Written Commentary on Vacillation by Yeats

Spring is the season of growth, revival and beginnings. In the poems “Spring and All” by William Carlos Williams and “For Jane Meyers” by Louise Gluck, the poets talk about this very season. In fact, the two poems are contradictory, in that, Williams writes about the bleakness of winter and the awakening of spring. On the other hand, Gluck’s romantic poetry associates the natural renewal of spring with bereavement and death. Both poets use abundant imagery, symbolism, metaphors, different tones, and similes, to affirm their contending attitudes towards the season. Consequently, although the poems are about the same subject, the demeanor of the poets are varied.

As Wendy Martin says “the poem leaves the reader with painful impression of a woman in her mid-fifties, who having lost her domestic comforts is left to struggle with despair. Although her loss is mitigated by the promise of the greater rewards of heaven, the experience is deeply tragic.” (75)

The poem’s structure channeled bountiful information regard the complex emotions within the narrator. The poem started with the word “and” and followed the word “suddenly.” A time sequence is suggested here. It is believed that the speaker tells his

The tone of the poem changes as the poem progresses. The poem begins with energetic language like “full of heroic tales” and “by a mere swing to his shoulder”. The composer also uses hyperboles like “My father began as a god” and “lifted me to heaven”. The use of this positive language indicates to the responder that the composer is longing for those days – he is nostalgic. It also highlights the perspective of a typical child. The language used in the middle of the poem is highly critical of his father: “A foolish small old man”. This highlights the perspective of a typical teenager and signifies that they have generally conflicting views. The language used in the last section of the poem is more loving and emotional than the rest: “...revealing virtues such as honesty, generosity, integrity”. This draws attention to a mature adult’s perspective.

Furthermore, poetry, and the personification of poetry, conversations with old friends and family, should not need a special occasion, rather it should “ride the bus” with patience for the stops before your own and the understanding of other’s needs before your own (line 13). You can also say the bus can represent the speed at which life passes you by and how easy it is to miss something if you are not paying attention, or even, that these missed moments have a poem to help you along your long journey home. With the use of

· In the first line of the poem, the speaker expresses her feelings towards men by using the word “Anger”(1). From just the

Experience and wisdom are gained throughout time and the aging process. It is also learned through the poem that it is important to take time for things that one finds enjoyable. Such things as "mother-of-pearl and corals" (line 16) represent those things which make us joyful. It is suggested that one is supposed to enjoy and obtain

To help Year Twelve students that are studying poetry appreciate it's value, this pamphlet's aim is to discuss a classic poem and a

This is expressed by the multiple examples of old men whom regret certain aspects of their lives and defy death even when they know their time is up. The speaker is urging his father to fight against old age and death. The meaning and subject of the poem influence the tone and mood. The tone is one of frustration and insistence. Thomas is slightly angry and demanding. His words are not a request, they are an order. The mood of the poem is is serious and solemn due to the poem focusing mainly on the issue of death. This mood and tone is created by words such as “burn”(2), “Grieved”(11) and “rage”(3) along with phrases such as “crying how bright”(7), “forked no lightning”(5), “near death”(13) and “fierce tears”(17). The insistent feeling is also created by the repetition of the lines “Do not go gentle into that good night”(1), and “Rage, rage against the dying of the light”(3). The figurative language used also affect how the meaning, tone and mood are interpreted.

“Wish for a Young Wife”, by Theodore Roethke, may seem to be more than just a simple epithalamium, for the way the poet presents his writing compels the reader to question his true intentions. Nevertheless, although it is easy for the reader to trip down this path, a closer reading, in which one pays particular attention to aspects such the poem's imagery, rhyme scheme, meter, and parallelism, allows them to acknowledge that as the poet appreciates his wife and elaborates on what he wants for her, it is in fact the ambiguity of the poem that doubles the effect of his sincerity and love for his young wife.

William Butler Yeats was the major figure in the cultural revolution which developed from the strong nationalistic movement at the end of the 19th century. He dominated the writings of a generation. He established forms and themes which came to be considered as the norms for writers of his generation.

I think that the poet is trying to tell us to live life to the fullest

The poem ends stating more strongly what was implied earlier, that he believes joy is found in easy things while we

Compared to the dissipation he used to have versus the lifestyle he has now, it forces him to re-evaluate the paths he has chosen. He now compares the importance of "ancient wisdom" and "austere control" with decadence, contemplating that these benefits stood superior to what he currently possess. Furthermore, judging by the tone of the first quatrain, he seems nearly irritated that he's given up these strengths for the way he lives now. This illustrates that his passion for self-indulgences has eliminated a plethora of possibilities to him, that will sooner or later remain inaccessible. Unfortunately, the poet is now beginning to see the repercussions of choosing decadence. Despite the abundance of this yearned way of living, he nearly gets the last taste of it, as he explains in the last couplet: "with a little rod, I did but touch the honey of romance, and must I loose a soul’s inheritance?" (Wilde, lines 12-14). This excerpt explains that while he faintly touched decadence, he would be reminded of all the assets he acquired because of this specific way of life. It leaves Wilde in a psychological crossroad, for his own mind is unable to deduct right from wrong; he craves the decadent lifestyle, but is aware of the consequences that will

Again, the author selects a new set of imagery, such as stars, moon, sun, ocean, and wood to remind of the heaven in which the speaker used to live, and then to sweep it off right away. The last statement “For nothing now can ever come to any good” (16) finally reinforces the speaker’s loss and unhappiness. In loneliness, the speaker’s love becomes fiercer and more truthful. It is the fierceness and truthfulness that lead the speaker to the last stair of hopelessness. The end of the poem is also the hopeless end of the speaker’s life because of “nothing …good.”