Throughout many of his poems, especially during the uprising of World War I and the peak of Ireland’s tension with Great Britain, William Butler Yeats often voiced his opinions on the state of Ireland and its people. In W.B. Yeats’ poem, “September, 1913”, he emphasizes and expresses these opinions. Yeats stresses how nationalism can fuel Ireland, yet criticizes Ireland’s people for their greed and overwhelming self-interest. In “Easter, 1916”, though, Yeats shifts away from the people of Ireland, and instead summarizes the tension between Great Britain and Ireland. Yeats often brings up how the conflict has created “a terrible beauty”. While the people of Ireland are fighting for independence, a part of Ireland is lost. In both poems, Yeats refers to prominent Irish heroes to express his nostalgia for the ‘old Ireland’. Although both poems compile Yeats’ complaints associated with the decline of Ireland and the loss of nationalism rooted in Irish society, “September, 1913” accuses the people of Ireland; contrarily, “Easter, 1916” blames Great Britain. Not only do both poems blame Ireland’s struggles on different groups, but through different writing techniques.
In “September, 1913”, Yeats illustrates to the reader how the new generation of Ireland is distorting his utopian-like image of how Ireland should be. For example, in “September, 1913”, at the end of each stanza, there is a refrain of the lines, “Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone,/It’s with O’Leary in the grave.” John O’Leary, like Yeats, was heavily invested in Ireland. Like Yeats, O’Leary was a true nationalist. Not only does Yeats mention John O’Leary, but also Theobald Wolfe Tone and Lord Edward Fitzgerald, leaders of the 1798 Irish Uprising. When referring to these men, Yeats laments the fact that all of their accomplishments and loyalty to Ireland may go unnoticed. For example, in the third stanza, Yeats states, “For this the wild geese spread/ The grey wing upon every tide;/ For this that all that blood was shed.” (17) The geese, a metaphor for the people of Ireland, are wild in manner, chaotically spread out and disorganized. This wild manner Yeats defines can also be attributed to the Irish Catholics. Yeats criticizes the Catholics, stating that they “have dried the marrow from the bone” (5) instead of helping Ireland fight for independence and well-being. Connecting these two moments in the poem illustrate that Ireland is no longer a unified nation, but a nation that is spread far apart. The greed of the Catholics displays the lack of respect for the Irish heroes and the loss of nationalism.
In the poem “Easter, 1916”, Yeats once again mentions Irish heroes to instill a sense of pathos, but instead of focusing on Ireland’s internal rifts, he focuses on the conflict between Great Britain and Ireland. In this poem, Yeats uses Irish heroes who fought to gain Ireland’s independence, but instead of showing their sacrifices as heroic or courageous, he uses their stories to describe “a terrible beauty”. At the beginning of the second stanza, Yeats refers to Countess Constance Markievicz’s involvement in the fight for independence. As previously mentioned, instead of illuminating the highlights of her cause, Yeats focuses on how “her voice grew shrill.” (20) Yeats illustrates that Markievicz’s voice was damaged and now harsh because of her fight for social justice. Previously, before the conception of conflict and “when young and beautiful” (22), no voice was more delicate than hers. Although Yeats applauds her valiant efforts and national pride for Ireland, he speaks of how her voice became ugly. This stark contrast hints at the terrible beauty of the conflict between the two countries. Later in this stanza, Yeats mentions Major John MacBride’s efforts on behalf of Ireland. Major John MacBride was married to Maude Gonne, Yeats’ everlasting crush. Although he bashes MacBride, calling him “A drunken, vain-glorious lout” and does not respect him because “He had done most bitter wrong/To some who are near my heart,” (31) he still concedes that MacBride helps Ireland’s cause. Adding MacBride to the list of Ireland’s martyrs doesn’t just expose the death toll of the fight for independence, but it champions MacBrides’ actions. By complimenting MacBride, something Yeats was extremely hesitant to do, Yeats further expands this idea of the terrible beauty. MacBride, who in Yeats’ eyes is a malicious man, who seemed to kill for the passion of death, is being complimented because he advances the efforts to Yeats’ ideal Ireland. In this poem, Yeats takes the time to grieve the deaths of those who fought, but instead of condemning the people of Ireland, he blames Great Britain for Ireland’s demise.
In between the brief time Yeats wrote the two poems, it is eminent through both the construction of the poem and his compilation of thoughts that his point of view has shifted. In both poems, Yeats writes about his disappointment in Ireland, but his views progressively become more aggressive. As displayed in “September, 1913”, Yeats is more passive. Initially, Yeats is disappointed, but not enraged. Yeats, similar to a concerned parent, advocates for peace in Ireland and suggests that if Ireland is not unified, they can never flourish. He stresses how peace is currently “with O’Leary in the grave”, and if Ireland can resurrect this peace between one another, their struggles with Britain will pass over. In this poem, Yeats stays consistent with an ABAB rhyme scheme. In order to broadcast his message to even the least intelligent of people, Yeats ensures his poem has a simple rhythm. In “Easter, 1916”, Yeats attempts to follow a similar, simple approach, but breaks form to express his anger. Now, only three years later, Yeats is no longer the concerned parent, but an infuriated activist. Most notably, in the last stanza, Yeats breaks his simple rhythmic approach to express his duress. One example of Yeats’ emotions preceding form is when he questions the justification of death. Yeats asks, “No, no, not night but death;/Was it needless death after all?/For England may keep faith.” (66) Yeats deviates from his traditional rhyme to emphasize and climax the idea of the terrible beauty. In “September, 1913”, Yeats exhibits writing where he sparingly offers emotional output, but by changing in “Easter, 1916”, he further emphasizes his progressively growing negativity for the current state of Ireland.
Both “September, 1913” and “Easter, 1916” express Yeats’ concerns for the future of Ireland, but both do so in different ways. Although both poems are elegy poems, and though both do an excellent job reminiscing and yearning for Ireland before British colonization, both poems remember the Irish people who fought for independence differently. In “September, 1913” Yeats uses the Irish martyrs as motivation for the current generation of Ireland, warning them that the lack of ignorance for their fearless contributions is detrimental to Ireland’s health. In “Easter, 1916”, Yeats concentrates on the negatives of imperialism, and although he appreciates what the martyrs have done, he also focuses on the blemishes they have left. Yeats’ accounts of history in each poem are different, and through selective diction, Yeats allows the reader to see that difference.