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William Butler YeatsA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
1. How does “The Second Coming” reflect the time in which it was written (circa 1919)? Detail historical events that may have influenced Yeats’s writing, and cite any evidence of these events in the poem. Next, consider today’s society. What do you believe Yeats would think about 21st-century society? Would the speaker’s vision of “The Second Coming” still apply today? What changes might the speaker make to his view of humanity’s future? Cite evidence from the poem to support your answer.
2. Take a closer look at the symbol of the mythological sphinx. What does the sphinx symbolize in the poem? Next, detail what Christian symbolism Yeats employs in the poem. What is its significance? Why does Yeats combine pagan and Christian symbolism in the “The Second Coming”? Support your position with evidence from the text. You might also want to research the historical and cultural significance of the Great Sphinx of Giza for insights.
By William Butler Yeats
Among School Children
Among School Children
William Butler Yeats
A Prayer for My Daughter
A Prayer for My Daughter
William Butler Yeats
A Vision
A Vision: An Explanation of Life Founded upon the Writings of Giraldus and upon Certain Doctrines Attributed to Kusta Ben Luka
William Butler Yeats
Cathleen Ni Houlihan
Cathleen Ni Houlihan
William Butler Yeats
Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop
Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop
William Butler Yeats
Death
Death
William Butler Yeats
Easter, 1916
Easter, 1916
William Butler Yeats
Leda and the Swan
Leda and the Swan
William Butler Yeats
No Second Troy
No Second Troy
William Butler Yeats
Sailing to Byzantium
Sailing to Byzantium
William Butler Yeats
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
William Butler Yeats
The Wild Swans at Coole
The Wild Swans at Coole
William Butler Yeats
When You Are Old
When You Are Old
William Butler Yeats