& # 8217 ; Poetry Essay, Research Paper
Through childhood, there were ever forces that were beyond
our control: gravitation hurtling us down a slide, the deferral bell, or
an older brother. In this period of clip, we were guiltless,
unable to cognize what the effects of these factors were ; they
caused cicatrixs, individual file lines, and pique fits in the dorsum
place. We were excessively immature to understand what we had gotten
ourselves into. Therefore, non holding adequate experience to cognize
how to do our ain picks, we were forced to be swept off by
destiny. Such this is the instance in William Yeats & # 8217 ; s poems & # 8220 ; The Stolen
Child & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; Leda and the Swan. & # 8221 ; Despite the optimism of the
eventual result at first reading these two verse forms, the characters
in these plants were unwilling victims, taken out of their former
universes, based on the ignorance about greater forces.
A reader & # 8217 ; s nonsubjective positions may take him or her to believe
that these two verse forms are poetries refering making a higher
tableland. For & # 8220 ; The Stolen Child, & # 8221 ; he or she is get awaying to a
picturesque universe of unboundedness. Leda has been graced with
four of Zeus & # 8217 ; s offspring. For both, it appears on the surface
that they received an enlightenment or religious waking up. The
implicate forces at work are non questioned, but simply accepted
as the key to come ining a universe of light through Godhead
animals. But one does non recognize the larger image: a baby
is being kidnapped and a adult female is being raped. Both are taken
beyond their will and unjustly must endure effects. A closer
reading will rebut the sentiment that the results for these
characters were freely accepted.
In & # 8220 ; The Stolen Child, & # 8221 ; an inexperienced person is abducted from his or
her young person and free will. At this point of life & # 8217 ; s journey, one
doesn & # 8217 ; Ts have adequate experience to distinguish good from immorality.
The fairies & # 8217 ; s chorus has an baleful tone, paralleling the Sirens
of Greek Mythology that would entice unsuspicious crewmans to their
ruin. The kid is lulled off & # 8220 ; with a fairy, manus in manus & # 8221 ; ( 3 ) .
The image that is represented is either one of the babe
believingly seting his or her trust into these aliens or one
of the babe being forcefully pulled. The fairies are non as
beatific as they appear on the surface. Their reddest cherries are
stolen, much like the sweet kid. They are arch as good,
giving & # 8220 ; sleeping trout & # 8221 ; & # 8220 ; unquiet dreams & # 8221 ; ( 3 ) . It about appears
that this kid will go the fairies & # 8217 ; s new plaything! Fazing the
beautiful, Utopian ambiance, the ferns & # 8220 ; drop their cryings ; & # 8221 ; the
workss already understand something melancholy and esoteric about
this island. The kid does non hold on what hazard he or she is
taking, hence, this is non a pick of free will to go forth
thi
s universe that is “more full of crying that ( he or she ) can
understand & # 8221 ; ( 3 ) . That line the fairies chant contradict the last
stanza. The pastoral scene of heat, acquaintance, and the
amenitiess of place proves that there is still beauty in world.
The kid will ne’er recognize what is to & # 8220 ; turn up ; & # 8221 ; he or she is
stolen from wisdom, hurting, and individuality when free will was stolen.
& # 8220 ; Leda and the Swan & # 8221 ; is a different attack at the subject of
free will. Alternatively of the comforting cradlesong of & # 8220 ; The Stolen Child, & # 8221 ;
broken stanzas and in writing images bring a distressing vision to
the reader. Leda & # 8217 ; s ignorance is much different than the one of
the stolen kid. Her extent of human apprehension is greater
because she realizes this act of destiny, or Zeus, is awful and
overpowering. Leda is literally paralyzed with fright, helpless
against & # 8220 ; the great wings crushing still & # 8221 ; ( 121 ) . This action of
colza is an action of power, in this instance, the power of a God.
Zeus & # 8217 ; s & # 8220 ; apathetic beak & # 8221 ; represents a force that can non be
controlled, and wherever the victim is & # 8220 ; dropped, & # 8221 ; she is left to
trade with the wake ( 121 ) . Many polar inquiries are raised
in this verse form covering with human will versus godly intercession.
How much did Leda understand, and what steps were taken? If
Leda knew that this one event would do the Trojan War, there
is no uncertainty that she would hold pushed the elephantine swan off. She
wouldn & # 8217 ; t penetrate the magnitude of this act of force until
subsequently, so it is impossible that it was a voluntary pick to & # 8220 ; put
on his cognition & # 8221 ; ( 121 ) .
As kids, our parents decided when was bedtime, despite
our pleads for otherwise. We did non cognize the punishment for remaining
up tardily until the twenty-four hours after. Merely our parents, the unrelenting
force, knew the effects in the long tally. The commanding powers
in these two verse forms did non inquire for permission, they stole their
artlessness and free will. For the stolen kid, he or she takes
blind religion in the fairies, while Leda & # 8217 ; s & # 8220 ; terrified vague
fingers & # 8221 ; could non get the better of the daze to understand the fatal
reverberations of Zeus & # 8217 ; s crack ( 121 ) . No free pick can be made
if one is unaware of the fortunes. There is no manner to crush
forces that are stronger than us, like decease, but merely a manner to
header with them. In return, this may include losing security and
peace of head because we awaken to the fact that we are
vulnerable and wholly defenceless to destine and predetermined
events. That does non intend life should be feared. In our young person,
we explored the universe through experience, that which came out of
the ageless force that moved us without vacillation or concern.
From this, we learn to do the pick of free will from the
cognition we have gained, no longer naif.