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. 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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