[Alyssa Stefanese]

As we discussed in class during Yeats’ Transitional Period, which ranged from the years 1900 to 1914, Yeats changed his approach to poetry.  His earlier work is can be seen as effeminate and symbolic, but this new approach attempted to be a more direct or masculine style.  Many of the poems in this period contain a straightforward statement or opinion about Irish politics, particularly concerning the social hierarchy within the nation.  I particularly see this sentiment in the poem, “Upon a House Shaken by the Land Agitation.”  In this poem Yeats seems to be glorifying the protestant aristocracy or the upper echelon of Irish society.He is also articulating his worry over what will happen to Irish society if their nobility is forced into losing their giant estates and fortunes by new regulations concerning the price of rent they can charge their tenants.  In addition, he mentions in line 9 that they have a gift for governing, which is increasingly limited because of the English rule, which he sees as an injustice to Ireland.  This comment may seem surprising coming from Yeats who one tends to associate with peasant culture, however his motivations may be in part coming from his strong connections with the aristocracy through his relationship with Lady Gregory.  Yeats also argues that the aristocracy is the source of knowledge or learning in Ireland because they do not have the day to day struggles that the lower classes do. (We can see this directly in line 2 of the poem.)  It is important to note that Yeats does not completely neglect the peasant class in this piece and connects them to the aristocracy through memory. He does this through such symbols as the eagle, which represents the gentry.  Though Yeats talks favorably about the aristocracy and the peasant classes, he continues to view the middle class very negatively. He thinks that they only care for money, modernity, and have no respect or appreciation for the arts.

• This topic was modified 12 years, 6 months ago by Alyssa Stefanese.

[Conrad Baker]

Wow, the “logic” of the poem (logic seems to be a problematic term in Yeats) clearly legitimizes the rule of aristocracy by virtue of their “gifts that govern men, and after these / To gradual Time’s last gift, a written speech / Wrought of high laughter, loveliness and ease?”. In other words, their appreciation for useless things, possession of art collections, freedom from work of any kind, and aristocratic poise empowers them almost as deities (though still biologically “bred”). Given your reading, I noticed that “Upon a House Shaken by the Land Agitation” could totally work to legitimize English rule of Ireland. Who owns more trivial things, art and huge houses than the queen? Who experiences less of the day-to-day struggle of the lower classes than the royal family? Lady Gregory doesn’t even come close to the queen’s level of aristocratic position or poise. This was kind of alluded to in class actually, when Dr. Doggett was lecturing about poise and he cited Prince William as an example of contrived aristocratic decorum that is designed to look effortless. I looked for something in the poem to stop the logic short, something like heavy Irish symbolism or name dropping, but the more I read the poem the more English it became! It legitimizes the rule of aristocracy over those people of the thatched roofs, an idea that reeks of imperial England. Its strongest symbols, the eagle and the sun, appear on many distinguished English crests and flags but no Irish ones that I have seen. The only thing that I saw that might undermine all this and make it more ironic than sincere is the flaws in the sonnet structure. There are only 12 lines, lacking a final g-g rhyme and leaving the sonnet incomplete. There is also an anapest in line 7, “That comes of the best knit to the best? Although”, which digresses from iambic structure. Perhaps these huge violations in this most distinctly English of poetic forms presents the “poise” of the poem itself to be imperfect and inherently false? This seems unlikely considering Yeats’ attraction to and admiration for aristocracy.

[Conrad Baker]

It is just troubling considering Yeats’ heavy involvement in movements for Irish cultural independence. One would think that one of the greatest poets of all time would anticipate this misinterpretation, assuming that it is a misinterpretation.

[Author]

Posts