W.B. Yeats' Poetry Review

Flashcards for reviewing W.B. Yeats' poetry, covering key quotes, themes, structure, and context for poems like Easter 1916, Wild Swans at Coole, The Second Coming, and Amongst School Children.

What is the significance of the quote “Alls changed, changed utterly; a terrible beauty is born” in Easter 1916?

Sums up the poem Easter 1916, asking was the sacrifice worth it?

In Easter 1916, what does the repetition and the line “But lived where motley is worn” suggest?

Expresses the speaker's disconnection from the rebels and their extremist views.

Explain the juxtaposition in the quote “In ignorant goodwill” from Easter 1916.

Highlights the contrast between ideals and the violent reality of the Easter Uprising; naive rich wanted the best but were misguided.

What is the significance of the line “He might have won fame in the end” in Easter 1916?

Acknowledges Thomas MacDonagh's potential wasted in death.

What does “Enchanted to a stone” represent in Easter 1916?

The rebels' unyielding belief and willingness to die for Irish independence. Also symbolizes how it will affect history.

In Easter 1916, what is the significance of the question “O when may it suffice?”

A question reflecting on whether the sacrifices made in the Easter Uprising were ultimately worthwhile.

What does the line “The nineteenth Autumn has come upon me” suggest in Wild Swans at Coole?

Reflects the speaker's sense of aging and change compared to the constant nature of Coole Park.

What is the significance of the line “All suddenly mount; And scatter in great broken rings” in Wild Swans at Coole?

Expresses the speaker's feelings of chaos and disruption as the swans scatter.

What do the lines “unwearied still, lover by lover” and “passion or conquest… attend upon them still” convey about the swans?

Highlights the swans' enduring connection and freedom amidst life's challenges.

What feelings are evoked by the line “When I awake some day; to find they have flown away?” in Wild Swans at Coole?

Creates a sense of uncertainty and loss about the future.

In Easter 1916, what does “And what if excess of love; Bewildered them till they died?” suggest about the revolutionists?

Excessive love and extreme patriotism may have contributed to their deaths; love for Ireland.

What is the significance of “The falcon cannot hear the falconer” in The Second Coming?

Emphasizes the disorder and chaos as things spiral out of control.

What does “The ceremony of innocence is drowned” mean in The Second Coming?

Suggests that the illusion of innocence has been broken after World War I.

In The Second Coming, what does “That twenty centuries of stony sleep” symbolize?

Represents a hibernating beast waking up as a punishment for humanity's actions.

What is the effect of the line “And what rough beast, its hour come round at last” in The Second Coming?

Creates a sense of ominous powers and inevitability.

What is the significance of “In the best modern way – the children’s eyes; in momentary wonder stare upon” in Amongst School Children?

Highlights the irony and uniformity of modern education, which doesn't prepare children for the real world.

What does “I dream of a Ledaean body, bent” suggest in Amongst School Children?

Presents an image of beauty and sorrow, contrasting youth and beauty with age and decay.

What is the significance of “Told, it seemed that our two natures blent; Into a sphere from youthful sympathy” in Amongst School Children?

Emphasizes the human desire for unity and intimacy.

What does the rhetorical question in the lines “Hollow of cheek as though it drank the wind” or “Did Quattrocento finger fashion it” mean in Amongst School Children?

Reflects on the speaker's difficult reconciliation of past and present images and asks who was the source of the eroding beauty.

What would a mother think of her son when he was sixty in “With sixty or more winters on its head, A compensation for the pang of his birth, Or the uncertainty of his setting forth?”

Asks what a mother would think of her son at sixty and if his life justified the pain of childbirth.

What is the significance of “Old clothes upon old stick to scare a bird” in Amongst School Children?

Even great and remembered men are reduced to old scarecrows.

What is the significance of “O self-born mockers of man's enterprise” in Amongst School Children?

Highlights the contrast between the immortal and the mortal and shows there is constant preoccupation.

What is the question that the speaker is addressing when saying “O chestnut tree, great rooted blossomer, Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?”

Questions what makes life alive and what it means to know.

What thought is emphasized with the question “How can we know the dancer from the dance” in Amongst School Children?

A question leading to the ultimate query of how we can truly understand life and existence.