Yeats, William Butler - Poetry

William Butler Yeats

Symbolism of Yeats’ characterize his poem. Something visionary to evoke precise

emotions. Image of his secret Joyce represents secret life, experience of modern

people. The intention is reveal what a secret life was. Falcon is an image used by

Yeats, rapacity, violence, out of control. Swan: a free spirit, grace, duty. Philosophical

interpretation, house what history is. Dark forces by tower of a castle. Ireland hunted

by its past. Dancer: a female dancer of joyous knowledge, esthetic knowledge of

philosophy. According to him European history was a s two cones, one cone into the

other. History passage from subjectivity to objectivity represented by the two cones

and their movement is a spiritual one. This movement is what history is. One cone is

getting larger and larger the other little and little. They are following different

direction. These cones represented subjectivity and objectivity. Subjectivity dominate

objectivity. People are lost in otherness; people think others, concentrated on the

other. Subjectivity from others to himself. Great personality dominate during

subjectivity. In an objectivity period there’s otherness, there are not great

personalities. Look like is neighbor. Time of Christ is period of objectivity. There’s a

leader but you have to consider his position because he is at the same level of the

other. Investigate what history is, is the intention of Yeats. In a chaotic period you can’t

decide if is an objective or a negative one. Modern age is a chaotic period.

“Easter 1916”

The intention is not explained otherness and selfness. I met people, I didn’t distinguish

the author and the other. There’s a specific period “close f day”, the darkness of the

evening. General view of Dublin and of people represented in their daily routine.

“Them” talking about ordinary people, common people having a common job and the

poet met them. Realistic description. Objective to describe people and the real

landscape. There’s no a relationship between the two. Very common situation, they

live in the same place but they are not close friends. Familiar scene to stress the

importance of the routine. Something is making them change. Continuous repetition of

the same thing but there’s something that change and makes the other different.

Animals to reinforce the idea of a change, rapid and constant change but is not so

natural in people is a negative aspect. Fast and rapid change because stopped to live

their routine. It’s different from the change of animals and cloud cause is natural. They

pretend to be revolutionary people. Fighting in the revolution for freedom of Ireland.

They are the modern heroes because they fight for Ireland to change their existence.

They have a redom to do this and it’s different from the one of nature. They consider

freedom really important and they devoted their lie to this and for this reason they

change. They are ready to act for their mother country. They are not paralyzed they

are changing; they pretend to act to have an active role. A terrible duty, minute by

minute all changed. During insurrection, people change. It’s stressed the fact that

there’s something positive and something negative at the same time. The author is

not describing the horror side, he simply said that there are two side. Revolution is

making them different from people that they were at the beginning. They are changing

simply for a reason not following a life scheme. They don’t change all the aspects of

their life, they simply change their freedom.

They are not brave. They have not enthusiasm. Nothing is important. There’s no

enthusiasm in their life. A pitiful attitude, they change, they make something

concreate. Heroism can be consider a value. They fight for Ireland there’s a sort of

patriotism. Terrible beauty is the freedom of the country. Terrible: insurrection change

people. Beauty: generated by this terrible condition.