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

Ruth Haines Commentary on 'The Wild Swans at Coole' by W.B. Yeats 'The wild Swans at Coole' is a poignant and contemplative Poem written by Yeats typical of his spiritualistic and mysterious style. It was written towards the end of his career/life, reflecting his growing realisation of human immortality in that he is growing older and nearing the end of his life. Throughout the poem Yeats constantly uses the strong image of swans, which to him appear immortal, as a contrast to his own fading life to communicate his awareness of human transience. To compliment the development of this idea of nearing death, Yeats uses a combination of natural imagery, soft language and the form of a regular lyric to create an overall serene and slightly melancholic quality to the poem. At the beginning of poem, particularly in the first stanza the use of natural imagery and language creates a calm and serene tone. The poem follows a regular lyric structure in six stanzas of six lines each, it alternates four beat and three beat lines with the rhyming structure of ABCBDD. This helps to endure a feeling of movement/flow and it reinforces the calm tone created by the other literacy techniques used. The use of words such as 'October', 'Autumn' and 'Twilight' not only create the sense of time at which this poem is set, but all three evoke images of nearing the end of a time period and could be

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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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.

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. Consider * Why Yeats chose to write about these figures * The ways in which the form and structure of the poems contribute to Yeats' presentation of heroic figures * Yeats' language - including imagery - and tone in presenting heroic figures. The poet W.B Yeats lived and was writing during a period of Irish history which is infamous for its rebellious historical characters and figures of public admiration. Yeats expresses his feelings with regard to a personal heroic figure in "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death". Yeats then similarly tackles this subject in poems such as "Easter 1916" where he addresses his attitude more broadly towards the heroic, but public figures involved in the rising of 1916. Yeats reveals his explicit admiration for the men whom he writes about in these poems through his dignified and respectful tone. Through his effective use of poetic methods - imagery, language, form and structure Yeats allows the reader a clear insight into his personal reaction to these heroic figures. "An Irish Airman Forsees his Death" expresses Yeats' glowing admiration for his recently deceased friend Robert Gregory, son of Lady Gregory of Coole

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Sailing to Byzantium

Sailing to Byzantium W.B. Yeats' poem 'Sailing to Byzantium' is an allusion to the agony of old age and human mortality, and was written as a part of a collection of poems called 'Tower'. It is in very old verse form which is written as a narrative verse in first person, with four eight line stanzas. It has a rhyming scheme of ABABABCC, or two trios of alternating rhyme followed by one couplet. This rhyming scheme gives the reader the sense that the final two lines of each stanza are the most important, and that the first six are leading up to the conclusion of the stanza. Each line takes the rhythm of iambic pentameter. The tone of the poem provokes a sense of sadness in the reader as it tells of a man's desire to live forever, and how he can't accept that he has grown old and will soon die. This tone is reinforced by the sound of the letter 'o', heavily used throughout the poem. The poem talks of the mortality of the living, and how the elderly are a reminder of this. The youth are caught up in the moment and do not wish to be reminded that there will come a time when they too will grow old and die. Upon this realisation, he decides to travel to the holy city of Byzantium. Byzantium (which was renamed Constantinople, then Istanbul) was a city in the Eastern Roman Empire. The journey to Byzantium is not a literal one, but a metaphorical one which represents the acceptance

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  • Level: AS and A Level
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Discuss ways in which Yeats presents the experience of Irish people in Easter 1916. In your answer, discuss the effects of language, imagery and verse form and consider how this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you have studied (An

Discuss ways in which Yeats presents the experience of Irish people in 'Easter 1916. In your answer, discuss the effects of language, imagery and verse form and consider how this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you have studied ('An Irish Airman Foresees His Death' and 'September 1913'). 'Easter 1916' speaks of the aftermath of the rebellion in Northern Ireland, through the eyes of Yeats himself. He tells us about how "a terrible beauty is born", referring to the working-class men who became restless and began to revolt. This contrasts hugely from 'September 1913', where Yeats points out that the workers have a right to be angry, due to the greedy bankers, and employers who pay them very little for their hard work. In 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death', Yeats only focuses on one person, rather than a group of people like he does in 'Easter 1916' and 'September 1913'. The first stanza primarily focuses on the then-ordinary people, and what they were like before they began to rebel and fight the system. He purposely doesn't make the first couple of the lines very dramatic, so that we gradually work our way into the more emotional side of the poem, rather than be thrown straight into the deep end. He uses the word "vivid", a very ambiguous word, to describe the peoples' faces, to show that the people themselves are interesting, but then uses the words and phrase

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  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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