“The Bridegroom”

1. “The Bridegroom” Alexander Pushkin

2. About the Selection • “The Bridegroom” is a variation on the familiar folk story of a worthy young person standing up to declare independence and becoming heroic by doing so. • The poem raises questions about fate, wishes, and particularly about making choices for yourself.

3. Literary Terms • Foreshadowing is when the author gives hints as to what will happen next in a story. • You can use writer’s hints at future events to predict outcomes.

4. Words to Know • Foreboding – feeling that something bad will happen • Tumult – noisy commotion

5. Poetry Terms Narrative Poem • A poem that tells a story, contains a conflict, and has a resolution. Alliteration • Repetition of consonant sounds. • (Line 16) “She sat with her sisters.”

6. Poetry Terms Repetition • Repeating words or phrases to add emphasis • (Line 29) “It was he! It was he!”

7. Making Predictions • What does Natasha’s strange behavior followed by renewed cheerfulness lead the reader to predict about future events? • Her strange behavior together with the fact that she’s been gone for three days, points to a troubling future.

8. Word Usage • Troika – a Russian carriage or sleigh drawn by a team of three horses harnessed side by side

9. Comprehension • What is Natasha’s reaction to the young man in the troika? • Natasha is terrified.

10. Culture • Historically, marriage was regarded as an alliance between two families, rather than just between two individuals. Wealthy families could add to the their money and power through a child’s marriage. Marriage was also a means of bringing peace between former enemies.

11. Matchmaker • A matchmaker is an intermediary whose responsibility is to arrange a marriage to the satisfaction of both families involved. • The matchmaker in “The Bridegroom” looked for a man who was handsome, young, rich, and generous for Natasha to marry.

12. Comprehension • Why is Natasha silent when the matchmaker comes to talk to the family about a possible groom? • Her silence suggests that she is strong, independent, and perhaps considerate of her parents’ feelings, or that there is something she feels she cannot tell them.

13. Foreshadowing • What does Natasha’s sobbing and shuddering when her father agrees to the match foreshadow? • It predicts that she will not go happily into the wedding. • Since Natasha is terrified of the young man on the troika, this foreshadows that something surprising will happen at the wedding.

14. Making Predictions • Why does Natasha suddenly become calm after the matchmaker splashes water in her face? • She realizes she has no choice and will have to go through with the wedding. • She may also have already hatched a plan to get out of the marriage.

15. Making Predictions • Natasha says (line 87-88), “…and call the law to the feast.” • Why does she invite the law to her wedding? • This foreshadows the arrest of the bridegroom.

16. Natasha’s Dream • In Natasha’s dream, she hides behind the stove in a hut in the woods and watches twelve unruly men and a sad, quiet woman. • One of the men kills the woman and cuts off her hand.

17. Natasha • Why does Natasha refuse to eat or drink at the wedding feast? • She does not intend to celebrate the upcoming nuptials. • She must keep a clear head to allow her plan to work.

18. Question #2 • Summarize the first eight lines of the poem. • After disappearing for three days, Natasha returns home upset. She refuses to answer her parents’ questions. • Where was she during the three days she was missing? • She probably witnessed the murder.

19. Question #3 • Describe Natasha’s reaction to the wedding. • At first Natasha is upset, but then she appears to accept the marriage. • What accounts for this switch in attitude? • She probably felt safe in confronting the bridegroom as murderer with her family and friends surrounding her.

20. Question #4 • How does Natasha respond to her bridegroom’s question about why his bride is so sad? • She tells him a dream has been haunting her. • Did Natasha have the “evil” dream she describes? • No, she is using the dream to make her case.

21. Question #5 • How does Natasha’s attitude at the beginning contrast with her behavior at the end? • At the beginning, she seems fragile and shy. At the end, she is courageous and independent. • How can we account for the change? • She has been able to bring the bridegroom to justice and avoid the marriage.

22. Question #7 • Why is the setting of the poem important? • The poem could only take place in a culture that practiced matchmaking. • Would the setting be realistic today? • It wouldn’t unless it was set in a culture that still practiced arranged marriages.