The Section that I will be looking at in this weeks Analysis is W.B Yeats' poem Easter 1916.
Upon looking into the history behind the attempted revolution in Ireland on Easter Sunday (switched to Easter Monday when their plans were almost ruined), we see that the movement for an Ireland free from British rule was not initially very popular. The Irish people were fine with having a British rule as it created security and stability. Not until after the leaders of the rebellion were made examples of by the British did the people start to believe in the cause. Sixteen leaders of the uprising were executed and very quickly after the event (519). This gave the public a feeling of injustice as there could not have been proper trials for all men so soon after the upset. Even women joined the rebellion. The British soldiers would not arrest them but they insisted on being brought to jail along with the men who they fought beside. However, no women were executed but some civilian women were killed in the crossfire. The people saw the captured men killed as martyrs and thus the cause gained sympathy. The willingness to die for what they believed in created the terrible beauty that Yeats describes.
The terror on the city that was under heavy artillery and gun fire lead to not only rebel deaths, but hundreds of civilian deaths as well. Thus, a terrible beauty was born.
The women who stood beside the men are mentioned in his writing as well. He writes “That woman’s days were spent in ignorant goodwill, her nights in argument until her voice grew shrill. What voice when, young and beautiful, she rode to harriers?” (523) - Irish women were different and Yeats points this out without reservation. They argued and fought for their beliefs. Harriers is defined on dictionary.com as "a person who engages in persistent attacks on others or incursions into their land.". They rode out as they heard the call of their countrymen and they faced the trials even when they could have been set free.
Yeats cared very much for his people and also for political action of the ruled population. He was deeply disturbed by the events of Easter 1916 and wrote about it with passion for what resulted.
The Beauty that resulted was that of the new Irish constitution/declaration that was enacted some years after the events unfolded. The document was closely modeled after the one presented at the start of the rebellion. The other thing of beauty was the Irish people coming together in common cause to denounce the improper execution of their patriotic brothers.
Interesting video on the topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT8uFIbNrHw
More research: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/03/24/easter-rising-centenary-how-the-1916-insurrection-shaped-modern/
Hello Savannah!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your analysis on Yeats "Easter 1916". You gave a great summary of the events that took place, while also really diving into the more critical points that the poem touches on. It has a lot of historical value because it has that sort of first person view at times. I agree, Yates really cared deeply for his people and the rest of the population.