The thoughts and feelings expressed in this poem
Schiller's praise of joy in Ode to Joy first praised the specific joy he was moved by friendship, and later personified this specific joy, making it universal, and then extended his pursuit of freedom, equality and fraternity, especially the praise of fraternity.
Background: A Ode to Joy was written by Schiller in the summer of 1785 in Leipzig, when his plays Robber, Conspiracy and Love all achieved great success. Engels called the robber "a young man who praised the chivalrous man who declared war on the whole society", while "Conspiracy and Love" was "the first German drama with political inclination". However, Schiller was persecuted by Duke Eugen and fled abroad, penniless, heavily in debt and living a wandering life. When Schiller was cornered, four young people in Leipzig admired Schiller's talent and wrote to invite him to Leipzig, and their travel expenses were borne by them. Schiller set off from Mannheim immediately after receiving the letter, and went to Leipzig for 8 days regardless of the hardships and tiredness of the journey. He was warmly welcomed by four strange friends and received meticulous hospitality. "Ode to Joy" was written by Schiller with great gratitude after he felt this warmth in time.