W.B. Yeats was an Irish poet and dramatist who received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. This document discusses and analyzes two of Yeats' famous poems: "On Being Asked for a War Poem" and "The Second Coming." "On Being Asked for a War Poem" expresses Yeats' belief that poets should refrain from political commentary during times of conflict. "The Second Coming" uses biblical imagery and symbolism to depict the chaos and disorder of post-World War I Europe and allude to an impending societal transformation. Both poems explore themes of upheaval, the collapse of social structures, and the cyclical nature of history.

1. W. B. YEATS’S
POEMS

2. Points To Ponder
01 Introduction of W. B. Yeats
02 On Being Asked For A War Poem
03 The Second Coming
04 Conclusion

3. 01 Introduction Of W. B. Yeats
● William Butler Yeats
● Born : June 13, 1865
● Irish poet, dramatist, and prose
writer, one of the greatest English-
language poets of the 20th century.
● Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923.
(“William Butler Yeats | Irish Poet, Nobel Laureate & Dramatist”)

4. Genre, Themes, Symbolism, Famous Works
W.B.Yeat
s
Genre:
● Irish Literary Revival
● Symbolism
● Romanticism
● Modernism
Symbolism In His
Poetry:
● The Mask
● The Cloths of
Heaven
● The Lake Isle of
Innisfree
Themes:
● Irish Nationalism
● Aging and Time
● Political and Social
Commentary
Famous Work:
● On Being Asked For A
War Poem
● The Second Coming

5. 02
On Being
Asked For A
War Poetry

6. I Think it better that in times
like these
A poet's mouth be silent, for in
truth We
have no gift to set a statesman
right;
He has had enough of
medding who can please
A young girl in the indolence of
her youth,
Or an old man upon a winter's
night.

7. ● Written on February 6, 1915 in response to a
request by Henry James that Yeats compose a
political poem about World War I.
● It’s one of Yeats’s shortest well-known poems,
comprising just six lines, and sets out why Yeats
chooses not to write a ‘war poem’ for publication.
● Yeats changed the poem's title from "To a friend
who has asked me to sign his manifesto to the
neutral nations" to "A Reason for Keeping Silent”
● Before sending it in a letter to James, which
Yeats wrote at Coole Park on August 20, 1915.
The poem was prefaced with a note stating: "It is
the only thing I have written of the war or will
write, so I hope it may not seem unfitting."
● The poem was first published in Edith Wharton's
The Book of the Homeless in 1916 as "A Reason
for Keeping Silent".[1] When it was later reprinted
in The Wild Swans at Coole, the title was
changed to "On being asked for a War Poem".
# INTRODUCTION OF THE POEM:-

8. # ANALYSIS OF THE POEM:-
● Yeats, in "On being asked for a War Poem," expresses the belief
that during turbulent times, poets should refrain from political
commentary as their skills are better suited for personal and
timeless themes.
● The poem suggests that statesmen have their own complexities,
and poets might lack the ability to guide them.
● Instead, Yeats highlights the poet's potential to bring solace or
joy to individuals, whether young or old, in moments of leisure or
contemplation.
● The emphasis lies on the poet's role in addressing universal
human experiences rather than engaging in the political
discourse of the time.

9. # THEMES:-
1. Silence of the poet during troubled
times
2. Lack of poetic influence on
statesmanship
3. Emphasis on statesmen's
experience over poetic intervention
4. Reference to pleasing a young girl
in her youth
5. Symbolism of comforting an old
man on a winter's night

10. 03
The Second
Coming

11. # INTRODUCTION OF THE POEM:-
● "The Second Coming" is a poem written by Irish poet W. B. Yeats in
1919.
● First printed in The Dial in November 1920, and afterwards included in
his 1921 collection of verses Michael Robartes and the Dancer.
● The poem uses Christian imagery regarding the Apocalypse and
Second Coming to allegorically describe the atmosphere of post-war
Europe.
● It is considered a major work of modernist poetry and has been
reprinted in several collections, including The Norton Anthology of
Modern Poetry.(Donoghue)

12. # HISTORICAL CONTEXT:-
● The poem was written in 1919 in the aftermath of
the First World War and the beginning of the
Irish War of Independence that followed the
Easter Rising.
● The poem is also connected to the 1918–1919 flu
pandemic: In the weeks preceding Yeats's
writing of the poem, his pregnant wife Georgie
Hyde-Lees caught the virus and was very close
to death.(Donoghue)

13. Poem stanza 1:
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity. (Yeats, second coming )

14. Poem stanza 2.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born? (Yeats, second coming )

15. Stanza 1
● Atmosphere: Foreboding, unsettling, marked by images of decay
and disorder.
● Key Points:
- "Turning and turning in the widening gyre": References Yeats's
cyclical theory of history, suggesting society's collapse and
potential rebirth.
- "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold": Eerie symbol of a
crumbling societal order and loss of control.
- "Mere anarchy loosed upon the world": Foreshadows utter chaos
and loss of morality.
- "Best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate
intensity": Highlights the erosion of values and rise of fanaticism.

16. Stanza 2
● Atmosphere: Apocalyptic, filled with chilling imagery and a sense of
dread.
● Key Points:
- "Surely some revelation is at hand": Reinforces the feeling of an
imminent upheaval.
- "The Second Coming!": Creates ambiguity – is it Jesus's return or
Certainly.

17. # THEMES:-
1. Civilization,
Chaos, and Control
2. Morality and
Christianity

18. # Conclusion -
In conclusion, W.B. Yeats' poems, "On Being Asked for a War Poem"
and "The Second Coming," resonate with timeless themes of societal
upheaval and the cyclical nature of history. Through vivid imagery
and symbolic language, Yeats explores the chaos and uncertainties
of his era, inviting readers to reflect on the broader human
condition. "On Being Asked for a War Poem" conveys the poet's
reluctance to romanticize war, while "The Second Coming" delves
into the idea of a world spiraling into disorder. Together, these
poems serve as poignant reflections on the complexities of the
human experience, leaving readers to ponder the enduring relevance
of Yeats' insights in our ever-changing world.

19. Quote:
The painter’s brush consumes
his dreams .

20. References
Donoghue, Denis. “The Second Coming.” Encyclopedia.com,
https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/second-coming. Accessed 14
January 2024.
“William Butler Yeats | Irish Poet, Nobel Laureate & Dramatist.” Britannica, 1 January 2024,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Butler-Yeats. Accessed 14 January 2024.
Yeats, William Butler. “On being asked for a War Poem by William Butler….” Poetry Foundation,
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/57313/on-being-asked-for-a-war-poem. Accessed 14
January 2024.
Yeats, William Butler, and WB Yeats. “The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.” Poetry
Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming. Accessed 14

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