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William Butler Yeats - His Treatment of Irish Concerns Essay

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Discuss with reference to at least three poems, Yeats' treatment of Irish Concerns

Yeats changes his treatment of Irish concerns throughout his life and these changes are reflected in his poetry. Three poems that reflect these changes are 'September 1913', 'Easter 1916' and 'Under Ben Bulben'. These poems show a transpositions in political thought. In 'September 1913' Yeats shows his aversion to democracy and capitalism, and expresses his belief in an aristocratic society preferably governed by elite Protestants, as they had supremacy over Catholics in his view (Chaudhry, 33). The events of the Rising initiated a metamorphosis in Yeats. 'Easter 1916' shows how Yeats (usually not supportive of violence as a political movement) credited …show more content…

"All that delirium of the brave?" suggests that Yeats believed their intentions were admirable but their judgement was clouded, and that instead of violence they should have been using literary means to fulfill their objectives.

'Easter 1916' displays a change in Yeats. The rising and its aftermath shocked Yeats and crushed some of the beliefs he previously held as expressed in 'September 1913'. Yeats was in England at the time of the rising and was annoyed at not being informed about the event before it occurred (Macrae 76), this can be seen in the tone and subject of the first stanza. "Polite meaningless words" and "To please a companion / Around the fire at the club" expresses how Yeats felt discordance at not being told about the rising, especially since he was one of the "club" Nationalists. The rising shattered Yeats' disillusionment with the new Ireland "All changed, changed utterly", shock arose out of the willingness for people he knew to sacrifice themselves for the cause, of whom he thought were following him in the literary Nationalist approach. Yeats was disgusted at the brutal way in which the executions were carried out and this significantly weakened his belief in politics. The brutality of the death created martyrs as it gave the executed leaders authority and power they had not experienced before death. Yeats, who had previously

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