The document discusses William Butler Yeats, one of the 20th century's greatest poets, focusing on his poem 'The Second Coming' written in 1919 amidst the turmoil following World War I and the Irish War of Independence. The poem features powerful imagery and symbolism, depicting a world in disorder and foreseeing a dark new era as symbolized by a beast emerging from chaos, contrasting traditional Christian beliefs. It explores themes of loss, change, and the disintegration of values, suggesting that out of chaos arises something darker and more malevolent.

1. The Second Coming
William Butler Yeats
Areej Aslam

2. W.B Yeats
• William Butler Yeats is considered to be one
of the greatest poets of the 20th century.
• He was an Irish poet who wrote many poems
and plays as well.
• He was not boastful, but spiritual arrogance
came easily to him.

3. About Poem
• The poem was written in 1919 in the outcome of
the First World War and the beginning of the Irish
War of Independence.
• Yeats used the phrase “The Second Birth"
instead of “The Second Coming" in his first
drafts.
• It consist of two stanza.
• It is a poem of powerful imagery and symbolism.

4. Background
• Europe had enjoyed almost a century without
conflict and this was exceptionally a long period
of peace.
• Then in 1914, the World War, the Irish Easter
Rising, the Russian Revolution, and soon
after, the rise of Fascism in both Germany
and Italy, all followed each other rapidly.
• And there was great disturbance in the Europe.

5. Cont.
• The poet had seen mass killings, diseases and
deaths around him.
• This made him believe that there is no concept
of morality in the world.
• As a substitute, the one who believes in doing
the wrong things is the one who gets more
benefitted.

6. Stanza 1
• First stanza consist of Eight lines.
• Poem start with the line:
• Turning and turning in the widening gyre,
The Falcon cannot hear the falconer
• The image of Falcon and Falconer continues
throughout the poem..
• It refers to the conflict of
era.

7. Cont.
• The poet believed that the world history is
cyclical.
• One era is replaced by the other which is quite
opposite to the first.
• The image of Falcon depicts the Christian era
that came around 2000 years ago and now will
replace by new era which is very dark.

8. Cont.
• Actually the Falcon is flying away from its
master and is turning in a widening gyre and can
not listen to Falconer now.
• The image of the Falcon and Falconer can be
read as a reference to the collapse of traditional
social arrangements in Europe.
• It might be taken as the metaphor for
encroaching the disorder, chaos and
disintegration.

9. Cont.
• The blood is flowing like a stream i.e. there are
mass killings, murders, and deaths everywhere.
• The good people or the intellectuals do not get
justice while the those full of passionate
intensity are enjoying.
• Yeats is thinking about the peaceful time of his
childhood and how it is gone forever.

10. Stanza 2
• This stanza consist of Fourteen lines.
• Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand
• In second stanza Yeats give vision of the
Second coming of Christ to save mankind like
before.
• He observed Spiritus Mundi emerging out.

11. Cont.
• Though it was
supposed to provide
relief but the poet is
troubled by seeing
it.
• It is in the desert
like Sphinx at Giza
and has a head of
man and body of a
lion.

12. • The beast is in no hurry and is moving slowly.
• It is unable of having sympathy with other
humans or it is merciless.
• The situation was almost similar only the
difference was that, Christ was born in
Bethlehem. Beast is moving slowly in desert
towards Bethlehem.
• The other thing is Christ was welcome and Beast
looks more terrifying than welcome.

13. • The end of the poem is on contrary to the
biblical belief according to Yeats.
• According to the Christian mythology, it was
believed that Christ will be born when the world
would be in disorder.
• But after Christ there was stony sleep of two
thousand years, leading to the present
nightmare.
• This era has come to an end.

14. • Desert Birds like vultures are flying around it
and falcon in the first stanza was too moving in
the gyre.
• The Falcon and the desert birds are probably
the same.
• Suddenly darkness come over again and the
vision is over again.

15. Theme
• This poem is about loss, about change, and
about traditional meanings and values coming
apart at the ridges.
• In the poem's conclusion Yeats suggests that out
of the chaos of that era, something is arising that
is darker and more evil.
• Good people don’t know what is worthy for
them and bad people are full of desire and
intensity