The timeless essence and the ambivalence in Yeats’ poems urge the reader’s response to relevant themes in society today. This enduring power of Yeats’ poetry, influenced by the Mystic and pagan influences is embedded within the textual integrity drawn from poetic techniques and structure when discussing relevant contextual concerns.…
Literature: William Butler YeatsIn the literary world, among the 20th century giants is William Butler Yeats. An Irish-born dramatist, poet and prose writer, Yeats is regarded as one of the towering giants of English-language writing for the century. Yeats, who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, was one of those responsible for the famed Irish Literary Renaissance movement (Hallstrom). One of Yeats ' greatest works is The Land of Heart 's Desire, a magical fairy poetry that is…
Williams never served in the military, but he did hold an obvious respect for American heroes that will never be forgotten.…
William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a lawyer and happened to be a well know artist of the time. Yeats was educated in both England, specifically London, and in Dublin, Ireland. Although the majority of his summers were spent in the west of Ireland in the family's summerhouse. Yeats was involved in societies that attempted to write and compose Irish literature. His first piece of literature appeared in 1887, but in his earlier period his dramatic production outweighed his poetry both in bulk and in import. Alongside Lady Gregory he founded the Irish Theatre, which became the Abbey Theatre, which served as its chief playwright until John Synge joined the movement. After 1910, Yeats's dramatic art took a sharp turn toward a static, and…
During the mid-60’s, in a time where the nation was separated and segregated by race, an author named James Baldwin stood up for his thoughts and opinions. While the people of the United States waged war against each other, James Baldwin reached out to those who were unaware of the hardships of his people and showed them what it was like being an African American during the 1960’s.…
During his life, Longfellow was a well-known and famous poet. He received degrees from Cambridge and Oxford and was often visited by renowned figures from both America and Europe. He was so popular that his birthday was celebrated by many Americans (Allaback) and after his death he even had a bust of himself “placed in Westminster Abbey with the greatest English poets” ('Footprints on the sands of time'). After his death, his work began to be viewed as unimpressive. A big reason for this change of attitude was because many of his works were seen as too sentimental and didactic (Allaback). Longfellow attempted to teach didactic lessons to his readers through his poems, causing them to be a debated topic by critics in both positive and negative ways.…
Yeats himself said "Poetry is no rootless flower, but the speech of man" and this concept is reflected deeply in his poetic works as he expresses concerns and ideas of close regard to himself and makes them memorable to the reader through his linguistic craftsmanship and mastery of poetic techniques. The Wild Swans At Coole (hereafter WS) examines the theme of intimate change and personal yearning, whilst The Second Coming (hereafter SC) examines change in context with cultural dissolution and fear. It is because Yeats' poetry is so deeply grounded in his own human feelings and is such an artful expression of those emotions that the ideas he presents in these poems resonate with the reader long after the piece has been read.…
John Keats’s writing genre varied from work to work, as there were many in narrative, lyrical, and epic poetry (Henry 187). His early poetry was successful for its strong emotion while using themes of love, the relationship between poetry and nature, and the eternalness of beauty (Henry 187). He also enjoyed major success that endures to this day in “Laima”, “Isabella”, and “The Eve of St. Agnes” (Henry 187). Critics celebrate the dexterity, the wonderful imagery, and the sympathy that is in all of these poems (Henry 187). Though Keats had many successful poems, there was one early poem, Endymion, that was quite a failure (Henry 188). Many readers complained of Keats’s confusing and overuse of metaphors (Henry 188). Therefore, Keats was forced to change his style of writing because he was living solely off of the profits he received from writing (Henry 188). Keats’s writing also exemplified the Romantic idea of going back to a simpler, better time (Bergum…
Wyston Hughes Auden, or WH Auden, was a British poet, often considered by critics to be one of the best England has ever produced. Auden’s work is known, not only for its remarkable poetic calibre and craftsmanship but also for his skilful portrayal of myriad themes- ranging from the political, social, ethical, to the moral and even the individual.…
Yeats, W B, 1994. The Collected Poems of W. B. Yeats. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Editions Ltd.…
The Romantic Movement brought along a change in literacy and art. It also introduced many prominent poets to the time period, one of these poets being John Keats. He “wrote some of the greatest English language poems including” Bright Star (Merriman 1). Although his life was very short, he left an imprint for poets such as Lord Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen (Ziraldo 1). His work has been characterized as containing “elaborate word choice and sensual imagery” (1). Additionally, his poetry has been identified as “varied, intense, and rich in texture and experience,” despite living a short life of only twenty-five years. In order to truly understand the genius behind Keats’ work, it is important to first understand how he began…
At first glance of the title of this poem, I assumed that it would be about something lovely and inspirational, something that brought the author happiness and gave him the strength to go from day to day. And while reading this poem the first time through, without having researched John Keats or this poem, I was struck by the repetition of resolute diction. The continued use of words such as ‘still steadfast’, ‘forever’, and ‘still unchangeable’ made it obvious to me that the woman that had been on Keats’ mind during the composition of this poem was his one true love.…
Yeat’s pursuit to retain permanence for age and love, and the cultural impacts of the Irish revolution around him are the universal tensions and desires reflected in his poetry. “The Wild Swan’s at Coole” and “Easter 1916” unifies the understanding of life complexities and also its contradictions; the “beauty” of life, yet still the cruel existence of suffering. Yeat’s poetry, intends to release emotions beyond earthly bounds and provides insight of relating as a human being, and ultimately leaving behind a legacy, his art, to underpin the importance of desire.…
John Keats wrote many poems that had similar themes. Much of his work is considered to be a key part of Romantic Poetry. To understand one of his poems it is necessary to look beyond it to his other works and personal life. One poem worth just such a look is "Ode to a Grecian Urn". This poem contains not only aspects of his writing which are reflected in his other works but some certain stylistic elements that reflect aspects of his personal life.…
The poem September 1913 focuses on the time where the Irish Independence was at its highest. Yeats repeats the phrase “romantic Ireland” a lot in this poem as it refers to the sacrifice of the materialistic things for independence and freedom. To further emphasize the importance and greatness of the revolution, Yeats pointed out the names of heroic individuals who gave their lives to fight for the cause. Yeats did not give any detail about the Irish heroes but he does state that “they have gone about the world like wind” (11). The heroes were so famous; their names could be heard and talked about all over the world. In this poem, Yeats does not go directly in to detail about the historical events that happened but focuses on the reactions of Ireland’s citizens and what may have lead to the revolution for independence. According to Yeats, there was a happening or an “inspiration” that had occurred that made way for Ireland to fight for independence as he says “you’d cry ‘some woman’s yellow hair has maddened every mother’s son’” (28). This actually refers to a folkloric character by the name of Cathleen Ni Houlihan, who isn’t…