W. B. Yeats’s Poems: Crisis, Silence, and the Modern World
I am writing this blog as part of a Thinking Activity task assigned by Prof. Dilip P. Barad . For this task, Sir provided a worksheet along with online lectures, podcasts, and study material to guide our study of W. B. Yeats’s poems, On Being Asked for a War Poem and The Second Coming. This blog reflects my engagement with the worksheet and learning resources, and aims to develop critical reading and interpretative skills.
Introduction
W. B. Yeats is one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century, whose work reflects the anxieties and uncertainties of the modern world. Living through a period marked by war, political upheaval, and moral crisis, Yeats’s poetry moves from romantic idealism to modern disillusionment. The poems On Being Asked for a War Poem and The Second Coming reveal two distinct responses to crisis—one through ethical silence and the other through apocalyptic vision. This blog examines these poems in their historical context and explores how Yeats uses symbolism, restraint, and prophecy to question war, power, and the future of civilization.
Video 1: The Second Coming (Online Class)
Brief Analysis:
This lecture examines W. B. Yeats’s The Second Coming as a powerful response to global crisis and civilizational collapse. While the poem is traditionally read in the context of post–World War I violence and Irish political unrest, the lecture offers a compelling pandemic reading by linking the poem to the 1918 Spanish flu. The speaker explains that Yeats’s pregnant wife narrowly survived the virus, which helps explain the poem’s intense imagery of drowning, blood, and loss of innocence. Phrases such as “the blood-dimmed tide” and “the ceremony of innocence is drowned” are interpreted as reflecting the physical and psychological devastation caused by the pandemic. By drawing parallels with the COVID-19 crisis, the lecture shows how The Second Coming continues to resonate with modern anxieties, presenting the “rough beast” as a symbol of an invisible, uncontrollable force that disrupts social order.
Video 2: On Being Asked for a War Poem (Online Class)
Brief Analysis:
This lecture analyzes W. B. Yeats’s poem On Being Asked for a War Poem as a deliberate refusal to participate in war propaganda during World War I. The instructor explains that Yeats uses irony to argue that poets should remain silent on matters of politics, even though the poem itself becomes an act of subtle resistance. The lecture situates the poem within the context of Irish nationalism, where Yeats’s commitment to artistic integrity often conflicted with political expectations. By closely examining the poem’s language and structure, the discussion shows how Yeats contrasts public violence with private human experiences such as youth, age, and emotional intimacy. Ultimately, the lecture highlights the tension between aesthetic independence and moral responsibility, suggesting that Yeats’s silence is not withdrawal but an ethical stand against the misuse of art in times of war.
Hindi Podcast: Understanding of Both Poems
As part of this Thinking Activity, I watched the Hindi podcast on W. B. Yeats’s poems, On Being Asked for a War Poem and The Second Coming, available on the teacher’s blog. The podcast helped in understanding Yeats’s poetry by explaining complex historical, political, and critical ideas in a simple and accessible manner. It successfully connects Yeats’s personal experiences with larger global events, making the poems relevant even in the contemporary world.
Detailed Understanding from the Hindi Podcast
The podcast begins with On Being Asked for a War Poem and explains that Yeats’s refusal to write a patriotic poem during World War I was not an act of escapism or silence without meaning. Instead, his silence is presented as a form of resistance. The podcast highlights that Yeats did not want his poetry to become a tool of propaganda that would indirectly support the British political system, which was also oppressing Ireland. By choosing not to glorify war, Yeats protects the moral independence of art. The podcast emphasizes that the poet believes poetry belongs to private human emotions—such as youth, age, love, and comfort—rather than the violent noise of political conflict.
The discussion then shifts to The Second Coming, a poem often interpreted as a response to the chaos following World War I and the collapse of old political and moral systems. The podcast introduces a modern critical perspective proposed by scholar Elizabeth Outka, who reads the poem through the lens of the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. According to this interpretation, images like the “blood-dimmed tide” and “the ceremony of innocence is drowned” can be understood as reflecting the physical suffering caused by the virus, especially the terrifying deaths caused by pneumonia. The “rough beast” is not seen as a specific political leader or religious figure but as a symbol of an invisible and uncontrollable biological force that spreads fear and destruction.
The podcast also draws parallels between Yeats’s time and the modern world, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. It explains how literature gains new meanings during times of crisis and how great poems continue to speak to different generations. By connecting war, disease, and social breakdown, the podcast shows that Yeats’s poetry captures a universal human experience—the fear that arises when order collapses and the future becomes uncertain.
Overall, the Hindi podcast deepened my understanding of both poems by showing that Yeats’s work is not limited to one historical moment. His poetry remains powerful because it expresses timeless anxieties about violence, suffering, moral responsibility, and the fragile nature of civilization.
Suggested Reading and Activities
Discussion Question 1
How does Yeats use imagery to convey a sense of disintegration in The Second Coming?
In The Second Coming, W. B. Yeats uses powerful and disturbing imagery to express the breakdown of civilization and moral order. The poem opens with the image of a falcon flying in a “widening gyre,” unable to hear the falconer. This image symbolizes humanity moving further away from control, authority, and guiding principles. The widening spiral suggests chaos and loss of balance.
The line “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” visually and emotionally captures the collapse of political, social, and spiritual structures. Yeats further intensifies this sense of disintegration through violent images such as “the blood-dimmed tide” and “the ceremony of innocence is drowned”, which suggest mass suffering, destruction, and the loss of purity. These images reflect the aftermath of World War I and, as modern critics suggest, the horrors of the 1918 influenza pandemic.
Finally, the image of the “rough beast” slouching towards Bethlehem replaces the Christian idea of salvation with terror. Instead of hope, the future brings a monstrous force. Through these unsettling images, Yeats presents a world where order has collapsed and a frightening new era is being born.
Discussion Question 2
Do you agree with Yeats’s assertion in On Being Asked for a War Poem that poetry should remain apolitical? Why or why not?
Yeats’s assertion that poetry should remain apolitical is complex and thought-provoking. In On Being Asked for a War Poem, Yeats argues that poets have “no gift to set a statesman right”, suggesting that poetry should not become a tool of political propaganda. I partly agree with Yeats’s position.
During times of war, poetry is often used to glorify violence and promote nationalism. Yeats’s refusal protects the moral integrity of art and resists the misuse of poetry for political power. His belief that poetry should offer quiet human comfort—to “a young girl” or “an old man upon a winter’s night”—highlights art’s role in preserving humanity rather than intensifying conflict.
However, poetry cannot be completely separated from politics. Even Yeats’s refusal is itself a political act. By choosing silence, he makes a strong ethical statement against war and propaganda. Therefore, while poetry may not directly instruct politics, it inevitably reflects social realities.
Thus, I agree with Yeats that poetry should not serve political agendas blindly, but I also believe poetry can engage with politics ethically, critically, and responsibly without becoming propaganda.
Creative Activity
Creative Activity
A New Turning
Analytical Exercise
Comparison of War in On Being Asked for a War Poem and War Poems by Wilfred Owen / Siegfried Sassoon
In On Being Asked for a War Poem, W. B. Yeats adopts a restrained and indirect approach to war. Rather than describing the battlefield or the suffering of soldiers, Yeats questions the role of poetry itself during wartime. He refuses to write propaganda and states that poets have “no gift to set a statesman right.” War, in Yeats’s poem, is presented as a political and moral crisis where poetry should maintain ethical distance and protect its artistic integrity.
In contrast, poets like Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon confront war directly through graphic realism. Owen’s poems such as “Dulce et Decorum Est” depict the physical horrors of trench warfare, including gas attacks, mutilation, and death. His purpose is to expose the lie of patriotic slogans and show war as brutal, painful, and inhuman. Sassoon similarly uses satire and anger in poems like “The General” to criticize military leadership and the senseless sacrifice of soldiers.
The key difference lies in perspective and method. Yeats remains distant from the battlefield and focuses on philosophical reflection, while Owen and Sassoon write as soldier-poets who experienced war firsthand. Yeats emphasizes silence, restraint, and moral refusal, whereas Owen and Sassoon use vivid imagery and emotional intensity to shock readers into awareness.
Despite these differences, all three poets reject the glorification of war. Yeats resists war through silence and irony, while Owen and Sassoon resist it through exposure and protest. Together, their poems reveal that war can be challenged in multiple literary ways—through reflection, realism, anger, and ethical refusal.
Conclusion
This Thinking Activity helped me develop a deeper understanding of W. B. Yeats’s poetry and its relevance to both historical and contemporary crises. Through The Second Coming and On Being Asked for a War Poem, Yeats emerges as a poet who does not offer easy answers but instead confronts chaos, violence, and moral uncertainty with symbolic vision and ethical restraint. While The Second Coming presents a haunting image of a world collapsing into disorder, On Being Asked for a War Poem questions the responsibility of the artist in times of political conflict. Engaging with online lectures, Hindi podcasts, critical readings, and creative exercises allowed me to see how Yeats’s poetry continues to speak to modern experiences such as war, pandemics, and social breakdown. This activity reinforced the idea that great literature remains alive because it evolves with new contexts and invites continuous reinterpretation.
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