Topic : The Second Coming

Main text

Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a [...]

Key info

“The Second Coming” is a famous poem by William Butler Yeats. Look at the key facts of the novel to get a quick conception.

Writer: William Butler Yeats
Title of the Author: Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and politician
Full Title: The Second Coming
Original Title: The Second Coming

Summary

"The Second Coming" is a poem by Irish poet W. B. Yeats. It is a poem written in 1919 after World War I and the Easter Rising in Ireland. The poem is considered one of Yeats' most famous and influential works. It reflects his deep faith. Because he thinks the world is entering a new and turbulent era full of chaos and uncertainty. The poem is divided into two stanzas and has 22 lines.

In the first stanza, the image of a hawk flying out of control is a metaphor for the chaos of the modern world, where traditional values and structures have collapsed. The speaker wants to explain that the ruled no longer want to obey the rulers. The government has lost its controlling power. Religious norms are lost, and evil deeds are encouraged. The blood game has started all around. The world could be in a more convenient place.

Literary devices

W.B. Yeats utilizes several critical literary devices in his poem "The Second Coming" to create a sense of mystery, foreboding, and complexity. Some of the critical literary devices used in the poem include:

Allusion: Yeats mentions numerous references to historical and mythological events, figures, and texts, such as the "widening gyre," alluding to the concept of gyres in Yeats's mythology and "Spiritus Mundi" referencing William Butler Yeats's philosophy of history.

Symbolism: The poem is rich in symbolism with various images and metaphors.  Each symbol is used to convey deeper meanings. For instance, the "falcon" and the "falconer" symbolize the breakdown of control and authority. While the "rough beast" symbolizes chaos and destruction.