2. ABSTRACT
• William Butler Yeats’ “To A Young Girl” is a poem which emphasize the human’s maturity level. The
objectives of this paper are to show the love as the subjects maturity level in the poem through intrinsic
elements, also to explain the effect of maturity towards human psyche. This paper uses library research
as the method of collecting data. The result of this paper is that maturity level have a big impact on
everything around the subject’s environment, the impact itself is depending on the level of maturity the
subject has.
• Keywords: Love, maturity, denial, moral
4. 1.1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
• How mature a person is? This problem can be solved easily by seeing the activity he does when dealing
with a problem. How he fix the problem and how he threat his surrounding when dealing with it. In this
study, the main focus will be put on how mature the subject of the poem is. This means mental
attribute will be a big aspect to be analyzed. By this, the poem will be conducted as a material of study
that is a little bit subjective as it is a work of literature. Everyone can have different opinion in it.
5. 1.2. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
• The purpose of this study is to examine the level of maturity in loving shown in William Butler Yeats’ “To
A Young Girl”, analyze the imagery and simile and also to appreciate it.
6. 1.3. SCOPE OF THE STUDY
• The scope of this study is analyzing the intrinsic and extrinsic elements. While kinds of intrinsic element
will be focus on imagery and simile. On the other hand, we choose Love Maturity Level - Motherly Love
and Love of God to be analyzed as the extrinsic elements. The explanation about it will be disscused
later on chapter III.
7. CHAPTER 2: THE POET, THE POEM AND TRANSLATION
OF THE POEM
8. 2.1. THE POET BIOGRAPHY
• Irish poet William Butler Yeats first published his first works in the mid-1880s while a student at Dublin's Metropolitan School of Art. He eventually dropped out, but he continued to write. Yeats' early
accomplishments included The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889) and such plays as The Countess Kathleen (1892) and Deirdre (1907). In 1923, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Yeats
wrote several more influential works after receiving this honor, including The Tower (1928) and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems (1932). Yeats died in 1939. He is remembered as one of the most
significant modern poets of all time.
• William Butler Yeats was born on June 13, 1865, in Dublin, Ireland, the oldest child of John Butler Yeats and Susan Mary Pollexfen. Although John trained as a lawyer, he abandoned the law for art soon after
his first son was born. Yeats spent much of his early years in London, where his father was studying art, but frequently returned to Ireland as well.
• In the mid-1880s, Yeats pursued his own interest in art as a student at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin. Following the publication of his poems in the Dublin University Review in 1885, he soon
abandoned art school for other pursuits.
• After returning to London in the late 1880s, Yeats met writers Oscar Wilde, Lionel Johnson and George Bernard Shaw. He also became acquainted with Maud Gonne, a supporter of Irish independence. This
revolutionary woman served as a muse for Yeats for years. He even proposed marriage to her several times, but she turned him down. He dedicated his 1892 drama The Countess Kathleen to her.
• Around this time, Yeats founded the Rhymers' Club poetry group with Ernest Rhys. He also joined the Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization that explored topics related to the occult and mysticism.
While he was fascinated with otherworldly elements, Yeats's interest in Ireland, especially its folktales, fueled much of his output. The title work of The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems (1889) draws
from the story of a mythic Irish hero.
• In addition to his poetry, Yeats devoted significant creative energy to writing plays. He worked with playwright Lady Gregory to develop works for the Irish stage, the two collaborating for the 1902 production
of Cathleen Ni Houlihan. More works soon followed, including On Baile's Strand, Deirdre and At the Hawk's Well.
• Yeats married Georgie Hyde-Lees in 1917, and they soon had daughter Anne and son William Michael. The celebrated writer then became a political figure in the new Irish Free State, serving as a senator for
six years beginning in 1922. The following year, he received an important accolade for his writing as the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature. According to the official Nobel Prize website, Yeats was
selected "for his always inspired poetry, which in a highly artistic form gives expression to the spirit of a whole nation."
• Yeats continued to write until his death. Some of his important later works include The Wild Swans at Coole (1917), The Tower (1928) and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems (1932). Yeats passed away
on January 28, 1939, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. The publication of Last Poems and Two Plays shortly after his death further cemented his legacy as a leading poet and playwright.
9. 2.2. THE POEM
To A Young Girl
MY dear, my dear, I know
More than another
What makes your heart beat so;
Not even your own mother
Can know it as I know,
Who broke my heart for her
When the wild thought,
That she denies
And has forgot,
Set all her blood astir
And glittered in her eyes.
10. 2.3. Translation of The Poem
Untuk Seorang Gadis
Sayangku, sayangku, aku tahu
Lebih dari yang lain
Apa yang membuat jantungmu berdebar
Bahkan ibumu-pun tak akan bisa mengerti
Sebagaimana aku mengerti
Siapa yang menghancurkan hatiku untuknya
Disaat pikiran-pikiran gila
Yang dia tolak
Dan telah lupakan
Darahnya-pun bergumul
Dan berkilau di matanya
12. 4.1.2. KINESTHETIC IMAGERY
• The author of the poem seems to use kinesthetic imagery to show the reader that sadness has come to the young girl due to
her mother denial in relation to her love to the writer. The words beat, astir and glittered can be tempted as a flow of deep
sadness.
• What makes your heart beat so;
• Set all her blood astir
• And glittered in her eyes.
• By the word beat, the reader can feel the shaky mental of the girl that she is afraid to follow her desire in loving the author.
As the writer see, the story of this poem is happened to the author of the poem as no information cover this case about who
deals with the girl. As the poem goes, the word astir explain the raise of the blood-flow within the girl body which means he
is afraid, once again. The word glitter actually can be seen as a visual imagery because it is seen by the sense of sight,
however, it can also be seen as a kinesthetic imagery because the word glitter itself shows a motion within the girl eyes in
which she is about to cry.
13. 4.1.2. METAPHOR AND SIMILE
• There are several comparison in the poem which uses comparison word, so the comparison in the poetry is all simile. Below are the result of the writer’s analysis down
the poem.
• MY dear, my dear, I know
• More than another
• The above comparison is about to compare the known level about the girl’s depth between the author and the other people. This might be the reason why the girl feels so
down when her love is not blessed by her mother.
• Not even your own mother
• Can know it as I know,
• This one compares the author known-level about the girl’s depth, again, against the girl’s mother. Another reason to show that the author has lots of attention to the girl.
By this we can see how mature is the poem, how the author put lots of attention to the girl while the mother of the girl seems to be more disregard to the love they have.
14. 4.2. EXTRINSIC ELEMENTS
• Unblessed love, as a common sense, it is one of the most difficult terms of love to deal with. While both of
the lover agree to be engaged, eventually the only river between them is their own family that is a big
problem because without a blessing from both families the engagement cannot be continued. However, the
problem in this analysis is how the subjects in the poem deal with those problem.
• As for the man, or literally the author, the author understand the condition of the girl and gives lots of
attention to her to cure her hurt by her mother denial. By the first two line of the poem, the reader can
understand how the author does his best to make the girl feel better.
• MY dear, my dear, I know
• More than another
• The problem is now, what problem is actually happening? How can the writer know that the problem is the
girl’s mother denial through their love? Line 3, 4 and 5 will show exactly how the writer knows the case.
15. • What makes your heart beat so;
• Not even your own mother
• Can know it as I know,
• As the reader read carefully, there is a problem in the poem, how can a mother not know about the depth her
daughter has while the other person does, in this case the author? It is because of the mother does not realize
that the reason her daughter feel sad every day is her decision not to agree to the love her daughter has to
the author. Before that problem, the author has stated that he knows the cause of her feeling insecure or
might be triggered.
• As the poem goes, the author shows what kind of sacrifice he has to take to make the girl feels better. The
girl’s love to her mother makes her unavailable to go against her mother. She knows that what her mother
does is for her (the girl) own good, no matter what going against your own parents is not a good thing to do,
at all. It is against any moral, religious or even social values in any place in the whole world. Going against
parents is a whore thing to do. The next four line shows that perfectly.
16. • Who broke my heart for her
• When the wild thought,
• That she denies
• And has forgot,
• There was something in the girl mind that ever tells her to go against her mother and face all the consequences to continue the love
she has to the author that has been denied and forgotten. This kind of wild thoughts sometimes can be the solution to fix that sort of
problem but mostly these solutions are against any values stand in this world. The girl has lots of love to her god and her mother that
she does not want to work on those wild thoughts. The love she has for the god make her realize that every wild thoughts she has
ever had is sins, while the love she has for her mother make her feel so sorry, trapped in deep sorrow over the night, maybe,and
makes her realize the best thing in the world that she has ever had is her mother. Another reason to show that Love without parent’s
blessing is not a good love.
• As for the man, or the author, once again, he clearly can accept the decision in a good manner. He does not beware of the fact that
her mother does not like him, anyway he is a pretty much of a nice example to the young people today. Forcing willingness isnot a
good habit, sometimes people need to think about the condition, how other people think about it and the effect that will costthe
decision. That is what exactly the poem tells the reader.
17. • Set all her blood astir
• And glittered in her eyes.
• Considering all the things she has ever heard from any side, the girl seems to be a lot affected by it. The last two line of the
poem tells the reader that she is happy in her sadness. How can that happen? She is very sad to hear that her mother does
not agree the love she gives to the author, on the other side she is happy that the author understand the condition and the
situation around and realize that the man is very gentle to put off everything he works out thorough out the years, their love.
It is very hard for both of them but they have to deal with it. It seems that the love they have is belonging to god, just like
people who love God believe that God is a symbol of power, truth, and justice. They also believe that if they are destined to
be together then they will be together but if not, they will accept the truth in a big heart.
• After all the have done together, they have to be separated and they can accept it by a big heart. The man is not selfish at
any rate, he can literally drop all the thing he has as long as the girl can feel happy. Mentally, they are both down by the
decision but to see they can accept it, it should be given a big appreciation. It is legitimately one of the saddest love story but
honorably one the most mature love does ever exist.
18. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
• William Butler Yeats’ To A Young Girl is one of the poems which shows the maturity level of love. The
more love people have the more sacrifices need to be dealt. This poem shows how important is mental
role in loving. If the girl or the man’s mental is not ready to the decision, no one can imagine what will
happen next. There might be several rapist possibility or maybe the man will kidnap the girl to follow his
desire to love her. That is all possible, mental has a big impact on everything we do. In relation to it, the
more ready mental is the level of maturity will grow and the more thing will be considered before doing
a thing.
