Symbolism in Yeats’Easter 1916
William Butler Yeats, in his essay, ‘The Symbolism of Poetry’ wrote “All sounds, all colorss, all signifiers, either because of their preordained energies or because of long association, evoke undefinable and yet precise emotions, or, as I prefer to believe, name down among us certain discorporate powers.” W.B.Yeats wrote many of his plants by the usage of rich symbolism through either colour, signifiers or sounds. One of Yeats’ major work, ‘Easter 1916’ besides uses the mentions to certain symbols and brings forth associations with important events in the history of Ireland. It is a verse form which evokes one to retrieve the incidences of the ‘Easter Uprising’ of 1916 in Dublin through the agencies of rich symbolism. The verse form ‘Easter 1916’ holds true to Yeats’ quotation mark found in his essay ‘Symbolism of Poetry’ that certain colourss and signifiers evokes precise emotions through either their long associations or their preordained energies. The symbol of ‘terrible beauty’ , ‘the stone’ , and the colour ‘green’ through preordained energies and long associations severally, evokes certain emotions related to the historical context of the ‘Easter Uprising’ of 1916.
Yeats mentions the phrase ‘a awful beauty is born’ three times in the verse form. What really is this ‘terrible beauty’ ? Yeats really is mentioning to the ‘Easter Uprising’ that happened in Dublin in 1916. It is history and as history is thought to be preordained, so does this association become preordained. These lines remind of the barbarous executing of the leaders of Irish Republican Brotherhood ( the 1s who rebelled against the British for independency ) and so evokes emotions of unhappiness, which is awful, but besides of pride and nationalism which is beautiful. In the first stanza, lines 15-16, Yeats references that all things are changed and even though people seem unchanged, the truth is that lives were changed after a awful history that was born in Ireland. Again in line 39, he mentions of the awful beauty. He talks about Countess Markieviez ( lines 17-23 ) , who Yeats describes as a adult female ‘in nescient goodwill’ and ‘her darks in argument’ ( lines 18-19 ) . This can besides intend that she represents rebellion because of the word ‘argument’ . It signifies and evokes emotions of the Irish rebellion towards England for independency. ‘Ignorant goodwill’ may use to being ignorant of the goodness of mundane life and therefore take to be more aggressive to come out independent.
Yeats besides talk of Patrick Pearse ( lines 24-30 ) who could hold won celebrity but could non as he was executed in the terminal. Pearse is portrayed as holding a ‘sensitive nature’ ( line 29 ) . Yeats may every bit good be connoting that ordinary people can convey about alterations in the society. John MacBride is besides mentioned in lines 31-38. MacBride was non one of the favourites of Yeats as he seemed to hold done incorrect to those near Yeats’ bosom ( lines 33-34 ) , but he still regards MacBride as a hero for he fought for the good of Ireland. These people were the members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, who did their portion and gave birth to a ‘terrible beauty’ , that is, freedom to Ireland. Yeats argued that symbols whether colour, signifiers or sounds evokes emotions due to their preordained energies. It is true in instance of the association of the ‘terrible beauty’ in ‘Easter 1916’ because it evokes emotions of pride, unhappiness and nationalism ( as discussed supra ) as it is associated with the history of Ireland. Furthermore, in lines 75-80, Yeats references MacDonagh, MacBride, Connolly and Pearse, who were responsible for Ireland going a free province, which besides evokes emotions of nationalism and regard for those dead. The historical context of ‘Easter Uprising’ helps understand the symbolism better as the symbol of ‘terrible beauty’ has its land on the events that are related to history.
The ‘stone’ mentioned in lines 43, 56 and 58 has its reverberations from long associations. A rock is frequently times associated with immovableness, rigidness and unchanging nature. Here in the verse form every bit good, the ‘stone’ is at first portrayed as ‘a problem to the life stream’ ( line 43 ) . The leaders of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, may be associated with the rock here. As stiff and unchanging the rock is, the deceased of the ‘Easter Uprising’ besides remain unchanged, in their chase to derive freedom and thenceforth because they are dead, they will stay unchanged for all times to come.
Yeats gives many illustrations of altering phenomenon such as the shadows of the clouds which changes every minute, the Equus caballus, the birds, the winter and the summer, which is bound to be changed each clip. Then he talks of the ‘stone in the thick of all’ ( line 56 ) which is amongst alterations but still remains the same itself nevertheless. In line 58, the ‘stone’ , nevertheless is associated with a bosom. This may be because excessively much of wars and dark history, ( the rebellion which led to the executing of many Irish ) makes the human bosom cold and emotionless like that of a rock. These images of the rock evoke emotions of hush in one. That is it makes one realize that everything is bound to alter, that alteration is inevitable and yet there are some things that can ne’er be changed like the rock. The historical context of the Irish freedom makes it easier to understand this because so it shows that the things and events done in the history can non be changed. No affair how everything may alter minute by minute, no 1 can re-write history.
The colour ‘green’ in Yeats poem symbolizes Ireland through long association. Green is mentioned in the last stanza where Yeats talk about those who were killed during the event of the ‘Easter Uprising’ of 1916. And Yeats references that ‘whenever green is worn’ ( line 78 ) , the things that has been changed will be remembered, the heroes will be remembered and therefore the ‘terrible beauty born’ will be cherished. After the heroes were executed, ‘green’ has been associated with the representation of the state of Ireland. So whenever green be worn, it would typify Ireland’s triumph over the British in the battle for independency. Green as such is usually related to nature but the historical context of the verse form helps in deriving a full apprehension of its association with the names of the dead people mentioned in the last stanza. This evokes the feeling of nationalism because it reminds that now ‘green’ is the colour of Ireland where ‘motley was worn’ ( line 14 ) , and that autonomy was now endowed to those life by those who sacrificed themselves in the pursuit of freedom.
Through all the above paragraphs, it can be justified that Yeats stands true to his quotation mark which he gave in his essay ‘Symbolism of Poetry’ . The images, sounds and associations such as the ‘terrible beauty’ , the ‘stone’ and the colour ‘green’ all have either preordained energies or long associations which evokes emotions that are precise. ‘Easter 1916’ , through its strong reverberations of the historical period of the ‘Easter Uprising’ of 1916, manages to warrant Yeats’ proposition of images being able to arouse emotions of certain preciseness and magnitude as discussed above.
Mentions
Yeats, W.B. ( 1916 ) .Easter, 1916. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //www.onlin vitamin E –literature.com/yeats/779/
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