Summary:
Examines how William Butler Yeats deals with the theme of loss in three of his poems. Details the different types of loss each poem considers. Considers how the theme unites the three poems, When You are Old, Sailing to Byzantium and Wild Swans at Coole.
Several of Yeats' poems equate the loss of youth or aging with a loss of purpose and meaning. The thought of aging is frightening for him and he does not want to waste time idly. One reason for this fear of aging is the thought that he must do a number of things before he dies and the more he ages the closer he is to death and the end of his allotted time to accomplish all which he feels he must. Another very common loss described by Yeats in his poems is the loss of love. There are several indications that his love is unrequited. The question that this poses is whether or not you can have loss of something that you never truly had. This is also another issue which plagues Yeats and is.....
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