C. Balmont. Analysis of the poem "Reeds". Analysis plan, art techniques

Konstantin Balmont is the brightest representative of early symbolism in Russia. His works are filled with a search for the meaning of life, goals and unanswered questions. His poetry makes the reader think.

Our article is dedicated to the work “The Reeds”. We will do an analysis of Balmont’s poem “The Reeds” according to our plan, which can later be used to analyze other poetic works.

C. Balmont and Symbolism

The poet was born in an era called the Silver Age in literature. The riot of currents and directions could not fail to captivate the young poet. Of all the directions, the closest to Balmont was symbolism. It is in the vein of symbolism that a poem has been created, the analysis of which we will conduct.

An analysis of Balmont’s poem “The Reeds” would not be complete without knowledge of some features of this trend in literature.

The name "symbolism" comes from the French word. It was in France that this current was born. Its distinguishing features were the search for a special form, the expression of emotions with symbolic images. The poetry of this genre was supposed to chant mystical impulses. Not to teach, but to carry away.

The amazing "reeds". Poem Analysis Plan

Constantine Balmont also sought to find the ideal form in poetry. The analysis of the poem “The Reeds” should be carried out taking into account this aspect, because in the form the symbolists saw no less, or even more sense, than in the content itself.

For a more coherent analytical work, a brief outline of the analysis of the poem would be appropriate:

1. Title and author of the work.
2. Genre and literary movement.
3. Theme.
4. The idea and the main idea.
5. Means of artistic expression.

This plan is rather schematic. Nevertheless, the analysis according to his formula will turn out to be clear and capacious.

Analysis of Balmont’s poem “The Reeds” according to plan

Getting to the analysis of the poem. We will not repeat the author’s name and title, we proceed immediately to the second paragraph.

The poem belongs to the literary movement of symbolism. His genre contains elements of both landscape lyrics and philosophical.

The theme of the poem is the meaning of life. The idea is the transience of life, hopelessness and powerlessness before fate. Thanks to the images of the swamp, wandering lights and the dying face of the moon, Balmont creates a rather gloomy picture. The analysis of the poem “The Reeds” should be supplemented by a study of the means of artistic expression. These are the colorful epithets “wandering”, “dying”, “silent”; personification (reeds whisper) and a special phonetic device - alliteration. By repeating consonant hissing sounds, the author achieves a “rustling” effect, which gives the poem a special sound.

Comparisons are present in poetry, a month is compared with a dying "face", the noise of reeds - "with the sigh of a lost soul."

An interesting way to attract the reader’s attention is the technique called “oxymoron”. This is a combination of incongruous. In this case, the phrase "rustling noiselessly." Silently, that is, without sound, but if they "rustle", this means that there is still sound. This technique is used to create a mystical mood. The reeds seem to not whisper, but think. We hear not noise, but disembodied thoughts.

Balmont’s Poem “The Reeds”: A Brief Analysis

The “reeds” were written by Balmont during the period of his emotional throwing, the search for the meaning of life and the ideal form of poetry. This could not but leave its imprint on the works of the author. The “reeds” are filled with a sensation of inexorable rock, which, like a quagmire, sooner or later will drag a lone wanderer into its captivity.

The poem with a deceptively landscape name is just beginning to describe the night river and reeds, the pale moon and visual night effects. Its essence is completely different - behind the rustling of reeds, the author’s mute questions hide: “Is there any sense in life? What is he doing? Is it possible to achieve it? Why does this life end so inexorably? ”

It is about the meaning of life that Balmont wrote this amazing work. The analysis of the poem “Reeds” must be done after the poem has been read aloud several times. This is necessary in order to hear how masterfully the poet applies alliteration - a special combination of sounds of a certain series. In this case, it is hissing "w", "f", "h", "u". Thanks to them, the effect of artificial noise of reeds is achieved. Pay attention to the second line. In each of her words there is a sound "w". This is the application of alliteration and the search for the very ideal form that would speak for the poet, complementing him.

Finally

The poetry of the Symbolists was created in order to surprise, make you think. Many did not understand and condemned the Symbolists, but this did not make their works worse. Konstantin Balmont also fell under the hot hand of critics. The analysis of the poem "The Reeds", its understanding were often subjective. They even tried to write parodies on him, condemned them for a decadent, decadent spirit. However, decades later, the convictions were forgotten, and the poem still does not leave indifferent even the most sophisticated reader.