Figurative Language In William Butler Yeats The Second Coming

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In The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats adopts a foreboding tone and utilizes symbolism, allusions, and figurative language to illustrate the story of the anarchic apocalypse and the prophecy of Christ who would be reborn to mend world order. Yeats utilizes symbolism which emphasized this underlying story through symbolism, at the beginning stating “the falcon cannot hear the falconer,” (2) a symbol of the departure from law and morality and a flight towards corruption and battle. The use of the falcon, a prey, represents that those who stray from law will be victims of the path they fall into. In addition to these symbols, Yeats adopts numerous allusions starting with “The blood dimmed tide is loosed,” (5) which he mentioned after explaining

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