William Butler Yeats: The Second Coming. In The Second Coming, William Butler brings forth religious elements while using various literary elements to spice up his poem. William Butler, in his poem, is quite captivating the way he puts across his ideas. One may easily interpret the poem as per its title as the return of Christ. It focuses on the biblical allusion whereby it emphasizes religious beliefs and convictions. According to the book of Revelation, talks about the second coming fill the air while this poem tries to relate to such teachings. Based on allusions, the writer also gives a view of two familiar figures in religion which are the beast and Antichrist. Such figures have been prophesied over and over during the period of the Great Tribulation to rise drastically. According to the lines "What rough beast, its hour come round at last, /Slouches towards Bethlehem to be …show more content…
The fact that he uses an image of Falcon escaping the falconer, as seen before, shows that the world is in the critical process of swinging out of control. It may probably be because of the deeds of its inhabitants. It also goes ahead to frame a period of 2000 years. It is a great historical evolution beginning from Christ's birth while war concludes it all. It, therefore, shows how the poem is inclined to religious matters, especially those that are documented in biblical contexts. (Yeats &Peter, p. 30) Use of the words "widening gyre" in line 1 is a representation of symbol of death and destruction. He then goes ahead to apply the symbol of a kind of a tide, "blood-dimmed", to show the destruction of hope. In this context, however, the human race needs an immediate salvation. In biblical teachings, it reaches a point in human life that one needs a salvation to ditch the old ways and take up new ones. It would then make it easier for such a particular person to live a healthier
...veryone else. He wakes up every day ready to crow his symbol to bring on that day. In the poem he is ready to protect all the female chickens, from another cock that could be in there house. He is ready to battle to the death for what he thinks is his. In this poem he uses ridicule, when he is talking about the old man in a terminal ward, and he also uses connotations. Some example of connotations are when he uses words like; enraged, sullenly, savagery, unappeased and terminal.
The overall themes of this poem are beauty, love, and destiny. The speaker constantly discusses beautiful things and how they can help us. Love can be felt throughout the entire poem. In the first stanza, the speaker verbalizes how he “came with love of the race.” He also expresses love for the beautiful things around him. The theme destiny can be seen in the third stanza when the speaker talks about staying on course. It can also be identified in the last stanza when he describes something inevitable that was about to
...t is arguable that the birds fight is also a metaphor, implying the fight exists not only between birds but also in the father’s mind. Finally, the last part confirms the transformation of the parents, from a life-weary attitude to a “moving on” one by contrasting the gloomy and harmonious letter. In addition, readers should consider this changed attitude as a preference of the poet. Within the poem, we would be able to the repetitions of word with same notion. Take the first part of the poem as example, words like death, illness
The tile of the poem “Bird” is simple and leads the reader smoothly into the body of the poem, which is contained in a single stanza of twenty lines. Laux immediately begins to describe a red-breasted bird trying to break into her home. She writes, “She tests a low branch, violet blossoms/swaying beside her” and it is interesting to note that Laux refers to the bird as being female (Laux 212). This is the first clue that the bird is a symbol for someone, or a group of people (women). The use of a bird in poetry often signifies freedom, and Laux’s use of the female bird implies female freedom and independence. She follows with an interesting image of the bird’s “beak and breast/held back, claws raking at the pan” and this conjures a mental picture of a bird who is flying not head first into a window, but almost holding herself back even as she flies forward (Laux 212). This makes the bird seem stubborn, and follows with the theme of the independent female.
This gives the effect that although there is mass devastation, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, in this case for the eagle, the leftover remains of a carcass. However, as seen throughout the poem this isn’t the case for everyone and everything as the dead or dying clearly outnumber those prospering from the drought. This further adds to the miserable and discouraging mood of the poem. Other poetic devices are also used during the course of the
The speaker is addressing Knievel directly and begins the first sentence by sympathizing with him and uses imagery to communicate Knievel’s attempts as failures. Even if the reader did not know Evel Knievel the image of a “malfunctioning parachute” witnessed by bystanders can lead to the conclusion that Knievel provided some kind of spectator entertainment and allows the reader to feel not only sympathy, but empathy. Everyone can relate to some kind of public shortcoming or embarrassment. However before this compassionate tone takes over the entire poem, the speak...
"The blood-dimmed tied is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned". As many currently see our society today, Yeats was in fear of what the future had in store, and felt it necessary to warn society of their abominable behavior. All of the good in the society has been taken over and overwhelmed by the horrible actions. No longer do ceremonies, or acts of kindness, take place, which Yeats believes is a direct effect of the loss of youth and innocence. "That twenty centuries of stony sleep were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle". This quote from "The Second Coming" informs the society that if they do not begin to correct their transgressions against one another as a whole they will awake the anti-Christ. The anti-Christ will come to claim his Jesus and correct the predicament that they have gotten themselves in to.
Though the way it relates to people in the 19th century and the way it relates to the modern world greatly differs, the symbolism in the poem and shift in tone throughout it shows a great appeal to human nature, and how desperate one can be to change it. The symbolism in the poem paints a ghastly picture of a man’s life, falling apart as he does his best, and worst, to keep it safe from himself. In lines 1 through 8 (stanza one), he gives a brief description of an incident in his life where things have gone wrong. “When the tiger approaches can the fast-fleeting hind/Repose trust in his footsteps of air?/No! Abandoned, he sinks into a trance of despair,” He uses these lines to show the lack of control he has over his actions, how his will to change his circumstances has weakened.
Moore begins the last stanza with an ambiguous “So”. Although one has a heightened awareness of mortality, one “behaves,” one keeps the ego disciplined. This is the same concept as that of the caged bird who, though held captive in a cruelly small space, continues to sing with all his heart. Despite the bird's lack of “satisfaction” because of his loss of flight and freedom, he knows “joy”.
As a way to end his last stanza, the speaker creates an image that surpasses his experiences. When the flock rises, the speaker identifies it as a lady’s gray silk scarf, which the woman has at first chosen, then rejected. As the woman carelessly tosses the scarf toward the chair the casual billow fades from view, like the birds. The last image connects nature with a last object in the poet's
The birds show symbolism in more than one way throughout the text. As the soldiers are travelling from all over the world to fight for their countries in the war, the birds are similarly migrating for the change of seasons. The birds however, will all be returning, and many of the soldiers will never return home again. This is a very powerful message, which helps the reader to understand the loss and sorrow that is experienced through war.
The Christian Apocalypse, also known as the end of the world is described in great detail by the Book of Revelation. Revelations is one of the most famous End of the World stories. The book itself is the last book in the bible, and is described as a scroll with seven wax seals. In the myth as the scroll unravels, a series of events unfolds. This begins with many wars, famines, diseases, and other heavenly signs to alert the world that the apocalypse is here. After series of natural disasters, a political ruler called the Antichrist will appear and will take control over the entire earth.
He is almost sleeping while doing this. This creates a very powerful visual image. It epitomizes how the people left to grieve act. Many people stricken by death want to be left alone and bottle themselves up. The first few lines of the poem illustrate how deeply in sorrow the man is. This image should affect everyone. It should make the reader sympathize or even empathize with the man. Another main way he uses imagery is through the black bird or the raven. The presence of the bird is a bad omen. It is supposed to be followed by maleficent things. The bird is used to symbolize death figuratively and literally. The bird only says one word the entire poem. It repeats “nevermore.” This word can be interpreted multiple ways each time it is said. It is also possible that the bird is not talking. It is possible that the bird is an image created by
bird as the metaphor of the poem to get the message of the poem across
The second and third stanzas describe Adam¡¦s rebellion against the punishment and the ¡§insult¡K the trick They had played on us¡¨, ¡¥They¡¦ being God and Satan whom Adam has grouped together as a united opposition. Adam was discontent with the new life and strove to build a new Eden and put God ¡¥out of business¡¦.