To Fear, Or Not To Fear: How Yeats and Hardy Envision God

Within both Thomas Hardy’s “The Convergence of the Twain” and W. B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming”, the actions of God are extremely prevalent, though the timing of His intervention varies greatly. Though, both poems were published within a five year period (1914 and 1919 respectively), they convey significantly different perspectives on the actions of God, in relation to our actions as human beings. These poems were written less than a decade apart, but are separated by one significant event that changed the world: the First World War. Though, God plays a prevalent role within both works. His intervention occurs at different times. Yeats demonstrates a God that reacts to man’s actions, whereas Hardy’s God is omniscient, developing a correction to man’s perception of accomplishment before the Titanic is ever constructed. Hardy’s writing came just after the sinking of the Titanic, and he demonstrates that man had outstepped his bounds. In sinking the ‘unsinkable’ ship, according to the speaker, God is correcting the misadventure of man. Yeats’ poem was written shortly after World War I, and the speaker foresees an apocalypse due to the sin of man as a whole. Both authors portray the perceived actions of God, though the speaker within “The Convergence of the Twain” appears to be more accepting and less fearful. Throughout “The Second Coming”, the speaker demonstrates their fear of God’s inevitable reaction to World War I. Both poems share the imagery of water, though its significance varies between poems. The speaker’s acceptance of God’s will within Hardy’s poem represents a devout religiosity that is unwavering throughout this writing, and Yeats’ depiction focuses on fear of the coming future.

Within “The Second Coming,” Yeats demons...

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...den voyage of the Titanic, and World War I as a whole), the perception of God will undoubtedly vary greatly. While Yeats fears God’s future actions, Hardy demonstrates an acceptance of God’s action, citing man’s misunderstanding of their objectives as reason for Godly destruction.

Works Cited

Hardy, Thomas. “The Convergence of the Twain.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Major Authors. Ninth ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 2400. Print.

Tassell-Matamua, Natasha A. "Near-Death Experiences And The Psychology Of Death." Omega: Journal Of Death & Dying 68.3 (2013): 259-277. Education Research Complete. Web. 24 Mar. 2014.

Yeats, William Butler. “The Second Coming.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. The Major Authors. Ninth ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2012. 2481. Print.