William Butler Yeats Essay Example
William Butler Yeats Essay Example

William Butler Yeats Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (846 words)
  • Published: August 2, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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Later in his career, Yeats experienced a significant change in his style. The once romantic and dreamy quality of his early poetry transformed into a more concise, sharp, and masculine manner. This shift became evident in his new volume of poems, "The Green helmet and other poems," which was published in 1910. It became even more apparent in his subsequent volume, "Responsibilities," published in 1914.

"The fascination of what's difficult" and "The Grey Rock" exemplify this new style. Yeats likely believed, with good reason, that this style was more suitable for his increasingly diverse and public themes. However, this remarkable new phase also inspired him to write some of the most extraordinary love poems, like the one that starts "she lived in storm and strife" from his collection Responsibilities. In one of the poems in this book, "September 1913," Yeats observed his country, which he had served with un

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wavering dedication, only to find nothing but disintegration.

With a sudden bitter clarity, he witnessed the smallness, dullness, pettiness, self-congratulation, repressive cruelty, and hypocritical righteousness prevalent throughout the country and its inhabitants. In despair, he exclaimed that romantic Ireland had perished and lay buried with O'Leary. The book "The Green Helmet" was meticulously crafted, taking its name from a poignant quote: "in dreams begins responsibility".

The text claims to be from an "old play" and echoes the statement made in the 1912 lecture "Apparitions"; that "Dreams are irresponsible things and the medium is, therefore, an irresponsible person". The second quote, attributed to Confucius through pound, also alludes to the existence of a dream world. However, the book's contents were predominantly personal and had aspects of being autobiographical. The initial poe

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titled "the Grey Rock" served as both a critique of the noisy group known as the Griffithites in Ireland and a tribute to the Rhymers (or what wby believed they represented).

In this instance as well, he presented himself as the inheritor of a lineage. He incorporated various poetic styles in multiple poems (such as "the two kings", "the three beggars", "The hour before dawn"), merging a storytelling structure reminiscent of Ferguson with a simplified contemporary language that hinted at the influence of Pound's editorial revisions. Despite personally disregarding "the two kings" as a meaningless imitation of Tennyson during the review, it was skillfully juxtaposed with "the grey rock".

Although at times the result may have been unclear, a strong individual voice emerged through brutally honest imagery. Some of the poems were dedicated to and inspired by Gonne, such as "To a child dancing in the wind," "A memory of youth," "Fallen majesty," and "Friends." However, the collection primarily focused on the public poems that were a result of the Gallery dispute. For WBY, Lane continued the important tradition of nobility and patronage, just as Parnell represented the nobility in politics. The two were directly linked in "To a shade," intentionally set in September 1913.

The rejection of ordinary lives and middle-class values was reflected in the portrayals of beggars and untamed nature. "Running to paradise" conveyed this through a rhythmic and simple language, reminiscent of the poet's early works. Similarly, "The witch" delivered the same message using concise language. Working hard to accumulate wealth is nothing but deceiving oneself by associating with a wicked witch. And once all is drained, one is left in despair, finally finding

the cherished one in a chamber.

Responsibilities, particularly in relation to the green helmet poems, is a collection that stands out due to its autobiographical nature. It is filled with expressions of address, reconciliation, and manifestos. Moreover, it is remarkably rich and complex in its texture. Although it may lack the coherence of "The Wind Among the Reeds," it reveals a wild energy and exceptional recent creativity. Moore's claim that WBY's poetic career had come to an end could not have been more strongly disproven. However, this inevitably led to a division among critics.

Clement Shorter of "The Sphere" regarded it as a painful indication of W.B. Yeats' decline as a poet, while Ford Maddox Hueffer begrudgingly admired the harshness and modernity of this new voice. However, the most insightful analysis came from Joseph Hone, who asserted that the compilation of works in 1908 marked the end of a chapter. The significance of this publication was not that Yeats had expressed everything he had to say, but rather that his future works would be expressed in a different manner. This notion had been suggested in "The Green Helmet" and "Synge and the Ireland of his time," and was confirmed by newfound responsibilities.

Wbys' search for a public yielded not just a fresh political perspective but also an "individual protesting voice." It could be that Synge rescued Mr. Yeats for Ireland by proposing that poets utilize their entire personal life as material in order to be appreciated by strong individuals once again. Mr. Yeats may not have found an Irish audience, but he is now more focused than ever on the idea of having one, as evidenced by

these poems in which his personal experiences intertwine with Irish events.

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