We learn Shevchenko’s poems since childhood, we read about his hard life, about his sufferings and struggles and tears that he couldn’t hold because it was unbearable to endure everything that was happening to his dear Ukraine. Every conscious and educated Ukrainian can recite at least one of Shevchenko’s poems by heart. Each and every book that has ever been written about him says that he was one of the greatest and most outstanding figures in Ukrainian history, a hero, whose heart was beating and aching for the Ukrainian nation till it stopped. No matter how arduous it was, no matter what he was going through, Shevchenko never stopped pursuing the goal of his Fatherland’s revival. And his dream did come true.I am 19 years old and I was blessed to be born in a free and sovereign country. Fortunately, I don’t know what slavery is. Fortunately, I don’t know how is it to be forced out of my own country. Fortunately, I don’t know what suffering is. And no matter how many times we are being told about this in school, no matter how many times we read Shevchenko’s poems we cannot fully empathize with the poet’s feelings. We are a new generation. We are the free generation. This was Shevchenko’s main goal and this is what I’m really grateful for.But while I’m writing this essay my heart is heavy from the pain and my eyes are full of tears because my country is hurting. Because being already independent, we have to fight for our true liberty. I’m ashamed to acknowledge that it is not foreign invaders that we are fighting against, but our own brothers and sisters: ”… in her struggle, our Ukraine/ Reached the last climax of pure pain: /Worse than the Poles, or any other, /The children crucify their mother…”, Shevchenko says in one of his poems. He imbued every word he wrote with pain and, unfortunately, I can feel it now.
