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
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
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
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
Examine three poems by Auden and Yeats and compare how they present the struggle of man.
Examine three poems by Auden and Yeats and compare how they present the struggle of man. Two poets who are influenced by different individuals yet both come together to produce poems which expose the same image, the struggle of man, are William Butler Yeats and Wystan Hugh Auden. W.B.Yeats, born in Dublin and the son of an Irish painter, hastily revealed, after returning from his childhood life in County Sligo, that he preferred poetry, hence resulting in the rejection of his studies on painting. Yeats became involved in a protest, which was against the cultural power of English rule on Ireland. Apart from Irish mythology and folklore, Maud Gonne was a big influence on Yeats' poetry. Gonne was just as famous as Yeats, but for her beauty and her passion for politics. It is evident that Gonne influences Yeats, as Ireland was "no country for old men", which suggests that Ireland is not a place for old people not fit to fight, which then implicitly depicts the political torment that Ireland was experiencing. On the other hand, W.H.Auden born in York and educated at Christ's Church, Oxford. Thomas Hardy, William Blake, Emily Dickinson and Gerard Manley Hopkins influenced Auden. He had remarkable intelligence in which he would employ the writing styles of other poets such as Emily Dickinson. Yeats' work can be compared with the work of Auden as both often metaphorically represented
Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth
Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth is a work containing elements of satire, portrayed through Thady. It is to these satiric elements that it owes much of its subtlety. Castle Rackrent is an achievement because of what lies in the subject matter and the narrative methods through which Maria Edgeworth presents her characterisation, language, imagery, tone and satire. These methods are wrapped in the subtlety that comes from total control. The most substantial and remarkable aspect about the novel is the subtlety of its implications. In her dealings with the Edgeworthstown tenants Maria Edgeworth gained first hand knowledge of Irish peasant life and of the peculiarities of Irish peasant character, which form the basis for the success of Castle Rackrent both as a social document and as a work of fiction. At the centre of Maria Edgeworth's work is the 'Big House' itself, which is the symbolic focus of the Protestant Ascendancy's preoccupation with its own decline. 'The big house', the manor houses of the Anglo Irish ascendancy, are often used as a 'metaphor which might allow the author to explore the socially disintegrated world of the protestant ascendancy' Castle Rackrent was published in 1800, 'the first "Big House" novel set on an ascendancy estate, was the first Irish family chronicle, and the first fictional book to make Irish history and politics central to its
Sunil Mirpuri
Sunil Mirpuri September 26, 2006 IB English HLII Commentary The Wild Swans at Coole "The Wild Swans at Coole" by W.B. Yeats, portrays the concept of time as the predominant theme through an illustrious comparison to swans. Yeats manages to depict his life sorrow for the time that has passed him by; nevertheless, he does so through a very elaborate yet depressing diction and through incisive images which mend the reader's mind into capturing Yeat's thoughts and emotions. Furthermore, the structure of "The Wild Swans at Coole", although simple and romantic, goes hand-in-hand with the images and the diction in expressing Yeat's depressing and melancholic tone towards his ageing life. Yeats' use of diction throughout "The Wild Swans at Coole" emphasizes his tone of melancholy and nostalgia towards the swans, which are a symbol of time. In the very first stanza of the poem, a description of the narrator's surroundings, the narrator instantly starts using words such as "autumn," "dry," and "still" to establish a dark atmosphere and a depressing tone. Yeats, by starting the poem with the latter, allows the reader to understand the immediate sorrow he is feeling and will feel throughout the poem. Moreover, the word "still" is a motif throughout the poem as it is repeated in various occasions. For example, when Yeats writes, "Unwearied still, lover by lover,/They paddle in the
The Wild Swans at Coole (analysis essay)
The Wild Swans at Coole The Wild Swans, written by William Yeats is a poem about how the swans inhabit Coole park. However, this is just a metaphor for what the poem is actually about, the poem really touches on something much deeper - lost time and unaquired love. The poem is written in a melancholy tone which is suggestive of how he is feeling towards life and especially his love. On a more personal level, the poem reflects Yeats' unanswered love for Maud Gonne. Yeats sets a still and weathered scene in the first stanza. The word autumn in the first line symbolizes something coming to an end, and this is further emphasized by the time of day, "under the October twilight the water/ Mirrors a still sky." This lack of movement reminds the reader of death and emptiness. In the last line Yeats mentions the subjects of the poem, "nine-and-fifty swans", which is an odd number. This is significant because he later refers to the swans as couples in the third stanza, "Unwearied still, lover by lover," meaning that one swan must be alone, missing a companion. This might be Yeats' way of including himself and his rejection in the poem. In the following stanza, Yeats expresses a sense of sudden surprise in his life through, "The nineteenth autumn has come upon me.... I saw, before I had well finished." The final two lines of the second stanza may be references to the sudden violence
Focusing on Wild Swans at Coole, discuss the theme of time and change in Yeats.
Focusing on ‘Wild Swans at Coole’, discuss the theme of time and change in Yeats. The theme of time and change bringing with it loss and regret is a constant one in Yeats' work, particularly in his later poems. 'The innocent and the beautiful / Have no enemy but time', he says in 'In memory of Eva Gore Booth and Con Markievicz'. Yet despite the onset of old age, and the failings of his strength and vitality, Yeats kept his passions to the end. 'Why should not old men be mad?' he asks in a poem of that name. At the end of his life, bitterly reviewing the works of his imagination, he describes them as 'circus animals' ('The Circus Animals Desertion'). His 'ladder' is gone, he says (his poetic imagination) and he must lie down 'Where all the ladders start / In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart'. In 'Sailing to Byzantium' he describes his heart as 'sick with desire and fastened to a dying animal'. In his old age he is like 'A tattered coat upon a stick'. Though old age has its compensations too; in 'Sailing to Byzantium' he finds comfort in the intellect, and aesthetic beauty. He wishes (after death) to be gathered 'Into the artifice of Eternity'. After his bitter description of old age, he adds 'Unless / Soul clap its hands and sing, and louder sing / For every tatter in its mortal dress'. His poetry is his consolation. But his attitude towards his aging self
In the light of 'Leda and The Swan' and 'The Second Coming' describe Yeats' cyclical views of human history.
In the light of 'Leda and The Swan' and 'The Second Coming' describe Yeats' cyclical views of human history. Yeats was an irish poet, dramatist and prose writer, who was born in Dublin in 1865 and as a young boy moved between London and Ireland, witnessing the effects of the Republican Movement in Dublin. His ability to oppose the oppression of Ireland under the influence of England, was reinforced by his ability to write some of the best poems in English literature in the 20th century. Although Yeats was profoundly interested in poetry, when he studied at the Theosophical Society, he began to appreciate mysticism, as it was a form of imagination which was largely removed from the hardships in Ireland which he had experienced. His interest in mysticism turned into a life long hobby, which saw him conjure up a paradigm of the gyres and cycles which are applicable to every person, culture, process and period of time, and thus includes historical events from thousands of years ago. His most famous ideas include The Theory of the Mask, and The Great Wheel. The Theory of the Mask represents two dominant modes of civilisation that can be used to explain phases of an individuals psychological development, as the two interpenetrating gyres represent different characteristics. The primary gyre emphasises truth, goodness peace and rationalism, while the antithetical gyre is related to