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    Symbolism in Yeats Poetry

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    kaviyky
    The document discusses the symbolism in W.B. Yeats' poetry. It defines Yeats as a symbolist poet influenced by the French symbolist movement who incorporated symbols to express abstract ideas. Yeats used distinct imagery to symbolize complex ideas through intellectual symbols with specific meanings learned through the poems, such as gyres representing turning points in history and falcons representing freedom. Emotional symbols represented feelings without logic, like the heart representing passion.

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    Symbolism in Yeats Poetry

    Uploaded by

    kaviyky
    342 views14 pages
    The document discusses the symbolism in W.B. Yeats' poetry. It defines Yeats as a symbolist poet influenced by the French symbolist movement who incorporated symbols to express abstract ideas. Yeats used distinct imagery to symbolize complex ideas through intellectual symbols with specific meanings learned through the poems, such as gyres representing turning points in history and falcons representing freedom. Emotional symbols represented feelings without logic, like the heart representing passion.

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    85962501 Symbolism in Yeats Poetry

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    The document discusses the symbolism in W.B. Yeats' poetry. It defines Yeats as a symbolist poet influenced by the French symbolist movement who incorporated symbols to express abstract ideas. Yeats used distinct imagery to symbolize complex ideas through intellectual symbols with specific meanings learned through the poems, such as gyres representing turning points in history and falcons representing freedom. Emotional symbols represented feelings without logic, like the heart representing passion.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    342 views14 pages

    Symbolism in Yeats Poetry

    Uploaded by

    kaviyky
    The document discusses the symbolism in W.B. Yeats' poetry. It defines Yeats as a symbolist poet influenced by the French symbolist movement who incorporated symbols to express abstract ideas. Yeats used distinct imagery to symbolize complex ideas through intellectual symbols with specific meanings learned through the poems, such as gyres representing turning points in history and falcons representing freedom. Emotional symbols represented feelings without logic, like the heart representing passion.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 14

    Symbolism in W. B.

    Yeats Poetry

    Contents
    A Symbolist Poet W.B. Yeats Definition of Symbol Characteristics of His Symbolism Emotional Symbols Intellectual Symbols Examples of Intellectual Symbols
    2

    A Symbolist Poet
    He was influenced by the French symbolist movement. Versification nearer to the day to day speech Passionate syntax He can put the starkest facts into the starkest words. Incorporated symbols as a means of expressing abstract and mystical ideas A poem should not merely have one meaning, but many meanings to many people of different times
    3

    W.B. Yeats Definition of Symbol


    Yeats explains symbols as follows: All sounds, all colours, all forms, either because of their preordained energies or because of long association, evoke indefinable and yet precise emotions, or, as I prefer to think, call down among us certain disembodied powers, whose footsteps over our hearts we call emotions. (33) - The Symbolism of Poetry
    4

    Characteristics of His Symbolism


    Yeats uses distinct, concrete imagery to symbolize complex ideas about the state of the modern world. Heraldic emblem Simple syntax but due to rhyme and rhythm have underlying meaning
    5

    Emotional Symbols
    No particular or logical reason For example, Heart s purple . It is symbol of throbbing life and passion and also have sexual connotation

    Intellectual Symbols
    This is a symbol that stands for something and its meaning is learned. Effective because they convey depths of meaning rather than just a general feeling

    Examples of Intellectual Symbols


    Gyre : Turning and turning in the widening gyre

    Cont
    Falcon and falconer : The falcon cannot hear the falconer Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

    Cont
    Second Coming : Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming!

    10

    Cont
    lion body : somewhere in sands of the desert A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

    11

    Cont
    nodding by the fire - Impending death bending down beside the glowing bars, - Seeking warmth or comfort - The desire and need for the fiery love she once rejected. - When You are Old

    12

    Cont
    My Soul - An escapist - Spirituality My Self - One have to fight the miseries of life manly - Materialism - A Dialogue of Self and Soul

    13

    Thank You!
    Question/Answer

    14

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