Discuss the symbolic significance of the poem “The Second Coming.”

Answer

Discuss the symbolic significance of the poem “The Second Coming.” [NU: 2017, 21] ★★★

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) wrote “The Second Coming” (1920) after World War I. The world was full of fear, violence, and change. In this poem, Yeats uses strong symbols to show the fall of the old world and the rise of something dark.

The Falcon and the Falconer – Loss of Control: Yeats says, at the beginning of the poem, 

“The falcon cannot hear the falconer.”

The falcon is a bird, and the falconer is the one who controls it. This line means that people no longer follow rules or leaders. The world has lost control. There is chaos everywhere. This symbol shows that society is falling apart. It also means people are forgetting old values.

“Things fall apart” – End of Old Order: Then Yeats writes, 

“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold.”

Here, “centre” means the heart of society or the moral order. It means everything is breaking. Old systems, beliefs, and peace are gone. This is a symbol of destruction. Yeats shows that the world we know is ending. It is a warning about the future.

The Rough Beast – A New Terrible Age: Yeats describes a strange image. 

“A shape with lion’s body and the head of a man… 

Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.”

This beast is not Christ. It is a dark, evil power. “Bethlehem” is where Jesus was born. But now something terrible is coming. This symbol shows a new, frightening age. Yeats fears that the second coming will not bring peace but destruction.

Yeats uses powerful symbols in “The Second Coming.” The falcon, the falling world, and the beast all show fear and change. The poem warns us that the world is moving into a dark, new time.