W.

B YEATS EXAMS QUESTIONS

1. One of the important themes in Yeatss writing is his exploration of the
relationship between the natural and the artificial, and particularly the relationship
between nature and art. With particular reference to the two Byzantium poems, describe
how Yeats characterizes this relationship. oes he prefer the natural to art, or art to
nature!
Because the artificial is permanent, unfading, imper"ious to decay, beautiful, and free of
the troubles of the human heart, and because the natural is impermanent, fading, destined
to decay, fre#uently ugly, and troubled by pain and longing, Yeats consistently finds
himself attracted to the artificial, particularly when it is at its most beautiful. $n the
Byzantium poems, Yeats glorifies a golden bird that is the apotheosis of the relationship
between nature and art% the bird ta&es its form from nature, but it is not bound to 'the fury
and the mire of human "eins.( $t will last fore"er, and will ne"er forget how to sing) and
Yeats longs to become it.
*. +ome of Yeatss least accessible poems are his wor&s of "isionary history, which
often incorporate themes from , -ision and seem, on the surface, thematically irrele"ant
to contemporary readers. .ow can these poems best be understood/in other words,
should they be read today strictly for their magnificent language, or is there a way in
which they embrace more uni"ersal elements of human experience than their occult,
mythological frame of reference might imply! 01hin& especially about '2eda and the
+wan( and '1he +econd 3oming.(4
1he language of '2eda( and '1he +econd 3oming( is certainly magnificent, but the
poems themes are also #uite powerful, and remain rele"ant to the experience of
contemporary readers. 5utting aside all the mystical 6argon from , -ision, '1he +econd
3oming( is a brilliant e"ocation of chaos and primal energy, and of a &ind of eerie
premonition% the sphinx 'slouching toward Bethlehem( can be interpreted in many ways
besides that which Yeats described. ,nd '2eda( is a wonderful document of a "iolent
encounter with the incomprehensible, the alien, the o"erwhelming, and of a turning point
after which nothing will e"er be the same.
7. $f you ha"e read 8ohn 9eatss great 'Ode to a :ightingale,( compare it to Yeatss
e#ually great '+ailing to Byzantium.( $n what ways does the Yeats poem seem designed
to refute the 9eats poem! .ow does the singing golden bird differ from 9eatss singing
nightingale!
Our first clue that the Yeats poem may be related to the earlier 9eats poem occurs in the
first stanza, when the spea&er calls the birds singing in the trees 'dying generations,( a
phrase #uite similar to one in 9eatss ode/ '1hou wast not born for death, immortal
Bird; < :o hungry generations tread thee down.( =rom that moment on, the poems are as
thematically opposite as is possible for two poems glorifying art. 9eatss nightingale 0a
natural bird4 is a symbol of lyric fluidity, expressi"eness, change, and union with nature)
around the nightingale, 9eats thin&s that it would be 'sweet to die( and 'to cease upon
the midnight with no pain.( Yeatss golden bird 0an artificial bird4 is a symbol of
permanence, &nowledge, unchangeability, and a liberating separation from nature) Yeats
longs to be 'gathered into the artifice of eternity( precisely because he does not wish to
age and to die.
>. ',dams 3urse( is one of Yeatss finest early poems, and one of his simplest and
most mo"ing lo"e poems. .ow does the style of the poem mirror its explicit statement
about beauty! .ow does it connect the labor of li"ing with weariness in life and in lo"e!
?. 3ompare and contrast '1he 2a&e $sle of $nnisfree,( a "ery early poem by Yeats,
with '1he 3ircus ,nimals esertion,( written not long before he died. What, if anything,
do these poems ha"e in common! .ow are they different! What does each poem say
about the human heart, and how does the difference between those statements indicate
Yeatss de"elopment as a poet!
@. '1he $rish ,irman foresees his eath( is a good example of the way in which
Yeats combines the political with the personal and the mystical. .ow does the airmans
in"ol"ement in World War $ relate to his 'lonely impulse of delight,( and what does the
'lonely impulse of delight( say about his understanding of the war! What does the poem
itself seem to say about the war!
A. Yeatss style is #uite uni#ue among both nineteenthB and twentiethBcentury
poets. What characterizes his poetic style! What &ind of consciousness seems
to be indicated by his rough meters, halfBrhymes, and fre#uent "iolations of
formal constraints! .ow do these traits affect, enhance, or interfere with his
aesthetic articulation of his themes!
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G1he innocent and the beautiful < .a"e no enemy but time
iscuss ways in which Yeats presents ideas about aging and death in G$n Hemory of D"a
IoreBBooth and 3on Har&iewicz.
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider how
this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
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G1he bro&en wall, the burning roof and tower < ,nd ,gamemnon dead.
iscuss Yeats presentation of "iolence in G2eda and the +wan.
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider how
this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
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Gid that play of mine send out < 3ertain men the Dnglish shot!
iscuss ways in which Yeats presents past regrets in GHan and the Dcho.
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider how
this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
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GComantic $relands dead and gone < $ts with O2eary in the gra"e
iscuss Yeats presentation of how $reland has changed in G+eptember 1J17
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider
how this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
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G1urning and turning in the widening gyre < 1he falcon cannot hear the falconer)
iscuss ways in which Yeats presents ideas his "ision of the future in G1he +econd
3oming.
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider
how this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
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G1he pure cold light in the s&y < troubled his animal blood.
iscuss Yeats presentation of troubled relationships in G1he 3at and the Hoon.
$n your answer explore the effects of language, imagery and "erse form and consider how
this poem relates to other poems by Yeats that you ha"e studied.
Why do you thin& Yeats put so many confusing symbols in the poem! Hany poets, when
they use symbolism, try to ma&e e"erything relate to each other. But what does falconing
ha"e to do with a sphinx or a LbloodBdimmed tide,L and what does either of them ha"e to
do with a sphinx and the Lindignant desert birdsL! Host people who read this poem want
to ma&e these things correspond to something real in the world. But we ha"e to consider
that Yeats did not want his poem to be interpreted in this way.
.ow would you explain the poems relationship to the Bible! Host of the symbols are
"ery general and timeless, li&e something out of the Boo& of Ce"elation. But its also
easy to tell that this is not the Bible. =or one thing, 3hrist doesnt show up at the end, but
a Lrough beast.L oes the poet sound li&e a religious man, and, if so, what &ind!
Why does Yeats thin& of history as this swirling "ortex, the gyre! Because the gyre
mo"es further and further from its center, does it mean that things are always getting
worse! $t should be mentioned that Yeatss idea was highly original and not shared by
e"eryone. 1here are still plenty of people, e"en today, who thin& that history is linear
0except for a few blips li&e wars4, and that society is constantly impro"ing itself.
$s it possible that the appearance of the Lrough beastL could be good for the world, in the
end! ,fter all, if the world is already so "iolent that Linnocence is drowned,L things cant
get much direr. Haybe Yeats thin&s its li&e tearing down an old building in order to put
up a new one. But, then again, theres nothing in the poem about society rebuilding itself.
o you thin& the poem could apply to the entire world, or is it only intended for 3hristian
Durope! 5eople in other ci"ilizations, for example the Hiddle Dast, ha"e found this to be
a "ery compelling poem, and they ha"e made it fit into their own "iews of history. Haybe
it spea&s most directly to people with an LapocalypticL outloo&, who thin& that big,
sweeping changes are on the horizon.