Among School Children – W.B Yeats.

‘Among School Children’ by W.B Yeats was published in 1928 in the collection ‘The Tower’. Being among school children, Yeats confronts the problem of human frailty, by reflecting on the impact and the worth of his life. The poem is a first person narrative, with a conversational tone. Throughout he compares Maud Gonne’s current appearance to her physical appearance in her youth, this is where he realises how time effects the physical being. This poem has roman numerals which number each stanza – highlighting formality.

The poem begins by Yeats walking “through the long schoolroom”, which metaphorically could reflect the school of life. He then uses the verb “questioning;” to highlight that he is questioning are lessons really relevant to life?  However, amongst youth itself, Yeats notices his age and therefore perceives himself as a “sixty-year-old smiling public man”. He desires to know whether his education is similar to the children, who now learn in the “best modern way”. While he questions whether lessons that are being taught are really relevant to life he learns that they “learn to cipher and to sing, to study reading-books and histories”. This is where Yeats understands that life’s true lessons are not from the classroom as learning to “be neat in everything” is ironic and unrealistic.

Whilst observing the innocent children he begins to visualise imagines of the “Ledaean body”. He envisions this “trivial event that changed some childish day to tragedy” and also strategically uses line eleven for the first alteration in meter which is parallel to the change in Leda’s life from innocence to knowledge. Yeats realises through this example that these children, like Leda, will soon be stripped of their innocence and purity. From this event, Leda gives birth to Helen of Troy who is thought of as the most beautiful woman on earth. Yeats then makes a comparison between Helen of Troy and Maud Gonne. He pictures them both as being together just like the “yolk and white of the one shell.”

Throughout the third stanza Yeats has finished envisioning the two women together and therefore searches through the children wondering whether he can see a likeness to Gonne where he states “Wonder is she stood so at that age.” He then moves on to describe Gonne’s beauty “even the daughters of the swan can share something of every paddler’s heritage.” He slips deeper and deeper into his imagination, so deep that “she stands before me as a living child.” The thought of Gonne’s purity and innocence hypnotizes Yeats. The only way Yeats can express the beauty is to express it poetically hence the song-like rhyme scheme of the stanza.

In the fourth stanza he understands that his portrayal of Gonne is not a reality and therefore “her present image floats into the mind.” He compares her cheeks to the wind. The image of wind has a double meaning, as the brevity of the wind symbolizes the brevity of life. Yeats comes to realise that he too, like Gonne, is ageing when he writes “had a pretty plumage once”. When he wants to hide his sudden realisation of morality he uses a metaphoric mask of an “old scarecrow” which allows Yeats to conceal his true feelings and thoughts.

In the fifth stanza there is an odd number of feet in line thirty-three, Yeats makes the fundamental shift in the poem noticeable which therefore changes from personal to universal. Yeats envisions a “youthful mother” and questions whether a mother would believe that the pains of childbirth were worth the trouble when the child grows older. Here, Yeats is asking the most fundamental of questions – what is the value of life? By stating that the child has lived “sixty winters” and not years highlights a gloomy winter image which further suggests suffering. The final line of this stanza refers to the mother’s uncertainty about her child’s future.

Throughout the sixth stanza, Yeats looks to the great men of the past for answers to his questions. Firstly, he looks into Plato’s Cave Allegory, with the “ghostly paradigm of things” which shows how Plato thought life was a shadow of reality. He then shows the idiocy of Aristotle’s work saying he has been playing “upon the bottom of a king of kings.” He does the same for Pythagoras’s work and then comes to realise that these men were nothing more than “old clothes upon old sticks to scare a bird.” As a result of his realisation, Yeats realises that although these men have produced lasting works, they themselves cannot be lasting.

The seventh stanza analyses the issue of love and expectation. Yeats uses the example of a mother and a nun to highlight the different types of love – one a mothers and the other religious. Both types of love have their objects/figures to worship. However, like a nun eventually gets the feeling of disappointment with God the mother will feel the same with the child.

Penultimately, in the final verse Yeats realises it is better to view life as a whole instead of viewing life in parts, like “the leaf, the blossom, or the bole.” He uses the final rhetorical question “How can we know the dancer from the dance?” to highlight that it is impossible to separate the two like life and death – which could link to himself and Gonne, or even Gonne and her child self.

Ultimately, the children throughout this poem are seen as poignant. The poem incorprets elements of myth and symbolism (Nuns, Leda..) combined with personal thoughts and memories (Gonne, her child self, life as a whole). He compares wisdom and knowledge and realises they’re different. Through the themes of change, ageing, mythology and reflection Yeats realises that no matter who the man and irrespective of his deeds, death is in fact inevitable.

The Stolen Child – W.B. Yeats

‘The Stolen Child’ by W.B Yeats was published in one of Yeats’ very first collections of poems, the Crossways collection of 1889 when he was just 24 years old. This poem is said to have been written because Yeats’ brother died young. However, it could be argued that this poem is highlighting Yeats’ desire to escape from the world. The main themes noted throughout this poem are that of the dream world and supernatural, which could be linked to his longing for escape from the world or Ireland. Also, the poem could be viewed as child abduction, (hence the phrase ‘The Stolen Child’ as the title) by the “faeries” who are evil and are luring the child into the world of dreams. Also, plot of the poem is a metaphor for the return to innocence, which is characterised by childhood. The ‘fantasy’ world Yeats creates sharply contrasts with the real world, representing his dissatisfaction with the real world. This poem gives the idea of the common idiom ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ as the child’s dissatisfaction had lost him his place in the real world as he is now lost in false reality.

This is a poem that is narrated by a supernatural creature of Irish folklore, or faery, who attempts to lure a boy into leaving the human world around him.  Yeats adapts an old Irish tradition where fairies steal human children and replace them with changelings.  The poem utilises this myth and through it develops tension between the two worlds of the poem – the supernatural and the natural which therefore creates the illusion of dreams and the dream of illusion. The poem mentions dreamlike images of this illusion that the faeries have created to attempt to trick the boy into swapping his way into the alien world – this could be alluding to Yeats falling into this system in which he became fascinated with the occult and the afterlife as well as other supernatural worlds.

The final four lines of the first stanza closes in the rhythm and the rhyme of the poem, “To the waters and the wild // with a faery, hand in hand // For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand” These last four lines of stanza’s one, two and three include irony as they are telling the child that they are in fact saving him from his own terrible world, when realistically they are cheating and deceiving him. This highlights the innocence and naivety the child has and highlights the illusion of dreams, and the dream of illusion. Also, ‘the world is more full of weeping than he can understand.” means that the child is incapable of understanding perhaps the reality of life and because of his innocence is easily lured into false security.

Throughout the third stanza the sibilance conjures up a sense of silliness and mischief. This therefore gives the idea of the faeries setting a trap and breaking the allusion of this dreamlike image for the child. However, this presents a very sinister ending to the poem where the boy unfortunately falls for the allusion of the dream and ends up losing of the warmth of his world – showing how easily a child can sometimes be lost in such dreaming.

However, there is also the warm reassuring imagery at the very beginning of the final verse. This can be seen as an illusion of the dream-like state of this world. The “warm hillside” can be seen as a reassuring image of the warm human world. It could be that Yeats is presenting a contrast between the human and faery world. The boy has been tricked into believing the dream of this world being exactly the same as the human world, however he may see a lake, sea, waterfall, stream and pool as beautiful or enchanting but he does not quite understand that they are no home like his world. Whereas his world may be more full of weeping than he can understand, it is his world.

In the last stanza “you” changes to “he” which sounds more sinister and removed, as if the child is now distant and caught in the faery world. It’s almost mocking the parents as “he” shows how the faeries don’t even know his name, yet it could also show how “he” represents many children.

The poem in itself is an illusion. However, the wonderful lyricism, and the almost enchantment in nature with the words being strong and romantic create a somewhat magical effect which gives the poem a sense of being something that is magical, ancient and different in its own ways. The poem can be seen as almost an excuse, perhaps a comfort for the parents as their child has disappeared, or even died – he has been lured to a negative view of life which is ‘full of weeping’ which also highlights the broken dreams which the child has endured and the ‘faerys’ whether their existence is true or not they have created a better world to lure the child from his world into a horrendous illusion.

In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Constance Markiewicz – W.B Yeats.

‘In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Constance Markiewicz’ is a poem written by W.B Yeats in 1927 and was later published in 1933. This poem discusses the theme of disillusionment through the ideas that are drawn up for an independent Ireland which has not happened and has a result left the people of Ireland feeling melancholic and left with a dream that they are still hoping to one day become a reality. He writes of his two childhood friends who have fallen victims of time; however, both women as well as many others will of course be left with the dream of a lost Ireland and lost youth which was caught up in the Easter Rising which is described in Yeats’ other poem ‘Easter 1916’.

Constance Markievicz (left) was the very first woman to be elected to the house of commons in the election after world war one. However, she refused to take her seat in parliament. Eva and Constance are both remembered in Yeats’ writing for their beauty and principles and how they are victims of time. Yeats creates a sense of time with the title of the poem “In Memory” in which the past is greater, more noble than Yeats’ present. Constance helped organise the Easter rising and was sentenced to death, but reprieved and was sent to Holloway prison.

When the poem begins it alliterates a dreamy evening “The light of evening, Lissadell”. This alliteration helps show the beauty. Also, throughout the poem there is the tone of memory. Yeats seems to enjoy recalling “pictures of the mind” of the past. Yeats shows that he is constantly thinking of the past, “talk of youth”. Yeats contrasts the ideal past with the women and how they are today – which could link to the way he compares ‘Romantic Ireland’ with current Ireland in ‘September 1913’.

Yeats describes both the women as “beautiful” and we can see that Yeats had great respect for both. Yeats describes a lot of grandure which seems to be associated with them: “silk komonos”, “Great windows”, “gazebo” which highlights that they could have built this new world. The comparison of a ‘gazebo’ attached to a house shows the way that Ireland is attached to Great Britain. He reflects on the old days of the Easter Rising: “Conspiring amongst the ignorant”. This highlights the womens’ political beauty.

Yeats suggests that he believes in some sort of afterlife or supernatural when he says “Dear shadows”, and furthermore once again shows the ignorance of the thoughts of youthful people by saying “now you know it all.” This highlights that they didn’t know or understand much before they died, however, now in death they can have the ultimate knowledge of all.

In the poem, Yeats laments the loss, not only of their physical beauty, but of their spiritual beauty –”Two girls in silk kimonos, both // Beautiful, one a gazelle.” Yeats relates the sisters to Asian/African themes to show how they did not ‘fit in’ to their aristocratic lives: ‘silk kimonos’ and ‘one a gazelle’ illustrate this point, and also shows the elegance of Eva Gore-Booth.

The final line of the poem shows how he played a part in what happened: ‘Bid me strike a match and blow.’ This could either mean: that he should have let them run their course and face the consequences; that it’s a metaphor for violent change; a metaphor for the revolutionary action; that it is a sign to God that man will not accept fate etc . This depends upon whether he is giving the metaphorical match oxygen to burn, or blowing it out. Instead of Yeats leaving us with a physical question, this last phrase still leaves us with a question as to whether he regrets it, and if so what does he regret? Although a match is temporary, it can lead to bigger things that have the potential to destroy.

Throughout this poem overall he includes the themes of time; innocence and beauty, which will be found out and disapproved by time and political fanaticism. It describes Yeats’ frustration at what time has done to beauty and idealism and that it spurs him into defiance and not acceptance. Yeats describes how they are stripped of their beauty by age by writing “autumn shears blossom from the summer’s wreath.” He uses this example of his childhood friends – which gives the effect of it being easier to understand and relate to your very own personal experiences as everyone grows old in time, and unfortunately nobody can prevent this from happening.

The Man and The Echo – W.B Yeats.

‘The Man and the Echo’ was written in 1938, which was just before Yeats’ death. The poem is made up of rhyming couplets to highlight the irony of how different both ‘The Man’ and ‘The Echo’ are.  Throughout this poem Yeats is speaking with a dialogue of his own echo in a mystical place, he is also asking many questions on both life and death. The echo seems to suggest that he gives up, however Yeats disregards negativity in a passionate life of the mind.

The poem is very atmospheric due to the setting. In Yeats’ imagination, he visits “Alt”, a mystical place in Sligo, Ireland. Alt, is a secret place that is never touched by light. However, the poet is seemingly completely alone with his thoughts (hence the echo which is normally brought about when alone) quite cut off from the world. He is experiencing a final reckoning with his soul. Bitter intensity and a simple rhyme conjures an extreme powerful atmosphere.

Yeats uses the symbol of the echo to take his words out of context, to change their meaning and represent the lack of control one has over their words once they have been spoken. Yeats (who is the man) argues against the echo mirroring his frustration at the misinterpretation and  manipulation of his works/poems by others – this links to ‘The Fisherman’ where the great art is beaten down. Also, the difference between both Yeats and the echo highlights the conflict of thoughts he has within himself in the later stages of his life. Lastly, the echo is also a symbol of a gyre and rebirth as it is ultimately a sound created from the previous sound.

The start of the poem describes the “Man”, Yeats, travelling to a very quiet, damp and cold place “broad noon had never lit”. As the poem can come across as haunting, he is haunted by a sense of uncertainty of life, his past and the future as he can initially “never get the answers right”. This also shows self doubt, which is a main theme throughout this poem. Also, the phrase “all that I have said and done” suggests making a confession which could be linked to the fact that Yeats wrote this poem just before he passed, so this could suggest that he is making a confession as he is aware his time left is short. He is noted to “lie awake night after night” up to the point where everything “seems evil until I/ Sleepless would lie down and die.” Which to define it would be either that he feels his death is the only thing that would actually set him free from either the regret and sin in the world or, that his death would end the evil coming of his writing as he is unsure his writing is influencing. The reader is however, unsure whether this is due to insomnia or guilt, our uncertainty mirrors Yeats’ uncertainty here.

Next “certain men the English shot” is referring to the leaders of the Easter Rising; Yeats confused whether or not he made them fight through the words of his play. Also the phrase “that woman’s reeling brain” refers to an actress  by the name of Margot Ruddock; Yeats had an affair with her – perhaps this is why ‘the man’ or Yeats is both making a confession before his death and is having trouble sleeping at night. Yeats yet again questions his influence through his poetry, play and politics and whether they have enabled him to stop the destruction of memories like Coole Park “Could my spoken words have checked/ That whereby a house lay wrecked?”. 

Next, Yeats always disapproved of the use of alcohol or any pain-relief to rid of the pains of life, “drug him to sleep”. This phrase is a reference to man in general as it was Yeats who believed man must bear the toils of life. He also believed that for one to end their life by suicide it is cowardly and will thus give that person no release – this is a complete contrast with An Irish Airman Foresees his Death where the Irishman is seeing his life as “wasted breath”.

Penultimately,  Yeats questions his echo with, “Shall we in this great night rejoice?” This could be questioning God’s existence and also the supernatural. He mentions that he has lost the theme of the subject matter and concludes by stating that everybody should live in the moment by talking about the “hawk” or even the “owl” that is attacking a “stricken rabbit”, which highlights the dramatic message of living life to the fullest. He lastly states that the rabbits “cry distracts [his] thought”.

Many of Yeats’ poems have two voices or two point of views for example ‘Easter 1916’ and ‘September 1913’ due to these poems highlighting both the view of the old revolutionaries  who are “dead and gone” and also those who are in modern Ireland who are not supporting Ireland.

Two essays on ‘The Stolen Child’.

Many of Yeats’ poems explore the theme of broken dreams, how does this one suggest the illusion of dreams and the dream of illusion? 

‘The Stolen Child’ by W.B Yeats was published in one of Yeats’ very first collections of poems, the Crossways collection of 1889 when he was just 24 years old. This poem is said to have been written because Yeats’ brother died young. The main themes noted throughout this poem are that of the dream world and supernatural, which could be linked to his longing for escape from the world or Ireland. Also, the poem could be viewed as child abduction, (hence the phrase ‘The Stolen Child’ as the title) by the “faeries” who are evil and are luring the child into the world of dreams.

This is a poem that is narrated by a supernatural creature of Irish folklore, or faery, who attempts to lure a boy into leaving the human world around him.  Yeats adapts an old Irish tradition where fairies steal human children and replace them with changelings.  The poem utilises this myth and through it develops tension between the two worlds of the poem – the supernatural and the natural which therefore creates the illusion of dreams and the dream of illusion. The poem mentions dreamlike images of this illusion that the faeries have created to attempt to trick the boy into swapping his way into the alien world – this could be alluding to Yeats falling into this system in which he became fascinated with the occult and the afterlife as well as other supernatural worlds.

The final four lines of the first stanza closes in the rhythm and the rhyme of the poem, “To the waters and the wild // with a faery, hand in hand // For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand” These last four lines of stanza’s one, two and three include irony as they are telling the child that they are in fact saving him from his own terrible world, when realistically they are cheating and deceiving him. This highlights the innocence and naivety the child has and highlights the illusion of dreams, and also the dream of illusion.

Throughout the third stanza the sibilance conjures up a sense of silliness and mischief. This therefore gives the idea of the faeries setting a trap and breaking the allusion of this dreamlike image for the child. However, this presents a very sinister ending to the poem where the boy unfortunately falls for the allusion of the dream and ends up losing of the warmth of his world – showing how easily a child can sometimes be lost in such dreaming.

However, there is also the warm reassuring imagery at the very beginning of the final verse. This can be seen as an illusion of the dream-like state of this world. The “warm hillside” can be seen as a reassuring image of the warm human world. It could be that Yeats is presenting a contrast between the human and faery world. The boy has been tricked into believing the dream of this world being exactly the same as the human world, however he may see a lake, sea, waterfall, stream and pool as beautiful or enchanting but he does not quite understand that they are no home like his world. Whereas his world may be more full of weeping than he can understand, it is his world.

The poem in itself is an illusion. However, the wonderful lyricism, and the almost enchantment in nature with the words being strong and romantic create a somewhat magical effect which gives the poem a sense of being something that is magical, ancient and different in its own ways. The poem can be seen as almost an excuse, perhaps a comfort for the parents as their child has disappeared, or even died – he has been lured to a negative view of life which is ‘full of weeping’ which also highlights the broken dreams which the child has endured and the ‘faerys’ whether their existence is true or not they have created a better world to lure the child from his world into a horrendous illusion.

 

Compare the style and theme of the poem with the realism and disillusion of September 1913, explore the differences. 

Both ‘The Stolen Child’ and ‘September 1913’ are very compatible.They are both written in a ballad form. In ‘The Stolen Child’ it describes how a child is lured away from his own world into the dangerous world of the supernatural whereas in ‘September 1913’ it describes that he feels that “romantic Ireland is dead and gone”.

Both poems include four stanzas. However,‘The Stolen Child’ has stanzas of varying lengths showing the unstable ways of believing in the supernatural although in the poem they are doing good for the child. Where ‘September 1913′ has stanzas of the same length showing the ways of which Ireland should be not caught up in the Irish rebellion. Also, the rhythm and rhyme throughout ‘The Stolen Child’ gives the poem  a magical atmosphere, where in ‘September 1913′ it gives a sharp and mocking tone, which shows Yeats is in fact mocking the Catholics who have prayed to God instead of fighting “God help us, could they save?”.

Both poems have repetition of a somewhat chorus and both surprisingly change in the last stanza. In ‘September 1913 it changes to′ “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, It’s with O’Leary in the grave” means that the people that gave their life in the revolution gave it away for nothing. It appears to highlight that Ireland should return to its ancient, mythical roots,which questions the beliefs of the Irish people that they were better off under British rule. Whereas, in ‘The Stolen Child’ the repetition of the phrase ‘the world is more full of weeping than he can understand.” This means that the child is incapable of understanding perhaps the reality of life. This phrase is ironic as the faeries throughout the poem try to lure the child away from the real world, where they ultimately are appearing to save the child, when realistically they are cheating and deceiving. This could relate to Britain teasing the Irish into believing the home rule is in fact good for them when realistically Ireland being returned to its old traits would be better for their independence.

Throughout ‘The Stolen Child’ there is a theme is of the occult.  The lyricism is wonderful and enchanting, almost trying to turn away from this idea of the bleak reality. “To the waters and the wild with a faery, hand in hand” almost gives this idea of a magical landscape with enchanting sounds, the delicacy of the sound almost weaves a spell evoking a landscape and a world in a dream in which the faeries can enchant. “September 1913″ almost acts as a polar opposite in terms of the themes. It is a direct address to the Irish people and his readership, “What need you, being come to sense” is almost emphasising his anger and delivering a passionate, realistic address to the people of Ireland telling them what they have done wrong, using colloquialism such as “God help us, could they save?” to mock the Catholic population for being so lethargic in terms of getting involved in the campaign for home rule.

In ‘September 1913’ it does end with a message of hope through high romanticism that is telling the Irish that it is not too late to go back to their old ways. “They’re with O’Leary in the grave” is presenting a message of hope, to either become a hero or not – giving them the freedom of choice. However, in “The Stolen Child”, the poem almost ends with a message of negativity, and the child being so far in the ‘dream’ that it’s too late and  unfortunately no longer has the choice.

Leda and the Swan – W.B Yeats.

This poem was written in 1923 and comes from both ‘The Dial 1924’ and ‘The Tower 1928’ collections. The poem is a complete contrast from ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ where the swans were peaceful, due to here the swan is representing darkness and aggression. This poem discusses the main themes of sex, the supernatural, transformation and fate and freewill. It takes the form of a ‘Petrarchan Sonnet’ – Like all sonnets, the ‘Petrarchan Sonnet’ has fourteen lines (line eleven has somewhat been broken off into two lines). However, unlike all sonnets, it also has a major thematic shift after the eighth line. Although, at this point, the poem shifts its perspective in some way.

In terms of form, the very first eight lines of ‘Leda and the Swan‘ describe the act of rape from Leda’s perspective. The ninth line, appropriately enough, ends the description of sex. There is nowhere else for the poem to go at this point, therefore Yeats has to develop a new theme. The last six lines of the poem, then, narrate the consequences of the act, both for humanity (the Trojan War) and for Leda personally (the possibility of “putting on” Zeus’s knowledge).

However, the title ‘Leda and the Swan’ is from Greek mythology. Leda, was a girl from Ancient Greece who was raped by Zeus (head of Greek gods) disguised as a graceful swan. As a result of this tragic encounter Leda gave birth to Helen of Troy who is known as the most beautiful woman who’s ‘face that launched a thousand ships’.  This title associates with the history of art due to many sculptures, and paintings being associated with the ‘Leda and the Swan’ myth. These artists tried to come up with a new way to create the story visually, which is what Yeats has also tried to do as it has not been so commonly described in words as it has been by images.

As well as in ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ a main symbol is that of the swan, but with an entirely different twist. As the poem progresses, we catch only glimpses of the bird’s swan-like features as he is initially Zeus in disguise. However the swan simply moves too fast and has too much of a single-minded focus for us to pin him down. Although despite the swan being a God, Yeats chooses to only describe his animal nature.

Firstly, the poem has a sudden start just as ‘The Cold Heaven’ and ‘An Irish Airman’ have. “A sudden blow”, the use of this sudden beginning is to reflect the quick attack which Leda was not expecting. The use of “blow” explains Leda’s disorientation throughout the poem. He describes the swans wings as “great wings” which reminds the reader of Zeus’ superhuman power. However, Leda is described as the “staggering girl” which highlights the fact she is knocked off balance by the swan, and this also represents her lack of ability to prevent the rape.

Yeats uses a rhetorical question to describe an important image “How can these terrified vague fingers push // The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?” The use of “feathered glory” highlights double entendre: one meaning being the swans gentiles; second representing Leda’s virginity. By the use of  “glory” it marks one of the first references to the swan’s godlike nature. It also represents how powerful the swan is and therefore highlights Leda’s lack of free will. As she is up against a force that is far greater than her own she is too “terrified” and confused to try to stop what is happening and it is made clear that if Leda was to resist it would be futile.

The second rhetorical question highlights that Zeus’ transformation is complete so much that Leda does not recognise him: “And how can body, laid in that white rush, // But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?” Yeats uses double entendre yet again to describe “white rush” the first meaning could in fact be the visual rush of the feathers seen by Leda, however it could also describe the swans sperm after ejaculation which weakens Leda’s psychological defenses. Also, she opposes the rape, but Yeats seems to imply that she notices the heartbeat of the swan on top of her.

Next, Yeats writes: “A shudder in the loins engenders there”. To “engender” means to create life or bring to life, therefore highlighting that the swan has impregnated her (remember she gives birth to Helen of Troy). Whereas the “shudder in the loins” defines the completion of the sexual act. The next line in this stanza “The broken wall, the burning roof and tower // And Agamemnon dead.” This line involves ambiguity as this line is a direct reference to both an aftermath of war and sex. Yeats therefore traces a direct historical line from that moment to the destruction of the great ancient city of Troy and also presents the idea that Leda’s pregnancy will fit into the category of world history.

However, next Yeats presents a break in the line. This could represent the ejaculation which has taken place. Also the break between lines ten and eleven is very dramatic indeed. The poem essentially says that Leda is responsible for the burning of a city and also the death of a great king.

Penultimately, Yeats concludes with another important rhetorical question: “Did she put on his knowledge with his power // Before the indifferent break could let her drop?” This is a Yeatsian technique as this is used in other poems such as ‘Among School Children’, ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’, ‘The Cold Heaven’, and ‘The Second Coming’. This question questions whether or not Leda has consumed his power. However, later Zeus adopts the animal nature of the swan and acts “indifferent” towards Leda after he has got what he wanted originally. He lacks human emotions to express to her and consequently does not care what happens to her next. This question leaves the reader thinking whether or not Leda understood that it was Zeus, or did it happen too fast? We also think because animals are meant to be inferior to humans, did she gather that this swans power was too strong for it to be an animal?

To conclude, Yeats writes this poem with a lack of love which is ironic due to his current love life with Maud Gonne. He writes that  Leda has to lie and take the rape, like Ireland has to take British Rule. However, Yeats started writing the poem with respect to politics, perhaps representing the fall and corruption of Ireland in parallel with Troy. However, the ‘bird and lady took such possession of the scene that all politics went out of it’. Finally, when it comes to body parts Yeats leaves out pro-nouns like “his” or “her” to highlight that when Leda and the swan have sex they do become one although she may not want it.

The Wild Swans at Coole – W.B Yeats.

Written in 1915-1918 when W.B Yeats was on average 52 years old. The poem highlights that he is not in fact as care-free as he used to be. This poem discusses the main themes of pain, death, sadness, and change which are all related to ageing. It is written in the form of an elegy which highlights both the death of his love life and also the fact that Yeats himself is coming closer to his death.

Firstly, the title ‘The Wild Swans at Coole’ is very literal, as the ‘swans’ were who Yeats used to observe in Coole Park in a magnificent retreat about 130 miles away from Dublin. However, describing the swans as ‘Wild’ creates a paradox between the voice and the actual swans due to the swans not being tamed or civilised. Moreover, by the use of ‘swans’, Yeats creates this huge message of the swans having an inability to age, and also feeling carefree about life – which is a huge contrast from the feelings of the voice; this is done to highlight the many themes used throughout this poem. In ‘Coole’ park the speaker tries to escape the reality of city-life, however there is no escape from times harsh reality which is why he reflects on how awful it is to get older.

Throughout Yeats uses very simple language just as he does with ‘The Fisherman’, ‘September 1913’ and ‘An Irish Airman’. This helps make the message direct and clear to the reader that his love life is at an end and that he is coming to the ‘autumn’ of his own life too. He uses cold pastoral language which has a feeling of tranquility just like in ‘An Irish Airman’ and ‘The Fisherman’. The line length has a mixture of both short and long lines to add to the sense of tranquility and its slow pace. Also, the poem has alternate rhyme which stresses the fact that the speaker is experiencing loss of direction and also questioning who he is, and how he got there.

However, throughout Yeats’ poetry he uses a lot of symbols. The main symbol in this poem is that of the ‘swan’. A ‘swan’ is a symbol of beauty, and also energy and permanence. In the poem they do not age like the speaker does, nor do they have any negative feelings towards change. He clarifies that there are “nine-and-fifty Swans” which highlights that there is one swan left out – just like himself with nobody to love. Also, he is either too familiar with the Swans or that he is that intrigued by their differences and  has counted them, but unfortunately had the result of an odd number.

Yeats often repeats the word “still” throughout this poem. When he states “Mirrors a still sky;” he is making a direct reference to ‘The Cold Heaven’ and is also highlighting the permanence of “still” water/sky. The use of the last still in the last stanza “But now they drift on the still water” highlights the unrealistic behaviour of the swans, as they have just been “scatter[ing]” and “paddle[ing]” upon the water. This gives the reader the message that these creatures are not exactly observed creatures, but rather acting in a way of which suits the speaker and his mood whether it is energetic when he admires them or “still” when he discusses them moving on and leaving him for good.

At the start of the poem Yeats writes “autumn beauty” which is an oxymoron, as not many people state that autumn is beautiful. Autumn is also the season of change, and also represents death which could link to both Yeats’ love life and himself. He then moves on to state “Under the October twilight the water // Mirrors a still sky;”. The direct emphasis on “October” and “twilight” suggest both change and an ending. The speaker refers to the end of day and end of year as he is also entering the end of his life. Finally “October”, “autumn” and “twilight” all describe literal things describing darkness, it is not until later he describes a more emotional darkness.

In the second stanza the swans “All suddenly mount”. This foreshadows his message/vision at the end of the poem; the fact that he is doomed by the swans leaving him and moving on to impress other people makes his heart “sore”. By his use of “sore” it adds to the fact that pain/heartache comes along with old age. Although, stated previously he classes these swans as “brilliant creatures” he still feels sad due to the idea that although these swans are still brilliant, life is not.

Importantly, he describes the swans as “Unwearied still” which means that despite everything that has happened in the world whether it be good or bad, they still remain unaffected as they continue to “paddle in the cold” just as if nothing around them seems strange and consequently they are continuing with life – just like everyone around the speaker. He then states that “Their hearts have not grown old”, which is indeed very sad as this states that the speakers heart has grown old and therefore has changed.

By Yeats describing nature as “Mysterious, beautiful” it highlights that he is describing it as something we still do not understand. We understand that it is beautiful, but nothing more. By using the adjective  “Mysterious” he highlights a sense of the unknown which could be a reference to his future without love, or even his afterlife.

Penultimately, Yeats concludes with another rhetorical question “By what lake’s edge or pool // Delight men’s eyes when I awake some day // To find they have flown away?” this is a common Yeatsian technique. He uses this in other poems such as ‘Among School Children’, ‘Leda and the Swan’, ‘The Cold Heaven’, and ‘The Second Coming’. This final question is indeed very melancholic due to the swans as well as nature outlasting him in the end. The question also identifies the idea of it being easier to picture the swans leaving him rather than to think of him leaving the world. It could also be metaphorically describing his love that has flown away. However, “awake” suggests that it is a new awareness of things. Also, the swans’ disappearance is like death.

Lastly, “The Wild Swans at Coole” is an evocative poem in which Yeats uses a familiar setting and the memory of an experience, now being re-lived, to express his very own awareness of the ageing process. He uses the season of “autumn” and the month “October” to symbolise this difficult process. Also, the use of the beauty and power of the swans create a huge contrast with what Yeats is experiencing. They have not changed at all and therefore have not lost their desire for love and life. However, unfortunately, Yeats is quite aware that youth doesn’t remain forever, and his heart becomes “sore” with him knowing that growing older is necessary and change has to happen.

Early Critical Reception.

‘The Poems of W.B Yeats’ by Michael O’Neill was my allocated book. I chose the section of ‘Early Critical Reception’. In this blog post I shall sum up all that I have learnt from reading this section of the sourcebook. Throughout this chapter of the book there are a series of critical reviews on Yeats and his work. All these critical reviews are by either poets or literary critics. There are five in total and all of which show respect for Yeats and his work.

 

Lionel Johnson’s review. 

Research: Lionel Johnson (15 March 1867 – 4 October 1902) was a very good friend of W.B Yeats he was involved in the Rhymers’ Club with Yeats. He was an English poet, essayist and critic. 

Content: He feels in Yeats’ poems that he portrays a quality of thoughts and images incommunicable beauty, that is felt when read in the words and versus.

 

Authur Symons’s review.

Research: Authur Symons (28 February 1865 – 22 January 1945) was another very close friend of W.B Yeats as he shared rooms with him in 1896. He was also involved in the Rhymers’ Club with Yeats and Johnson. He was a British poet, critic and magazine editor. 

Content: He states that Yeats in his poem ‘The Wind among the reeds’ shows an articulated desire to be ‘profoundly personal’ in his poetry. He also states that Mr Yeats has chosen his symbolism out of Irish mythology which gives him the advantage of an elaborate poetic background new to modern poetry.

 

Austin Clarke’s review.

Research: Austin Clarke (May 9, 1896–March 19, 1974) was a leading Irish poet after the generation of W. B. Yeats. He wrote poetry, plays, novels and memoirs. Clarke’s early poetry shows the influence of Yeats therefore he thought of Yeats as a role model. 

Content: In Yeats’ work and poem ‘The Tower’ Clarke states that the imagination retains its freedom and capacity for symbolic transformation of experience. He also includes that it gives a succinct account of the conflict between personal and public that gives life to the volume.

 

Louise Bogan’s review.

Research: Louise Bogan (August 11, 1897 – February 4, 1970) was an American poet and critic. She was the poetry editor of The New Yorker magazine for nearly 40 years. 

Content: Bogan’s explanation for Yeats’ poetry is that it captivates in his later work to convey a sense that a whole personality is involved. She says that he has a powerful intellect that shows through every part of his poetry in his later work. However, the early Yeats was in many ways a romantic exile seeking a way from reality.

 

F.R Leavis’s review.

Research: F.R Leavis (14 July 1895 – 14 April 1978) was an influential British literary critic of the early-to-mid-twentieth century. 

Content: Although Leavis respects Yeats he finds his writing rather saddening. He expresses a complex tension as it balances the claims of different positives towards Yeats. He states that the sadness makes the volume painful to read due to what is in it reminds one of a point about ‘Byzantium’ compared unfavourably by Leavis with ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ as he states it develops into an intensity of bitterness of an agonized sense of frustrate impotence.

 

Lastly, of the five people I have researched shown above all have different opinions on Yeats’ work. Although some show hostility some admire his work. However despite this they all still have respect for Yeats as he was a ‘poet for the people’.

Documentary on the Radio…

At 8pm I listened to the broadcast about ‘Yeats and Heaney: A Terrible Beauty’ instead of watching ‘The X-Factor’ (which for me is very impressive). This is what I have got out of this experience…

General impressions of Yeats include the fact he was a noble authoritative figure, very dignified, and a country gentleman. This is proven in his sentiment that he portrays in his poems.  However, others saw Yeats as a snob and arrogant, although, a few people felt that he needed this characteristic to protect his integrity.

When he was growing up the authority in Ireland was invested in the British state. Thus when he establishes authority in culture throughout his poems he is going back to that period of his life. He is a urban English speaking individual and is respected and known as the voice of Ireland. He also succeeds to alter his voice that speaks for the Irish culture instead of the Irish context.

He was deeply interested in another world, he also had a deep interest in spirituality. This is also portrayed through many of his poems such as: The Cold Heaven and The Fisherman.

Throughout his life he lived between both English and Ireland as he did in fact have an English family. He did not speak Gaelic, but he was still respected as the voice of a new Irish culture. However, some cultural revolutionaries judged him as unauthentic due to these reasons.

He is described as a national poet, however how is he when he identifies so openly with a privileged minority within the nation. Yeats’ newest poetry is full of memories for the old ascendancy and of the content for democracy.

He is very proud of the protestant heritage (as he was protestant) and therefore describes this in ‘September 1913′ when he states “For this Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone,”. This is due to them fighting for their freedom in Ireland instead of using their religion as an excuse. However, in ‘Easter 1916′ he refers to those with a Republican background, “I write it out in a verse – MacDonagh and MacBride And Connolly and Pearse”.

Interestingly enough the broadcast had numerous recordings of Yeats himself and also Maud Gonne. It was also interesting to hear and understand Heaney’s description of Yeats himself and how he has inspired him. I personally found this documentary very informative as now I understand Yeats much more than I did previously.

Easter 1916 – W.B Yeats.

‘Easter 1916’ by William Butler Yeats (W.B Yeats) is along with ‘September 1913’ a political poem. Yeats describes an Irish immature revolutionary plan, which became unsuccessful to overthrow the British reign in Ireland. Yeats believed that these heroic figures who fought for the freedom should be remembered and thus decided to write about them to share his pride with the world.

Interestingly enough the structure of this poem is very exciting. There are sixteen lines in both the first and third stanza hence ‘1916’. In the second and fourth stanza there are twenty four hence ’24th April’ the date the rising began. Lastly there are four stanza’s as April is the fourth month.

The first verse reflects the point of view of a flâneur (French: Meaning – ”Stroller”). The very first observation that is made obvious is the “vivid faces” these vivid faces are those of the youthful idealists of whom have the ambition to change the future of Ireland.

He then moves on to state “polite meaningless words” this highlights his patronising attitude towards those normal day average people who are “from counter or desk”. He shows no interest in these “grey” people consequently he greets them with a meaningless “nod of the head” or words of formality without any significance.

In the second stanza Yeats describes the story of people who participated in the Irish Revolution. A specific person who he makes reference to is John MacBride who was with the love of his life, but also “had done most bitter wrong // To some who are near my heard.” which portrays that he was in fact very abusive to Maud Gonne. However he puts his own emotions to one side as “He, too, has resigned his part”. Moreover, just after he names a few revolutionists he writes “casual comedy”, which gives the message that human life is extremely unvalued and leaves the question: “All these people died for what?“ engraved in many minds.

Throughout the third verse his main point is nature. The repetition of “stone“ throughout this verse is very important as when thrown into a stream a stone displaces water and the natural order of things; the revolutionaries do the same thing, “a stone to trouble the living stream”. However the summary of this verse is that it gives the message that nature lives in the moment, but the natural order of things will soon be destroyed. Lastly in the third verse the last line is different and states “The stone’s in the midst of all” is the stone: disruption; strength or Ireland?

In the final verse Yeats does a final count of the revolutionaries of who fought in this battle. At first people were anonymous, but later identified by name so that they are remembered and are not easily forgotten.

Lastly throughout the entire poem three of four versus all end with “A terrible beauty is born”, which is an oxymoron as it fits all the different views in each stanza together, also it reminds the reader of the real issues of fighting.

In conclusion, these fighters will live forever inspiring future revolutionaries. Furthermore, the true terrible beauty is in fact the revolutionaries themselves as they are the true reason why so many deceased and will continue to decease; the reason why both the ‘Easter Rising’ began, and so many more will continue as Ireland still have not gained full independence.