Week 13 Analysis: Close Reading, Yeats

In this poem, Yeats is referring to the real life Easter revolution of 1916, where the Irish fought the British for the independence of Ireland.

"Too long a sacrifice/ Can make a stone of the heart/ O when may it suffice?" (523, Yeats)

Here he refers to the sacrifice of lives lost in the revolution, and becoming numb to them. He questions how many people have to die for this cause.

"That is Heaven's part, our part/ To murmur name upon name/ As a mother names her child/ When sleep at last has come/ On limbs that had run wild." (524, Yeats)

Here Yeats feels as though Heaven's part is to take the dead, and there is nothing they can do but remember them, murmuring their name in either a literal sense or a symbolic one, by keeping someone in your memory. The comparison to mother and child strengthens the bond between these people, making it feel like they meant a lot to each other. The "running wild" is a reference to the revolution, and the sleep is a reference to death.

"What is it but nightfall?/ No, no, not night but death;/ Was it needless death after all?/ For England may keep faith for all that is said and done/ We know their dream; enough/ To know they dreamed and are dead;" (524, Yeats)

Here, Yeats reminds himself that death is not sleep for the night, it is permanent and also needless. England ended up maintaining their power anyways, so it was all for nothing.  The revolutionaries may have had dreams of change, but the fact is they are dead, and England is still in power.

"And what if excess of love/ Bewildered them till they died?" (524, Yeats)

This is reference to their love of their country. Yeats is desperate for answers, trying to find out what these people died for because it all feels so senseless to him. He thinks maybe their love for their country is what caused them to fight to the death, but feels unsure.

Yeats, William Butler "Easter 1916" p. 523 - 524

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 6:38 PM

    Hi Veronica, great job on your analysis this week! I like the way that you organized your writing, I may have to write my next close reading like that. You did a good job breaking down Yeats’ poem and gave great insight to some of the possible meanings behind his work, I really enjoyed reading it. Keep up the good work!

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  2. UnknownApril 22, 2018 at 9:47 PM

    Hey Veronica,
    Your analysis here is very enjoyable to read largely because you are clear and the over flow of quotes help you so much. With the quotes and analysis you do I can clearly see the theme of death in the text and the selection of quotes was also spot on so continue with great post like these.

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  3. AnonymousApril 29, 2018 at 2:50 PM

    Hello Veronica, I enjoyed reading your analysis of, "Easter 1916" for week 13. I like that you go into detail of describing the quotes you list out. The quotes really help give insight to the story along with the detailed descriptions you gav to made the quotes more clear if they weren't able to be easily understood by a reader. Overall, nice job and keep up the good work Veronica.

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