censored by the government. It was under this painful pressure that the work was created.

We bring to your attention the text of the poem by A.S. Pushkin "Anchar":

In the desert, stunted and stingy,
On the ground, hot in the heat,
Anchar, like a formidable sentry,
It stands alone in the entire universe.

Nature of thirsty steppes
She gave birth to him on the day of wrath,
And green dead branches
And she gave the roots poison.

Poison drips through its bark,
By noon, melting from the heat,
And it freezes in the evening
Thick transparent resin.

Not even a bird flies to him,
And the tiger does not come: only a black whirlwind
He will run to the tree of death -
And rushes away, already pernicious.

And if the cloud waters,
Wandering, its dense leaf,
From its branches, already poisonous,
Rain flows into flammable sand.

But man is man
Sent to the anchor with an imperious glance,
And he obediently went on his way
And in the morning he returned with poison.

He brought mortal resin
Yes, a branch with withered leaves,
And sweat on the pale brow
Flowed in cold streams;

He brought it - and weakened and lay down
Under the arch of the hut on the bast,
And the poor slave died at his feet
The invincible ruler.