Discussion Questions
He terms used to describe the city are wave-swept, remote, marshy, and whispers. Other terms are risen, great towers, bustling banks, jostling, granite-cased, bridges, and young. The image painted by these descriptions is that of a city that is lively, young, and growing. The descriptions also show the city is in the midst of waters, and therefore, floods may be expected. The description seems to be related to the floods in sections 1 and 2. Some of the descriptions show how the city is prepared for calamities such as floods. In part 1, dull waves attack the city and seem to be able to break the defenses. In the introduction, it is implied that the city could not be attacked because of granite-cases defenses.
Yevgeni and the Horseman
Peter’s statue seems to gain life and start chasing Yevgeni. The reason why he imagines that the statue is following him is that his mind is already troubled by the effects of the flood, that made him lose everything. The statue represent the power of the political class. From this incidence, the power of the state seems to be destructive to the common man.
Blake and Pushkin
Blake would have responded to “The Bronze Horseman” with reservation. He would have welcomed the pome because it exposes difficulties and problems experienced by the common man, such as Yevgeny. He would have loved the manner in which Pushkin shows the problems of the common man in the hands of political class, as symbolized by the crashing of Yevgeny by Peter’s statue. However, he would not have been impressed by the fact that Yevgeny dies while a mad man.
Wordsworth and Pushkin
The two poets are romantic because they address themes of nature that were common among romanticism. However, there seems to be a difference in how they view nature. Whereas Wordsworth portrays nature as calm, peaceful, and tranquil, Pushkin sees nature as chaotic, and disastrous. This is best seen through the floods in Pushkin’s poem.
