Lesson one introduces the personality of the poet, the historical basis of the poem “Borodino” and its content.
The teacher's introductory speech will create a certain mood for listening to Lermontov's poems. In it, the teacher will tell you that M.Yu. Lermontov showed his exceptionalism at an early age. He had a passionate poetic imagination and loved to dream and fantasize. It is advisable to accompany the conversation with a demonstration of the presentation “Childhood of M.Yu. Lermontov".
“Borodino” is the first printed work of M.Yu. Lermontov, appeared on the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, in which the Russian army saved the independence of the homeland with its heroism.
The teacher's story about the Patriotic War of 1812 should be brief, based on students' knowledge of history about this event, and be emotional and vivid. It can be accompanied by individual frames of the educational film “Monuments of Borodin” or reproductions of paintings reflecting this theme (P.E. Zabolotsky “The Battle of Borodino”; V.V. Vereshchagin “The End of the Battle of Borodino”; F. Roubaud “Panorama of the Battle of Borodino”).
It is advisable to introduce words such as redoubt, grapeshot, carriage, bivouac, lancers and explain their meaning. The central place in the conversation should be taken by the message about the Battle of Borodino, which decided the outcome of the war (Kutuzov, in a report to Alexander I, wrote: “The battle that took place on the 24th was the bloodiest of all those that are known in modern times”). Lermontov's poem can be called a poetic chronicle of the battle.
The teacher’s reading of “Borodin” can be accompanied by a simultaneous demonstration of a color filmstrip of the same name.
The second version of the lesson is listening to a recording of a poem performed by D.N. Zhuravleva; after which students are asked questions: why did the artist choose such a reading pace? What is the overall tone of the poem? How is his emotionality achieved?
Answering the questions will help students work on expressive reading.
If time permits, you can make a plan for it to master the content of the poem.
Homework includes drawing up a plan for the poem (if this is not done in class), reading a textbook article. Children also learn by heart a passage of the poem (before the words: “and only the sky lit up”).
Lesson two includes work on the composition of the poem, on its ideological and artistic content and deep patriotic meaning, introduces in an accessible form the concept of nationality and historical authenticity of Lermontov’s work, and reveals its relevance.
A conversation about the features of the composition of the poem “Borodino” begins with the question:
1. What is unique about Lermontov’s work? (The Battle of Borodino is presented through the perception of its participant - an ordinary soldier).
2. What is the veteran talking about?
3. Why did the poet put the story about Borodin into the mouth of an ordinary soldier? (Lermontov was the first in literature to remember the true hero of the Patriotic War - a simple soldier, the arbiter of the destinies of Russia. The poet proved that the true hero of 1812 was the Russian people).
4. How do you imagine the narrator, what can you say about him as a person?
Students will note that the narrator is a veteran, an experienced soldier, a participant in the Battle of Borodino. Summarizing the answers, the teacher will add that the narrator, a simple person, understands the significance of the Battle of Borodino as one of the greatest in the history of his people, in the history of European wars (“You will never see such battles!”, “It’s not for nothing that all of Russia remembers the day of Borodin”).
He is proud, remembering his comrades (“Yes, there were people in our time...”). An ordinary soldier said that
I saw it, did it and heard it myself. In a soldier, Lermontov showed the high qualities of the Russian people: selfless love for the homeland, willingness to give his life for its good, readiness for heroism.
5. How M.Yu. Did Lermontov show the narrator's involvement in a just cause?
The hero of the poem does not separate himself from the people, he is an organic particle of the whole. Modest, he uses the pronoun I only three times, where he talks about his actions. In all other cases - "is our time", "Colonel our”, “we” We were in a shootout." On behalf of the people, he says: “We will stand with our heads for our homeland,” and together with him he kept the “oath of allegiance... in the Battle of Borodino.”
In the process of work, the concept of dialogue is repeated and expanded. Dialogue- a form of oral speech, a conversation between two or more persons. Dialogue is also a special type of literary work written in the form of a conversation between people. Unlike dialogue, monologue- the speech of the actor addressed to the interlocutor or to himself.
We begin the work of studying the poem by M. Yu. Lermontov with the message that “Borodin” accurately conveys the main moments of the most important battle in the Patriotic War of 1812. This event, which decided the fate of the Russian people, is illuminated by the poet from the people's point of view.
1. Lermontov is precise in the use of words related to the most important events of the Patriotic War. How does its participant answer the young soldier’s question? Read these lines. How many times are they repeated? (Twice). We draw your attention to the fact that Lermontov writes: “If it weren’t for God’s will, we wouldn’t have given up Moscow.” The poet historically accurately showed that the Russians gave up, but did not surrender, Moscow.
Lermontov is accurate in his depiction of the entire war: he pointed out that the Russian army, from the beginning of the enemy invasion until the Battle of Borodino, had many serious battles: (“After all, there were military battles...”).
The first stage of the war and the army’s attitude towards it are reflected in the poem: (“We silently retreated for a long time... Oh, Russian bayonets?”).
You can read the memoirs of campaign participants that convey the same sentiment. Through the mouth of the narrator, the poet emphasized the military traditions of Suvorov’s campaigns. Suvorov called his soldiers “heroes”, that’s how he addressed them. This appeal also sounds in Lermontov’s poems.
2. Lermontov is also accurate in his description of the Battle of Borodino. Read the Description of the Eve of the Battle and answer the questions:
a) Why does the poet describe the eve of the battle in such detail?
b) How does this description convey the fighting mood of the Russian army, its moral superiority over the enemy? What words express the patriotic spirit of soldiers?
Summarizing the answers, it should be said that in full accordance with historical reality, Lermontov described not only the famous battle of August 26, but also August 24 and 25, when the armies of Napoleon and Kutuzov were preparing for the decisive battle.
The hero of Lermontov's poem took part in the most fierce battles that took place at the Semenov flushes and at the Raevsky battery.
c) Read the lines depicting the colonel. What words did he address to the soldiers? How do these words characterize him?
The teacher helps students see in the colonel fidelity to duty, fatherly attention to his soldiers, their needs, courage and “daring.” His call to block the road to the capital of his homeland answered the people's thoughts and feelings, which is why both the colonel and the ordinary soldier are thinking about Moscow on the Borodino field.
3. What oath did the Russian soldiers take and how did they keep it?
Students read a description of the Battle of Borodino and answer the questions:
a) What comparison helps to visualize the battle and the enemy's forces? Read the verbs that convey the tension of the battle.
b) What words and expressions give an idea of the bravery and courage of warriors?
c) What feeling united all the participants in the Battle of Borodino and inspired them to heroic deeds?
We draw students' attention to the fact that battle is depicted by Lermontov as a general, difficult task. The narrator is stingy with details, he selects only what is necessary, accurately designates the phenomena (“the morning illuminated the cannons and the blue tops of the forests”). His comparisons are simple (“the French moved like clouds”), his speech is artless, a soldier’s speech, depicting the feat of the Russian people.
It is important that students understand: the poet is most interested not in the battle itself, not in events, not in facts (this is how the poem “Borodino” differs from a historical work), but in people, their behavior, state of mind, their attitude to what is happening, the feat of the people.
Lermontov's poem shows the poetic image of a Russian person at the moment when the fate of the city is being decided.
4. Repeated listening to the poem “Borodino” will strengthen the students’ emotional intensity and help the teacher move on to the final stage of the lesson - finding out the meaning of Lermontov’s work.
The teacher will tell students that on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, many articles and stories began to appear in magazines dedicated to this memorable day. They celebrated the exploits of heroes, glorified the generals and the king, but forgot about the ordinary soldier. The first person to remember him was M.Yu. Lermontov.
The poem “Borodino” received a rebirth during the Great Patriotic War, it became one of the most popular works. In the winter of 1941, during one of the battles on the outskirts of Moscow, our standard bearer fell into the snow and, bleeding, shouted:
Guys! Isn't Moscow behind us?
We'll die near Moscow.
Lermontov's lines were used in trench newspapers. During the decisive battles for Moscow in the winter of 1941, the newspaper “Let’s Destroy the Enemy” wrote on one page: “Guys, isn’t Moscow behind us?” - signature M.Yu. Lermontov. Next to it: “So let’s win near Moscow!” - Red Army soldier E. Sedulov.
Lermontov's poem strengthened and developed a sense of patriotism not only in the terrible days of the Great Patriotic War. And now it fills our hearts with pride for the glorious heroic past of our Motherland, teaches us ardent love for it, selfless devotion.
At home, students prepare answers to textbook questions.
Literature
1. Aksenova E.K. Education of feelings through artistic words. M., Uchpedgiz, 1962.
2. Gorchak N.L. Painting as a means of speech development. M. - L., Education, 1965.
3. Literature lessons in 4th grade. M., Education, 1970.
4. Dubinskaya M.S., Novoselskaya L.S. Russian literature in grades 4–5. Kyiv, Radyanska school, 1981.
5. Korovina V.Ya. Literature. 5th grade. Textbook for general education institutions. M., Enlightenment. 2012.
In 1837, Russia celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino. And this year, by decision of Lermontov himself, the poem “Borodino” was published in Sovremennik, the reason for writing which was Lermontov’s acquaintance with the memoirs of Stolypin and other veterans of the Patriotic War of 1812.
It is well known that this was not the first time Mikhail Yuryevich addressed the topic of the war with Napoleon: several years ago (1830-1831) Lermontov wrote the poem “Borodin’s Field,” which was the basis for “Borodino.”
A comparative analysis will allow students to realize that since 1831 the poet has rethought a lot, and therefore the composition, stanza, style, image of the narrator, presentation of the story of a World War II veteran in a fairy tale manner, description of battle scenes and, most importantly, the problems of the poem “Borodino” are noticeably different from the poem "Borodin's Field".
As experience shows, students are quite successful in finding something in common: both poems are the memoirs of an artillery soldier, a participant in the Battle of Borodino (past form of verbs, direct reference to the Battle of Borodino, lines:
“We lay by the guns all night...”; “I hammered the charge into the cannon tightly...): the narration is told in the first person, some poetic lines remained unchanged (“Guys, Moscow is not behind us! / We will die near Moscow, / As our brothers died!..”; Banners were worn, like shadows... / The fire shone in the smoke... / The fighters’ hands were tired of stabbing, / And the cannonballs were prevented from flying / A mountain of bloody bodies”), a way of conveying the tension of the battle (change of verbs: “closed-struck-squealed-fell-flooded-shaken-rushed- yielded-took-rushed-glittered-flew-stabbed tired"; "moved-flashed-visited-rushed-glittered-sounded-squealed": "the living were equal to the dead..."; "horses and people mixed in a heap... -), etc. d.
The conclusions that will be drawn at the end of the comparative analysis are directly
depend on how the teacher will organize further work. The results of what was done in groups allow us to focus on the differences in the poems.
Students note that in the poem “Borodino” a dialogue form of narration appears, and the memoirs of an old soldier contain a story not only about the last day of the battle on the Borodino field, but also about the long retreat that preceded it, a two-day shootout.
In addition, through direct speech, the dissatisfaction of the battle participants with the long retreat is conveyed (“... The old men grumbled: / “What are we going to do? To winter quarters?” / Don’t the commanders dare / Do strangers tear their uniforms / About Russian bayonets?”) and their readiness engage in close combat with the “infidels” (“Speeches began to be heard everywhere: / “It’s time to get to the buckshot!”).
When the old artilleryman says about the deceased commander: “Our colonel was born with a grip: / Servant to the Tsar, father to the soldiers... / Yes, I feel sorry for him: he was struck down by damask steel, / He sleeps in the damp ground,” he admires the colonel’s courage (“... born... with a grip "), expresses sincere warm feelings for him ("... father
soldiers..." and the sincere pain caused by his death.
In the words “Yes, I feel sorry for him: struck down by damask steel...” is not just a reflection of the narrator’s feelings, it is an expression of the feelings of the soldier’s brotherhood, and evidence of this is the use of the pronoun “our”, as well as the placement of an ellipsis at the end of the line “... father to the soldiers...”.
When comparing the images of the narrator in the poems “Borodin’s Field” and “Borodino” (this can be organized by offering oral drawing of a portrait), students note that this image is presented in more detail in the poem “Borodino”. A leisurely story, the use of inverted sentences, set expressions and constant epithets of Russian folklore, colloquial expressions. The soldier’s language, “without ceasing to be rude and simple-minded, is at the same time noble, strong and full of poetry,” wrote V.G. Belisky.
The number of pronouns “we” in the poem “Borodino” will be significant. Such painstaking work contributes to the understanding that the main character of the poem is the people, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, the collective image of which was realistically created by Lermontov.
In the lines of the poem “Borodino” that sound like a refrain, “people in our time” are called heroes. Working with vocabulary will help you understand this comparison.
Students build the lexical chain “heroes”: “share”, “were waiting for battle”, “field”, “to roam free”, “let us stand with our heads / For our homeland”, “kept the oath of allegiance”, “Russian battle is daring”, “mighty tribe".
Working on the vocabulary of the poem, we will focus on battle scenes, color painting techniques (the shine of fire in the smoke, bloody bodies, repeated appearance of shadows - the sun can only be guessed) and sound painting; Let's define the lexical meaning of military terms and pay attention to the fact that the French are called infidels.
At the end of the poem, speaking about the need to leave Moscow, the artilleryman
uses the expressions “God's will” and “God's will.” They clearly indicate that the author, together with his hero, rethought the meaning of the Battle of Borodino and the need to abandon Moscow. In the second stanza, the soldiers, who have been retreating for a long time, tired of the “trifle” skirmish, passionately thirsty for battle, ready to stand to the bitter end, do not fully understand Kutuzov’s strategic move, the reasons for the retreat.
Time puts everything in its place. And after 25 years, the correctness of the decision of the commander-in-chief becomes obvious, the realization comes that leaving Moscow is not a defeat in the war, it is the will of God, which led to victory.
Let’s compare the last stanzas of the poems “Borodin’s Field” and “Borodino”:
and ours slept soundly, soundly
Fatherland on the fateful night,
My comrades, you have fallen!
But they couldn't help it.
"Borodin's Field"
Few returned from the field,
If it weren't for God's will,
They wouldn't give up Moscow.
"Borodino"
In the 2nd and 14th stanzas of the poem "Borodino" a theme arises that is absent in the poem "Borodin's Field", but important and exciting for the poet - the theme of the current generation, slumbering in inaction, envy of the great past, so full of glory and great deeds" ( V.G. Belinsky).
The same theme will be heard in the poem “Duma” and in the novel “Hero of Our Time”; the thirst for “great things” is permeated with mandatory study in
school poem “Sail”, poem “Mtsyri”.
Numerous methodological developments indicate the need to pay attention to the use of antithesis in the 2nd and 14th stanzas:
Yes, there were people in our time
Not like the current tribe:
The heroes are not you!
However, the contrast in the poem is repeated: “heroes” - “busurmans”, “We were waiting for the battle ... - The commanders / Aliens do not dare to tear their uniforms ...”, “the Frenchman rejoiced ... - But our open bivouac was quiet ...”.
Even the use of synecdoche (using less instead of more) serves as a contrast: in the words “The hand of the fighters is tired of stabbing ...” the unity of the Russian troops, the common desire to win, the strength of spirit are palpable; while the French army for a participant in a battle is not an individual soldier, but
common enemy: “Moscow… was given to the French…”
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1837 - anniversary, 25 years of victory over the French in the Patriotic War of 1812. This event was celebrated in Russia at the state level. Prayers were held in churches in memory of the victims, and in August the ceremonial laying of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow took place in honor of the victory over the French.
Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov responded to the significant date with the poem “Borodino”.
Before Lermontov, many poets addressed the theme of the Patriotic War. And Lermontov himself, at a young age, composed the poem “Borodin’s Field.” Despite the diversity of genres, these works are united by a common mood. Whether it was a fable, a soldier's or partisan song, an ode or a philosophical reflection, they all embodied a significant theme, glorifying heroes.
For the first time in literature, Lermontov resorted to a manner of presentation that was atypical for that time. The narrative is being told on behalf of the old soldier, an ordinary person - a participant in the Battle of Borodino. The semantic emphasis is not on heroic victories, but rather on regret: “If it weren’t for God’s will, we wouldn’t have given up Moscow!”.
Irakli Luarsabovich Andronikov in his critical article “The Image of Lermontov” writes: “He was gifted with amazing musicality - he played the violin, the piano, and composed music based on his own poems.”
Perhaps this is why the structure of “Borodino” resembles a three-part musical form. The first stanza is an introduction, a question from a young interlocutor to a participant in the battle. The second stanza is the first part, expressing the main idea of the work.
Stanzas 3 – 13 – an expanded second part, including the main content and description of the battle.
The last, fourteenth stanza is a dynamic reprise, almost exactly repeating the first.
The stanza of the poem has a complex seven-line structure: the first two and fourth – sixth lines with line-by-line rhyme. The third line rhymes with the seventh. In general, each stanza repeats the interwoven rhyme following the AABCCCB pattern. And here one can see a connection with the musical seven-beat meter, characteristic of Russian folk songs.
Musicality, permeating the poem, inspired an unknown author to create a march to Lermontov's poems. The folk song “Borodino” entered the repertoire of military ensembles.
Poetic size works, multisyllabic iambic, together with other constructive features of the composition, evokes the feeling of a veteran’s free conversational speech.
Stylistically, the poem is heterogeneous:
- Vernacular sayings: "Ears on top of your head", “Our Colonel was born with a grip”, “What’s the use of such a trifle?” combined with sublime, pathetic expressions: “And he said, his eyes sparkling”, “The banners were carried like shadows”, “...struck by damask steel”.
- Figurative expressions ( “Don’t the commanders/Aliens dare to tear their uniforms/On Russian bayonets?”) are replaced by hyperbole ( “And the cannonballs were prevented from flying / A mountain of bloody bodies. »).
- Muted epithets verses bring the narrative closer to the folk dialect: "...noisy...moving...", "... shako... beaten...", "...horse tails...".
Some lines have become catchphrases. And our contemporaries often sigh: “Yes, there were people in our time”. The phrase “Break with a wall” has been preserved in a modified form (“wall”) with the same meaning.
Lermontovskoe "Guys! Isn’t Moscow behind us?” acquired especially relevant significance during the Battle of Moscow in the Great Patriotic War.
Tajik poet Mukhitdin Farhat recalled: “We were silent under the impression of these wonderful lines... as if the great poet was writing about one of our yesterday’s battles, as if he was calling on the three of us, sitting with a volume of his poems, not to disgrace the military glory of our ancestors.”
The poem “Borodino” is an important milestone in the poet’s work. For the first time he published his work of his own free will. The magazine Sovremennik, whose editor was Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, accepted the work of the young author for publication, and his work did not go unnoticed by the critics of the time. The most famous words of Belinsky in the article “Poems of M. Lermontov”: “... in every word you hear a soldier, whose language, without ceasing to be rudely simple-minded, is at the same time noble, strong and full of poetry.”
- “Motherland”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem, essay
- “Sail”, analysis of Lermontov’s poem
Lermontov's poem "Borodino" is one of the most striking patriotic works of Russian literature. This is the first poem in Russian poetry that depicts the main character of the Patriotic War of 1812 - the people. This is the first work of the poet to appear in print, published at his will.
If Lermontov had been the author of only this one poem, notes Brodsky, then in this case he would have been called a people's poet, his poem would have been recognized as one of the most remarkable poetic works in terms of the power of expression of the idea of patriotism, the theme of the homeland and its defense by the people in a liberating, just war with the enemy."
Responding to the events of the Patriotic War of 1812, in the poem “Borodino” Lermontov captured the great battle that took place near Moscow on the Borodino field. The poet historically accurately told in the poem not only about the general battle that took place on September 7, 1812, but also about those days that preceded the Battle of Borodino and were preparations for the battle (September 5 and 6).
In the text of the poem, Lermontov ignores the exact chronological framework of the Battle of Borodino, but he, in full agreement with historical reality, conveys the unprecedented manifestations of the legendary military valor of nameless Russian soldiers, which led to the collapse of Napoleon’s great army.
Sergei Glinka, a participant in the battle, noted in his notes of 1836: “The Borodino battle is a battle unprecedented on the face of the earth since the invention of gunpowder.” Fyodor Glinka echoed him, calling the battle “unprecedented”: “I have never seen anything like this in my life, not a single thing.” I’ve never heard of anything like this and I’ve hardly read anything like it.”
One of the stages of analyzing a poem will be observations of its composition.
After reading the poem in class, the students’ attention will focus on the 1st stanza of the poem, which reproduces the words of a young soldier addressed to “uncle,” an old soldier who took part in the Battle of Borodino.
The stanza that precedes the main part of the poem consists of three sentences: one interrogative and two exclamatory. In fact, the entire poem is the veteran’s answer to the young soldier’s question.
But the stanza that precedes the main part of the poem, in addition to the question, also includes involuntary exclamations addressed to the heroic past and bearing an affirmative beginning: “After all, there were battles, / Yes, they say, there were many more! / It’s not for nothing that all of Russia remembers / About Borodin’s Day.”
These words, put into the mouth of a young soldier, indicate that he is filled with pride in the deeds of his fathers. It is the patriotic idea that inspires the soldier of the “current” generation that encourages him
contact a veteran.
The 2nd stanza contains the answer to the question posed by the young soldier. The veteran’s answer not only noted the difficult share of people of that time who did not return to the battlefield, but also indicated the fate of Moscow.
Both the words of the young soldier and the answer of the old soldier historically accurately emphasize that Moscow was “given to the French.” The testimony of contemporaries noted a fundamental difference between the words “they gave up Moscow” and “surrendered Moscow.”
Both Pushkin, Belinsky, and Glinka, a participant in the Patriotic War, highlight the fact that Moscow was “given” to the enemy in the name of preserving the Russian army (“Moscow was not surrendered, but given over to the spoils of invasion,” Glinka testifies).
Students easily notice that the second stanza, with some changes, is repeated in the final, 14th stanza. These two stanzas, beginning with the line “Yes, there were people in our time...”, frame the story of an old soldier, a participant in the Battle of Borodino.
Thus, most of the poem is a story of a simple Russian person, an ordinary participant in the battle. Schoolchildren will re-read stanzas 2-14 and take part in drawing up an outline for the old soldier’s story. In a class conversation, the sequence of his story will be reflected in the following plan:
1. “Yes, there were people in our time...” (2nd stanza).
2. “We silently retreated for a long time... uh (3rd stanza).
3. “And then they found a large field...” (4-5th stanzas).
4. “For two days we were in a firefight...” The night before the battle (6-7th stanzas).
5. “Well, it was a day.” Description of the battle (8-12th stanzas).
6. “Then the drums began to crack - / And the infidels retreated” (13th stanza).
7. “Yes, there were people in our time...” (14th stanza).
Schoolchildren will turn to this plan, which is a quotation plan and concisely conveys the “uncle’s” story, during the analysis of the poem, which it is advisable to build along the path “following the author.”
The 3rd stanza outlines the events preceding the Battle of Borodino, it talks about a long retreat. The stanza begins with the pronoun “we,” which indicates that the narrator does not separate himself from the entire army.
The poet is historically accurate in describing the mood of the Russian army, which was awaiting battle. The words “the old men grumbled” emphasize the dissatisfaction of experienced soldiers with the retreat tactics: they were ready to “tear strangers’ uniforms on Russian bayonets.”
These words, which will require commentary in class, make us remember Suvorov’s precepts that lived in the Russian army, especially in the mouths of veterans: “The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a good man”: “The bayonet, speed, surprise are the leaders of the Russians.” Officer Lermontov could not help but remember the precepts of the brilliant commander and put them into the mouths of experienced warriors, “old men.”
The entire story of the old soldier (and the analysis of the poem should convincingly show this!) includes statements from different people: the grumbling of old men, the thoughts of an artilleryman, the speech of soldiers, and the passionate appeal of a colonel.
The 4th and 5th stanzas tell about the events that occurred two days before the general battle, which took place on September 7 (August 26), 1812. The disappointment of the soldiers caused by the retreat is replaced by the hope of meeting the enemy in battle: “And then they found a large field: / There is somewhere to roam in the wild!” The exclamatory sentence expresses both the willingness of the soldiers to stand up for their homeland and the desire to show military courage, and breadth of soul.
In the commentary to these stanzas, it should be noted that the “big field” in the poem is the Borodino field near the village of Borodino, located not far from Moscow, on the old Smolensk road. The word “redoubt” will also require some explanation: it is a field earthen fortification with an external ditch and rampart.
The choice of a hero who remembers himself as a young man during the war was Lermontov’s great artistic discovery.
The poet chose to talk about the battle through the mouth of an artilleryman. One cannot help but recall that the poet’s grandfather D.A. Stolypin, who became famous for his theoretical articles on the role of artillery in war, was an artilleryman. And another grandfather, A.A. Stolypin, was also an artillery officer. Russian artillery played a decisive role in the Battle of Borodino. Its superiority over French artillery is evidenced by statistical data: Kutuzov had 642 guns, and Napoleon had 587. In addition, the Russians fired heavier cannonballs: each weighed from 6 to 12 pounds versus the 3-4-pound cannonballs of the French.
The speech organization of the poem organically combines the old soldier’s story with the author’s narration. Irakli Andronikov emphasizes: “Lermontov’s art is so great that we don’t even notice that through the soldier’s speech the poet’s voice is heard every now and then. “Forests have blue tops”... A soldier would not say that: this is Lermontov. But the line: “The French are right there” is a soldier. “The damask steel sounded”, “The banners were worn like shadows” - this is again the poet’s speech.
But without sublime vocabulary, Lermontov could not convey the greatness of this day. And “the enemy has tried” - again “uncle”. Both linguistic streams are fused so organically that we don’t even notice that “uncle,” remaining himself all the time, speaks like a poet.”
The judgments of a literary critic will provide the key for an independent search for students who, looking closely at a literary text, begin to distinguish the ordinary spoken language of a veteran with its inherent everyday notes from the author’s speech. So, in the 4th and 5th stanzas they will highlight the joke “Our ears are on top of our heads!”, which means “listen carefully,” and a mocking appeal to the French: “Wait a minute, brother monsieur!”, which are embedded in artilleryman's mouth
Students will understand that these words convey the confidence of Russian soldiers in their abilities, their readiness for the upcoming battle, which will show who is worth what. In the speech of the artillery soldier, who tells his story in the plural and who understands the greatness of the event, students will also notice phraseological units: “We’ll go break the wall, / Let’s stand with our heads / For our Motherland!”, which express the courageous determination of the soldiers, their readiness to defend the Motherland without sparing one’s life.
In the 6th and 7th stanzas, which must be reread in class, the events of the second day preceding the general battle are historically accurately conveyed (“we waited for the third day”). The voices of soldiers are heard,
who call the shootout a “trifle.”
Students will also take a closer look at the direct speech calling to action: “It’s time to get to the buckshot.” It is no coincidence that the poet turns to the image of the night before the battle, which is reflected in numerous eyewitness accounts.
In “Letters of a Russian Officer” F. Glinka recalls: “Everything is silent! .. Russians with a clear, impeccable conscience are quietly dozing, draped in the smoking fires. The guard chains send lingering echoes to one another. The echo echoes them. Stars occasionally sparkle in the cloudy sky. So everything is calm on our side... On the contrary: the morning lights are shining brightly in the enemy camps; music, singing, trumpets and shouts spread throughout their camp. Here! exclamations are heard! Here are some more! .."
Turning to the 7th stanza of the poem, students will find in it a lot in common with the memoirs of F. Glinka. There is no doubt that Lermontov was very attentive to various sources.
It is no coincidence that the poet notes how “the Frenchman rejoiced” and how “quiet” the Russian camp was. Some coincidences in landscape details are also significant, which will force students to turn to memorable verses: “And then on the field of the formidable battle / The shadow of the night fell.” Their laconicism and artistic expressiveness are achieved by the skillful use of epithets (the word “field” is explained by the defining combination of “formidable battle”) and a capacious metaphor (“the shadow of the night has fallen”).
There are few landscape descriptions in the poem “Borodino”. It would be legitimate to talk not about descriptions, but about landscape details that sparingly accompany the description of military operations. Thus, the description of the Borodino battle opens with the picture: “And only the sky lit up ...” and ends with a short landscape remark: “It got dark.” The landscape compositionally highlights the very description of the general battle, which took place on the third day and was consistently developed in the five central stanzas of the poem (8-12th stanzas).
The culmination of the poem is the image of the Battle of Borodino. The dynamically developing action includes several scenes: the movement of Russian troops, the call of the colonel, the advance of the French, the fire of cannons, hand-to-hand combat, and the retreat of the enemy. The panorama of the battle is created using a variety of artistic means. Students will understand that rapidly developing action is conveyed using skillfully selected verbs, accompanied by repetitions and sound recording.
In the verses “And as soon as the sky lit up, / Everything suddenly began to move noisily, / The formation sparkled behind the formation,” students will note not only expressive verbs with the prefix “za,” indicating the beginning of the action, but also the preposition “za,” consonant with the prefixes, emphasizing the sound expressiveness of the verses. The artistic imagery of the poems is also emphasized by the verb “sparkled,” which, in combination with subsequent nouns, forms a memorable metaphor.
Schoolchildren are able to independently identify repeated sounds and combinations of “s”, “sv”, “str”, “sh” at the beginning of the 8th stanza, which enhance the expressiveness of the sound of the verse.
In the poem "Borodino" Lermontov does not mention a single name. Among the heroes of the poem, the colonel is most fully characterized. Students should feel that in creating the image of the nameless hero of the battle, both the voice of the narrator and the voice of the author are heard.
In the artilleryman’s story, the colonel appears as a “hvat” (a lively, daring man), “a servant to the king, a father to the soldiers.”
The speech of the hero-narrator is sometimes close to oral poetry: “smitten by damask steel, / He sleeps in damp ground.” “... In every word,” argued V.G. Belinsky, touching on the simplicity and artlessness of the language of the poem, “you hear a soldier, whose language, while never ceasing to be simple-minded, is at the same time noble, strong and full of poetry.”
The poet’s voice is heard in the words: “And he said, his eyes sparkling...”, where the outdated “said” is combined with the traditional poetic “eyes”. The colonel’s call to stand up for Moscow repeats words that have been heard more than once in commanders’ addresses to soldiers.
In the description of the Borodino battle, the role of exclamations that schoolchildren can easily find is great: “Well, it was a day” (1st stanza); “You will never see such battles” (11th stanza); “The enemy experienced a lot that day, / What does a daring Russian battle mean, / Our hand-to-hand combat!” (12th stanza).
From stanza to stanza, exclamatory sentences become more and more capacious: from a hemistich in the 10th stanza to an exclamation embracing three verses in the 12th stanza. It should be noted that exclamatory sentences seem to “open” each stanza and set the tone for the poetic story about the battle.
What is the meaning of these exclamatory sentences in a literary text? They contain a motivating, suggestive element and openly express the narrator’s emotional attitude to the events of the Battle of Borodino. “The poet,” notes the researcher, “put into the hero’s mouth the feeling that was inherent in the ordinary participants in the Battle of Borodino.”
In the 10th stanza, which begins with the words: “Well, it was a day!”, the historically correct account of the French assault on the redoubt. “Reading the descriptions of the Battle of Borodino,” emphasizes Irakli Andronikov, “we understand that Lermontov depicted in his poem the most important place of the battle - the central battery, or, as it was also called, the “Raevsky redoubt” - a fortification that the French tried to capture in throughout the whole day (“Through the flying smoke, the French moved like clouds, / And everything was towards our redoubt”).
Raevsky's redoubt changed hands several times. Dragoons and lancers (officers and light cavalry soldiers in the Russian and a number of European armies), who were in the battle for the redoubt, could represent both Russian and
French army.
Students will pay attention to the means of creating a picture of the battle for the redoubt: they will highlight the verbs of movement (“moved”, “flashed”, “visited”).
In the verses that conclude the stanza, the repetition of the preposition “s” in the naming of military paraphernalia, the capacious comparison “like clouds,” which together create a vivid impression of the scale of the battle.
The emotional beginning of the 11th stanza is the words: “You will never see such battles!”, which are replaced by a complex narrative sentence that occupies the rest of the space of the 11th stanza.
What did the poet try to emphasize with the syntactic and intonation structure of this extended sentence? Students usually talk about the saturation of the sentence with pictures of battle, which quickly follow each other and
create a complete picture of the unfolding battle.
The non-stop movement of the battle is emphasized by rhyming verbs placed at the end of the verses (“shined”, “squealed”, “tired”, “interfered”), and a combination of verbs (“stabbed tired”, “interfered with flying”), and short sentences (“ Damask steel sounded, buckshot screamed").
This stanza makes us remember the role artillery played in the Battle of Borodino.
In numerous testimonies from participants in the battle, in addition to the role of artillery, the valor of Russian soldiers in bayonet combat was noted, in which the Russians were superior to the French. Hand-to-hand combat is also depicted in
11th, and in the 12th stanza:
The enemy experienced a lot that day,
What does Russian fighting mean?
Our hand-to-hand combat!
M. Yu. Lermontov dedicated the poem “Borodino” to the events of the Patriotic War of 1812. The work was written 25 years after the significant battle. First published in 1837 in the Sovremennik magazine.
History of writing
In the early thirties, Lermontov wrote the poem "Borodin's Field." It is believed that it was then that the poet conceived the idea of a poem dedicated to the Patriotic War. Lermontov's "Borodino" was published to mark the anniversary of the battle that took place in September 1812. The work could not help but attract widespread attention. In those years, the heroic resistance of the Russian people during the short period of the anti-Napoleonic campaign was actively discussed. Mikhail Lermontov, like many in the first half of the 19th century, loved to reflect on Russia's past and the events that changed the course of history.
Peculiarities
What is the key idea in the work "Borodino"? M. Yu. Lermontov, according to Belinsky, wanted to emphasize the inaction of his contemporaries, their envy of their ancestors who lived in times marked by glory and great deeds. The theme of heroism runs like a red thread through many of the works created by the Russian poet in the first half of the thirties.
Shortly before writing the poem “Borodino,” Lermontov met Afanasy Stolypin. This man was a hero, a veteran of the Patriotic War, an artillery staff captain. In a word, a legendary personality in Lermontov’s times. And of course, the staff captain took part in the Battle of Borodino. Lermontov and Stolypin were related. The latter was the brother of the poet’s grandmother.
Stolypin told the poet a lot about the Battle of Borodino. But in the work the narration is told from the perspective of a nameless soldier - an illiterate man, but wise and insightful. But the main thing is on behalf of a direct participant in the liberation war. This feature gives the work an epic feel and fills it with folklore content. The story of the artillery soldier contains epochal sentiments that were often found among the military in those days. There is another interesting image in the work - the nameless colonel. Lermontov does not objectify this character. But there is a version that his prototype is the famous general, commander-in-chief of the Second Western Army.
battle of Borodino
This was the largest battle of the Patriotic War. It lasted twelve hours. Any history textbook says that the Russian army won this battle. However, Kutuzov ordered a retreat the day after the victory. Why? The fact is that Napoleon had large reserves. After an apparent victory, defeat could also occur.
The French army invaded the territory of the Russian Empire in the early summer of 1812. Russian troops retreated. The French quickly advanced inland. Napoleon's army was strong and, as it seemed to many then, invincible. The retreat of the Russian army, which clearly dragged on, caused extreme dissatisfaction among the public. Then Alexander I appointed Kutuzov as commander-in-chief. However, he also chose the path of retreat.
There is no consensus on how many Russian soldiers died in the battle sung in Lermontov’s poem “Borodino”. The number of losses has been repeatedly revised by historians. However, it is known that at least thirty thousand people died.
According to French encyclopedias, about thirty thousand soldiers and officers of Napoleonic army died in the battle. True, two-thirds of the total number of dead died from their wounds. The Battle of Borodino is one of the bloodiest in the 19th century. And this is the largest battle that lasted only one day. But only until 1812 (losses in subsequent wars were much greater).
Many works of literature are devoted to the Battle of Borodino. It is reflected in Tolstoy’s novel “War and Peace”, in one of Pushkin’s poems and, of course, in “Borodino” by M. Lermontov.
Plot
The poem by M. Yu. Lermontov “Borodino” is a kind of story about the events of 1812. As already mentioned, the story is told from the perspective of a simple soldier. The author does not name his hero. The story is prompted by a question asked by a representative of the younger generation.
Everyone knows the first lines of Lermontov's poem "Borodino". The narrator's interlocutor is interested in why the burned Moscow was given to Napoleon. Many people know the stanza that begins with the words “Tell me, uncle...” by heart. But what did the nameless soldier tell? There is no plot as such in the poem “Borodino” by Lermontov. These are the memories of an old warrior, put into poetic form by the poet.
The soldier begins to remember the battle. His story contains notes of regret about past heroic times. The current generation (“the current tribe”), according to the narrator, is inferior both in nobility and courage to the brave military.
The story told by a veteran of the Patriotic War is permeated with pride for the courage of the Russian people. The hero of Lermontov's poem "Borodino" admires the courage of his fellow soldiers. In the story, the narrator uses the pronouns “I” and “we.” He is part of the Russian people. He is inseparable from him. The narrator speaks on behalf of all soldiers. The hero of Lermontov's work "Borodino" expresses the true national spirit and love for the Fatherland.
Composition
The work begins with a stanza that represents a question from a representative of a new generation. This is the introduction. The main part follows. The story of the main character in the poem “Borodino” by Lermontov has a ring composition. The story begins with him expressing admiration for the soldiers who found themselves in the very center of military events in 1812. Among them there are both survivors and fallen.
Next begins a detailed description of the battle. The soldiers' narrative is not impartial. The narrator expresses the feelings that he himself and the other soldiers experienced. The work ends with words about Moscow, which Russian soldiers would not have given up if it were not for God’s will.
Artistic and expressive means
Lermontov's work is a monologue of a simple soldier, and therefore it uses elements of colloquial speech. The entire poem is an appeal from representatives of the old times to the young, on whose shoulders the responsibility for the Fatherland is now placed. However, the narrator doubts his interlocutor and others like him: “You are not the heroes!”
Lermontov included colloquial expressions and words in the narrative, for example, “right there,” “ears on top of the head,” “what’s the use of such a trinket.” The soldier calls the French “Musya”.
There are also elements of high style in the work “Borodino” by Lermontov: “his eyes sparkling,” he “rejoiced.” Thus, the author emphasized the greatness and special significance of the battle in the history of Russia. At the beginning of the poem there are several They also express the solemnity of the Battle of Borodino.
Colonel's image
It is noteworthy how the soldier speaks about this nameless character. He calls the colonel "a servant of the king, a father of soldiers." Thanks to a few words, the image of a noble, honest, fair and generous military leader is created, who, dying on the battlefield, leaves only good memories in the soldier’s soul.
Climax
The main part of Lermontov’s work is the one in which the soldier talks directly about the battle. Here the author did not skimp on expressive means. The soldier describes the rapid attack of the French as follows: “they moved like clouds.” The poet also uses personification, emphasizing the ferocity of the battle, for example, “the buckshot screamed.”
