Analysis of W. B. Yeats’s Poem ‘The Second Coming’ (A2.1)

Name: Rajeshvariba Rana

Roll No: 16

Semester: 2 (Batch 2022-24)

Enrolment number: 4069206420220023

Paper No: 106

Paper name: The 20th Century Literature: 1900 to WWII

Paper code: 22399

Topic: Analysis of  W. B. Yeats’s Poem ‘The Second Coming’

Submitted to: Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU

Email Address: rhrana148@gmail.com

Analysis of  W. B. Yeats’s Poem ‘The Second Coming'

W. B. Yeats:

William Butler Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Dublin, Ireland. John Butler Yeats, his father, was a lawyer and artist, and his mother, Susan Pollexfen Yeats, came from a wealthy family. Yeats spent a large part of his childhood in County Sligo, where he became interested in Irish folklore and the supernatural.

Yeats enrolled at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin in 1884 to study painting. He also started writing poetry and joined the Irish Literary Society. He met poet and playwright George Russell (writing under the pen name AE) in 1887, and the two became close friends and collaborators.

Yeats's first book of poetry, "The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems," was published in 1891. The collection drew on Irish mythology and legends and established Yeats as a leading figure in the Irish Literary Revival. He continued to write poetry throughout his life, publishing numerous collections, including "The Wind Among the Reeds" (1899), "In the Seven Woods" (1903), and "The Tower" (1928).

In 1899, Yeats co-founded the Irish National Theatre Society, which later became the Abbey Theatre. He wrote many plays for the company, including "The Countess Cathleen" (1892), "The Land of Heart's Desire" (1894), and "Cathleen Ni Houlihan" (1902). His plays often explored themes of Irish nationalism, Irish folklore, and the occult.

Yeats was also interested in mysticism and the supernatural, and he became involved in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society that practised ritual magic. His interest in these subjects is reflected in his later poetry, which often deals with the occult and esoteric themes.

In 1917, Yeats married Georgie Hyde-Lees, with whom he had two children. He also became involved in Irish politics and was a member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood. In 1922, he was appointed to the Irish Senate and served until his death in 1939.

Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923, becoming the first Irishman to receive the honour. He died on January 28, 1939, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, and was buried in Drumcliffe Churchyard in County Sligo, Ireland. Today, he is regarded as one of the most important poets of the 20th century and a major figure in Irish literature and culture.

Yeats remains a highly regarded and influential figure in modern literature, and his work continues to be studied and celebrated around the world.

William Butler Yeats was a prolific writer, and his body of work includes poetry, plays, essays, and other writings.

List of Yeats’s works:

Poetry:

"The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems" (1891)

"The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics" (1892)

"The Celtic Twilight" (1893)

"In the Seven Woods" (1903)

"Responsibilities" (1914)

"The Wild Swans at Coole" (1919)

"Michael Robartes and the Dancer" (1921)

"The Tower" (1928)

"The Winding Stair and Other Poems" (1933)

"Last Poems" (1938)

Plays:

"The Countess Cathleen" (1892)

"The Land of Heart's Desire" (1894)

"Cathleen ni Houlihan" (1902)

"The Hour Glass" (1904)

"On Baile's Strand" (1904)

"Deirdre" (1907)

"The Green Helmet" (1910)

"The Only Jealousy of Emer" (1919)

"The Dreaming of the Bones" (1919)

Essays:

"The Celtic Revival" (1892)

"The Symbolism of Poetry" (1900)

"Ideas of Good and Evil" (1903)

"The Irish Dramatic Movement" (1903)

"Per Amica Silentia Lunae" (1918)

"A Vision" (1925)

Other writings:

"Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry" (1888)

"John Sherman and Dhoya" (1891)

"Stories of Red Hanrahan" (1897)

"The Secret Rose" (1897)

"Discoveries" (1907)

"The King of the Great Clock Tower" (1934)

Theme:

The central theme of W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" is an apocalyptic vision of a world out of control, as well as a warning that a new order may emerge from the chaos.

The poem's first stanza paints a bleak picture of the world, with the falcon and falconer symbolising the breakdown of traditional order as the bird flies away beyond the human master's control. The centre can no longer withstand the pressure, and chaos looms, represented by images of anarchy, violence, and disorder.

In the second stanza, Yeats invokes the image of a "rough beast" that is slowly making its way toward Bethlehem, waiting to be born. This beast is a symbol of the new order that will emerge from the chaos and destruction of the old world. The speaker warns that the beast is not benign, but instead represents a threat to traditional values and beliefs.

The theme of W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming" is about the cyclical nature of history, the breakdown of traditional order, and the potential for a new and destructive order to emerge from the chaos. The poem suggests that the world is in crisis, and that the old order is breaking down, leading to anarchy and violence. The speaker warns that a "rough beast" is approaching, symbolising the emergence of a new order, which is not necessarily benevolent or in keeping with traditional values.

The poem reflects Yeats' sense of the turmoil and upheaval of his time, marked by the aftermath of World War I, the rise of fascism and totalitarianism, and the collapse of traditional social and moral values. The poem suggests that history is cyclical and that the old order is always vulnerable to collapse and destruction, leading to the potential for a new and destructive order to emerge. The poem's overall message is one of warning and caution, as the speaker recognizes the fragility of human civilization and the potential for it to collapse in the face of powerful historical forces.

Poetic Devices :

Imagery: 

The poem makes use of vivid and evocative images to convey a sense of chaos, destruction, and impending doom. Examples include "the falcon cannot hear the falconer," "mere anarchy is loosed upon the world," and "The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere / The ceremony of innocence is drowned.

Symbolism: 

The falcon and falconer symbolise the breakdown of traditional order, while the "rough beast" represents the emergence of a new and destructive order. Bethlehem symbolises the birthplace of Christianity and the possibility of redemption.

Metaphor: 

The poem uses metaphor to compare the breakdown of traditional order to the widening gyre of a falcon, as well as to compare the new and destructive order to a "rough beast."

Allusion: 

The poem alludes to the biblical story of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, as well as to the idea of a "second coming" or apocalyptic event.

Repetition: 

The phrase "Things fall apart" is repeated twice in the poem, emphasising the theme of the breakdown of traditional order.

Rhyme: 

The poem uses a loose rhyme scheme of ABAB for the first three stanzas, and then a more irregular rhyme scheme for the final stanza.

Gyre:

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;”

A gyre is a spiral cone shape and part of Yeats's complicated view of mysterious historical forces. As one gyre of history gives way, another one takes over. 

Yeats is thinner in his writings than in his talk; very little of himself goes into his literature.

Similarly it may be said very truly that he is " thinner " in his verse than in his prose.

Yeats employs in the first line (denoting circular motion and repetition) a nod to Yeats’s mystical belief that history repeats itself in cycles.

Yeats regrets that the man has become from the restraints of morality , religion and discipline. 

It is preoccupied with image , symbol , imagination , poetic process , and the role of the poet . It is more , however , than a disquisition on poetry , although it is less than a key to total understanding of the poems . Sometimes bewildering and arbitrary but always absorbing , the book does manage to lock together the fragments of Yeats ' vision of the universe.

Yeats incorporates his own view of history and future through the image of the " gyres " , cone - shaped spirals that intersect so that each gyre's narrowest point is contained inside the widest part of the other.

Spiritus Mundi:

The second part sounds Christian in the beginning , but develops an image whose source is not Scripture but Spiritus Mundi , and which concerns something like an Egyptian Sphinx , and the passing of Christ in his favour.

Spiritus Mundi is the term he used for this collective unconscious.

With its animal body and human head, perhaps this beast says something about the "nightmare" to come. Though humans have tried to civilise themselves and improve their world, perhaps their more beastly animal nature has only been hidden, not defeated.

This type of hybrid creature is quite common in various mythologies, and is meant to convey a kind of freakishness, a sense of nature somehow going wrong.

Thus the image symbolises the coming historical phase of evil.

But the Beast is not imitating Christ's Second Coming at all . It is imitating his first coming.

Bethlehem:

Christians believe that Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the son of God. It is situated in the region that is today known as Palestine.

Thus Yeats can describe the second coming with an exhilaration not unlike the excitement and sense of pending rebirth which has accompanied our horror at the events which have destroyed American complacency in the last few years. 

The Second Coming is the Christian idea that Jesus will someday return to the earth and save those who are worthy.

It was written soon after the end of World War I, during which millions of people died in battle and millions more from its fallout. This immense devastation was a stark reminder of humanity's capacity for self-destruction. 

Conclusion:

"The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats is a powerful and evocative poem that reflects the early twentieth century's sense of turmoil and upheaval. To convey its themes of the cyclical nature of history, the breakdown of traditional order, and the potential for a new and destructive order to emerge from the chaos, the poem employs a variety of poetic devices, including vivid imagery, powerful symbolism, and effective use of metaphor, allusion, repetition, rhyme, and enjambment. The poem warns of the fragility of human civilization and the need to be vigilant against the forces that threaten to destroy it through its vivid and haunting language.

(Words 1700 ; Images 04)

Works Cited

Carberg, Joan S. “‘A Vision’ by William Butler Yeats.” Daedalus, vol. 103, no. 1, 1974, pp. 141–56. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024196. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Hexter, George J. “THE PHILOSOPHY OF WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS.” Texas Review, vol. 1, no. 3, 1916, pp. 192–200. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43465700. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Mamta. “A Study of Indian Philosophical Thoughts in W.B. Yeats' Poetry.” IJESC, March 2021, https://ijesc.org/upload/27d404039c911aae401e0331cd567143.A%20Study%20of%20Indian%20Philosophical%20Thoughts%20in%20W.B.%20Yeats%20Poetry.pdf. Accessed 27 March 202.

Ransom, John Crowe. “Yeats and His Symbols.” The Kenyon Review, vol. 1, no. 3, 1939, pp. 309–22. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4332091. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.

Yeats, William Butler, and WB Yeats. “The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.” Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming. Accessed 27 March 2023.

W.B.Yeats's Poems

W.B. Yeats (1865-1939) :

W.B. Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, and senator who was a central figure in the Celtic Twilight movement and one of the leading voices of 20th-century English-language poetry. Yeats is considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century and his works often explore themes of love, death, and the occult. Some of his most famous works include "The Lake Isle of Innisfree," "When You Are Old," "The Second Coming," and "Sailing to Byzantium."

W.B. Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Dublin, Ireland.

He died on January 28, 1939, in Roque rune - Cap-Martin, France at the age of 73.

W.B. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation." The Nobel Prize in Literature is awarded annually to an author from any country who has produced in the field of literature "the most outstanding work in an ideal direction." Yeats' works are known for their themes of love, death, and the occult, as well as their powerful imagery and musicality. His contributions to modernist literature and his ability to give voice to the Irish cultural and national identity were also factors in his winning the Nobel Prize.

Poems : 

"The Second Coming"

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand ;

Surely the Second Coming is at hand.

The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

The darkness drops again; but now I know

That twenty centuries of stony sleep

Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

Outka makes it clear that the pandemic wasn’t “forgotten”—it just went underground. Reading as a pandemic poem.

"The Second Coming" is a poem written by W.B. Yeats, first published in 1919 in his collection "Michael Robartes and the Dancer". It's a canonical poem. The poem is widely regarded as one of Yeats' masterpieces and a cornerstone of Modernist poetry.

The poem explores themes of disillusionment, societal change, and spiritual turmoil, and is often interpreted as a meditation on the aftermath of World War I and the decline of Western civilization.

The famous line "The center cannot hold" reflects Yeats' concern about the loss of tradition and the chaos that was emerging in the world around him.

The line "The center cannot hold" from W.B. Yeats's poem "The Second Coming" refers to the idea of societal and cultural decay and the loss of stability in the world. It suggests that the central values, beliefs, and norms that previously held society together are no longer able to maintain their influence and control, leading to a breakdown of order and the rise of chaos. The line is often interpreted as a commentary on the sense of uncertainty and upheaval in the aftermath of World War I and the decline of Western civilization. He indicates that the digression of social values is very harmful.

                     Study material upon this line of the poem.

The lines suggest that the loss of stability and moral authority has led to a sense of moral decay and a rise of evil. The lines are often interpreted as a commentary on the aftermath of World War I and the decline of Western civilization, reflecting a sense of disillusionment.

They describe a society in which traditional values and norms have broken down and the once virtuous and moral individuals have lost their sense of purpose and conviction, while those who are considered evil or wicked are full of conviction and drive.

That means good people lose their faith and evil is motivated to do bad things.

The poem describes a world that is falling apart, and Yeats uses vivid imagery to evoke a sense of chaos and uncertainty. The "vast image out of Spiritus Mundi" refers to a vision of the future that Yeats sees, and the "shape with lion body and the head of a man" represents a monstrous creature that is coming into being.

The creature's "gaze blank and pitiless as the sun" suggests that it is indifferent to human suffering, and the "shadows of the indignant desert birds" suggest that it is causing widespread destruction.

The final lines of the poem are particularly haunting, as Yeats suggests that the creature's arrival has been foretold by the "twenty centuries of stony sleep" - a reference to the two thousand years that have passed since the birth of Christ. The "rough beast" that is slouching towards Bethlehem is a symbol of chaos and destruction, and the poem ends on a note of uncertainty and dread, as Yeats wonders what kind of world this creature will bring forth when it is born.

• Bethlehem- Where Jesus Christ first born.

"On Being Asked for a War Poem"

I think it better that in times like these

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.

A rhyme scheme ABC, ABC and written in Iambic Pentameter. The first three lines refer to the poet’s attitude to writing about war; the next three lines write on the self-imposed limits of the poet’s interventions in the world. (Analysis)

His (W.B.Yeats) line ‘We have no gift to set a statesman right’ is a forerunner to Auden’s famous line that ‘poetry makes nothing happen’, and the similarity is no coincidence: Auden makes that well-known statement in his elegy for W. B. Yeats, written in 1939.

"On Being Asked for a War Poem" was written in 1915, during the early years of World War I. The poem explores Yeats' struggle with the expectations placed upon him as a poet to write about the war.

In the poem, Yeats begins by acknowledging the request for a war poem, but quickly expresses his hesitation to write one. He suggests that war poems are not as simple as they may seem, and that the subject matter is difficult for a poet to approach. He also suggests that war is not a suitable subject for poetry, as it is an ugly and violent experience.

Yeats then goes on to describe the complexity of war, stating that it is not simply a matter of good versus evil. He suggests that war is a struggle between two opposing forces, both of which may believe they are fighting for what is right. He describes the horror and tragedy of war, and suggests that it is not something that can be easily captured in a poem.

The final stanza of the poem contains a powerful image of a soldier who has died in battle, and the futility of the conflict in which he fought. Yeats suggests that there is no glory in war, and that the true tragedy lies in the loss of life that it causes.

Why he wrote this poem?

He wrote the poem "On Being Asked for a War Poem" in response to a request for him to write a poem about the ongoing World War I. At the time, Yeats was living in Ireland, which was not directly involved in the war, and he had mixed feelings about it.

Yeats was deeply affected by the war and the senseless loss of life it caused. He was also struggling with his own role as a poet in the midst of such a devastating event. In the poem, Yeats expresses his hesitation to write a war poem, as he believes that war is not a suitable subject for poetry.

Yeats was a complex and politically engaged poet, who used his work to explore his thoughts on Irish nationalism and other political issues. In the context of his wider body of work, "On Being Asked for a War Poem" can be seen as part of his larger commentary on the devastating effects of war and the human condition in general.

Yeats wrote this poem to express his own personal feelings about war and the difficulties he faced as a poet in addressing such a challenging subject. The poem also reflects Yeats' larger political and philosophical concerns, which were a central focus of his work.

(Words 1493, Photos 05, Videos 04)