Borodino: Mikhail Lermonotov - Essay Example

Lermontov’s Borodino With cause all Russia fashions lays  About Borodino! (Lermontov, Borodino) Borodino by the Russian poet Mikhail Lermontov is interesting for readers of all times by its historical background. It is written in a very attractive manner. The Battle of Borodino impresses the readers by its huge scope, because it was the decisive battle of Napoleon’s invasion in Russia. A spirit of Russian nation is heard in every line of the poem. It was published in 1837 in the literary magazine Sovremennik and it was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the battle.

Lermontov, supposedly, based this poem on documental evidences of his two relatives, Arsenyevs and Stolypins who participated in the Patriotic War of 1812. Lermontov underlined a difficult destiny of “war dogs” in Russia, who spent 10 year of their lives on military service. The soldiers are tired of killing and watching thousands of dead bodies…The poet was depressed because of numerous human losses and in spite of the fact that it was a war of liberation, he felt sympathy to those soldiers, who died in the name of a vague goal.

Lermontov reflected his personal impressions about war, because he was at the Caucasian war and saw deaths and the sea of blood. War was something dreadful for the poet and he describes it in such a ways that it means real and dreadful also for readers, even for those who never saw it. Thus, it can be said that Borodino is full of personal reflections and there is no doubt that the scenes of fight were based on a personal experience. Lermontov was fascinated by the victory over Napoleon, but a huge quantity of deaths cannot be compensated even if the country has won.

This poem is even more tragic, because it reflects reminiscences of a Russian, ordinary soldier. A veteran of war does not want to underline his special role. He just substitutes a pronoun “I” and uses “we” instead of it. In such a way, he underlines a unity of Russian people in their fight against French enemies. Lermontov used vivid stylistic means and common words of a soldier are turned into a complex literary integrity. Moreover, there is another “hidden” idea of Lermontov, reflected in the poem.

He shows the difference between two generations. It is envy of a young generation in relation to a previous generation, which was full of bravery and courage. The contemporaries have nothing more than trying to approach the greatness of the past years, which were full of glory and courageous deeds. Narrator underlines this generation gap:– Yea, were there men when I was young, Whose songs your tribe is not to ve sung: Theyd fight,– you re none as good!  (Lermontov, Borodino) Therefore, the main intention of Lermontov was not only to show dominance and bravery of the Russian nation, but to make an emphasis on ever existent spirit of courage, which is relevant to different generations.

Works citedLermontov, M. Borodino. Web. 16 July, 2012. http://www.stihi-rus.ru/1/Lermontov/11-1.htm