Name: Ghanshyam K. Katariya
Paper 106: The Twentieth Century Literature from 1900 to World War II
Subject Code: 22396
Topic Name: The Chaos and Disorder in the poem ‘The Second Coming’ by W B Yeats.
Batch: M.A. Sem-2 (2022-24)
Roll No: 7
Enrolment No: 4069206420220017
Email Address: gkatariya67@gmail.com
Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi, Department of English, MKBU
The Chaos and Disorder in the poem ‘The Second Coming’ by W B Yeats
Introduction
William Butler Yeats, commonly known as W. B. Yeats was an Irish poet, playwright, and politician who lived from 1865 to 1939. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland, and was raised in a highly creative and artistic family. From a young age, he showed a keen interest in poetry and literature, and he began writing his own poetry while still a teenager. In the early years of his career, Yeats was heavily influenced by the romantic poets of the 19th century, as well as by Irish folklore and mythology.
Over the course of his career, Yeats wrote numerous poems, plays, and essays that explored a wide range of themes, including love, spirituality, politics, and Irish identity. Among all his works The Countess Cathleen (1892), The Land of Heart's Desire (1894), Cathleen ni Houlihan (1902), The King's Threshold (1904), and Deirdre (1907) are the best known. He was a prominent figure in the Irish literary renaissance, a movement that sought to revive Irish language and culture in the early 20th century. In his poetry 'Leda and the Swan', 'Death', 'The Second Coming', 'He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven', 'Long-Legged Fly', 'An Irish Airman Foresees His Death', 'Sailing to Byzantium', 'Easter 1916', are the very famous.
In addition to his literary work, Yeats was also involved in politics, and he served as a senator in the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1928. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1923 for his contributions to Irish literature and culture.
The Second Coming
"The Second Coming" is a poem by W.B. Yeats that was first published in 1920. The poem is widely regarded as one of Yeats' greatest works and is celebrated for its vivid imagery and prophetic themes.
The poem is structured around a series of powerful images that suggest a world in chaos and on the brink of collapse. The opening lines of the poem describe a falcon that is no longer able to hear its handler, followed by a series of striking images that suggest the breakdown of order and the rise of chaos. The poem culminates in the image of a "rough beast" slouching towards Bethlehem, which has become one of the most famous lines in all of modern poetry.
Chaos and Disorder in ‘The Second Coming’
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.”
The poet begins with the imagery of the “gyre” and "Falcon and Falconer” to describe the order of the world, that hoe the human civilization has come to a state of destruction. The poet wrote this poem just after the end of world war 1 and there were several other major historical events that were happening along The Irish Rebellion, the russian revolution, the spanish flu.
“Christian imageries concerning the Apocalypse and second coming are used allegorically to depict the chaotic atmosphere of post war Europe. The poem is a wonderful poetic comment not only on the First World War and the traditional standard‟s decline but also on the twentieth century man and the terror of new invention”
Those political and major events lead the poet to imagine a world at the edge of destruction. Falcon, a bird of prey, is now not in the control of his master, the falconer. Here is given a symbol that the human civilization has lost control from nature and the divine as now “Things fall apart” and “Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world” the civilization has become wild and bloodthirsty.
Christian imageries concerning the Apocalypse and second coming are used allegorically to depict the chaotic atmosphere of post war Europe. The poem is a wonderful poetic comment not only on the First World War and the traditional standard's decline but also on the twentieth century man and the terror of new inventions (Khader 27).
“More than just political disturbance and brutality is represented in the first stanza. Its major concern is the social disasters of modern civilization: the split of conventional family and the social frameworks; the loss of mass religious belief and with it the mass feeling of purpose; the sense that the old rules no longer used and there is nothing to substitute them. “
Biblical and Mythological Imagery
After describing in the first stanza the chaos and confusion that have caused "things" to "fall apart," indicating the breakdown of Christian morality, in the second stanza the poem questions whether Christian morality was built on weak foundations, as good and evil are no longer reliable categories. Humanity's immersion in violence and bloodshed suggests that morality was merely a performance that conjured the illusion of innocence.
“Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.”
In "The Second Coming," Yeats challenges the stability and reliability of Christian morality by suggesting that it may have been an illusion all along. The poem alludes to the biblical Book of Revelation, which predicts that Jesus will return to Earth to save the worthy during the end times, an era of complete destruction and hatred. However, Yeats suggests that these end times are already happening due to humanity's moral weakness.
“When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,”
The poem offers no comfort in the form of divine intervention to remedy this bleak reality. Instead, the second stanza introduces a new revelation that makes things worse. A grotesque beast is heading towards Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, to be brought into the world. This beastly leader represents a new world of anarchy, in which the most moral people lack the courage of their convictions while the worst thrive.
The "blank gaze" of this creature signifies its lack of moral sense, and its arrival heralds a world of violence and destruction, not kindness and justice. The sphinx-like appearance of the beast also suggests a break with Christian imagery. Meanwhile, the "Spiritus Mundi," or collective unconscious, suggests a worldwide shift into anarchy as humanity lets go of morality.
“And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?”
The ‘rough beast’ with the body of a Lion and the head of man is the ancient creature recognized as Sphinx. In Greek mythology, the Sphinx is a creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion, often depicted with wings and a serpent's tail. It is known for posing a riddle to travellers and killing those who fail to answer correctly. In the story of Oedipus, the Sphinx blocks the entrance to the city of Thebes
The "rough beast" is a symbol of the new order of anarchy that is emerging to replace the old moral order. The phrase "its hour come round at last" suggests that the beast's arrival has been long-awaited and inevitable. The phrase "slouches towards Bethlehem to be born" implies that the beast is approaching its birthplace with a kind of lethargic, almost lazy movement. This could be interpreted as a sign of the beast's confidence and assurance that it will be able to take over and replace the old order without much effort. The use of the word "slouches" also suggests a lack of purpose or direction, as if the beast is simply meandering towards its destination. This could be interpreted as a sign that the new world of anarchy that the beast represents lacks direction and purpose and is chaotic and aimless. Overall, the "rough beast" represents the idea that humanity is returning to a state of nature, free from the constraints of morality and order.
Language and Form of the poem
"The Second Coming" has two stanzas, with eight and fourteen lines respectively. The form does not fit any standard scheme.That said, both stanzas bear a slight resemblance to the sonnet form. The first stanza is an octet, and the second does have the same number of lines as a sonnet. This slight resemblance could be Yeats's way of suggesting a break with tradition. Perhaps the poem strives to be contained in sonnet form, but the force of the vision and the beast itself are too much to contend with, so the form breaks down.
The poem is written in blank verse, which is unrhymed iambic pentameter. The regularity of the metre is constantly threatened, especially in the second stanza, to create an atmosphere of barely-contained chaos. The poem does not have a discernible rhyme scheme, emphasising the disorder and array of the broken world it portrays.
The first stanza is objective and measured in tone, describing the "anarchy" and misery of the world. The second stanza is more personal, with the speaker appealing to an absent authority before being interrupted by a vision of a "rough beast" approaching. The metre of the poem is primarily unrhymed iambic pentameter, but it constantly threatens to break down due to metrical variations. The lack of a discernible rhyme scheme emphasises the chaos of the world that Yeats depicts. The poem ends on a note of doubt and fear, leaving the reader with the unsettling image of the "rough beast" slowly approaching. Despite its lack of a conventional form, "The Second Coming" is widely regarded as one of Yeats's greatest works and a powerful expression of the turmoil and uncertainty of the early 20th century.
The Cyclical Nature of History
"The Second Coming" is a poem that holds a deep historical significance as it was written in 1919, amidst the aftermath of the First World War, and during the onset of the Irish War of Independence following the Easter Rising. The poem initially contained the phrase "the second birth" instead of "the Second Coming" in its early drafts, signifying Yeats's intent to highlight the idea of rebirth and regeneration.
Moreover, the poem is also associated with the 1918-1919 flu pandemic that caused widespread death and destruction globally. Yeats's wife Georgie Hyde-Lees contracted the virus and was near death in the weeks leading up to the poem's creation, giving rise to an inevitable sense of chaos and decay that echoes throughout the verses.
"The Second Coming" portrays a cyclical interpretation of history through its use of the "gyre" metaphor. Yeats's exploration of the cyclical nature of history underscores the inevitability of chaos and destruction, and the need to embrace change and transformation to move forward. Thus, the poem continues to resonate with scholars and readers alike, standing as a testament to Yeats's literary genius and his ability to imbue his work with socio-political commentary.
The poem reflects Yeats' belief that an era was coming to an end and that a new age was about to begin. He saw the world around him as chaotic and disintegrating, and he feared that this chaos would lead to the rise of a new, destructive force. This force is symbolised in the poem by the "rough beast" that slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.
The poem's apocalyptic imagery resonated with many readers at the time, who saw it as a prophetic warning about the future of humanity. The phrase "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold" became a widely quoted expression of the sense of dislocation and uncertainty that characterised the post-war era.
Over time, the poem's themes and imagery have continued to resonate with readers, as it has been applied to various historical contexts. For example, during the rise of fascism in the 1930s, the poem was seen as a warning about the dangers of totalitarianism. In the 1960s, it was seen as a reflection of the social and political upheaval of the time. And in the 21st century, it has been used to describe the sense of uncertainty and unease in the face of globalisation, technological change, and climate crisis.
Conclusion
The poem "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats is a complex work of literature that uses powerful imagery and symbolism to explore the theme of the collapse of civilization and the emergence of a new, chaotic world order. Written in the aftermath of World War I and other major historical events, the poem uses Christian and mythological imagery to paint a picture of a world at the edge of destruction. The falcon and the falconer symbolise the loss of control over nature and the divine, while the "rough beast" with the body of a lion and the head of a man represents the emergence of a new order of anarchy. The poem also questions the stability and reliability of Christian morality, suggesting that it may have been an illusion all along. Through its powerful use of language and form, "The Second Coming" conveys the sense of chaos and uncertainty that characterised the early twentieth century and still resonates today.
(words- 2174)
Work Cited
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "The Second Coming". Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Second-Coming-poem-by-Yeats Accessed 28 March 2023.
Lynskey, Dorian. “'Things fall apart': the apocalyptic appeal of WB Yeats's The Second Coming.” The Guardian, 30 May 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/30/things-fall-apart-the-apocalyptic-appeal-of-wb-yeats-the-second-coming Accessed 29 March 2023.
Mohammed, DLNYA A., and MARIWAN N. Hasan. "Occultism in Yeats’s “The Second Coming”: A Critical Interpretation." International Review of Social Sciences 5.2 (2017).
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