Brutal Imagery and Subtle Allegory in a Period of Crisis
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Course
ENG258
Institution
Cape Breton University (CBU
)
Brutal Imagery and Subtle Allegory in a Period of Crisis
Butler Yeats wrote two of his poems Easter 1916 and The Second Coming during the era of Irish political instability and agitation for freedom from Britain (Yoon 467). In his poem he gives an allusion to the people who fought for the independ...
Brutal Imagery and Subtle Allegory in a Period of Crisis
Butler Yeats wrote two of his poems Easter 1916 and The Second Coming during the
era of Irish political instability and agitation for freedom from Britain (Yoon 467). In his
poem he gives an allusion to the people who fought for the independence of the country
from the British rule. Butler through his poems, states that the British used manipulation
to ensure that they maintained their power over the Irish people (Chang 57). The British
system used politicians who had a sweet tongue to ensure that the people did not cause
unrest but remained in check for rule by the colonial government (Yoon 470).
Apparently, in most societies, Politicians are held in high esteem. This is due to some
factors. One of the factors is the kind words towards the citizenry when they talked in
public.
Both poems offer strong political commentary through symbolism and allegory
which create a clear image of the Ireland of that era in the eyes of the author. The
brutality of the imagery employed by Yeats and simplified allegory creates a lens for
readers to observe the political tribulations of his era. This enables the readers to
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understand why there was need for the Irish people to fight back against a regime that
oppressed them.
The theme of the two poems is confusing in the beginning but it becomes clear as the
poem proceeds. The two points seem totally different at the beginning of the two poems
but end up forming a single subject at the end of the two poems. In the second coming
poem, he talks of the level of lawlessness and political chaos that he observes in Ireland.
This is evident from one of the lines in the poem, “Mere Anarchy is loosed upon the
world. “On the other hand in the Easter 1916 poem, he speaks of suffering that the Irish
people undergo under the hands of their British masters. Butler says in line one of the
first stanza, “The Falcon cannot hear the Falconer.” When Butler speaks of the Falcon he
is communicating a lot about the British regime which feels that nothing can move it due
to its massive power and force.
A combination of the two poems gives them fresh meaning and reinforces Yeats
ability to use literal devices to assert a political theme. Yeats speaks of the poor sight that
is characteristic of him in the desert and the fear that he feels when he sees the spirit of
Mundi (Chang 57). Apparently, there are many explanations that one can draw from both
poems when read individually. However, a combination of them gives the reader a new
understanding of each. Indeed some readers might even find it difficult to understand
each poem in isolation. “Second coming one of Yeats’ most renown poems it is also one
of the most thematically obscure and difficult to understand” (Yoon 2).
The two poems address political nationalism and gender relations. Therefore,
political allegory occupies a central position. The British ought to have given the Irish a
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