Conflicting Themes in The Poetry of W. B. Yeats Essay -- Literary Anal

In analysing the poetry of W.B. Yeats, I have come to understand the nonuple conflicting themes and positions he presents in his poetry. However, my understanding has been influenced most by Yeatss exploration of key conflicts in senescent along with political anarchy. These are conveyed respectively in the poems Wild cats at Coole (1916) and Leda and the Swan (1923), using the central symbol of the swan. In Wild Swans at Coole, Yeats conveys the conflict within his heart where he is an ageing, elder man opposed to the young, revitalised swans. He laments the loss of his playful energy which he sees in the abundance of love and vitality in the swans. In Leda and the Swan, Yeats conveys the political dichotomy of the Irish nationalistic struggle against the opposing British suppression exemplified by the swans advances towards the vulnerable Leda. Yeats presents the key conflict of ageing through exploring his own life in decline compared to the spiritual transcendence of the swa ns in Wild Swans at Coole. Yeats wrote this poem in October 1916 after his latest rejection by Maud Gonne, following the death of her husband, John MacBride, in the Easter Rebellion. Yeats therefore reflects on the inertia of his own life, while regathering himself at Lady Gregorys Coole Park estate. magic spell revolving around the idea that sexual fulfilment with Maud has been lost. Yeats retains the last of his romantic preoccupations in perceiving a spiritual factor through the natural world, where nature is reflective of spring chicken and beauty. The main way this is conveyed is through the swans, symbolising youth, vitality and freedom, the conflicting position to Yeatss personal state.Yeats conveys this through a reflective, sorrowful tone, as h... ...he spiritual element of life, discovered through the natural world with Wild Swans at Coole, and history with Leda and the Swan.Works Cited1. Bogan, L., 1938, William Butler Yeats, The Atlantic Monthly, May 1938, accessed 8 June 2012, http//www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ account/1938/05/william-butler-yeats/4672/2. Holstad, S., n.d., Yeatss Leda and the Swan Psycho-Sexual Therapy in Action, California State University, accessed 8 June 2012, http//www-scf.usc.edu/erdemoz/Write/leda.html3. Modernist Poetry 2 W. B. Yeats, lecture by Dr. Aaron Kelly, 20th April 2004, from the green booklet mental faculty B The Critical Study of Texts William Butler Yeats. 4. Morrison, A., 1998, Theories of Post-Coloniality Edward W. Said and W.B. Yeats, The Imperial Archive Project, accessed 9 June 2012, http//www.qub.ac.uk/imperial/ireland/saidyeat.htm