Presentation_ 106; SEM_2 _Exploring the Societal Impact_ A Poetic Reflection on the Second Coming Amidst Pandemic_.pptx

Exploring the Societal Impact_ A Poetic Reflection on the Second Coming Amidst Pandemic

1. "Exploring the Societal Impact: A Poetic Reflection on the Second Coming Amidst Pandemic" PREPARED BY:- HARDI VHORA

2. NAME:- HARDI VHORA ENROLLMENT NO.:- 5108230050 SEM:- 2 BATCH:- 2023-2025 PAPER NO.:- 106 ROLL NO.:- 08 PAPER CODE:- 22399 PAPER NAME:- The Twentieth Century Literature: 1900 to World War II SUBMITTED TO:- Smt. Gardi Department of English MKBU

3. Table of Contents Introduction Central concept of poem and Societal Impact Poetic Psychological Impact or Reflection The Second Coming Amidst Pandemic Resilience and Adaptation Conclusion

4. # Introduction Of W. B. Yeats:- William Butler Yeats Born: June 13, 1865, Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland Died: January 28, 1939, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France Occupassion : Irish poet, dramatist, and prose writer. Nobel Prize in Literature recipient in 1923. "W.B. Yeats's "The Second Coming," penned in 1919 post-WWI, presents an enigmatic alternative to Christian prophecy." (“William Butler Yeats | Irish Poet, Nobel Laureate & Dramatist”)

5. # Central Concept Of poem and Societal impact:- Establishment of kingdom: Jesus is expected to establish his kingdom upon his return. Judgment of enemies: He will judge his enemies as a part of his Second Coming. Reward for the faithful: The faithful, both living and dead, will be rewarded. Imminent Advent: Early Christians believed that the Second Coming of Jesus was imminent. Ever-ready expectation: Most Christian theologians believe that Jesus' visible appearance could happen at any moment, emphasizing the need for readiness. Biblical evidence: Evidence for the Second Coming is found in various biblical sources such as the Gospels (Matthew 24–25; Mark 13; Luke 21:5–26; John 14:25–29), the Book of Revelation, and other traditional sources. Last Judgment: The Second Coming is closely associated with the concept of the Last Judgment. (“Second Coming | Definition & Gospels”)

6. > Societal Impact:- Yeats's chaotic world resonates in times of uncertainty. Reflects post-WWI disillusionment with traditional values. "Rough beast" and "gyre" symbolize societal fears and change. Quoted in literature, music, film, shaping discourse on apocalypse. Critiques authoritarianism, warns against unchecked power. Sparks discussions on spirituality and crisis morality. Studied globally for language, imagery, and timeless themes. Themes of chaos and the search for meaning resonate amid modern challenges like climate change and political polarization.

7. # Poetic Psychological Impact or Reflection:- Sense of chaos/disorder - "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" reflects Yeats' anxiety about societal breakdown Apocalyptic imagery - "Second Coming", "rough beast" convey impending doom/cataclysmic change, reflecting Yeats' unease Loss of faith/spirituality - Falconer imagery suggests crisis of faith/lack of spiritual guidance Cyclical view of history - "Second Coming" hints at a new era/rebirth, showing Yeats' search for meaning/order amid chaos Existential angst - Overall tone of foreboding/uncertainty reflects Yeats grappling with fundamental human questions Inner turmoil - Poem is a psychological reflection of Yeats' fears, doubts and struggles in a rapidly changing world In essence, the poem captures Yeats' psychological state of anxiety, disillusionment and his quest for meaning/order in the face of perceived societal disintegration.

8. # The Second Coming Amidst Pandemic:- > What is the meaning of ‘Pandemic’,... “ An outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area (such as multiple countries or continents) and typically affects a significant proportion of the population : a pandemic outbreak of a disease.” > "The Second Coming" by W.B. Yeats, written in the aftermath of World War I and the Spanish Flu pandemic, reflects the chaos and uncertainty of its time. Yeats uses symbolic language to describe a world in turmoil, where traditional values and structures are collapsing, and something ominous is on the horizon. Amidst the pandemic, the poem's imagery of a "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem suggests the arrival of a new, darker era. This resonates with the sense of unease and fear prevalent during the pandemic, as people faced an uncertain future. Overall, "The Second Coming" captures the anxieties and disruptions of its time, offering a powerful commentary on the human condition amidst crisis.

9. > According to the article of Elizabeth Outka,... The book looks at the small group of authors who addressed the pandemic head-on in their work but also argues that the work of some of the greats—T.S. Eliot, Virginia Woolf, William Butler Yeats—was deeply affected by the flu in ways that aren’t so immediately obvious. Combining literary analysis with flu history and writing by flu survivors, Outka makes it clear that the pandemic wasn’t “forgotten”—it just went underground. So for example, the Yeats poem “The Second Coming” [that’s the one that starts: “Turning and turning in the widening gyre/ The falcon cannot hear the falconer” ]. That’s a canonical poem. He wrote it in 1919, and it has been read, quite rightly, as sort of a poem that captures the terrible aftermath of world war, and all the revolutions that were going on at the time, the political violence in Ireland, the Black-and-Tans … all this violence.

10. But in the weeks preceding his writing of the poem, his wife, George, who was pregnant, caught the virus and was very close to death. The highest death rates of the 1918–19 pandemic were among pregnant women—in some areas, it was an up to 70 percent death rate for these women. Just really terrible. He was watching this happen, and while his wife was convalescing, he sits down and writes “The Second Coming.” When you read it through the lens of the pandemic, this other poem begins to emerge. You could see the way such a poem could resonate with people who’ve experienced this pandemic. This atmosphere—things are falling apart; the center cannot hold—an atmosphere of “mere anarchy, loosed upon the world.”

11. The threat in that first stanza is all in the passive voice, right? “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed”; “the ceremony of innocence is drowned.”* This amorphous threat coalesces into this vague sort of lurching beast at the end. It’s a terrific description of a pandemic. Then specific imagery like the “blood-dimmed tide”—when one of the most frequent effects of this flu was bleeding from the nose, mouth, and ears. Just floods of blood. And then, the way people drowned in their beds, from their lungs filling up with fluid … and he has a line about the “ceremony of innocence being drowned,” when it’s his wife and unborn baby who were in the process of drowning like that.

12. # Resilience and Adaptation:- In W.B. Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," resilience and adaptation are depicted through the chaos and uncertainty of the world. The poem describes a sense of impending catastrophe and the breakdown of order, symbolized by images such as "things fall apart" and "anarchy is loosed upon the world." However, amidst this turmoil, there is a suggestion of resilience and adaptation in the form of a "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem, representing a new order emerging from the old. This resilience and adaptation can be interpreted as humanity's ability to endure and evolve in the face of adversity, finding new ways to navigate the changing landscape of the world.

13. # Conclusion:- "Exploring the societal impact of the Second Coming amidst a pandemic through poetic reflection reveals a profound intertwining of existential crisis and resilience. This exploration underscores humanity's collective vulnerability, urging introspection on societal values and priorities. As the pandemic challenges societal norms, the poetic lens illuminates themes of hope, fear, and transformation, prompting a deeper understanding of human interconnectedness and the quest for meaning amidst chaos. Ultimately, this poetic inquiry invites contemplation on the profound implications of such an unprecedented convergence, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity."

14. # References:- Onion, Rebecca. “The 1918 Flu Pandemic Killed Millions. So Why Does Its Cultural Memory Feel So Faint?” MAY 03, 2020, https://slate.com/human-interest/2020/05/1918-pandemic-cultural-memory-literature-outka.html. “Pandemic Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster , https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic. Accessed 5 April 2024. “Second Coming | Definition & Gospels.” Britannica , https://www.britannica.com/topic/Second-Coming . Accessed 5 April 2024. “William Butler Yeats | Irish Poet, Nobel Laureate & Dramatist.” Britannica , 26 February 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Butler-Yeats. Accessed 5 April 2024.

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