William Butler Yeats, like many Modern writers, experienced a kind of awakening. His occurred on Easter Sunday, 1916, when Irish revolutionaries staged an uprising against British rule. (Reading the introduction to Yeats is important because these events are explained in greater detail.) The revolutionaries were all executed, and Yeats recognized that Ireland was forever changed. For Tuesday, please respond to one of these prompts:
1. Compare the form and content of the early poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" with that of the later poem "The Second Coming." What do the changes in form and content suggest about the development of Yeats's world view?
2. "Easter 1916" contains the refrain line, "A terrible beauty is born." What is "terrible beauty"? Is there such a thing? I would like for you to refer to the poem specifically, but your comments can go beyond it, too.
Thanks. See you tomorrow.
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