? When You Are Old? By William Butler Yeats Essay, Research Paper

Frank Tourso

Ms. Girard

Writing about Literature

Sept. 14, 2000

& # 8220 ; When You Are Old & # 8221 ;

William Butler Yeats

Unrequited love is a common subject in poesy. Nature, decease, wars, faiths are all important subjects but love is the most of import. It gives the reader an penetration to the writer & # 8217 ; s interior feelings. & # 8220 ; When You Are Old & # 8221 ; by William Butler Yeats is no exclusion. Yeats reflects upon his unconditioned love for a adult female who was non ready for a serious relationship.

& # 8220 ; When You Are Old & # 8221 ; is about Maud Gonne, an Irish patriot who William Butler Yeats was infatuated with and his unanswered love for her. In the verse form, Maud Gonne is reflecting on past loves and relationships. She realizes that Yeats was her lone comrade who loved her unconditionally. Many loved her, or said they did, but non in every regard like Yeats. Possibly if her realisation were earlier, Yeats would hold married her.

Many cardinal words bulge out, giving us hints to which Yeats is depicting. The most important is & # 8220 ; Love & # 8221 ; on the 10th line. & # 8220 ; Love & # 8221 ; is capitalized stand foring William Yeats himself. Yeats or & # 8220 ; Love & # 8221 ; fled because he knew it was the best for her. When one loves another unconditionally sacrifices must be made ; in this instance stoping the relationship was the solution. Two other cardinal words are located in the 6th line, & # 8220 ; false & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; true & # 8221 ; . These words are used to represent the love she received from her past relationships. Some work forces genuinely loved her while others were unreal with their love. William Yeats is stating us how he loved her good qualities, along with her mistakes. This once more is a premier illustration of his unc

onditional esteem and congratulations for her. Maud Gonne was a strong, independent adult female. A cardinal word to depict her is “pilgrim” , located on the 7th line. Yeats depicts her psyche as a “pilgrim” , invariably traveling and free minded. A individual with a “pilgrim soul” must be set free to roll in life. Yeats knew this and ended the relationship because she wasn’t wholly happy.

The imagination in this poem sets the scene and the temper. A strong image is in the first line. Yeats uses great adjectives like & # 8220 ; old & # 8221 ; , & # 8220 ; grey & # 8221 ; , and & # 8220 ; full of sleep & # 8221 ; to picture Maud as an old, tired adult female. This is really of import because it sets the scene and tone. The imagination in the 2nd line adds to this. & # 8220 ; Nodding by the fire & # 8221 ; besides gives us a concrete image. These two lines truly illustrate a scene of an old adult female reading a book by the firelight.

The subject of this verse form is one of unanswered love. Yeats is admiting his unconditioned admiration and esteem for Maud Gonne. He loved her really much but that same passion and love was non returned. This is a really common subject in poesy but Yeats demonstrates it really good because he uses a existent life state of affairs. His feelings and emotions are existent because he experienced them foremost manus.

I can associate to this verse form because I have been in a similar state of affairs. I

had a girlfriend last twelvemonth, who was really caring and compassionate. She was astonishing but highly affiliated. I was in the same state of affairs as Maud Gonne. I needed my infinite for my & # 8220 ; pilgrim & # 8221 ; psyche was uneasy. I am immature and I need to see new things and people, merely like Maud. As I look back now I realize that my girlfriend was really generous and treated me with attention. Those traits are difficult to happen in person and I feel lucky to hold experienced that.