Violence And Violence In The Second Coming By William...

Yeats wrote â€Å"The Second Coming† shortly after World War I devastated life on Earth in 1919. As Europe progressed to rebuild itself after the end of the war, the future of humanity hung in the balance as humans needed to learn from the mistakes of past generations, otherwise they would face the end of the human race. Throughout his lifetime, Yeats witnessed the degradation of the value of human life and man’s natural instincts of violence through the ferocious conflicts of World War I, the Russian Revolution, etc. Following these brutal incidents, Yeats loses faith in the influence of the Christian religion to morally guide man-kind. Yeats witnesses the horrific sacrifice of human life and prophesizes the inevitable end of the Christian era†¦show more content†¦Yeats starts his poem with the phrase â€Å"Turning and turning in the widening gyre/the falcon cannot hear the falconer† (1-2). The poem begins with the image of a falcon, a symbol of nobilit y and tradition, swinging out of earshot in a widening gyre; deaf to the instructions of its master (1). Falconry â€Å"was a popular medieval sport practiced widely by the nobility in European countries† (Medieval Falconry). The lost bird flies with no guidance, similar to the disorientation that European nobility feels as they have drifted so far away from Christianity’s values of respecting life. The disconnection between the two reinforces the speakers belief that things fall apart and the old traditions of man, such as respecting an individual’s future and life, have been discarded (3). The bird flies farther and farther from its sense of order, drawing on the fact how the world seemed to be spinning out of control as the feuds of nations unbalanced the order of life. Yeats highlights the application of the imagery to Europe with â€Å"mere anarchy is loosed upon the world† (4). Yeats witnessed the â€Å"anarchy† of the societal revolutions an d war between nations. The image of the lost falcon defines the spirit of the age, characterized by anarchy, violence, and theShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Second Coming By William Butler Yeats882 Words   |  4 PagesThe Poem The Second Coming from William Butler Yeats is about Revolutions, (John 2.18). When Yeats wrote The Second Coming the world around him had so much violence and turmoil. While WW1 had just come to an end, The Russian Revolutions had started, and The Angelo Irish War was approaching. Because of all these events, Yeats was trying to come to terms with the end of an age and the future of the 20th Century changed, that to Yeats was leaving the future in chaos and leaving Yeats struggling toRead MoreAnalysis Of The Second Coming By William Butler Yeats715 Words   |  3 PagesWilliam Butler Yeats’ poetry critiques the events of his turbulent context by expressing anxieties existing within society as well as within individuals. Composed at a time of fundam ental change, post WWI and the Russian Revolution, Yeats’ modernistic poem The Second Coming highlights a chaotic and dysfunctional outlook for the future, ultimately depicting society’s uncertainties for the unknown future. On the other hand, Easter 1916 provides insight into Yeats’ own personal reality wherein he questionsRead MoreThe Parable Of The Good Seed1253 Words   |  6 Pageswith several literary elements, but many make a single one its main focus. This same concept is seen with the poems â€Å"The Parable of the Good Seed† by Matthew, â€Å"Love Calls Us to the Things of This World† by Richard Wilbur, and â€Å"The Second Coming† by William Butler Yeats. All three poets focus on the same allusion of religion throughout their poems all in their own unique way. Each alludes to ideas outside of the actual poem by incorporating religious structures and beliefs. Whether its literatureRead MoreAnalysis Of When You Are Old By Willi am Butler Yeats911 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Butler Yeats’ texts have become more valued over time as they have explored difficult and lasting concepts that relate to the human condition across time frames. The ideas include; unrequited love, chaos and change, and death. These ideas are explored throughout his 3 poems â€Å"When you are old† written in 1893, â€Å"The Second Coming† written in 1919 and â€Å"An Irish airman foresees his death† written in 1918. Yeats wrote, â€Å"When you are Old† when he was 28 and the poem talks about his unrequitedRead More The Irish Troubles: Yeats Poetry Essays2024 Words   |  9 PagesPoetry William Butler Yeats, born in Dublin, Ireland [June 13, 1865], is considered by many to be one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century. The following exposition, grounded on the hypothesis that Yeats’ poetry was resolutely influenced by the political occurrences of that time period, will give biographical information, a recounting of the political upheaval during that period, specific poetry excerpts/critical analysis and validation of hypothesis. William Butler Yeats isRead MoreChinua Achebe s Things Fall Apart And William Butler Yeats The Second Coming1128 Words   |  5 Pageshow it has been illustrated in the past. This in turn connects the readers with two works that seemingly contradict with the ideas of Miller and can be seen as tragedies, they include Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart and William Butler Yeats’ poem â€Å"The Second Coming.† In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, as we all readers know pursues the stereotypical set-up of developing a tragic hero to a certain extent. In my eyes, the common man is Okonkwo whose tragic figure is troubled withRead MoreTragedy And The Common Man By Arthur Miller1675 Words   |  7 Pagesto how it has been illustrated in the past. This in turn hooks the readers with two works that seemingly contradict with the ideas of Miller and can be seen as tragedies, they include Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart and William Butler Yeats’ poem â€Å"The Second Coming.† In the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, as we all readers know pursues the stereotypical set-up of developing a tragic hero to a certain extent. In my eyes, the common man is Okonkwo whose tragic figure is troubled withRead MoreAnalysis Of The Second Coming By W. B. Yeats1190 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Butler Yeats was a great Irish poet of the twentieth century. During his lifespan World War I occurred, along with its resulting political upheaval. He also lived in the century before the change of the millennium, a theme touched upon in his poems. He, like many other authors, incorporated the events that occurred during his life into his work. This important factor of the time period is clearly reflected in his work, â€Å"The Second Coming.† The critical consensus regarding the poem â€Å"The SecondRead MoreKeats ´ The Second Coming Essays1246 Words   |  5 Pagesto become even deadlier than before due to the ability to organize attacks. Due to this new world full of bloodshed and new mechanical inventions, the world was falling further and further away from God. William Butler Years expresses his sudden collapse of society in his poem â€Å"The Second Coming†, first composed in January of 1919. The hopelessness of mankind is addressed by Keats’ statement that man cannot save us, God cannot save us, and the question: If man and God can’t save us, then what isRead MoreTragedy And The Modern Man By Arthur Miller Essay1184 Words   |  5 Pagesin the poem â€Å"The Second Coming† by William Butler Yeats. â€Å"Things fall apart; the Centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosened upon the world, the blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere the ceremony of innocence is drowned† (Lines 3-6). This shows that evil has prevailed and it is taking over the world. It is like a revolution where there are filled with violence and darkness. This takes control of them, blinding them from the greater picture. They ar e so lost in the violence, that they wait for

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Philosophy Report Free Essays

Compare, contrast, and evaluate Plato and Mill on the relation between the individual and society. Two of the greatest minds in intellectual thought, Plato and Mill living in relatively different times, they both shared the same issues and concerns but with very distinct perspectives. Plato believed that freedom was justice in the soul while Mill was defending freedom within a democracy. We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy Report or any similar topic only for you Order Now Is one freedom better than another freedom? Plato tries to show that individual justice mirrors political justice. He believed that the soul of every individual has a three part structure interchangeable to the three classes of society. Plato, being an idealist, he believed that his philosophers should be impeccable with knowledge. If â€Å"performing abortions† is morally offensive- in a Platonic society that debate wouldn’t happen, because it would be outright outlawed. So how would we know that it isn’t moral? We would never know. And THAT is the kind of suppression Mill disagrees with- isn’t finding out the truth more important than morality? Or is ignorance better than understanding? Mill’s views in the individual and society completely differ from Plato’s. Mill’s view in the individual has the experience and environment that Plato considers unimportant. Mill also believed that a human could develop full potential only by offering the opportunity to define true ability in an individual. He was completely against forcing opinions from one group onto the other. It was doing injustice to the individual. Mill was for the people. He understood society’s struggles when it came to dangerous work stations to where the workers would be paid little to nothing at all. It was an injustice to them to be working so hard and not being appreciated for how hard of an effort workers put into their job. Freedom surely didn’t exist there and Mill strived for that to change. Virtuous and expert rules are possible if and only if the rulers may be philosophers. Plato absolutely believed normal everyday people had no way in becoming a great leader because only intelligence and expertise is only found in Philosophers. He had the perfect picture of an ideal ruler. He also strictly believed one’s abilities portray the certain opportunities given to the philosopher while Mill believed in the complete opposite from that. Each person is naturally suited for a certain task. If you are gifted with intelligence, Plato believes it shouldn’t be put to waste. For example, you are better off being a Doctor than being a construction worker. â€Å"The good city† is possible when â€Å"experts† are in charge of it. Only two worlds existed in Plato’s Theory of the Forms: The visible world and the intelligible world. Knowledge comes down to having knowledge of the forms. You cannot know what is false. Opinion/belief cannot ever be wrong. Knowledge is about what is real or if you have facts to prove whether it’s true or false. Ignorance is separate from pinion but is much clearer than ignorance. It’s part truth, part ignorance. Mill thinks we should be free to do what we want, unless it doesn’t cause harm to society. It would be then, that kind of freedom should be restricted but when can these freedoms be restricted? Should it come to physically harming an individual to their brink of suicide? Physical harm and verbal harm play two different roles in society but I definitely believe are both dangerous. On Liberty, Mill makes funs of Plato that anyone can have an ideal society. Mill also defines justice in a variety of ways before making it into one whole thing. How to cite Philosophy Report, Papers