The lively, multi-valued images and symbols are an important part in analysis of the poem by Alexander Blok. The realm of “Twelve” is revolutionary Russia in small-scale version which contains ordinary imagery. The ordinary imagery does not seem to strike the reader as important symbols since it includes a blizzard, crossroads, darkness, a pathetic love triangle, twelve marching men, murder, and a vision of Christ. The color scheme in the work is carefully considered by Blok and is limited to three symbolic colors; black, white, and red.
Each color has an associated meaning that Blok is trying to portray. Black is considered a symbol of night, darkness, death and violence, white represents purity, the spirit and snow, and red represents the typical color of revolution and blood, fire and destruction. The first image of interest, the blizzard, is the essential, irrational storm that blinds everyone about their surroundings. The blizzard is blinding the people in regards to the Revolutions. The Revolution is a gory and unusual event that stands outside of what has been experienced before in time and space.
The Revolution also signifies when things can become the opposite of what they usually are and when traditional laws do not apply. The people during the Revolution are blinded by these changes like the blizzard blinds one from the surroundings. The blizzard is not the only significant symbol in the poem but it plays a part in a deeper understanding. The title of the poem, “Twelve”, is very ambiguous. The number could mean a number of things. In the poem the number twelve is culturally marked as the twelve Red Guards, twelve chapters of the poem.
The Essay on Ways to Understand Poems
Billy Collins’ “Introduction to Poetry” is a short poem consisting of seven stanzas but is nonetheless a colorful piece of literary work that is filled with figurative language. Collins explores how poems in general suffer from the hands, in a manner of speaking, from those who attempt to study them, especially students. The narrator tries to guide the students about the proper way of unraveling ...
Other underlying meanings of the number twelve could be twelve apostles, twelve zodiac signs, twelve months, twelve gates of Jerusalem, and twelve knights at the round kingdom but they are not limited to the mentioned meanings. It has also been said that twelve is the number of the appearance of the universe in time and space and Blok could be referring to this. “Twelve” in the poem is used to refer to the number of Red Guards but it also refers to the time of day. The time midnight is approximately when all the action occurs in the poem.
Midnight is symbolic as the threshold when one day ends and a new day begins, given a change of time. Despite all the different interpretations of the number twelve, Blok had a reason for the use of the number twelve and the real meaning may never be known. The rhythm of the first chapter in the poem is maintained in the style of folk that usually accompany different comical presentation. This style immediately gives the reader a feeling of strangeness. It creates a choppy feeling to the writing which can compare to an old choppy black and white film on a huge canvas.
This impression of Blok creating a canvas does not disappear until the end of the poem. Also in the first chapter the image of the crossroads plays an important part in the interpretation of the poem. The crossroad represents a place where two or more roads met and each road contains a different fate. The gentleman in the poem stands at the crossroads of Russia’s fate, wondering which way it will go. Not only is he worried about the fate of Russia but he is also unsure of his future direction at the crossroads.
When at a crossroad one is faced with the decision in what road to take and the outcome of each road may be different. One of the paths of the crossroad could be freedom and the other could be refinement. The crossroads in the poem can also represent a religious cross. During the Revolution the thought of religion was looked down upon and when Blok wrote the poem he was given much grief from the community for the reference of religion appearing in his poem. The poem reaches a climax by having a spirit of Jesus Christ appear in front of the twelve Red Guards.
The Essay on Russia Revolution
The Russia Revolution was a true political revolution. By this I mean there was a fundamental change in the way leaders came into power and in the goals for the country. In theory, leadership changed from a monarchy to socialism. The goals for the country changed from ownership and control of wealth was by few to control by the proletariat (the workers). In reality the change of leadership and the ...
In the poem, the figure of Jesus goes ahead of the twelve Red Army soldiers who have chosen the path of freedom “without a cross” at the crossroads to the freedom of Christ. By introducing the figure of the spirit, Blok wanted to express his acceptance of the Revolution as necessary and that he had hoped that the Revolution would bring about the much needed reform. In the poem, Christ appears in white, the powerful color of revelation, salvation, transfiguration, and resurrection.
The people who believed in God during the revolution expected the Revolution to crucify the body of Russia, cleansing it of material scum and sin, so that Russia could be resurrected in spirit. It has been said that Blok added that the image of Christ in the poem to express the belief in overcoming the bloodstained sin, with hopes that in the outcome of the bloody present would give light to a harmonious future. Blok’s “Twelve” is an essentially symbolist work. It portrays the releasing of essential dark forces and the collapse of old Russia into chaos which eludes to a pessimistic view.
But the poem also has an optimistic view. Cosmos is created from the raw material of chaos. The old Russia must be destroyed so that the new Russia can be created. This is the optimistic view of the poem. Blok believed that the way to a pleasant future is through chaos and blood based on this poem. In this sense Petrukha, one of the twelve Red Guards, who killed Katka dues to jealousy, does have significance. By Petrukha killing Katka Blok shows that Petrikha’s evil is quickly forgotten and is defensible as great upcoming evil.
Also through the image Petrukha and Katka Block wants to convey that, despite the continuing important historical events affection, protectiveness, and desire are considered the endless sense. Therefore the eternal sense is what directs the actions of rights. Due to the use of images and symbolism in the poem “Twelve” Blok was able to show that the events in the poem occurs in the bloody founding of a new rights and the change from chaos to harmony. According to the poet, harmony is the true meaning of the Revolution.
