The birch

Time goes
Time flies
I left behind
all that I loved
for what i'll find

When I came back
I found nothing
The birch is gone
Industry won
          



Analysis:
The general subject is nature. A person grows up and leaves her motherland and memories “behind”.  Bouncing back to  hometown he finds out that trees are being replaced by cottages. To understand this poem better, we need to carefully watch the value,  hidden in the meaning of a birch tree.  The attitude to the birch in Russia was ambivalent. On the one hand,  birch was called “the tree of brides” and “a pair of oak” - the male tree.  On the other hand, since pagan times, birches have been associated with the world of the dead: it was believed that the souls of dead girls live in them. Poem also traces the features of ecofeminism.  There are particular and significant connections between women and nature. Women and nature are united through their shared history of oppression.  In Russia, the Patriarchy prevails,  the woman is obedient to the man. A man is a breadwinner and he is allowed a lot. If it comes to a woman:  girls are being raised according to the Golden age rules: obedience and the modesty of speech are most valued. The population of women is larger  so men can be consumerist. Cutting down birch forests, men are dominated by the thesis “There are a lot of birch trees” .  Such a thesis allows them to devalue nature. This free verse poem shows how communism affects the future of the country. Out of greed, people sell not only a symbol and history of Russia but the future of the nation.   This poem has nine lines, two stanzas, rising rhymes. The first stanza contains four lines and is written in alternate rhyme (AABB) second stanza is written in four lines and it doesn’t has a particular rhyme (ABCC),  but words: “birch” and “nothing” may be considered to be representation of slant rhyme. “Industry won” is a metaphor.  Examples of alliteration:   repetition of the “t” sound in “left”, “that”.  Repetition of the ‘l” sound: “loved”, “i’ll”.  Repetition of the “g” and “n” sound:  “nothing”, “gone”, “won”.  Examples of assonance: Repetition of the “i”  sound in words “time”, “flyes”,  “behind”, “find”.  Repetition of the “o” sound: “gone”, “won”.  Anaphora is represented in words such as: “I’ and  “Time”.  Sentences do not  end at the end of a line.