Poem Explication: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

1037 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Use of symbolism and allegory in this poem

Poem Explication – “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” In his poem “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” (1919), William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) dramatizes the contemplation between life and death during an air battle at war. The poem is about an Irish Airman, who is preparing to go on a flight or is pondering his fate during a flight, and foresees his death during an air battle. The mood of the poem has a very somber tone to it, yet with very little emotion; considering the man is reflecting upon his life and anticipating his own death. This may be an indication that either the man had a fulfilled life, or a life of tedium, without a bright future to look forward to; either way, the fear of death does not seem to be a major concern for the Airman, more of an impending fact. …show more content…

He had no strong affiliation to his countrymen or a loathing of his enemy. He simply joined the war because of his love of flying as shown in lines 11 and 12 of the poem “A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds” (Yeats, 1919, p. 1046). Ultimately, it seems the airman had surrendered to his fate, and subsequent death in the air, with the final two lines of the poem “A waste of breath the years behind – In balance with this life, this death.” (Yeats, 1919, p. 1047). The poem is very well written and has mood and meter that effectively contribute to the meaning and the attitude of the poem. This is important, because of the meaning of the poem; contemplation of life and death, to most, would be extremely dramatic; yet, for this airman it seems as though he feels forlorn and unattached in reflection of his life and eventually, his death. Yeats skillfully uses rhyme, meter, and alliteration throughout the poem “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”, which in the end adds depth and connection, leaving a lasting impression on the

Show More
Related

  • Interpretations of the The Death of the Bull Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    The author begins the poem with the phrase "From my mother's sleep I fell into the State"(1). This I believe refers to the reflection of the gunner's likeliness to his mother's womb, being crowded in the ball of the plane. The "State" refers to the pilot being drafted into the military. The government drafted most men during this time period and in this poem I think that the speaker was drafted. Like most men, he probably felt it was his duty and honor to serve his country. The author in reference to the second line "And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze" (2) might refer to fur around the neck of the pilot to keep him warm from the freezing winds of the sky when hunched down in the ball of the plane. When the author writes "Six miles from earth" (3), I imagine the pilot dropping the plane down from the sky very quickly to hit his target below. I can see the speaker hanging from his little ball not bound by the aspirations that others seek in life, which would be what he is referring to when he says, "loosed from its dream of life" (3). Another thought or interpretation from this line might be that the speaker feels he is not responsible for the lives he is about to destroy on the ground. The following line the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Here Bullet By Brian Turner

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    One must look at this poem and imagine what is like to live thru this experience of becoming so tired of expecting to die everyday on the battlefield, that one starts to welcome it in order to escape the anticipation. The effects of living day in and day out in such a manner creates a person who either has lost the fear of death or has become so frighten of how they once lived the compensate for it later by living a guarded life. The one who loses the fear for death ends up with this way of living in which they only feel alive when faced with death. The person in this poem is one who has lost their fear of death, and now thrives off coming close to it he expresses it when he states “Here is the adrenaline rush you crave, that inexorable flight, that insane puncture” (LL.6-7). What happens to this persona when he leaves the battlefield? He pushes the limit trying to come close to death to feel alive; until they push

    Read More

  • Macbeth's "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" Speech Vs. Robert Frost's "Out, Out - "

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    An unknown author once wrote “Never take life too seriously; after all, no one gets out of it alive”. When reading this quote, there can almost be an immediate connection between two very good works of writing: Macbeth’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” speech from Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, and the poem “Out, Out --” by Robert Frost. Both allude to the idea that a single life, in its totality, denotes nothing, and eventually, everyone’s candle of life is blown out. However, each poet approaches this idea from opposite perspectives. Frost writes of a young, innocent boy whose life ends suddenly and unexpectedly. His poem is dry and lacks emotion from anyone except the young boy. Whereas the demise of Shakespeare’s character, Macbeth, an evil man, has been anticipated throughout the entire play. Through these writings, we are able gather a little more insight as to how these poets perhaps felt about dying and life itself.

    Read More

  • Keats and Longfellow

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Time is endlessly flowing by and its unwanted yet pending arrival of death is noted in the two poems “When I Have Fears,” by John Keats and “Mezzo Cammin,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Keats speaks with no energy; only an elegiac tone of euphoric sounds wondering if his life ends early with his never attained fame. He mentions never finding a “fair creature” (9) of his own, only experiencing unrequited love and feeling a deep loss of youth’s passion. Though melancholy, “Mezzo Cammin,” takes a more conversational tone as Longfellow faces what is commonly known as a midlife crisis. The two poems progressions contrast as Keats blames his sorrow for his lack of expression while Longfellow looks at life’s failures as passions never pursued. In spite of this contrast, both finish with similar references to death. The comparable rhyme and rhythm of both poems shows how both men safely followed a practiced path, never straying for any spontaneous chances. The ending tones evoking death ultimately reveal their indications towards it quickly advancing before accomplish...

    Read More

  • Fear Of Death In Faulkner's As I Lay Dying

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fear of death and appearance of death is a stressor that many of us have. As Kayne West once said,“Nothing in life is promised except death.” Most fear death, even though it is inevitable. This makes one wonder, if death happens to everyone, why do we all fear it? We fear death for many reasons: The fear of the unknown, the fear of being alone, and the fear of what happens when we are deceased. In the book “As I Lay Dying,” Faulkner describes the fear and appearance of death as experienced by the Bundren family.

    Read More

  • W.B. Yeats and History Essay

    1719 Words  | 4 Pages

    In regard to the Nationalists, he incorporates traditional Irish characters, such as Fergus and the Druids, to create an Irish mythology and thereby foster a national Irish identity. After the division of the Cultural Nationalists, Yeats feels left behind by the movement and disillusioned with their violent, "foolish" methods. He is also repeatedly rejected by Gonne. These efforts to instigate change through poetry both fail, bringing the function of the poet and his poetry into question. If these unfruitful poems tempt him from his ?craft of verse,?

    Read More

  • Cultural Criticism in W.B.Yeats’ An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

    1516 Words  | 4 Pages

    The various levels of interpretation that a poet, such as W.B.Yeats, welcomes to his poems is difficult to grasp upon first reading his poetry.  What appears to be a straight forward poem, such as, An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, is actually an intellectual cultural criticism of Yeats’ modern day society.  The poem, written as a testament to Lady Gregory’s son, captures the innermost concerns and perceptions of an Irish airman in World War I.  However, through Yeats’ sentimental and poetic style, the poem incorporates a double meaning, and hence, focuses on Irish nationalism and its lack of an international consciencesness.  The airman is Ireland personified, and his outlook on war and society is a window into the desolate situation that Ireland faces.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Death In Poetry

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people find it hard to imagine their death as there are so many questions to be answered-how will it happen, when, where and what comes next. The fact that our last days on Earth is unknown makes the topic of death a popular one for most poets who looks to seek out their own emotions. By them doing that it helps the reader make sense of their own emotions as well. In the two poems “Because I Could Not Stop for Death” by Emily Dickenson and “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, the poets are both capturing their emotion about death and the way that they accepted it. In Dickenson’s poem her feelings towards death are more passionate whereas in Dylan’s poem the feelings

    Read More

  • The Reality of Death in Emily Dickinson's Poem, I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

    2676 Words  | 6 Pages

    I Heard a Fly Buzz – When I Died –, written by Emily Dickinson, is an interesting poem in which the poet deals with the subject of death in a doubtful yet both optimistic and pessimistic ways. The central theme of the poem is the doubtfulness and the reality of death. The poem is written in a very unique point of view; the narrator who is speaking is already dead. By using symbols, irony, oxymoron, imagery and punctuation, the poet greatly succeeds in showing the reality of death and her own doubtful feelings towards time after death.

    Read More

  • An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

    1770 Words  | 4 Pages

    In William Butler Yeats' poem, "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death," he focuses on man's inner nature.  He touches on the many jumbled thoughts that must race through one's mind at the point when they realize that their death is inevitable.  In this poem, these thoughts include the airman's believed destination after leaving Earth, his feelings about his enemies and his supporters, his memories of home, his personal reasons for being in the war and, finally, his view of how he has spent his life.  Through telling the airman's possible final thoughts, Yeats shows that there is a great deal more to war than the political disputes between two opposing forces and that it causes men to question everything they have ever known and believed.

    Read More

  • To Autumn – A Proclamation of Life and Hope

    1439 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poem "To Autumn" is an amazing piece of work written by one of the greatest poets of all time, John Keats.  From a simple reading, the poem paints a beautiful picture of the coming season.  However, one may wonder if there is more to the poem than what the words simply say.  After it is studied and topics such as sound, diction and imagery are analyzed, one can clearly say that Keats used those techniques to illustrate the progression of death, and to show that there is still life at the end of life.

    Read More

  • John Keats When I Have Fears

    379 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Keats’ sonnet, “When I have Fears,” he initially focuses on his fear of morality and running out of time before he can achieve his goals in life of love and fame. In the concluding couplet, once his mind returns to reality, Keat dejectedly realizes that his desires for love and fame are petty compared to the anxiety he feels about his inevitable death.

    Read More

  • W.B. Yeats' September 1913 and Easter 1916 Poem

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poem September 1913 focuses on the time where the Irish Independence was at its highest. Yeats repeats the phrase “romantic Ireland” a lot in this poem as it refers to the sacrifice of the materialistic things for independence and freedom. To further emphasize the importance and greatness of the revolution, Yeats pointed out the names of heroic individuals who gave their lives to fight for the cause. Yeats did not give any detail about the Irish heroes but he does state that “they have gone about the world like wind” (11). The heroes were so famous; their names could be heard and talked about all over the world. In this poem, Yeats does not go directly in to detail about the historical events that happened but fo...

    Read More

  • Use of Dramatic Contrast in Yeats' Poetry

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    This refrain enforces his disgust at the type of money hungry people that the Irish have become. In the third and fourth stanza, however, Yeats completely changes the tone of his poetry. He praises the romantics of Irish history, such as Rob...

    Read More

  • W. B. Yeats Research Paper

    1812 Words  | 4 Pages

    Yeats was involved in politics, he was a part of the Irish National Theatre, the Irish Literary Society, and the Irish Republican Brotherhood; his poetry became more patriotic as his relationship with politics and increased (poets.org). His poetry shows his opinions of war and Ireland’s involvement with it. Yeats’ poem “An Airman Foresees his Death” shows his thought on the hypocritical use of war and soldiers, “Those that I fight I do not hate, those who I guard I do not love”. He also believed soldiers wanted to feel a sense of worth “A lonely impulse of delight, Drove to this tumult in the clouds” they were not fighting for political or moral motifs; they were fighting for the feeling of purpose (115). In the poem “Sixteen Dead Men” W.B. Yeats describes how war will neither improve nor worsen their situation, ‘The sixteen men were shot, But who can talk of give and take…While those dead men are loitering there To stir the boiling pot? You say that we should still the land, Till Germany’ overcome…Or meddle with our give and take, That converse bone to bone?” (462-463). This poem is also about the sixteen men who were shot and killed during the Uprising of 1916. William Butler Yeats’ not only shared his political views through his poetry he also shared the history of Ireland (poetryfoundation.org). Yeats’ poem “Easter, 1916” goes

    Read More

More about Poem Explication: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Open Document