What does the phrase soft look mean in the poem when you are old?
He says to her, “dream of the soft look your eyes once had.” This allows the readers to understand that the person to whom the speaker addresses is a beautiful woman, with soft eyes. However, her youthful beauty is no more.
What are the metaphors used in the poem when you are old?
As this metaphor is very detailed, it is easy to understand that he is talking about her being old, as you grow old you become more tired therefore full of sleep. In addition, Yeats is portraying that, come age, follows wisdom, and she will gain a deeper understanding of what she has forfeited.
What is the theme of Yeats poem?
2 days ago · Though three common themes in Yeats’ poetry are love, Irish nationalism and mysticism, modernism is the overriding theme in his writings. Yeats started his long literary career as a romantic poet and gradually evolved into a modernist poet.
Why did Yeats write when you are old?
It’s written about two young people imagining what life will be like when they are old. It seems to be an attempt by Yeats to warn Gonne what life could be like if she rejects his pure and genuine love for her and instead turns to what he sees as the less genuine love of others.
What is the major image in the poem?
About Imagery Imagery is the name given to the elements in a poem that spark off the senses. Despite “image” being a synonym for “picture”, images need not be only visual; any of the five senses (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell) can respond to what a poet writes.
What does Yeats say about his beloved’s eyes?
When You Are Old” WHEN you are old and grey and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book, And slowly read, and dream of the soft look Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep; How many loved your moments of glad grace, And loved your beauty with love false or true, But one man loved the pilgrim …
When you are old by William Butler Yeats tone?
The tone is cautionary – the’ voice’ in the poem is giving a warning to the person addressed that, because she has rejected the person who truly loves her, she may suffer a lonely old age.
How does Yeats use metaphors to help achieve his purpose or deliver his message?
Yeats uses powerful metaphors to express the speaker’s feelings about growing old and dying. He compares “an aged man” to a scarecrow: “a tattered coat upon a stick.” The speaker’s exploration via his imagination of how he wants his end to come is compared to sailing the seas.
What is Yeats purpose?
But Yeats’s goal is always to arrive at personal truth; and in that sense, despite his profound individuality, he remains one of the most universal writers ever to have lived.
What is Yeats style?
The Transition from Romanticism to Modernism Yeats started his long literary career as a romantic poet and gradually evolved into a modernist poet. When he began publishing poetry in the 1880s, his poems had a lyrical, romantic style, and they focused on love, longing and loss, and Irish myths.
When You Are Old by William Butler Yeats tone?
Who is the poet in when you are old?
William Butler Yeats’ poem ‘When You Are Old’ is directly addressed to his lover, most probably Maud Gonne who was an Irish revolutionary. While W.B. Yeats did write political poems, this poem, ‘When You Are Old’ is not one of them.
What are the stressed syllables in a Yeats poem?
Besides, the stressed syllables consist of the important ideas in a line. While the work is relatively short, like any Yeats poem, it is jam-packed with imagery and other poetic devices. The poem begins with a metonymy. One can find this device in the usage of the word, “grey”. The second and third lines of the first stanza contain anaphora.
How many times does W B Yeats use the word and?
We’ll pay attention to figurative language and poetic devices used by Yeats to convey his theme. • First, note the rhyme scheme. The first and fourth lines rhyme, as well as the second and third lines. Also, note the meter, it’s an iambic pentameter—this gives the poem a musical quality. Finally, the word “and” appears six times!
Why did W B Yeats write in a nut shell?
In a nut shell the poem is telling Maude Gonne that she needs to get her act together and open her heart to Yeats, because if she doesn’t she’ll grow shallow and crass and that love will grow inaccessible to her.