Discuss Yeats use of
symbolism in The Second Coming
There are many examples of symbolism in
the poem. Remember that Yeats is writing this as the First World War has
ended. Its shattering of Europe both physically and morally has left
permanent scars on both landscape and people. At the same time, Yeats
possesses this unshakable feeling that it's not over, that something more
sinister looms on the horizon. The use of symbols in the poem helps to
convey both.
The Gyre
Yeats opens "The Second Coming" with an image of a
falcon escaping the falconer, swinging outward in a "widening gyre"
-- a term Yeats coined to describe a circular path or pattern. As the falcon
flies in great arcs away from the falconer, so the world spins out of control.
The "gyre" was Yeats' symbol of a human epoch of 2,000 years. The
poem frames a 2,000-year historical progression, with the birth of Christ
marking the beginning and the war marking the end.
The Tide
The remainder of the first stanza, after the "widening
gyre," deals with symbols of destruction and death. "Things fall
apart," says Yeats, and "Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."
He uses the symbol of a tide, "blood-dimmed," drowning innocence,
that destroys hope and from which humanity needs salvation.
The Second Coming
Yeats introduces the symbol of the second coming in the second
stanza, which is used as an answer to the first. The destruction of the first
stanza must stand for something, and Yeats sees it as heralding a new epoch, or
gyre. Yeats draws on the language of the Book of Revelation to conjure an image
of Christ's return. He further included biblical symbolism when explaining that
for 2,000 years (one gyre), the sleep of the Sphinx was "vexed to
nightmare by a rocking cradle," presumably of the Christ-child.................................................................................Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.
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