Poem The Second Coming Versus Article Representing The Great War: Comparative Analysis

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According to William Yeats and the Norton Anthology of English Literature, the people of the twentieth century were faced with a monumental catastrophe that sent them into a murderous and inhumane downfall. In Yeats poem “The Second Coming”, and the article titled “Representing the Great War”, we are presented with the similar idea that World War 1 was a gruesome one that marked a terrible time in history for everyone. Both texts give us better insight on the inhumane mass casualties and the loss of order that was occurring.

Yeats begins his poem by painting a vivid picture of the loss of control that is taking place during World War 1, and uses negative connotation such as “mere anarchy” and “blood-dimmed tide” to describe the war in attempt to help further drive that idea home. In “The Second Coming”, Yeats says, “The falcon cannot hear the falconer” (Yeats, 2). The metaphor here is portraying the idea that during the war all control was lost, and no order or rules were being followed. If a falcon has no guidance it essentially is roaming aimlessly. Yeats is comparing the loss of humanity during the war with the loss of guidance in the falcon to give his audience a better feel of how reckless the killings and catastrophes were during World War 1. This also showed that Christian morals stood no chance when faced with a war such as this one.

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In the article titled “Representing the Great War”, we are also given examples of the terrible war tactics used in World War 1 that are described as desperate and inhumane. The text states “the use of the term ‘Great War’ suggests the challenge of representing something so new and awful, so vast and traumatic” (Norton). Similar to Yeats poem, this short description of the war during this time gives the audience a small glimpse into the relentless killings and chaos that was occurring. It is inevitable that with war comes casualties, however the number of casualties and the way they were being executed during this war were so new and so harsh that people started to become painfully aware that this was not humane and all control had been lost.

In the second stanza of “The Second Coming”, Yeats says, “surely some revelation is at hand” (Yeats, 9). Here he is stating that some sort of revelation must be taking place soon because the war had reached a point that seemed apocalyptic and worthy of the Second Coming. He uses the Second Coming and the need for a revelation as a means to depict the irreversible mass death that came with this particular war. This also helps in portraying the desperate need for a control of order and how chaotic the war came to be despite what it should have been. Yeats also uses this line of his poem to show the hopelessness they are faced with during this time by showing the unraveling of Christian morals when placed in a war as gruesome as World War 1. Religious views are shown as weak in this poem by giving us gruesome details that occurred during war that conflict with religious views.

To further describe the loss of order and control that occurred during World War 1, the article “Representing the Great War” states “Such tactics signaled a breakdown of the rules of warfare in favor of indiscriminate killings” (Norton). This quote simply gives us insight that during the war all rules and morals were essentially thrown out the window when it came to killing, similar to what Yeats is trying to portray in “The Second Coming”. Although people practice religious morality or simply just have basic human morals, this quote reveals that all of this gets pushed aside during the war, thus giving the audience a better understanding of the inhumane and chaotic killings that were being committed and the desperate need to restore some type of order. These terrible war tactics not only resulted in many deaths, but also had long term effects to those involved and those that experienced it first-hand. Both “The Second Coming” and the article “Representing the Great War” successfully portray the chaos that occurred during this war and the effects they may have had on those involved.

Both William Yeats poem “The Second Coming” and the article “Representing the Great War” by Norton Anthology of English Literature paint a picture of what war was like in the twentieth century. We are given gruesome details along with descriptions that allow for the audience to gain perspective on the loss of control and the loss of morals that overcame those involved in the war during that time. Both leave us with greater knowledge regarding war tactics and the negative effect they had on people during World War 1.

Works Cited

  1. “Representing the Great War.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The 20th Century: Topic 1: Overview, wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/20century/topic_1_05/welcome.htm.
  2. The Second Coming – Yeats, potw.org/archive/potw351.html.

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