In the twentieth century, Russia went through many trials: coups d'etat, change of regime, revolution after revolution ... The turbulent times dictated their conditions and required changes in social and political life. For the solution of many pressing issues, the “sovereign of thoughts” - literature. Talented poets of the twentieth century treated the revolution differently. Some did not accept it and left their native lands, while others remained and longed for a change 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 one with ears must hear.”
The story of the creation of the poem "Twelve". Confession of the poet, critic
The work was written after the February and October revolution. Blok himself admits that he developed the poem very quickly, because he wrote it, being in anticipation of change. First, he wrote individual stanzas, and then assembled them into a single composition, and in the end was amazed at how little is crossed out in it. It is curious that the poem grew up with just a few words ("I’m already striking with a knife, stripe"), behind which 8 verses instantly appeared. It was a blizzard January days, and the poet carried this mood through his entire work. Blok's poem might not have survived to the present day, because the author, in his dying delirium, demanded that his wife Lyubov Mendeleevna burn his brainchild, but she did not. Alexander Alexandrovich instantly turned into an enemy of the people and poets, for which Nikolai Gumilev sentenced him: service to the Antichrist, the second crucifixion of Christ and the execution of the emperor.
Summary of the poem "Twelve"
Events take place in the winter in Petrograd. A blizzard blows through which a scream is heard, a screech. A detachment of twelve Red Army soldiers - the so-called fighters against the old world, who mercilessly shoot and destroy everything in their path, moves through the city at night. One of them, sensual Vanka, kills his girlfriend Katka and subsequently survives her death, but his comrades order him to gather his strength: "this is not the time now to babysit with you." The detachment warns citizens of the impending robbery: they will eradicate everything that reminds them of the old world. They forget about God, march “without a saint’s name” and remind the praying Petka that he already has “the blood of a girl” on him, which means that he should not expect the help of the Lord. However, in the last, twelfth chapter, He appears: "In the white corolla of roses Ahead is Jesus Christ." Who is this savior or destroyer does not give an answer block, therefore the meaning of the ending of the poem “Twelve” is interpreted differently.
Image of jesus
The appearance of Christ in the finale is an unexpected phenomenon, since they have already fired several times in Holy Russia and removed the cross. A hundred years have passed since the writing of the poem, and literary scholars still consider this issue and put forward several conjectures. Jesus leads a detachment of Red Guards and leads them into a new world - criminals became saints. Other scholars believe that these are the apostles, marching in a revolutionary step led by Peter. Mikhail Voloshin assures that the image of Christ in the poem "Twelve" was introduced for another purpose: he does not save the detachment, but, on the contrary, tries to hide from him. Pavel Florensky drew attention to changes in the name Jesus - he has Jesus in the Bloc, but you should not be naive and assume that a typo was made by accident. The detachment is led by the Antichrist, who is also omnipotent, invulnerable "and invisible behind a blizzard."
Poem composition
"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 succeeds with. The tradition of the march later in his work will continue futurist Vladimir Mayakovsky. The poem consists of twelve different in form parts that are interconnected and constitute a single whole. If we analyze the poem "Twelve", you can identify the dots between the stanzas that are inserted by the editors after publication - obviously, the censors considered it necessary to omit some places. At certain points, the narrative part recedes into the background, and the actions are described in dialogues and monologues. The rhyme is inconsistent, but in some episodes it doesn’t exist at all, often the shooting interrupts the action - "fuck-tah-tah!"
Features of the language in the poem "Twelve"
The brightest symbolist of the twentieth century - Alexander Blok - came 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. The story of the creation of the poem "Twelve" is very unusual - Blok wrote it in a burst of expectations, passions and collected urban folklore, not disregarding even vernacular and swearing vocabulary. The phrase "Chocolate" Mignon "devoured" belongs to Lyubov Mendeleeva. The prostitute Katya at Blok is "fat-faced", the lantern is "electric", the junkers are "junker", and Russia is "fat-set." The author perfectly conveyed the flavor of street life, but after conducting a complete analysis of the poem "The Twelve", one can also find winged phrases. Stanza "... Wind, wind - all over the world!" soon became a proverb.
This mysterious number is twelve ...
Going deeper into the history of writing the poem, you can identify some conflicting points. There are some numbers in the history of world culture, the peculiarity of which was noticed by ancient people: they brought luck to one, and 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, Christians are interested in the sacred meaning of this number. 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 last day and night, 12 months a year. In ancient Greece and Rome, it was precisely this number of main gods that sat on Olympus.
Twelve - the figure is truly unusual and mysterious, but Alexander Blok himself warned that the poem is very symbolic, and any symbol and hint can be interpreted in different ways. Perhaps the meaning of this number in the poem is very realistic, because at the time of the revolution the Red Guard patrols really consisted of 12 people.
Two worlds in the work
The confrontation of past and new times is the main theme of the poem "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 long - 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 of God's light!" - against this wind of changes, which seemed to have swept not only Russia, but the whole world, not everyone can resist. Twelve Red Army men go through the blizzard, not being afraid of anything. The old world is powerless before the new, and the harbingers of revolution are just as uncontrollable and uncontrollable.
Democracy or Anarchy?
Twelve Red Army soldiers - the main images of the poem "Twelve". They are irreconcilable to the old foundations - 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 residents to lock the "floor" and unlock the cellars, because "now 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 build. 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 current events. The unnecessity of the revolution is confirmed by the old woman, who, having seen the poster “All power to the Constituent Assembly!”, Wonders why it is needed. From such a huge flap it would be possible to sew footcloths for children, because in the current hungry and cold times, when "everyone is undressed, razut," the state needs to take care of the welfare of the people.
Even the church is deprived of its former authority. Alexander Blok depicts a priest, who, if he had gone "forward with his belly" and shone with a cross, is now, like everyone else, subjugated by the Red Guard, and they turn to him "comrade pop." The new government does not need a church and faith, and the Red Guards call for a shot in Holy Russia from a rifle.
Victims for what?
For a revolution, the life of one person means nothing against the backdrop of a worldwide blizzard. When one of the twelve Red Army soldiers by the name of Petka accidentally kills his girlfriend Katya, he begins to lament, not believing what is happening. In the eyes of the eleven others, this looks like weakness, because it is out of 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 junkers, goes to bed with everyone. She "wore gray leggings, chocolate" Mignon "ate" and, in general, was an atypical representative of a Russian woman. Perhaps Blok’s poem was written in support of the fact that people like Katya really should be sacrificed for the sake of revolution.
Chaos or harmony: what will win?
The old world is insignificant, and it can no longer exist. He's about to crash. The author compares it with the image of a rootless dog, which stands behind the bourgeois, tail tightened. The struggle does not last long: the dark future has already passed, but is the gap visible? What awaits the people after this blizzard? The Red Guards promise even greater destruction, because a future built on blood cannot be considered bright. In analyzing the poem The Twelve, one cannot help but notice that at the end the storm calms down and the revolutionary people go to the future with "sovereign step" accompanied by a certain one in the "white crown of roses." This is Jesus Christ. His sudden appearance promises salvation and the hope that the horrors of destruction will be removed, and the people will have the strength to overcome everything in reborn Russia. It seems that out of chaos, harmony will soon be reborn. For a happy life, the twelve Red Guard apostles are ready to kill and die themselves.
Disappointment in Change
The revolution of Alexander Blok can be compared with the element, which, although it cleanses the world, but so far does not have the ability to create. The old is destroyed, but the new, built on blood, is no better. Once Blok Alexander was waiting for a 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 changes taking place, he stopped hearing the “music of revolution”. It can be concluded that nothing new can be built through destruction - it is much better to maintain and improve what has been built up bit by bit over the centuries.