Anna Akhmatova’s civic lyrics are unique in nature: she’s simple and laconic, easy and at the same time very tragic. The author managed to convey the tragic appearance of the war of 1941-1945 in short mundane phrases.
History of creation
The poem was written by the author in evacuation in 1943 - the height of the war. Then the sick and hungry Akhmatova was transferred to Tashkent from besieged Leningrad. But even in a safe place, she was still thinking about fellow citizens and their difficult share. She conveyed warm greetings to her Leningrad recruits.
It is interesting that immediately after the lifting of the blockade, the poetess asked to return her to her hometown. She wrote: "I want to be useful to the city." She really succeeded, because the simple and understandable lines to everyone became a consolation for the people faced with the war.
Genre, direction and size
The poetic size of the poem is dactyl, the genre is a lyric poem from civic lyrics.
During this period, the poetess adhered to the aesthetic and ideological principles of the modernist trend of acmeism.
Images and Symbols
The central image is recruits, defenders of the homeland, which families leave forever. The author does not specifically name them, leaves them impersonal. The war itself depersonalizes humanity, because all, both bad and good boys, are in the common grave on the front line.
Bloodshed is impoverishing the world, turning everything into one complete devastation. Before the war, the boys concealed hopes for a heroic fate, vocalized, kissed their mother "on the go", not doubting that they would return home. But the powerful force of universal annihilation raked people into a heap and razed them to the ground.
At first, Akhmatova associates the image of the war with the game, but then it makes the reader understand that this is a storm, an element that blindly takes away the lives of people.
Themes and Issues
War is the main problem of the poem. People don’t take her seriously, they start joking, but then she shows them her real face: none of those who went to play toy soldiers returned home.
Death is the main theme of the work. She overtakes a person suddenly and equalizes him with everyone, depriving him of personality. Everyone in her face is equal, and she is indifferent to suffering and pain.
Idea
People underestimate the war, seeing in it only beautiful uniforms and parades. The soldiers are important to leave relatives, but do not believe that war is a terrible bloody mess. However, during the battles they see that their happy future is ruined by death. But late: the war has gathered a bloody harvest.
The poetess wanted to say that one should not have illusions about the war, that one should always be aware that this is a tragedy for all parties. If we all knew this from the beginning and did not deceive ourselves, no one would start a war.
