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.

September 1913 – W.B Yeats.

‘September 1913’ by William Butler Yeats (W.B Yeats) was written as part of the ‘Responsibilities’ collection. The poem describes and compares Ireland in 1913 to the old Ireland of which he loves. This poem is in fact Yeats’ reaction to the apathy of Ireland as he hates how nationalists worked at the time.

The language of the poem is simple monosyllabic words, this is so that everyone is able to read his views and therefore his message could be read by all. Throughout the entire poem each verse holds eight lines, which demonstrates the stability Yeats yearns for in Ireland during the time when he wrote the poem. However the rhyme and rhythm is ‘ABA‘ throughout the whole poem, this specific term gives the whole poem a spiteful tone.

Instantly Yeats very cleverly engages with the reader when he states, “what need you”, this quotation engages the reader instantly, which gives off the effect of both the urgency and importance in which the following contents will portray. However, he is  referring to both the middle class workers of the time and the greedy Nationalists as it is them who have destroyed the ‘Romantic Ireland’ of which he loved.

Also in the first verse Yeats uses a rhetorical question which gives off a very strong meaning, due to it’s use of being in the middle of the stanza it brings the readers attention directly to it.

“You have dried the marrow from the bone?”

This rhetorical question gives the reader a very direct image of death which therefore hints at the main topic in the poem the fact that “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone”. This quotation could also represent symbolism for the sellers taking away both the decency and courage of “Romantic Ireland”.

Throughout three of the four verses in the poem there is a repetition of the following lines:

“Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, 

It’s with O’Leary in the grave”

O’Leary was in fact a father figure for Yeats as he was a strong believer in Ireland gaining independence from Britain and therefore was a very firm Irish icon. The use of this constant repetition highlights how upset he is now that Ireland’s ‘gone’ and how disgusted he is with society.

In stanza two he begins by stating a “different kind”, this could be a reference to either people who are in fact very different to 1913’s Irish and are therefore heroes or a reference to the Catholics and Protestants those who are willing to fight and those who use their religion as an excuse. He also moves on to say:

“The names that stilled your childish play,

They have gone about the world like wind”

This quotation states that when they were just children these heroes were about and he is appalled by the way in which these very famous names that “stilled” their “childish play” have been very easily gone, left and most of all forgotten. Soon after he states:

“little time had they to pray”

This is complete mockery to modern Ireland due to many Catholics praying rather than fighting therefore Yeats very stubbornly puts across that the greatest leaders of Ireland very confidently dedicated their lives without having any time to pray to those in the future.

Yeats then throughout the poem makes many references to the heroic figures of the past these include: Edward Fitzgerald; Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone – all of whom fought for Ireland and therefore died in vain. Yeats in the last stanza makes a reference to another lady of whom was also a very noble Irish icon Maude Gonne who was infact a freedom fighter.

Another valid point is how Yeats ends the last verse. He ends the verse differently than the repetition of which ends the others. He writes:

“But let them be, they’re dead and gone,

They’re with O’Leary in the grave.”

This dramatic change highlights the finality of the poem and also the fact that if these people were to come back they would be completely devastated in Ireland and therefore should not be disturbed they should be left alone as otherwise they will see the futility of their work.

In conclusion although Yeats states that these famous icons are in fact dead and gone they are not due to people just like Yeats writing about them therefore they are still here in the heart and soul of Irish History. Yeats proves that nobody really dies they only die when they have in fact been forgotten.