A Tale of Neglected Love In the 1916 poem “No Second Troy,” William Butler Yeats addresses the topics of love and heartbreak through his allusions. The love spoken about is that of Maude Gonne, the Irish women whom Yeats, the speaker, was madly in love with all throughout his life. This poem was written after Yeats had proposed to Gonne multiple times (at least 4) and was continuously turned down by her (Dwyer). The poem has a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEF and at first look it seems as if it is a sonnet but there are only twelve lines to the poem. “No Second Troy” is a lot like a Shakespearean sonnet in the way it is structured. It looks as though Yeats just believed that he didn’t need two last lines to make his point in the poem, therefore …show more content…
The last line of the poem “Was there another Troy for her to burn?” (12) relates Maude Gonne, again, to Helen of Troy and how Maude is just as destructive as Helen. The final line is relating back to the second rhetorical question and the men that Maude was involved with. These men have power in several countries and have the power to cause destruction similar to the violence between Troy and Greece in the beginning of the Trojan War. Many men see the beauty of Maude just as those did with Helen and with Maude’s attraction to these men and her intelligence that the speaker sees in her, he believes that her influence can cause trouble. It is almost like a warning yet a personal note that Maude Gonne can cause devastation both to him and to the country because she is so intelligent and beautiful.
The speaker uses the four rhetorical questions to come to terms with his life, as he is getting old in age and realizes that he is lonely and doesn’t have the one thing that he has always wanted.“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” is a quote by Eleanor Roosevelt that reminds me of Yeats in “No Second Troy”. As Maude Gonne is Yeats’ influence for many of his poems, it seems that this one is different than the others as he is realizing that he has spent his life letting someone else make him feel inferior and going after someone who he will never have. “No Second Troy” is a story of love
In Fences, the main character Troy obtains an occupation that changes his value systems, his character traits, and his overall ideology. Not only did it affect his lifestyle, it eventually affects those around him. The newly found ideology Troy obtains significantly effects the development of the story's plot.
This juxtaposition is what leads the reader to understand the true meaning of the poem. For example, “Danae” is a “vessel” for “Jove” (lines 56). Danae is belittled to an object and claimed by Jove while Jove remains “golden” and godly. In lines seven and eight, “Jove the Bull” “bore away” at “Europa”. “Bore”, meaning to make a hole in something, emphasises the violent sexual imagery perpetrated in this poem. Jove disguises himself as a bull in order to take Europa away to Crete so he can rape her. Not only that, but she becomes pregnant afterwards and “bore” a child. Europa was physically “away” from her home because Jove had stolen her, but Jove “bore away” at her physically as well as emotionally. Finally, in line 8, the “Swan’s featherless bride” refers to Leda, who was raped by Zeus in the form of a swan. Not only is she not mentioned by name but she is owned by the “Swan” as demonstrated by the possessive noun. While the other women had minor historical context, Leda is reduced to three words. Not only that but Jove 's violence against the women increase with every name, Leda being alluded to last drives home the pain he
Nearly four centuries after the invention of the sonnet, Oscar Fay Adams was born. He stepped into his career at the brink of the American civil war, a time when typically cold Victorian era romances were set in stark contrast to the passions of Warhawks. It was in this era when Adams wrote his sonnet: “Indifference”, which explores the emotional turmoil and bitterness a man endures as he struggles to move on from a failed relationship . Adams utilizes the speaker's story in order to dramatize the plight of an individual trying and failing to reconcile holding on to the joy that passionate love brings with the intense pain it bestows in conjunction with this joy . Adams employs various poetic devices in order to present a new view of indifference,
Conflicts and tensions between family members and friends are key elements in August Wilson's play, Fences. The main character, Troy Maxon, has struggled his whole life to be a responsible person and fulfill his duties in any role that he is meant to play. In turn, however, he has created conflict through his forbidding manner. The author illustrates how the effects of Troy's stern upbringing cause him to pass along a legacy of bitterness and anger which creates tension and conflict in his relationships with his family.
When comparing Helen of (Sparta) Troy and Marilyn Monroe they have many parallels and differences. Mutually both of these women had a coarse childhood with many hardships. Both women had a turning point when they did something that caused people to change their opinion of them. Helen and Monroe’s Beauty has luminously inspired artist for decades. When comparing Helen of troy and Marilyn Monroe, one can see many similarities between both historic individuals.
...troy her “insides,” her spirit. At his continued indifference she lashes out against him and tells him she hates him and everything he is. This striking display of female power illustrates the resistance against sexist oppression that Delia and women throughout the ages engage in.
...ation of the women. The victorious Greek army in the Women of Troy does not seem to have any moral compunction in using the women as slaves or their concubines. In this process, they not only insult the citizens of the city of Troy but dehumanize the womanhood itself.
In the first line a question is asked: "I have to say poetry and is that nothing and am I saying it?" The second line is simply a paraphrase of the first question. The poet wants to know if writing poetry is worth anything, or if it is "nothing." The poem explores and wanders while developing the entire theme until the opening question is answered by the final couplet. The first two lines are followed by two more corresponding lines. Lines 3-4 state that the author has nothing, but that he has poetry to say and he must say it. To summarize the first quatrain, the author asks what the meaning of poetry is, but before he has answered his initial question, he continues by explaining that, regardless of his condition, or the meaning of poetry, he has something he must say through poetry.
Brooks begins the poem with the statement "Maud went to college" (1). Very early, she leads the reader to see that Maud conforms to society's standards. Maud chooses a path that is governed by the rules and beliefs of the world around her. Throughout the poem, Brooks describes Maud judging her less conventional sister for the choices she makes. When Brooks writes that "Maud and Ma and Papa / nearly died of shame" (11-12) when Sadie has two illegitimate children, she emphasizes that Maud is controlled by the rules of society.
while still making it’s point. One of many rhetorical questions used in the poem ...
During the Civil Rights Era, many African-American families took great precaution to avoid extra conflict between law enforcement in their societies. African- American families had their hands full during this era with fighting for equal rights, the stop to segregation, and discrimination. Eventually, most African- Americans had learned how to manage and not express their inner feelings or opinions. On top of all that took place during this time, issues within family households were still present and just as important. In one of his most famous plays titled “Fences,” August Wilson explains how certain issues would affect a particular African- American homes during era. According to Elam, “Wilson creates black characters who are displaced and
One significant woman role during this poem is women characters Chryseis and Briseis as war prizes. These women have a role where they have little control over their destiny, and this destiny, actually causes a lot of disruption between Achilles and Agamemnon. Chryseis and Briseis are both women characters who play the role of seized maidens who are looked at as loot of
Films have always been used to bring out various cultural artifacts and traditions. Through film, it would be easier for one to point out the culture in which one or the main character belongs to. The Iliad and Troy remains to be amongst the most renowned literal and film pieces that have been read, viewed and appreciated throughout history. Just as is the film Troy, which is based on the epic, The Iliad, Gladiator is a 2000 British–American epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott. The Gladiator features the character of Crowe, a fictional character, who is very loyal to Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. Crowe is betrayed when Commodus, a very ambitious son to the then the emperor Marcus Aurelius takes over power after killing his father.
Alexander Pope’s epic Rape of the Lock, is essentially a lampoon of traditional epic literature. It is teeming with comparisons between the main character Belinda’s actions, and Homer’s Achilles, Virgil’s Aeneid, and Greek mythology in general. Her character’s image is painted as vain and unconcerned with consequential matters, unlike that of Achilles’ character from Homer’s Iliad; however he was full of wrath and pride resembling that of Belinda’s traits. But, that is where most corresponding attributes end; the scales in which both play out as an epic are far from akin. Although her overall character seems to only be concerned with her charms, Pope consistently describes her in an almost hero like manner, and her quest has become to retrieve her most precious lock that she has lost. Throughout the poem her most trivial actions are glorified and exaggerated with comparisons to Greek heroes and wars, such as Achilles and the Trojan War, when in reality she is simply a vain woman who has lost a lock of her hair due to it’s unblemished beauty, and her quest for the seized lock is a matter that is completely frivolous and has no benefit in pursuing. Essentially that is what Pope is saying, that the high class woman of his time are petty, impractical, and vapid; he parodies Belinda’s actions with comparisons to the epic to drive that concept further.
This poem is a beautiful recollection of love and how difficult it is to attain in our world. Yeats does not seem angry that he lost Maud, however he does feel God’s curse on men. He seems unsure if true love actually exists and thinks that he got as close as he ever will at finding it. Maud was unable to give Yeats the love he yearned in return, which is why Yeats felt the need to express himself through this poem. Perhaps this poem was the beginning of a healing process for Yeats. He was unable to express himself to Maud so he had to express himself through his poetry. His poetry, in turn was as difficult to write as his love for Maud was to accomplish. Yeats is just exhausted at this point and it is seen at the end of his poem.