In Anna Akhmatova’s poems, the simplicity of her writing style and the raw details convey with great clarity and powerful emotion the grief and suffering she and many others faced during the terror of Stalinist rule. To Death is Akhmatova’s address to death itself; she uses direct language to invite death to come and convey her despair and submission to her fate. The motifs of poison, disease, and nausea to symbolize death, the pole star to symbolize destiny, and eyes to communicate fear make the poem extremely accessible and display the raw emotions and inevitability of death. Akhmatova also uses a simple writing style to create a clear contrast between defeated and lifeless nature and material. In Dedication, Akhmatova writes about the dichotomy between nature and the strength of the negative material aspects of society, such as prisons. She writes that the “mountains bend before this grief, the great river does not flow”; nature becomes a clear parallel for the people living through the Stalinist terror who are more “lifeless than the dead”. The oppressiveness of Stalinist rule is symbolized through the theme of prisons in this poem. The use of locks, keys, and captivity strongly communicate how people felt trapped and condemned to a miserable fate. I though it was very interesting how Akhmatova used clearly defined symbols and simple language to create sophisticated and nuances poems that are deeply evocative of separation and grief of the time period. The accessibility, simplicity, and raw emotion in Akhmatova’s poems creates a sense of solidarity between herself and the audience and conveys the universality of the suffering during this time.
10 thoughts on “Exploring themes of grief and suffering in Anna Akhmatova’s poetry”
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I also noticed her expression of pain and suffering in her poetry to be compelling. In her poem, “Introduction,” the lines, “It was a time when only the dead smiled, happy in their peace” is especially haunting. Additionally, her description of prison as a living entity and the personification of Russia as being submissive in “squirming under the bloody boots, under the wheels of Black Marias”(282) also hones in on her pain of being subjugated to this system of death, violence, fear, and evil.
Akhmatova’s poem “To Death” is a complex one that I don’t think is solely about her despair an submission to death. I feel as if the poem highlights the inevitability of death but also contains a sense of hope and awe. The different words you chose such as a poison or nausea were to illustrate the various ways she could die. however when she address death she calls in “wonderful.” As for the ways of death she almost seems to be inviting them so that she can “see the peak of the blue cap.” Overall their is a unique duality in the poem.
Adding on to Colby’s comments about the complexity of “To Death”, I thought it was very impactful how Akhmatova started the section with the word “You”. Not only does it in a sense personify death, but it empowers it. Specifically, by stating “You will come anyway-so why not now?” Akhmatova positions Death in a position of power, constantly looming over all of us, able to strike at which ever moment it chooses. I think that could add to the “awe” that Colby mentioned–that the universal impact and power of death is something to fear, yet also marvel at.
I think Akhmatova’s indifference to death was the attitude that stood out to me the most in this this poem. Her initial address to death, “You will come anyway – so why not now?” is indicative of her weariness towards the subject. The lines, “…or come with a denunciation invented by you/and known ad nauseam to everyone”. The phrase “ad nauseam” refers to something that has been repeated so many times that it becomes tiresome; here, the thing in question is death. Akhmatova and the people around her have been surrounded by death for so long that they don’t have patience for it anymore.
I may not have read it correctly, but I thought the frequent calls for death to come were a commentary on how the Stalinist regime dragged everything out, though death was still inevitable, leading to a sense of dread that was pervasive in society. Like how towards the beginning, she says that people would be happy to be dead so as to not live through the terror and torment that were the Stalinist oppression. It seemed like she was asking for things to be over with, and the most simple way that could happen was with death, like with the line “how long must I wait for the execution” (284). It seems like she’s resigned to the fact that he’s dead, and she’s tormented with how long the whole situation is being dragged out
Everyone has done a great job interpreting Akhmatova’s definition of death. It seems to be an amalgamation of her own experiences and the national experience, both a constant companion and non-distinct figure in the distance. I’d like to tie the interpretations to my own knowledge of requiem. I’ve been to quite a few Catholic funeral masses, and death is regarded as a part of God’s plan for us. In that, it is wonderful as Colby says and not in our control as Eva writes. Funerals also offer a space for loved ones to mourn their losses and experience a sorrow that can make them more ‘lifeless than the dead’. Akhmatova expertly expresses this heart-wrenching despair and expresses an odd hope that her loved ones are at last released from mortal pains.
I think something that you mentioned but didn’t dwell on was the idea of fate within Russian culture and specifically within this Akhmatova piece, and how although the idea of fate is something that has been accepted in past cultural works, here it seems to be rejected. The accepting of fate, one that is cruel, is lamented. I wonder if this is a consequence of modernization. One of the key ideas behind capitalism (in theory) and a tenant of America is that one can carve their own path in the world and has a freedom with hard work to excel. Perhaps Akhmatova lament is a consequence as the introduction of modern thoughts poisoning those ancient Russian ideals.
Brennan and Evy, I think both of you are making some great observations. I think the rejection of fate, as you point out, Brennan, has to do with the blatant source of this sorrow– a manmade restriction of free thought so powerful it causes independent and intelligent people, such as Akhmatova, to reject being shoved into a monolith and instead, offering Death an invitation, as Evy points out. Russians are tenacious folk who evidently notice the fine line between natural fate, as in the fate of nature or a deity, and fate as it pertains to an unjust, cruel and repressive communist regime. Some high artists would be complacent with the tense restrictions of Soviet Realism, while others will reject this and not accept this simplified form of art because of “fate”.
The point you make was exactly what I noticed when I read “Requiem.” The suffering and rough conditions of the prison were shown by the imagery and dark language. I think the point of an offering of death is very apparent with the sequencing of the poems or chapters in the overall poem. I think the imagery signified death more and more as you read on.
I like how you brought up the symbolism, especially surrounding death. It is clear that Akhmatova is not afraid, or, at least, accepting, fate’s role and inviting Death to come and find her. She is subject to Russia’s bloody prison system, full of death and despair. Whether fate actually has any role in Death coming, it seems like Akhmatova is accepting her future.