Essay “On the great feat of the people during the war (using the example of the poem “Vasily Terkin”). Analysis of the chapter “Crossing” from the poem “Vasily Terkin
A. T. Tvardovsky wrote an outstanding work about the war - the poem “Vasily Terkin”.
Tvardovsky’s literary hero rightfully deserved to have a monument erected to him. After all, along with him, the monument is also received by millions of those who in one way or another resembled Vasily, who loved their country and did not spare their blood, who found a way out of a difficult situation and knew how to brighten up the difficulties at the front with a joke, who loved to play or listen to music at a rest stop.
Who was Vasily Terkin? A simple fighter, the kind you can often meet in war. Tvardovsky himself says about him:
Terkin - who is he?
Let's be honest:
Just a guy being himself.
He's ordinary.
The work of Alexander Trifonovich is written in a light, figurative, vernacular. His poems are memorable on their own. The author suggests:
In short, a book from the middle
And let's begin. And it will go there.
But he does not lose heart. Lives and enjoys life. Today this quality is so lacking in many people. Terkin cannot but delight with his love of life. After all, he
In the kitchen - from a place, from a place - into battle.
Smokes, eats and drinks with gusto
Any position.
He can swim across an icy river, dragging, straining, his tongue. But here is a forced stop, “and it’s frosty - you can’t stand or sit down...”. And Terkin started playing someone else’s accordion.
And from that old accordion,
That I was left an orphan
Somehow it suddenly became warmer
On the front road.
Terkin is the soul of the soldier's company. It’s not for nothing that his comrades love to listen to his sometimes humorous and sometimes very serious stories. Here they lie in the swamps, where the “wet” infantry even dreams of “even death, but on dry land.” And Terkin grins and begins a long argument. He says that as long as a soldier feels the elbow of his comrade, he is strong. Behind him is a battalion, a regiment, a division. Or even the front. Why, all of Russia!
He had such talent. Such a talent that, lying in the dampness, his comrades laughed, they felt better.
In the chapter “Terkin - Terkin” we meet another fighter with the same surname and the same name, and he is also a hero. One could meet many such heroes on the roads of war.
However, the guy is good.
A guy like that
Every company always has
And in every platoon.
Real fighters, such as Terkin, are not afraid of death, are not afraid of risk. They fight for their homeland and perform feats, not thinking about the reward, but “for the sake of life on earth.”
Vasily Terkin became one of the favorites literary heroes many readers. In the image of Terkin, Tvardovsky portrays best features Russian character - courage, perseverance, resourcefulness, optimism and great devotion to their native land.
Our dear mother earth,
Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin”, which also has another name - “The Book about a Fighter”, is considered one of the most important and famous works written by the poet during his period creative activity.
Being the pinnacle of epic Russian poetry, it received nationwide recognition. Many lines of Tvardovsky’s work “Vasily Terkin” have become an integral part of oral speech or popular aphorisms pronounced in poetic form. Moreover, “The Book about a Fighter” received not only popular, but also national recognition.
History of creation
Tvardovsky began work on the poem “Vasily Terkin” in 1939-1940. At that time, he was a war correspondent, publishing his material in the newspaper “On Guard of the Motherland” of the Leningrad Military District. This was the period of the Finnish campaign. The image and name of Tvardovsky's main character - Vasily Terkin - became the fruit of the joint creativity of many members of the editorial board. Among them: S. Marshak, N. Shcherbakov, N. Tikhonov. The result was a very successful image of a good-natured, strong and at the same time simple Russian guy.
Initially Terkin was satirical hero feuilletons and poems written for the newspaper. And from that time on, the readers of the district newspaper fell in love with the Russian soldier. This led Tvardovsky to think about the prospects of this topic and the need for its development within the framework of a major work.
Start of war with Nazi Germany for some time it not only interrupted work on the poem. This caused the plan to be adjusted. As a result, the feuilleton Vasya Terkin turned into a Soviet fighter, in whose image the best moral aspects of the entire pre-war generation were embodied. Tvardovsky gave his hero the features of the broadest generalization, while maintaining his recognition and specificity.
Tvardovsky’s work “Vasily Terkin” was loved by soldiers who fought on the fields of war. It was the feeling of the need for the book that forced the author to continue working on it.
Already at the end of 1942, readers could familiarize themselves with the new chapter of the work “Who Shot?”, which was included in the second part of the poem. After this, Tvardovsky continued his work and completely completed work on the book in March 1945. Let's get acquainted with summary"Vasily Terkin" by Tvardovsky.
From the author
In the first chapter of the work, the reader gets acquainted with the hero of the poem “Vasily Terkin”. Tvardovsky, starting his story, claims that the most important thing in war is not food at all, but a good saying and saying, as well as a joke. No less important at this time is the real truth. And even if it is bitter.
Tvardovsky's hero, Vasily Terkin, whom the author introduces us to, plays an important role in the war. After all, in these difficult times there must be a place for fun and jokes. In the first chapter of the work, the author decided on the form of his narrative. He pointed out to the reader that the book he picked up had neither beginning nor end. The first chapter is only the middle of the story.
At a rest stop
Getting acquainted with the content of “Vasily Terkin” by Tvardovsky, the reader learns that main character works ended up in the first infantry platoon, where he immediately became one of his own. Throughout the first night after his appearance, the soldiers could not sleep, listening to the stories of the experienced soldier. Vasily Terkin's jokes help to survive the hardships of an unsettled military life, cold, hunger, dirt and sleeping on bare roots and in wet overcoats.
Based on Tvardovsky's reasoning, Vasily Terkin is a person who can be found in every company. And even though this fighter is of average height, unprepossessing, not very handsome and has no awards. But still he fought and was able to survive in any position and under any fire.
Before the fight
Let's move on to consider the next chapter of "Vasily Terkin" by Tvardovsky. In it, the hero of the poem talks about how he got out of encirclement and was a political instructor, conducting a conversation with the soldiers with only the words “don’t be discouraged.”
From this chapter of “Vasily Terkin” by Tvardovsky, we understand that the Soviet army is retreating. She leaves her native lands, which will soon be occupied. The soldiers feel guilty before the civilian population. On their way is the commander's native village. The platoon goes there. The commander's wife invites the soldiers to the hut and treats them. The children are happy to see their father, who, as it seems to them at first, came in the evening after working in the field. However, they understand that tomorrow he will leave, and the Germans will most likely enter their house. The commander stays up all night and chops wood. He is trying to somehow help his wife.
For a long time, the cries of the children who woke up at dawn and saw their father and the soldiers leaving the house could be heard in Terkin’s head. Vasily dreams of how after his release native land he will come to the hospitable hostess and bow to her for her stay.
Crossing
We continue our acquaintance with the summary of the chapters of Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin”. In the next one, the reader learns about how soldiers of three platoons tried to cross the river in winter. Only the soldiers of the unit where Terkin served managed to swim to the other shore. After this, the Germans began shelling. By nightfall, the one who remained alive no longer hoped to see his comrades, believing that they had all died.
What does the chapter “Crossing” in Tvardovsky’s “Vasily Terkin” tell the reader next? At dawn, the lookouts reported that they saw a small black dot on the river. At first they decided that this was the body of a soldier killed during artillery shelling. However, the sergeant took his binoculars and saw a man swimming. Someone joked that swimming across the river in ice water Only Terkin could. Indeed, it turned out to be him. Vasily reported to the colonel that the first platoon was intact, awaiting further instructions and asking for support with artillery fire. Terkin is changed into dry clothes, forced to run, rubbed with alcohol and given inside to warm up. At night, the fighters resumed their crossing to fight for the sake of life on earth, and not at all for the sake of glory.
About war
The next chapter of Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” contains the main character’s arguments. He believes that with the advent of war, one must forget about everything and be only responsible for the Motherland and for one’s people. At this time it is necessary to be one with all people. Terkin believes that we must also forget about ourselves. Each fighter must beat the Germans, fight selflessly and be fully prepared to carry out the orders of the command at any cost. Even if you have to give your life for it. At the same time, soldiers must believe that their descendants will be grateful to them.
Terkin is wounded
Continuing our acquaintance with the chapters of A. T. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin,” we learn that its main character in one of winter days I had to establish a connection. At this time, Vasily moved behind the rifle company. Suddenly a shell hissed next to him. Everyone got scared and fell to the ground. Terkin was the first of all the fighters to rise. He handed the reel to the soldiers and decided to see if the enemy was firing from a nearby cellar. But there was no one there. He himself set up an ambush in this dugout, deciding to hold the defense using two grenades.
The Nazis were approaching. Two steps away from himself, Terkin noticed a German soldier. The enemy rushed at Vasily and wounded him in the shoulder. Terkin hit the German with a bayonet. At this time, heavy artillery shelling began.
At the end of this chapter of Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin,” the reader learns that the wounded soldier was found by Soviet tank crews. He was already bleeding and losing consciousness. The tankers saved his life.
About the award
In the next chapter of A. T. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin,” the reader becomes acquainted with the main character’s reasoning that he does not need an order at all. The fighter agrees to a medal. He will need this award after the war, when, having returned to his homeland, he will tell the girls about how he once went on the attack. The author regrets that now Vasily cannot go to his native land. After all, he takes part in a terrible, mortal, bloody battle for life on earth, and not for the sake of glory.
Harmonic
What is told in the next chapter of A. T. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin”? The reader learns that after being wounded and staying in the hospital, the soldier returns to the rifle regiment to the soldiers of his first company. On the way, he was picked up by a truck heading to the front. The marching column had to stop due to a snow jam. In forced moments of rest, two tank crews gave Terkin an accordion, which was left over from the commander who had recently died in battle.
From the sounds musical instrument all the fighters feel warmer in their souls, and some of them start dancing. The tankers even begin to feel that they are already familiar with Terkin. Taking a closer look at him, they recognized Vasily as the wounded soldier whom they had saved from death. The tankers gave Terkin their commander's accordion. They understand that war is not a time when you need to grieve for the dead and wonder who will be able to survive and return home.
Two soldiers
What does the reader know from the next chapter of A. T. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin”? Just three miles from the front line, the main character of the work entered a house where two old men lived. My grandfather was himself a soldier in the past. Terkin helped the old man repair his watch and saw. With jokes, Vasily lured food from the old woman. Reluctantly, she took out lard from her bins and fried two eggs for the men. After having lunch and drinking alcohol from a flask, the two soldiers started talking about the everyday difficulties of war. At the end, Vasily bowed to the hosts and promised that the German would definitely be defeated.
About loss
What will the reader learn from the next chapter of Alexander Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin”? This story says that our hero’s comrade lost his pouch. This made him very sad. But Vasily reassures the fighter, saying that he has already lost his native land and family. This is the main disappointment. There is no need to regret everything else. Terkin gives his comrade his tobacco pouch, noting that they should never lose Russia, for which they are responsible.
Duel
From the plot of “Vasily Terkin” by Tvardovsky, the reader learns that the main character of the work entered into hand-to-hand combat with a fascist. A German is a strong and dexterous man, large and well-fed. However, our soldier does not give up and does not lose heart. The German knocked out Terkin’s teeth, and Vasily blackened his enemy’s eye. It is very difficult for our soldier. He can hardly control his wounded right hand and exhausted, but at the same time does not give up. The fascist took his helmet off his head and began to fight with it. Terkin hit his enemy with an unloaded grenade, stunned and tied him up.
Vasily is pleased with himself. He enjoys military success and is proud that he is walking on Soviet soil and driving the “language” to the headquarters, realizing that everyone who comes across him is glad that Terkin returned from reconnaissance alive.
Message from the author
The next chapter is a kind of respite in the “war tale” created by the author. After all, listening to it is good for those who have already been able to defeat the enemy and returned home. Tvardovsky says that a soldier at war would like to read a peaceful fairy tale. However, until motherland continues to remain in captivity, the author will talk about the war.
Who shot?
In this chapter, the author tells the story of how, after yesterday’s battle, soldiers are in trenches not far from enemy positions. A summer evening descends onto the earth, reminding the soldiers of peacetime and peasant labor. Suddenly the sound of an approaching enemy aircraft is heard. A fascist circles over the positions of Soviet soldiers. Death is very close. However, no one wants to die. And here the author of the work began to talk about what time of year is best to die in war. As a result, he comes to the conclusion that no time is suitable for this.
But here Terkin came to the aid of his comrades. He stood up, fired at the plane with his rifle, and knocked it out. Vasily became a hero. For this he received an order.
About the hero
In the next chapter of the poem, its main character talks about how he met, while in the hospital, a young soldier-order bearer from near Tambov. He hinted to him that there simply couldn’t be such daredevils like him in the Smolensk region, Terkin’s homeland. Now Vasily is glad that he received the order. He doesn't boast about his small homeland, but at the same time he is proud of the region where he was born and raised, and also values it.
General
This chapter tells about the second summer of the war. There are battles on the Volga. Terkin is on the defensive and sleeps in a trench on the river bank. Half asleep, he hears a song that talks about a river that can crawl under barbed wire and reach his native village, conveying greetings and words of love to the soldier’s mother. And here he was called to the general to present the order. Terkin refuses the vacation allotted to him, and decides to go home at a time when the army moves on to liberate Smolensk. The general agrees with his words, firmly shakes Vasily’s hand, hugs him and looks into the soldier’s eyes. He behaves with him as he would behave with his son. The general bids farewell to Terkin warmly.
About Me
In this chapter, the author tells the reader about how he preserved his father’s house in his soul, although he left it in his youth. The poet recalls the forest not yet scarred by war and summer days, his native courtyard and the stitch leading to the well. He identifies himself with those Soviet people who left behind the front line their families and everything that they had of their own. Now the land of the author and Terkin, his fellow countryman, is suffering in captivity. And for this they both must answer.
Fight in the swamp
Terkin's platoon fights for locality Borki. They have been fighting in the swamp for three days now, which seems pointless to them. It's hungry and damp all around. The soldiers cannot even smoke, because all the tobacco has gone sour. And at this time Terkin manages to encourage his comrades. He tells the fighters that they are among their own and on their native territory. In addition, the soldiers are protected by Soviet artillery. According to Vasily, everything is not so bad. And this swamp can be compared to a resort. The words spoken by Terkin amused the fighters, after which they occupied the village without much difficulty.
About love
In the next chapter of the poem, the author argues that every soldier was certainly accompanied to war by a woman. Her love always encourages, glorifies, warns and condemns. Soldiers' wives never complain in their letters about how hard life is for them. And these news from home work real miracles with the soldiers. The author claims that love is much stronger than war, and calls on women to write to their husbands at the front more often. The poet also asks the girls to take a closer look at the hero of the poem and fall in love with him.
Rest Terkina
From the next chapter, the reader learns that paradise for a soldier is a place where he can sleep off. Tvardovsky’s hero ended up in such a peaceful house. There is a warm stove and a bedroom with a bed made clean linen. In this “paradise” you don’t need to sit in your clothes, cut bread with a bayonet and put a rifle at your feet, and also put a spoon behind the top of your boot. In such purity, Vasily becomes uncomfortable. Sometimes it even begins to seem to him that he is back in the hospital. The fighter continues to think about those who are at war, and because of this he cannot sleep. However, the Soviet army has not yet achieved victory. That is why Terkin is again sent to the front line. Until the end of the war, he will have to rest only on the road and where chance leads him.
On the offensive
The next chapter tells that the soldiers have become very accustomed to being in the harrow. However, an order arrived requiring the army to go on the offensive. Young soldiers try to emulate Terkin. And this, despite the fact that he is also scared, lying on the ground, waiting for the next break. The lieutenant running in front of the attack was seriously wounded and died right on the battlefield. And then Terkin led the soldiers forward. But he was also seriously wounded.
Death and the Warrior
In this chapter, the author tells the reader about how death came to the bleeding Terkin. She called him with her, scared him with injury and said that the war would go on for a very long time, so there was no meaning in life. However, Vasily did not give up. He still wanted to see victory and, returning home, take a walk with living people.
The funeral team found the fighter. He was placed on a stretcher and taken to the medical battalion. All this time, death was nearby. But when she saw that the living were taking good care of each other, she left.
Terkin writes
This chapter talks about the time when Vasily is in the hospital.
He writes to his fellow soldiers that he has survived and that his leg is already healing. After the hospital, Terkin dreams of returning to his native part, which became home and family for the soldier. Vasily wants to reach the very border with his comrades, and if this does not work out, then meet his death among his fellow soldiers.
Terkin-Terkin
After recovery, Vasily again found himself in his regiment. However, now he feels like a complete stranger. And then someone asked: “Where is Terkin?” The first to answer the question was an unfamiliar red-haired fighter. Terkin the old had a grudge lurking in his soul. He decided to fully find out which of them was real. It turned out that the new soldier's name was Ivan Terkin. He was awarded two orders. And due to the fact that Ivan knocked out one more enemy vehicle, he is sure that the book about the fighter was written specifically about him. The author came up with another name only for rhyme. How did the heroes of “Vasily Terkin” by A. T. Tvardovsky resolve their dispute? The foreman resolved the conflict. He announced that each company would now have its own Terkin.
From the author
In this chapter, the poet refutes rumors about the death of the beloved hero. He says that Terkin is alive, and is not heard from only because he is fighting in the West.
Grandfather and grandmother
The heroes with whom the reader met in the chapter of Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” - “Two Soldiers”, met again during the offensive Soviet troops. Grandfather and woman were sitting in the cellar, hiding from shots, when they heard the voices of scouts, among whom was our fighter. The old people accepted Vasily as own son by feeding him lard. Terkin assured them that the Soviet army would not retreat back again. He promised to bring watches from Berlin that the Germans had taken from the elderly.
On the Dnieper
Having created collective image Vasily Terkin, Tvardovsky argued that throughout the war his hero never ceased to feel his own guilt before his native land under occupation. He was ashamed that he was not among those who liberated his native village. The front continued to advance towards the Dnieper, where at dawn, at the very end of the Indian summer, a battle took place. Our troops successfully crossed the river. At the same time, they captured the Germans, who practically did not resist this.
The image of Vasily Terkin in Tvardovsky’s poem has already undergone significant changes by this chapter. In this fighter we see a completely different person - calm, experienced, who has already lost many, many things.
About an orphan soldier
The Soviet army continues its offensive. The fighters liberating city after city already dream of taking Berlin as if it were something real. After analyzing Tvardovsky’s “Vasily Terkin”, it becomes clear that the popularity of the protagonist of the poem began to decline. He was held in high esteem during the times when the army was retreating. At that time, Vasily raised the spirits of the fighters. Now this role is assigned to generals.
It becomes clear that the war in Tvardovsky’s “Vasily Terkin” is nearing its end. Residents European capitals liberators are greeted with joy. However, a simple soldier does not stop thinking about his native village.
One of the author's fellow countrymen was orphaned. His house was burned and his family was killed. He learned about this during the offensive near Smolensk, when he asked for leave to go to his native village of Krasny Most. The soldier silently returned to his unit and, holding a plate of cold soup in his hands, cried. The author urges the reader not to forgive the Nazis for these tears, to achieve victory and avenge the grief brought by the Germans.
On the way to Berlin
The war in Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” is increasingly approaching the end. The Soviet army is in a foreign land, where the soldiers are unfamiliar with red tiles and foreign speech.
People are walking towards the east. These are the British, French and Poles who look friendly at the Russian liberating soldiers. Here the fighters meet a Russian woman who is returning across the Dnieper to her destroyed yard. Terkin gives her a horse with harness, a sheep, a cow and various household utensils.
In the bath
The Russian bathhouse becomes a real father's home for soldiers in a foreign land. She gives them a lot of pleasure. The only regret the fighters have is that they have to take water from other people's rivers. However, the author notes that it will be worse in war if soldiers begin to wash, for example, near Moscow.
In the bathhouse, everyone undresses, and all the wounds on the body immediately become visible. They are marks of war. On the tunics that fighters put on after the bath, it stands out a large number of medals. The soldiers joke that this is not all. After all, the final frontier awaits them.
From the author
In this chapter, the author says goodbye to Terkin. After the war, he was no longer needed, since the time had come for a different song. But the “Book about a Fighter” created by Tvardovsky is dear to him. After all, Terkin is the poet’s pain, his joy, rest and feat. Everything written by the author should have pleased the reader.
Analysis of the poem
“Vasily Terkin” by Tvardovsky is rightfully included in the list of the most significant works of Russian literature written in the second half of the 20th century.
The poem includes 29 chapters. Each of them can be considered as an independent work. The book contains many lyrical digressions. At the same time, its form and content are close to folk narratives.
In the poem you can find a whole fusion of genres, epic and lyrics. The poetic form of the work is rich in humor and pathos, sketches of front-line life and heroic battles, casual jokes and tragedy. There is a folk language and high oratory here. That is why the work is sometimes called not a poem at all. It can be considered folk book. Tvardovsky invented a universal genre and chose military theme. Moreover, the author showed the war from the very beginning to the end.
From the lyrical digressions, the image of the author becomes clear to us. The reader realizes that the poet loves his hero very much.
The entire plot of the work carries a high ideological thought. And the simplicity of the poetic language, which is close to the folk language, makes the poem understandable to all people. Tvardovsky’s poems made the soldiers on the battlefield feel warm. They give us inexhaustible spiritual energy even now, after many years.
As for the character of the main character, the author reveals him to his reader gradually. Walking from chapter to chapter, Terkin appears to us with different sides. Sometimes he shows real courage and courage. The reader sees this in the chapter “Crossing”. When describing what is happening in the war, the author never ceases to emphasize that Soviet soldiers are not heroes from birth. They are simple young guys, and many of them are wearing military uniform first. Nevertheless, their faces light up with heroism.
Tvardovsky emphasizes his idea that the feat accomplished by these young fighters is nothing more than a continuation of the military successes of their grandfathers and fathers who participated in the wars of past centuries.
The author covers Terkin’s participation in battles using a half-joking form. At the same time, he talks about the dreams of his hero, who wants to return home as soon as possible. Vasily does not mind receiving an award, but at the same time shows modesty. Most of all, he wants to impress the girls with his medal.
After cheerful scenes in which Vasily’s dreams are described, the author moves on to descriptions of a terrible battle. By this, he seeks to emphasize that the path to happiness lies through struggle, and also points out the connection between the fate of each person and the future of the country.
In the poem, the author collected people's joy and grief. You can find here both harsh and mournful lines. However, most of all in the work is folk humor, which affirms a great love for life. Sometimes it seems incredible that a story about the most difficult and brutal war, which has only ever existed in the history of nations, will sound so life-affirming. But Tvardovsky in his “Vasily Terkin” successfully coped with a similar task.
The work depicts with amazing brightness and truthfulness real picture life and struggle of the people during the harsh years of war. At the same time, the author constantly turns the reader’s gaze to the future. He also mentions the list of golden glory, in which descendants will add nameless heroes who gave their lives for victory.
The epic nature of the poem, as well as its narrative nature of the plot, coexists perfectly with the high lyrical beginning, which subsequently literally permeates all chapters. The reader becomes acquainted with the author’s most sincere thoughts in the descriptions of the battle, and in the story about the woman who sees off the soldier, and in the conversation that Terkin has with death. Thus, the lyrical and epic principles in the work are united and inseparable.
Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” has been republished more than once. There are many translations of it into various languages. And nowadays it is read willingly and older generation, and youth.
The main character of the poem is a collective, generalized image that embodies the entire warring people. Almost nothing is said about the specific personality of Vasily Terkin. It is only known that he is in his twenties - closer to thirty, and that he, like the author, comes from the Smolensk region, that “he fought in Karelian - beyond the Sestra River.”
Terkin is a great lover of life, “a hunter to live until he is ninety years old,” he joined the ranks from the reserve, serves in the infantry, in the troops “closest to the earth, to the cold, to fire and death.” For him, war is an ordinary job that needs to be done correctly, skillfully, not for the sake of glory, but “for the sake of life on earth.”
Terkin - who is he?
Let's be honest:
Just a guy himself
He's ordinary...
Not tall, not that small,
But a hero is a hero...
Tvardovsky shows through ordinariness and averageness. Typicality of Terkin, because he is the embodiment of the mass of soldiers who bore all the hardships of the war. However, Terkin's image is devoid of schematism. This is a cheerful, full-blooded hero, with his own special character.
He is a cheerful fellow, a jokester at a rest stop, a lover of hearty food, he is not averse to amusing his comrades by playing the accordion (“Harmon”), helping the elderly (“Two Soldiers”), or chopping wood for a soldier (“Before the Battle”).
This is a cheerful, good-natured, broad Russian nature, with a generous heart, combining such primordial Russian qualities as sincerity and nobility, sharpness and wisdom, determination and courage.
Vasily Terkin is a heroic image. Without hesitation, he swims across to the other side in November to report that the platoon that has crossed has gained a foothold on the other side (“Crossing”), occupies an enemy bunker and holds it until his own troops arrive (“Terkin is wounded”), and shoots down an enemy plane (“Who shot?”), taking the place of the killed lieutenant, rouses the soldiers to attack and is the first to break into the village (“On the offensive”), encourages and inspires the exhausted soldiers during the battle for the unknown “settlement of Borki”, “Where the war paved the way , / / Where the water was knee-deep for the infantry, the mud was pile-deep (“Battle in the Swamp”).
In the chapter “Duel,” which is the culmination of the entire poem, Terkin enters into hand-to-hand combat with a German, physically stronger:
Tervin knew that in this fight
He is weaker: not the same grub.
But Terkin’s morale and confidence in victory are stronger, so he emerges victorious:
And then,
Taking anger and pain into a fist,
An unloaded grenade
The German's terkin - with the left - smack!
The German groaned and went limp...
This chapter echoes the epic epic, and the battle itself grows into a symbolic generalization of “Man-People.” Terkin, symbolizing Russia, confronts a strong and formidable enemy, symbolizing Nazi Germany:
Like on an ancient battlefield,
Chest on chest, like shield on shield, -
Instead of thousands, two fight,
As if the fight would solve everything.
But it should be noted that the image of Terkin is deliberately devoid of a romantic aura by the author. as if even lowered. This is achieved through the introduction of colloquial vocabulary, vernacular (“he cracked a German between the eyes”, “threw him into a sled”, “gave bream”, Terkin a German with his left - “shmyak”, etc.)
Thus, the author seeks to emphasize that the main character is not only a generalized image-symbol, but also a personality, individuality, that for him war is work, hard, dirty, but necessary, inevitable, not for glory, not for orders and medals, not for promotion.
And only in the final stanza does the author allow himself to rise to a large-scale, solemn-sounding generalization:
A terrible battle is going on, bloody,
Mortal combat is not for glory,
For the sake of life on earth.
In the dispute between the two forces, goodness, love and life itself won. These lines are heard repeatedly in the poem, they are a kind of refrain emphasizing main topic works: an unprecedented feat of a Russian soldier.
We encounter the same technique of generalization and individualization in the chapter “Terkin - Terkin”. Vasily meets his namesake Ivan. Ivan differs from Vasily only in his hair color (he is red), his front-line profession (armor-piercer), but otherwise both heroes are similar. The dispute between them is decided by the foreman:
What don't you understand here?
Don't you understand?
According to the regulations of each company
Terkin will be given his own.
Tvardovsky's poem is often called an encyclopedia of military reality of the Great Era Patriotic War"(by analogy with Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin"). Indeed, the book about the fighter is written extremely truthfully. The truth of war, no matter how bitter it is, hits straight into the soul.
“Vasily Terkin” is not just highly artistic and immensely significant work Alexander Tvardovsky, who became the voice of his era. No. This is one of those dramas ripped from the heart with blood. human life, who fought alongside our soldiers in the bloodiest war of the 20th century. The poem, written in truly popular language, was heard by those who sat in the trenches, went to the front line and defended their homeland every time, as if it were the last. The chapter “Crossing” seems especially expressive to contemporaries against the background of the entire narrative.
Fighters at night Soviet army They are preparing to cross the river: there is an enemy on the other side. The bridge has been blown up, all that remains is to swim across. It’s November, the river is already frozen, so it’s hard for the soldiers to make their way along the frozen water surface. The first platoon reached its destination safely, but suddenly shots rang out and the remaining boats were unable to get through. The soldiers were forced to wait for news from the other side in vague anxiety for their fellow soldiers.
The main military units settled down for the night. Everyone felt guilty that people on the other side were left without help. However, two watchmen saw a man in the icy water, swimming to their side. It turned out to be Vasily Terkin, one of the soldiers who were able to cross. After he was warmed up and rubbed, he returned to normal and said that through heroic efforts the detachment was holding its positions in the enemy sector. But the people will need the help of artillery for complete victory. The courageous fighter, who risked his life in order to convey this news, quickly regains control of himself, jokes and even asks not to waste alcohol on rubbing, but to give it to him as a drink.
Topics and issues
- Theme of the feat. At the center of Tvardovsky’s narrative is one of the many heroic deeds of the “ordinary” and “simple” guy Vasily. The author typifies the hero’s features not with the aim of somehow humiliating him, emphasizing the ordinariness of his fate, the prevalence of his surname and first name. No, Terkin’s character personifies the entire fighting people: a kind, generous, optimistic, cheerful joker, but at the same time persistent, unbending, strong, ready to give everything for the Motherland. These are the qualities of a fighter that were revealed in the chapter “Crossing”. This is why the reader remembers it so much: it’s nice to see how a soldier not only goes to great lengths, but also does it without pathos, as if nothing special was happening.
- The theme of patriotism. Every soldier wants to live, but they want even more to liberate their homeland from the occupiers. Vasily, without thinking about orders and awards, risks himself, like hundreds of his comrades who are fighting on the other side, waiting for reinforcements. None of them expect encouragement; they all go to fight for their fatherland. And even after committing a courageous act worthy of a medal, the hero only jokingly asks to be poured some alcohol, as if belittling the significance of his own feat, realizing that thousands of people are going to death with him, and many are less fortunate.
- Theme of devotion. Landing on the enemy shore, none of the fighters thinks about betrayal, everyone fights and defends the freedom of their country. Despite the fact that the numerical superiority is on the side of the invaders, our guys go into battle and do not surrender to the mercy of the enemy.
- The problem of occupation. Russian land is divided into enemy and Soviet territories. The author symbolically separates them with a river - the river of the blood of our ancestors. Shedding blood, they stormed their own cities and villages, treacherously and brazenly captured by the invaders, whose forces were many times greater than the power of the domestic troops.
- The problem of the cruelty of war. The struggle puts people in difficult conditions, in which something more important than life appears. Therefore, the fighters sacrifice themselves, and their exploits are endless. If Vasily had not swam, his loss would have been unnoticeable against the background of dozens of other deaths on the other side, and no one would have known what kind of torment Terkin endured to fulfill his duty.
Main thought and idea
Tvardovsky writes extremely clearly, each line has a clear and very specific message. The meaning of the chapter “Crossing” is revealed in the refrain: “The battle is holy and just. Mortal combat is not for the sake of glory, for the sake of life on earth.” The hero swims across the icy river and risks death terrible death- freeze and drown. His silent feat in this case would have gone unnoticed, no one would have known what happened to him, even his descendants would not have found his body. But he does it anyway, because his goal is not honor and fame, but the salvation of his homeland. And not only: we're talking about already about the fate of world peace, because fascism and Nazism are threats on a global scale.
Therefore, the feat of a Russian soldier is not the defense of his personal interests and lands, it is a gift to all countries and all people, a sacrifice for the sake of their “life on earth.” Terkin, like his comrades, are ready to sink into obscurity, to go to the bottom, just to preserve the future - the present for all of us. This is the main idea of the chapter.
What mood is it filled with?
The author himself did not consider himself a front-line soldier, he wrote ironically about the work of war correspondents: “We drive up to those dimples and trenches where the soldiers lie, quickly ask about something, twitching from even a distant mine explosion, and then we leave, accompanied by an unforgettable look.” Nevertheless, the soldiers immediately recognized “Vasily Terkin” as a truthful and close poem to them; because of its honesty and openness, it is still interesting to readers. In particular, the chapter “Crossing” is imbued with a sense of the holiness of the duty of the Russian soldier not only in relation to the homeland, but also to the world. The author calls this battle “holy” and shows how selfless the sacrifice of those who participate in it is. The hero does not risk himself in front of everyone, not for show, not in order to remain in history or at least on the front pages of newspapers. His goal: to help his squad at any cost.
But the poet understands that Vasily makes a more serious contribution to world harmony: he helps to restore it. The mood of sincere self-sacrifice permeates the poetic lines.
Means of artistic expression
The language of the work is simple and clear, close to folk, but this does not mean that it is poor in language. visual arts. The author uses epithets (“rough snow”, “the harsh path”, “dead ice”, “bloody trail” and others), comparisons (“like a roof under your foot”, “pontoons went like rafts”, “the right bank is like a wall” " and others). The alliteration beloved by A.T. Tvardovsky is also found here, creating the dynamism of the narrative. All these techniques allow him to create an intense and dynamic battle atmosphere.
The poem is devoid of all frames. Her visual power is not constrained by either plot or ideology; in the work, genuine patriotism does not turn into pathos, everything is in moderation, everything is real. For this inner warmth and truth, Soviet soldiers fell in love with “Vasily Terkin”, and for this we, our descendants, love her too.
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Glorification of military feats in the poem (chapter “Duel”).
Tvardovsky’s goal in writing the poem was to depict the military labor of a simple Russian soldier, four years people's lives in war conditions, when heroic deeds are not performed every day, but the very desire to live and win, bringing Victory Day closer fascist invaders, - this is a feat.
An ordinary guy, Vasily Terkin, like all soldiers, participated in battles, had to risk his life, endure mortal fatigue when moving to new positions and spent the night either in the trenches or right on the ground, “protecting himself from black death only with his own back.” Strength of spirit Soviet soldier, his high sense of duty to people and to the country, that special patriotism characteristic of participants in the Great Patriotic War, Tvardovsky showed in the chapter “Duel.”
Vasily Terkin, returning from reconnaissance, had to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a German. In some ways this fight is reminiscent of the fight with the leopard in Lermontov’s poem “Mtsyri”. The enemy is also stronger, more powerful, more trained, but the person who wins is the one whose desire for freedom, thirst for life and will to win is higher than that of the enemy.
The German was strong and dexterous,
Well tailored, tightly sewn...
Well-fed, shaved, careful,
Fed with free goods...
Terkin knew that in this fight
He is weaker: not the same grub.
But also a German with his left eye
Doesn't make observations.
During the duel, Terkin becomes increasingly embittered, recalling to the enemy how arrogantly and cruelly the Germans behave on Russian soil:
You are putting things in order...
You can deal with an old woman...
Vasily convinces both himself and the German that the Nazis are not people, but animals, criminals who encroached on the lives of millions of people, on their land and on their property. That's why
A brave guy fights to the death...
Like the whole country is a power
Sees Tyorkina:
- Hero!
The guy pulls himself together, realizing that ostentatious prowess does not suit him:
That's not what you're going to die for,
For anyone to see.
Of course, the fighter wanted his comrades to know how bravely he fought, but that’s not the main thing. Therefore, he is glad to have defeated a strong opponent and to be alive. He is also confident of how joyfully his fellow soldiers will greet him:
To see, to know that everyone you meet is
Transverse is yours,
I don’t know you, but I’m glad from the bottom of my heart,
That you came back alive.
A.T. Tvardovsky showed both the ordinariness of military valor and the greatness and heroism of a soldier in war, when
A terrible battle is going on, bloody,
Mortal combat is not for glory,
For the sake of life on earth.
The author of the poem “Vasily Terkin” constantly emphasizes the “ordinariness” of his hero. He created the image of a soldier by taking typical features personalities characteristic of many guys called to defend the Fatherland. The author's goal was to create a familiar image of a private, who did not think about heroism, but was ready for a feat, so as not to let the enemy get to why home. And this goal was achieved. This was confirmed by letters to the editor from front-line soldiers, who reported that the guy Tvardovsky wrote about served in their company, only his first and last name were different.
Tyorkin has no real prototype, because this is a collective image that incorporates the common character traits of a Russian soldier: courage and resourcefulness, perseverance and dedication, optimism and love for the Motherland. At first glance, you may not notice anything remarkable in his appearance:
“...He’s just an ordinary guy himself...”
The feat of a soldier in war is shown in the poem as everyday, persistent and hard military work, when you have to dig trenches, and crawl through mud or snow, and shoot, and again overcome obstacles, perhaps even swim. It is not easy for a person to endure the hard everyday life of war. In moments of rest, if you think only about losses, suffering, difficulties, you will not gain strength for a new battle. What saved me was the ability to distract myself, remember something good, and joke, as Vasily did:
A man of simple origin,
That in battle he is no stranger to danger...
Sometimes serious, sometimes funny,
He comes - a saint and a sinner...
The confidence of such guys in the rightness of their military cause and duty to the Motherland gave them strength, and they again went into battle “not for the sake of glory, for the sake of life on Earth.”
Proof that the author’s intention (to show the “ordinariness” of the hero) was successfully implemented in the poem was the enormous popularity of Tyorkin. A.T. Tvardovsky’s poem “Vasily Terkin” received national recognition, especially among the participants of the Great Patriotic War themselves.
Reviews
Zoya! I'm not a literary critic. I'm a simple rhymer.
I hardly write prose. I can't do this.
But I have my own opinion. In my understanding:
in the 20th century the best novel written in Russia
This " Quiet Don". Best Poem- "Vasily Terkin."
The best fairy tale in verse by Leonid Filatov
"About Fedot the Sagittarius."
Sincerely
Yuri, I can agree with your sympathies!
These are really very good and powerful works.
Thanks for reading and responding.
Sincerely
