Seamus Heaney An Irish Airman essay
An Irish Airman Foresees his Death - W.B. Yeats
I found this poem, 'An Irish Airman Foresees his Death' extremely interesting and poignant. In this poem Yeats adopts the persona of Major Robert Gregory, the only son of Lady Gregory, whom the poet was great friends with. Gregory volunteered to fight in World War One alongside the British against their German enemies. What I found to be most interesting are the reasons why Gregory decieded to enlist in the army and fight.
Gregory did not enlist because he hated his German enemies 'Those that I fight I do not hate', nor because he loves the British and their allies 'Those that I guard I do not love'. He enlisted for balance. The speakers only allegiance is to his home in County Galway and to the poor people who live there: 'My country is Kilcartan Cross,/ My countrymen Kilcartan's poor...' These lines evoke Robert Gregory's sympathetic character. The speaker's motivation for volunteering is not to be found in any 'external' forces or influences, but deep withim his own psyche. He was driven to volunteer by his passion for adventure, and by a desire to confront his fate: 'A lonely impulse of delight/ Drove to this tumult in the clouds...'
I enjoyed studying this poem for it's underlying poignancy. As a reader, I was struck by the bleak tone of the closing lines. Having taken account of each and every aspect of his life; 'I balanced all...'; the speaker views the future as meaningless and futile: 'The years to come seemed a waste of breath...'. The final lines of the poem reflect the grim logic of a man who seems to regard his life as pointless and is ready to meet his fate 'somewhere among the clouds above'. The underyling poignancy is extremely evident at this stage as the reader feels that such a death as to die in action would be his final adventurous exploit.
In conclusion I enjoyed this poem for the speaker's hidden yet understandable reasons to enlist to fight in the war and for it's underlying poignancy in
I found this poem, 'An Irish Airman Foresees his Death' extremely interesting and poignant. In this poem Yeats adopts the persona of Major Robert Gregory, the only son of Lady Gregory, whom the poet was great friends with. Gregory volunteered to fight in World War One alongside the British against their German enemies. What I found to be most interesting are the reasons why Gregory decieded to enlist in the army and fight.
Gregory did not enlist because he hated his German enemies 'Those that I fight I do not hate', nor because he loves the British and their allies 'Those that I guard I do not love'. He enlisted for balance. The speakers only allegiance is to his home in County Galway and to the poor people who live there: 'My country is Kilcartan Cross,/ My countrymen Kilcartan's poor...' These lines evoke Robert Gregory's sympathetic character. The speaker's motivation for volunteering is not to be found in any 'external' forces or influences, but deep withim his own psyche. He was driven to volunteer by his passion for adventure, and by a desire to confront his fate: 'A lonely impulse of delight/ Drove to this tumult in the clouds...'
I enjoyed studying this poem for it's underlying poignancy. As a reader, I was struck by the bleak tone of the closing lines. Having taken account of each and every aspect of his life; 'I balanced all...'; the speaker views the future as meaningless and futile: 'The years to come seemed a waste of breath...'. The final lines of the poem reflect the grim logic of a man who seems to regard his life as pointless and is ready to meet his fate 'somewhere among the clouds above'. The underyling poignancy is extremely evident at this stage as the reader feels that such a death as to die in action would be his final adventurous exploit.
In conclusion I enjoyed this poem for the speaker's hidden yet understandable reasons to enlist to fight in the war and for it's underlying poignancy in