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AS and A Level: W.B. Yeats

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54 AS and A Level W.B. Yeats essays

  • Marked by Teachers essays 3
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  1. Marked by a teacher

    Sailing to Byzantium

    3 star(s)

    The strength of this essay lies in its clear account of the poem's meaning and how its imagery and symbolism operate.
    The discussion of language use is not so strong.…

    • Essay length: 1969 words
    • Submitted: 31/03/2006
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Val Shore 27/03/2012
  2. Marked by a teacher

    By close examination of "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death" and one other appropriately selected poem, discuss the effectiveness of the poetic methods used by Yeats in his presentation of heroic figures from his own lifetime.

    3 star(s)

    This essay offers an effective analysis of one poem and is especially good at conveying the meaning and tone. Some perceptive comments on form, structure and language are made, though…

    • Essay length: 1143 words
    • Submitted: 07/06/2005
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Val Shore 27/03/2012
  3. Marked by a teacher

    Commentary on 'The Wild Swans at Coole' by W.B. Yeats

    3 star(s)

    This essay highlights the dangers of not checking your facts. The writer is led astray by the insistence that Yeats is 'near death' when it would be so easy…

    • Essay length: 1098 words
    • Submitted: 13/01/2005
    • Marked by teacher: (?) Val Shore 27/03/2012

  4. The Wild Swans at Coole (analysis essay)

    • Essay length: 1069 words
    • Submitted: 05/10/2008

  5. September 1913 vs Easter 1916

    • Essay length: 924 words
    • Submitted: 27/02/2007

  6. W.B. Yeats - A Fisherman vs September 1913

    • Essay length: 1143 words
    • Submitted: 27/02/2007

  7. Sunil Mirpuri

    • Essay length: 1557 words
    • Submitted: 17/10/2006

  8. Analysis of Literary Devices: ""Leda and the Swan" ""Leda and the Swan" written by William Butler Yeats in 1928, is about a powerful god named Zeus

    • Essay length: 676 words
    • Submitted: 24/04/2006

  9. Stealing Innocence

    • Essay length: 1485 words
    • Submitted: 31/03/2006

  10. Yeats' Leda and the Swan

    • Essay length: 687 words
    • Submitted: 20/02/2006
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Knowledge of these contexts will help you to understand Yeats' poetry

  1. 1 Irish nationalism.
  2. 2 The Easter rising.
  3. 3 Irish myths and legends.
  4. 4 Keats' relationship with Maud Gonne.
  5. 5 The poet's interest in spiritualism, mysticism and the occult.

Common errors by students who are studying Yeats' poems

  1. 1 Do not gloss over the difficulties in Yeats’ poems. Sometimes there are problems of interpretation, and it is acceptable to acknowledge obscurities and speculate on meaning. This is preferable to simply ignoring an obscure line or image.
  2. 2 Check quotations. Misquotations, including incorrect spellings, always fail to impress.
  3. 3 Remember that commenting on technique is as important as discussing content and meaning.
  4. 4 Use the apostrophe accurately. If you are referring to the poet by name, there is no apostrophe (for example, Yeats describes.) The apostrophe should be used to indicate possession (for example Yeats’ poems, or more rarely Yeats’s poems.) The form Yeat’s is never accurate (because it would indicate that his name is Yeat.)

A private symbol is one that a writer or artist assigns a personal and individual meaning to, as opposed to a universally recognised symbol (for example: the rose = love.) Yeats employed various private symbols, and researching their meanings will aid an understanding of the poems. Some common private symbols in Yeats’ poetry are

  1. 1 The gyre.
  2. 2 The dancer.
  3. 3 Birds, including swans.
  4. 4 The terrifying beat.
  5. 5 The city of Byzantium.

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Conclusion analysis

Good conclusions usually refer back to the question or title and address it directly - for example by using key words from the title.
How well do you think these conclusions address the title or question? Answering these questions should help you find out.

  1. Do they use key words from the title or question?
  2. Do they answer the question directly?
  3. Can you work out the question or title just by reading the conclusion?

  • Language and Literature Assignment. Analyse 'The Stolen Child' By W.B Yeats.

    "In conclusion by analysing use of metaphor, metonymy and sound patterning in this poem by W.B Yeats I have discovered how each literary device assists the other to highlight key points in the faeries enticement plan. On their own they each create imagery and connotations for the reader/listener but together they express the meaning that the poet intended to show. Shell Woodward 2004 Words"

  • Discuss with reference to at least three poems, Yeats' treatment of Irish Concerns.

    "Yeats' change in his treatment of Irish concerns can be seen in the poems 'September 1913', 'Easter 1916' and 'Under Ben Bulben'. The poem 'September 1913' shows Yeats approaching the nationalist movement with pacifist intentions and exhibits anti-Catholic propaganda. He disapproves of human sacrifice as he believes it is unnecessary and fruitless. In 'Easter 1916' Yeats' treatment varies slightly. He is thrown into a state of turmoil as he tries to find a balance between the achievement of the Easter martyrs and the pacifist views he had previously upheld. He then accepts that death is sometimes advantageous but combats this with the argument that very little is worth sacrificing human life for. 'Under Ben Bulben' shows a mature, understanding Yeats. He believes in this poem that the power lies within the mind and turns to art to recruit nationalists. He makes a plea for artists to keep up past traditions as he views them as the means of remembrance. It is evident in these three poems that a transgression in Yeats' thought process and his treatment towards Irish concerns has taken place, and it reveals the road to self-discovery Yeats endured in his lifetime."

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