No Second Troy-William Butler Yeats

No Second Troy-William Butler Yeats

1. William Butler Yeats ( 13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature .

2. No Second Troy   WHY should I blame her that she filled my days With misery, or that she would of late Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways, Or hurled the little streets upon the great. Had they but courage equal to desire? What could have made her peaceful with a mind That nobleness made simple as a fire, With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind That is not natural in an age like this, Being high and solitary and most stern? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?

3. Stylistic Features : Allusion Metaphor Symbolism Imagery Simile

4. Allusion: A reference, sometimes indirect, to a person, place, theory etc. which the reader is assumed to have some knowledge of. biblical allusion with which the reader is assumed to be familiar. “Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?”

5. Imagery: Figurative or descriptive language which builds a mental picture of a person, place or idea. “ With beauty like a tightened bow”

6. Simile: A literary device whereby two things or actions are compared to each other, linked by the words "as" or "like". The litter drifted round the playground like tattered butterflies lost in flight.   “That nobleness made simple as a fire, With beauty like a tightened bow, a kind”

7. Metaphor: A comparison but this time one thing becomes another in every sense, except the literal. There is no "like" or "as" acting as links. The man was a mountain. The wind was a knife, cutting through outer garments to attack the defenseless body. “ With beauty like a tightened bow”

8. Symbol: Refers to something that stands for or represents something else. A nation's flag is literally a piece of cloth with a distinctive design but it is also a symbol of that country's identity. Was there another Troy for her to burn?

9. Tone : This is the emotional feel of the passage, the unspoken voice of the writer amused, mocking, angry, indignant, sympathetic, approving, cynical, scathing, indifferent. “Why should I blame her that she filled my days With misery,” 

10. Style The poem shows a remarkable mastery over rhetoric and over the rhyme scheme. The first line rhymes with the third one, the second line rhymes with the fourth, fifth with seventh, sixth with eight, ninth with eleventh and tenth with twelfth.

11. Rhyme Scheme: " Why should I blame her that she filled my days With misery, or that she would of late Have taught to ignorant men most violent ways Or hurled the little streets upon the great". All of these rhyming words are all the same in saying except for the last three lines: "Being and solitary and most stern? Why, what could she have done, being what she is? Was there another Troy for her to burn?"

12. The End