The Captive Prince by Mikhail Lermontov

The poem I analyzed was The Captive Prince by Mikhail Lermontov. You can find the poem here: http://www.bartleby.com/164/14.html

By Sam Nieman

Citation: https://www.etsy.com/market/birds_in_the_sky

Speaker: 

The speaker is one who has made a life changing decision and there is nothing they can do to change that. The speaker is trapped and they cannot escape it. Yet, they seem to have accepted their fate and remain guilty of their decision. The speaker wishes to be free with the birds but knows the only escape for them is death. So, until death comes, the speaker must fight the battle of coping with his present state of life.

Imagery:

In line 3, the focus is sight.The birds being flecked in azure signify the beauty of the natural world; the world the speaker cannot experience. The free birds playing shows the wanting of the author to be like the birds; free and without a care in the world.

In line 4, the imagery is feeling. The speaker knows that he has done wrong and is sorry for it. They know there is nothing they can do to free themselves from the imprisonment and they have accepted it. But they feel the pain of their decision.

In line 10, the speaker talks about the weight and shame of the past decision. It still lingers in their memory.

Figurative Language:

Line 15 is a metaphor, talking about how the prison is the speaker's new battlefield. How they must fight to survive in this new war. Yet, it seems safe.

Line 19 focuses on the personification of Death; the speaker is talking about how death is the driver of their actions and thoughts. It is the object that will eventually come, yet seems a long way off.

Tone:
The tone is regretful yet peaceful. The speaker has accepted their fate, yet wishes there was a way out of the punishment; the consequences for the action. There is a balance between regret and peace.

Theme:
The theme of the poem is to be cautious of the decisions you make. It may seem like not a big deal at the time, but small decisions add up. You could mess up and suffer big consequences. It may affect those around you, those you love. Or you could get lucky, and nothing seems to happen. But watch yourself, and be cautious of your decisions. The speaker made a decision that they regret and have to suffer the consequences for it.

Rhyming:

The Captive Prince has a recurring rhyming pattern taking place in lines two and four of each stanza. The rhyming gives the poem an exciting quality as the words roll off your tongue. Words like breaking and aching, charmer and armor, encases and races, grating and waiting, and choking and uncloaking entice this feeling. The impact of the rhyming scheme shows the thoughtfulness of the poem. People always say that words have an impact so be careful what you say. The speaker is careful to describe exactly how they feel with their word choice and because of that, we can see the degree to which they are feeling. It is a real-life reminder to be cautious of what you choose to say, to write, to think. What you put into words has a lasting impact of the world and on others.

About Mikhail Lermontov:
Mikhail Lermontov received his fame writing a poem about the death of Pushkin. Because of this, he was released from his position in the cavalry and exiled. His novel A Hero of Our Time made him one of the founding fathers of Russian prose. He often felt lonely, his mother had died when he was young, and he was estranged from his father. His wit helped him create many enemies. As a result, he was killed in a duel at the age of 26.

Citations:
http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/literature/mikhail-lermontov/
http://www.poetryloverspage.com/poets/lermontov/lermontov_ind.html