SAMPLE OF HOW TO DO CRITICAL APPRECIATION IN EDUCATION

7/25/2019 SAMPLE OF HOW TO DO CRITICAL APPRECIATION IN EDUCATION

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After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost

"After Apple-Picking" is a poem by American poet Robert Frost. It was published in

North of oston! Frosts second poetry collection. #he poem does not conform strictly to a

particular form! though its loosely iambic pentameter. After Apple-Picking is Robert Frost$s

one of the greatest lyrics. It blends the myth of the Fall with the ine%itable and inescapable

conse&uences of modern science. #he 'two-pointed ladder( is a symbolic rise of man into

the world of science ) technology e%entually leading to a wasteland of emptiness!

uncertainty and endless struggle. #he poem! in keeping with Frost$s characteristic style!

effecti%ely portrays a continuous clash between action and awareness inhibiting man from

arri%ing at any truly sustaining conclusion.

*e must remember that Robert Frost is a landscape poet. +is poetry is always

enriched with the depiction of agrarian and natural scenes. In "After Apple Picking"! he

presents a simple theme that how peacefully an o%ertired %illager is lulled to sleep by "the

essence of winter sleep"! Nature. An apple picker has a plentiful crop. +e is picking apples

while standing on a two pointed ladder. #he winter e%ening falls soon. #he apple picker is

fed up with apple picking now. #he cold winter bree,e is filled with the scent of apples. It is a

perfect setting to induce sleep and he is "drowsing off" under the powerful effect of Nature.

+e wants to pick apples and tries to "rub the strangeness away". oon! he is on his way to

sleep. In this process "magnified apples appear and disappear". #he poet lea%es the end of

the poem open. +e does not confirm of whether it would be human sleep or like woodchuck

a long sleep. #hough Robert Frost insists that the poem is written purely in contet of a rural

aspect and it shows nothing more than the beauty of nature pre%ailing upon human mind!

intellect and will! yet the poem does allude to certain etended meanings. ince the poet has

left the ending of the poem open/ therefore! the sleep of the peasant could either be related

to death or to intoication since the apple picker is "drowsing" under appeasing influence of

mighty nature. #he "magnified apples" may also be referred to as human desires which may

ne%er be satiated to their fill. ometimes! one may e%en ha%e achie%ed lifelong goals and

targets ha%e been met but life does not stay longer to support one to relish the fruits of ones


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labours. +ence! the magnified apples may refer to unfulfilled desires. +owe%er! if we wish to

mo%e a step further! it could also imply the lust of man which can ne%er be satisfied.

0ritics ha%e identified se%eral symbols like "magnified apples" and "sleep" that do

reflect the inner condition of the apple picker. +ere "magnified apples" are resembled to

dreams of an ordinary person mo%ing towards sleep after the days tiredness and fatigue of

apple picking. #he "two pointed ladder" is also considered as life and human career which is

similarly difficult to balance. It shows life is uncertain. 1ife is rather too short because e%en

before we ha%e picked the fruits of our labour! the darkness of death o%ershadows human

life. #he yearnings of man remain unfulfilled. It is also hinted at how difficult it is to maintain

human life.

In this poem Frost ho%ers between the daylight world of common sense reality and

the dream world of possibility! the %oices of sense and of song! the %isions of the pragmatist

and the prophet! the compulsions of the road and the seductions of the woods. #his time!

howe%er! he appears to belong to both realms! rather than hold back from a full commitment

to either. 2ualism is replaced by an almost religious sense of unity here/ and the tone of

irony! &ui,,ical reser%e! completely disappears in fa%our of wonder and incantation.

In terms of form! this poem is bi,arre because it wea%es in and out of traditional

structure. Approimately twenty-fi%e of the forty-two lines are written in standard iambic

pentameter! and there are twenty end-rhymes throughout the poem. #his wandering

structure allows Frost to emphasi,e the sense of mo%ing between a waking and dream-like

state! 3ust as the narrator does. #he repetition of the term 'sleep!( e%en after its paired rhyme

4'heap(5 has long been forgotten! also highlights the narrator$s gradual descent into

dreaming.

In some respects! this poem is simply about apple picking. After a hard day of work!

the apple farmer completely fatigued but is still unable to escape the mental act of picking

apples6 he still sees the apples in front of him! still feels the ache in his foot as if he is

standing on a ladder! still bemoans the fate of the flawless apples that fall to the ground and

must be consigned to the cider press.


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7et! as in all of Frost$s poems! the narrator$s e%eryday act of picking apples also

speaks to a more metaphorical discussion of seasonal changes and death. Although the

narrator does not say when the poem takes place! it is clear that winter is nearly upon him6

the grass is 'hoary!( the surface of the water in the trough is fro,en enough to be used as a

pane of glass! and there is an o%erall sense of the 'essence( of winter. 2eath is coming! but

the narrator does not know if the death will be renewed by spring in a few months or if

e%erything will stay buried under mindless snow for all eternity.

ecause of the %arying rhymes and tenses of the poem! it is not clear when the

narrator is dreaming or awake. 8ne possibility is that the entirety of the poem takes place

within a dream. #he narrator is already asleep and is automatically reli%ing the day$s har%est

as he dreams. #his eplanation clarifies the dis3ointed narrati%e 9 shifting from topic to topic

as the narrator dreams 9 as well as the narrator$s assertion that he was 'well upon my way

to sleep( before the sheet of ice fell from his hands.

Another eplanation is that the narrator is dying! and his rambling musings on apple

picking are the fe%ered hallucinations of a man about to lea%e the world of the li%ing. *ith

that in mind! the narrator$s declaration that he is 'done with apple-picking now( has more

finality! almost as if his %ision of the apple har%est is a farewell. :%en so! he can be satisfied

in his work because! with the eception of a few apples on the tree! he fulfilled all of his

obligations to the season and to himself. ignificantly! e%en as he falls into a complete sleep!

the narrator is unable to discern if he is dying or merely sleeping/ the two are merged

completely in the essence of the oncoming winter! and Frost refuses to tell the reader what

actually happens.

The Tyger by William Blake

"#he #yger" is a poem by the :nglish poet *illiam lake published in ; as part of

the ongs of :perience collection. 1iterary critic Alfred ?a,in calls it "the most famous of his

poems!" and #he 0ambridge 0ompanion to *illiam lake says it is "the most anthologi,ed

poem in :nglish. 'It is one of lakes most reinterpreted and arranged works. #he #yger by


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*illiam lake is taken from #he ongs of :perience. #he tiger itself is a symbol for the

fierce forces in the soul that are necessary to break the bonds of eperience. #he tiger also

stands for a di%ine spirit that will not be subdued by restrictions! but will arise against

established rules and con%entions. It is also a romantic poem to some etent written by the

pre-romantic *illiam lake.

#he #yger is a highly symbolic poem based on lake$s personal philosophy of

spiritual and intellectual re%olution by indi%iduals. #he speaker in the poem is pu,,led at the

sight of a tiger in the night! and he asks it a series of &uestions about its fierce appearance

and about the creator who made it. ut the contet and e%erything in it must be interpreted

according to lake$s philosophy of symbolic myths about human life! society and spiritual

re%olution.

o! the god creating the tiger can be interpreted as any of these creati%e agents

which inspire common men to free their minds! hearts and souls from the chains of social

falsities- the king! the priest! the landlord and their systems that eat up the indi%idual$s

potentials. #he creator has strong shoulders 4energy5 as well as art 4skills5 and dread feet

and hand. +is courage is supreme! too. +is creation is fierce! almost daunting himself. o

must be man$s spirit and imagination! or the poet$s. #he forest is the symbol of corrupted

social con%entions and that tries to suppress the good human potentials. In the poem night

stands for ignorance! out of which the forest of false social institutions is made.

imilarly! the contet of a person asking &uestions and getting pu,,les at the tiger

symbolically represents the final beginning of the reali,ation and appreciation of the forces of

his own soul. #his indi%idual will then begin his personal spiritual re%olution. #he poem is

taken from the 'ongs of :perience( which means the adult world of corruption! immorality

and suffering. Passing through the first phase of 'Innocence( or the pure child$s-like world or

mentality in 'ongs of Innocence(! and then ha%ing eperienced the opposite world of

eperience! the speaker in this poem has begun to recogni,e the suppressed power of his

soul and reali,e its necessity. +e is himself pu,,led at its fearful faces! and begins to reali,e

that he had gotten! not only the lamb-like humility! but also the tiger-like energy for fighting


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back against the domination of the e%il society. #he &ualities of the original and pure man

must be freed by using this tiger- like force of the soul. lake$s imaginati%e man or creati%e

artist is a rebellious being. It also represents the double potentials in any human being.

#hematically! the poem is intended to make us to witness the persona reali,ing the

potentials of his soul and to reali,e it oursel%es. *e ha%e not only the lamb 40hrist5 like

humility but also the tiger like &uality for spiritual re%olution and freedom from falsities. #he

unusual spelling in '#yger( is also a hint of the special meaning and emphasis as the

unusual stresses. #he use of the first stan,a as a refrain repeating it with the difference of

one word 4dare5 at the end is also for special emphasis on its symbolism. Readers who ha%e

learnt some of the pri%ate symbols of lake can only understand this poem. ut it is not too

difficult after we get at the basic symbols.

#he use of smithing imagery for the creation of the tiger hearkens to lake$s own oft-

written contrast between the natural world and the industrialism of the 1ondon of his day.

*hile the creator is still @od! the means of creation for so dangerous a creature is

mechanical rather than natural. #echnology may be a benefit to mankind in many ways! but

within it still holds deadly potential.

In form and content! "#he #yger" also parallels the iblical book of ob. ob! too! was

confronted by the sheer awe and power of @od! who asks the suffering man a similar series

of rhetorical &uestions designed to lead ob not to an answer! but to an understanding of the

limitations inherent in human wisdom. #his limitation is forced into %iew by the final parado

"2id he who made the 1amb make theeB" 0an the @od of Innocence also be the @od of

:perienceB If so! how can mere mortals! trapped in one state or the other! e%er hope to

understand this @odB

*illiam lake ne%er answers his &uestion about the unknown nature of god. +e

lea%es it up to the reader to decide. y beginning and ending his poem with the same

&uatrain he asks the &uestion about god creating e%il as well as good! again. In conclusion!

a reading of "#he #yger" offers different thematic possibilities. #he poem seems to change

as the reader changes! but the beauty of the words and meter make this poem an


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astonishing! en3oyable ecursion into the humanity of theology. Coreo%er! the poem is

&uotable in %arious situations! and it lea%es a permanent impression on the reader.

#herefore! "#he #yger" by *illiam lake emerges from creations cold! clear stream as a

perpetual inspiration - a classic. In my opinion! *illiam lake wrote the poem with a simple

structure and a perfect rhyme to help the reader see the images he wanted to transmit.

Abo%e all! the description of the tiger is glaringly graphic due to essentially the contrast

between fire and night.

Ode on a Grecian Urn by ohn !eats

"8de on a @recian Drn" is a poem written by the :nglish Romantic poet ohn ?eats

in Cay ;E;= and published anonymously in the anuary ;EG! Number ;H issue of the

maga,ine Annals of the Fine Arts. #he poem is one of se%eral "@reat 8des of ;E;="! which

include "8de on Indolence"! "8de on Celancholy"! "8de to a Nightingale"! and "8de to

Psyche". 8de on a @recian Drn is an ode in which the speaker addresses to an engra%ed

urn and epresses his feelings and ideas about the eperience of an imagined world of art!

in contrast to the reality of life! change and suffering. As an ode! it also has the uni&ue

features that ?eats himself established in his great odes.

#he features of ?eatsian Romanticism and ?eats$ philosophy of art! beauty and truth

are also important in this poem. #hough it is a romantic poem! we find the unusual classical

interests of ?eats in the style and form of this poem. #his is a romantic poem mainly

because of its dominant imaginati%e &uality.

1ike *ordsworth$s nature! ?eats imagination is a means to understand life! a means

of the &uest for truth and beauty! and the most reliable mode of eperience and insight. #he

speaker in the poem begins with reality- an ancient marble urn with engra%ings around it. +e

addresses to the urn as a %irgin bride of &uietness. #ime is slow for it. It is unchanging!

perfect and silent. #he car%ing around the urn is epressing the story of the pilgrims! lo%ers

and other mysterious people recorded in times of gods and men on its outside. In the poets

imagination! this world and people made immortal by art are real as well as beautiful.


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#he 8de on a @recian Drn epresses ?eatss desire to belong to the realm of the

eternal! the permanent! perfect and the pleasurable! by establishing the means to approach

that world of his wish with the help of imagination. #his ode is based on the tension between

the ideal and the real. ?eats here ideali,es a work of art as symboli,ing the world of art

which represents the ideal world of his wish at an e%en deeper le%el. #hen he eperiences

that world thus created through imagination. In this poem! the two domains of the transient

real and the permanent ideal are the two facets of a deeper reality! the reality of imaginati%e

eperience. #he perfect! permanent and pleasurable world of the Drn! or that of the ideal!

stands against the destructi%e corrupting and painful effects of time. ?eats$ fascination with

the immortality of art is duly counterbalanced with his awareness that it is lifeless. +e neither

supports gross realism against truly imaginati%e art! nor does he wander in imagination

alone. 1ife compensates for the incompleteness of art and art compensates for the

transience of life.

#his ode which represents ?eats mature %ision consists of one of his central

philosophical doctrines of art itself6 "#ruth is eauty and beauty truth". #his famous maim of

?eats has an intellectual basis of truth and also an emotional basis in beauty. Art may appeal

to the sensuousness or 3ust the emotion of common people! but ?eats response etends

from the sensuous to the spiritual and from the passionate to the intellectual. ?eats

establishes a balance between the real and the ideal! and art and life! and he finds the

deepest of reality in its balance. #his ode gi%es a much importance to passion as to the idea

of permanence. It is not a lyric of the escape of a dying young man! unwilling to face bitter

life into the realm of e%erlasting happiness! but is a poem that embodies his mature

understanding.

?eats indicates a contrast between the unchanging Drn and temporal life in the %ery

beginning of the poem! but shifting to the other side from where he seems to prefer warm life

against the 0old Pastoral where he finally resol%es the duality in his doctrine of beauty and

truth. ?eats addresses the urn as a bride of &uietness that is still unra%ished by time. #hat

reminds us of life that is e%er ra%ished by time. #he urn narrates its history in a silent but


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musical form. #he silent music which ?eats! the addressee! feels he can hear is sweeter

than the music of the human %oice for it is permanent. Dnlike the temporal presentation of

poetry which is prone to narrate the histories of human being! the urn narrates a leaf-fringed

legend as if it were in space rather than in time. #he narration of the urn is itself liberated

from time.

In short! the permanently ideal world of the urn is presented in the urn that is lifeless

thing when seen from the %iewpoint of real life. ut the idea that comes under the domain of

imaginati%e reality is reconciled in the act of imaginati%e creation of the urn$s legend.

#herefore! the real life is complemented and enriched by this ideal. #hus! the two domains of

the real and the ideal coming into conflict as usual! ultimately reconcile to make a more

permanent truth as asserted in the truth and beauty maim. #o sum up! in this ode! ?eats

begins by ideali,ing! personifying! and immortali,ing a real ob3ect. #his ideal at first clashes

with the real but is reconciled by imagination and insight at the end. #he poem begins with

an address to the @recian urn and with almost en%ious ama,ement! but it ends with the

reali,ation that beauty or ideal is also a dimension of the truth of the real/ the beauty of

imaginati%e eperience is a part of reality or truth and the knowledge of all truth is beautiful.

uch an argument may raise a number of pro%ocati%e and uncomfortable &uestions.

#he reader may ask! what is the reason for li%ing! thenB *hy continue to pursue and attempt

to create and define beautyB 8ne may e%en ask! why go on li%ingB eauty is so central to

humans$ most cherished beliefs and pursuits that ?eats$s forceful lines seem to challenge

important aspects of our %ery sel%es. 8nce the reader mo%es beyond this reaction! though! it

becomes possible to see that ?eats$s truth is liberating. If humans no longer need to stri%e to

create the perfect beautiful form in whate%er medium! then it frees them to be imperfect.

Imperfection! in turn! liberates humans to make and remake art! and to recogni,e that one

form dies with each indi%idual death! and is then born again with each new birth a common

theme in poetry from the Romantic period. loom and #rilling refer to this reali,ation as

?eats$s 'gift of tragic acceptance(! which the poet hands to the reader and urges him or her

to accept and then contemplate.


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'8de on a @recian Drn(! then! is a 3ourney into the interior of ?eats$s mind and the

soul! as well as a disclosure of his most closely held beliefs. #he poet uses an eternal

ob3ect! a @recian urn! to pro%oke the reader to contemplate the same aesthetic conflict

which has preoccupied him and his fellow Romantic poets so deeply. #his particular ode!

among all of his oeu%re! shows ?eats in a particularly contemplati%e state. +is obser%ations

of the urn ha%e pro%oked considerations about the nature of truth! beauty! and the function of

art! all of which were the primary concerns of the Romantic poets. *hile the urn keeps the

reader grounded in the realities of the outside world! the reader is a companion to the poet!

who manipulates etreme emotions and ultimately concludes that life can only be captured

by li%ing it eperientially! not trying to replicate it in art forms. #he ultimate irony! of course! is

that ?eats uses one art form! the poem! and specifically! the ode! to achie%e the

transmission of this artistic philosophy.

"y "istress# $yes by William %hakespeare

hakespeares onnets is the title of a collection of ;H> sonnets accredited to

*illiam hakespeare which co%er themes such as the passage of time! lo%e! beauty and

mortality. It was first published in a ;JG= &uarto with the full stylised title '+A?:-P:AR:

8NN:#(. Ne%er before imprinted. Although sonnets ;KE and ;>> had pre%iously been

published in the ;H== miscellany #he Passionate Pilgrim. #he &uarto ends with "A 1o%ers

0omplaint"! a narrati%e poem of >< se%en-line stan,as written in rhyme royal. onnet ;KG is

one of hakespeares well-known sonnets also called Cy Cistress :yes. +e populari,ed the

:li,abethan sonnet which has a different emphasis from the original sonnet form which

Petrarch fa%oured. Instead of the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet! the :li,abethan or

hakespearean sonnet has three &uatrains 4four lines each5 followed by a concluding

rhyming couplet.

In Cy Cistress :yes! hakespeare deliberately mocks the traditional lo%e poem

although he uses eaggeration in e&ual measure whilst trying to gi%e an ob3ecti%e account.

+owe%er! he seems to eaggerate his lo%ers faults not her &ualities. #he eyes ha%e long


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been written about but hakespeare begins his sonnet saying that her "eyes are nothing like

the sun" setting the reader up for this seemingly cruel and unflattering description. All the

stereotypical female attributes such as the lips! the cheeks! the hair and the breasts ha%e

attention drawn to them but they lea%e the reader with a %isual image of an ungainly woman

with %ery little to admire. :%en her breath "reeks!" although this can be modified by the

reference to perfume suggesting that it is not necessarily that her breath smells unpleasant

but it certainly doesnt smell sweet whereas presumably in any other situation! the womans

breath would gratify the senses. 0ertainly! in poetry! the poet is unlikely to draw attention to

her shortcomings.

If you compare the stan,as of Astrophel and tella to In Cy Cistress :yes! you will

see eactly what elements of the con%entional lo%e sonnet hakespeare is light-heartedly

mocking. In Cy Cistress :yes! there is no use of grandiose metaphor or allusion/ he does

not compare his lo%e to Lenus! there is no e%ocation to Corpheus! etc. #he ordinary beauty

and humanity of his lo%er are important to hakespeare in this sonnet! and he deliberately

uses typical lo%e poetry metaphors against themsel%es.

It seems that hakespeare uses this sarcastic tone to ridicule the insincerity of more

traditional sonnets which ha%e ridiculous notions about a womans %irtue. +e parodies the

style of commenting on his lo%ers features but surprises the reader with his rude and unkind

comparisons. he cannot sing and is certainly not dainty and light of foot. +owe%er! he does

redeem himself when in the couplet he admits that she is "rare" and it would be

unreasonable to compare her to anyone because her beauty is immeasurable and any

comparison misleading or "false." In discussing the theme of lo%e then it is apparent that

hakespeare intends for the reader to grasp an understanding of beauty and lo%e as far

more than physical appearance.

hakespeare uses metaphor all throughout his sonnet. It is an odd use of metaphor!

though. Instead of comparing his lo%e to something! he is comparing his lo%e to something

she is not. +is lo%e is not like the sun/ her lips are not e%en as red as coral. +er cheeks are

not like a rose. hakespeare also makes use of hyperbole - he eaggerates to make a point.


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At the end of the poem! we reali,e that the speakers lo%e is not really unattracti%e. he is

simply not the perfect! unattainable image we see in other con%entional sonnets.

hakespeare also utili,es a new structure! through which the straightforward theme of his

lo%er$s simplicity can be de%eloped in the three &uatrains and neatly concluded in the final

couplet.

Cy Cistress :yes! one of hakespeare$s most famous! plays an elaborate 3oke on

the con%entions of lo%e poetry common to hakespeare$s day! and it is so well-concei%ed

that the 3oke remains funny e%en today. It is a pleasure to read for its simplicity and

frankness of epression. It is also one of the few of hakespeares sonnets with a distinctly

humorous tone. #he sonnet is especially remarkable for its uncon%entional use of metaphors

and hyperboles/ and it is uni&ue in its use of rhetorical structure.

#hus! hakespeare is using all the techni&ues a%ailable! including the sonnet

structure itself! to enhance his parody of the traditional Petrarchan sonnet typified by

idney$s work. ut hakespeare ends the sonnet by proclaiming his lo%e for his mistress

despite her lack of adornment! so he does finally embrace the fundamental theme in

Petrarchs sonnets6 total and consuming lo%e. ut the ordinary beauty and humanity of his

lo%er are important to hakespeare in this sonnet! and he deliberately uses typical lo%e

poetry metaphors against themsel%es.

The %econd &oming by W' B' (eats

#he econd 0oming is a poem composed by Irish poet *. . 7eats in ;=;=! first

printed in #he 2ial in No%ember ;=G! and afterwards included in his ;=; collection of

%erses Cichael Robartes and the 2ancer. #he poem uses 0hristian imagery regarding the

Apocalypse and second coming allegorically to describe the atmosphere of post-war :urope.

#he poem is considered a ma3or work of Codernist poetry and has been reprinted in se%eral

collections! including #he Norton Anthology of Codern Poetry.

7eats is considered one of the finest poets in the :nglish language. +e was de%oted

to the cause of Irish nationalism and played a significant part in the 0eltic Re%i%al


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Co%ement! promoting the literary heritage of Ireland through his use of material from ancient

Irish sagas. Cagic and occult theory are also important elements in 7eatss work! as many of

the images found in his poetry are deri%ed from his occult researches. uch is the case in

regard to 7eatss lyric poem! "#he econd 0oming." #he work is generally %iewed as a

symbolic re%elation of the end of the 0hristian era! and is one of 7eatss most widely

commented-on works. #hought to eemplify 7eatss cyclical interpretation of history! "#he

econd 0oming" is regarded as a masterpiece of Codernist poetry and is %ariously

interpreted by scholars! whose principal concern has been to unra%el its comple symbolism.

"#he econd 0oming" is %iewed as a prophetic poem that en%isions the close of the

0hristian epoch and the %iolent birth of a new age. #he poems title makes reference to the

iblical reappearance of 0hrist! prophesied in Catthew > and the Re%elations of t. ohn!

which according to 0hristianity! will accompany the Apocalypse and di%ine 1ast udgment.

8ther symbols in the poem are drawn from mythology! the occult! and 7eatss %iew of history

as defined in his cryptic prose %olume A Lision. #he principal figure of the work is a sphin-

like creature with a lions body and mans head! a "rough beast" awakened in the desert that

makes its way to 0hrists birthplace! ethlehem.

*hile critics acknowledge the works internal symbolic power! most ha%e studied its

themes in relation to 7eatss A Lision. According to the cosmological scheme of A Lision! the

sweep of history can be represented by two intersecting cones! or gyres! each of which

possesses one of two opposing "tinctures!" primary and antithetical! that define the dominant

modes of ci%ili,ation. 7eats associated the primary or solar tincture with democracy! truth!

abstraction! goodness! egalitarianism! scientific rationalism! and peace. #he contrasting

antithetical or lunar tincture he related to aristocracy! hierarchy! art! fiction! e%il! particularity!

and war.

According to 7eatss %iew! as one gyre widens o%er a period of two thousand years

the other narrows! producing a gradual change in the age. #he process then re%erses after

another twenty centuries ha%e passed! and so on! producing a cyclic pattern throughout

time. In the early twentieth-century 7eats en%isioned the primary gyre! the age of 0hristianity!


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to be at its fullest epansion and approaching a turning point when the primary would begin

to contract and the antithetical enlarge. In "#he econd 0oming" scholars %iew the

uncontrolled flight of the falcon as representati%e of this primary epansion at its chaotic

peak! while the coming of an antithetical disposition is symboli,ed in the appearance of the

"rough beast" in the desert! a harbinger of the new epoch.

In #he econd 0oming poet$s mind was filled with gloom in conse&uence of the side-

spread murder and bloodshed in Ireland in the course of the :aster rebellion of ;=;J. #he

Irish ci%il war that followed the great war of ;=;>-;=;= and %arious other e%ents in :urope

added to that gloom.

#he poem is the outcome of a state of mind troubled with ominous forebodings. #he

title of the poem suggests a new manifestation of @od to man. #he 0hristian era draws to its

close/ now that its Mgreat year$ of two thousand years is ending. *e do not know what the

new shape of things will bed but it must be terror-filled for us by %irtue of the simple fact that

it will entitle so re%olutionary a change.

#he econd 0oming here is not really a second coming of 0hrist himself! but of a

new figure-in this case cruel! bestial! pitiless-who will represent the new era as 0hrist

symboli,ed the old. 7eats was sure that the twentieth century! of which he had seen the

calamitous beginning-*orld *ar on the continent and at home the Mtroubles$-would make the

end of the primary! ob3ecti%e 0hristian ci%ili,ation! and the beginning of a new antithetical!

sub3ecti%e ci%ili,ation. #hus a new! rough beast is going to take 0hrist$s place in the cradle at

ethlehem! where it will '%e( man$s old sleep to a new nightmare.

#he poem is one of those few compositions which can be understood if we ha%e

some knowledge of 7eats$ philosophy of history. 7eats belie%ed that history runs in cycle. +e

e&uates it with the motion of swiftly rotating gyres or cones. #he gyres rotate rapidly round a

fied centre. #heir circumference widens as they rotate and at last disintegration sets in. #he

disintegration starts at the circumference and gradually in%ol%es the centre as well.

Is there any part of the poem that contrast with the %ision of 7eats as the authorB If

yes why he wrote this poem before and what is the purpose if something that he wrote


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against his %isionB 7es it has and if we want to know what part! we must look about the

historical background of 7eats itself. ack to his early life! young 7eats enthusiastic in

something about occult ) Irish legend! he was 3oined in paranormal research organi,ation

called as the ghost club in ;=;;. +e also stated that mysticism played an important part as

his career as writer and author.

#here is war and there is a darkness and blood spilled. #hose things cannot be

separated because all are linked and act as cause effect. If there is no darkness in the

human heart! war will not occurred! misery will not be caused. :%eryone must control their

beha%iour first before control other people as falconer control hisher falcon. 7eats shares his

mind to show us that conflict is always useless in e%ery era and place. #he second coming

or 3udgment day as a 3argon to bring the peace for a nation cannot be eist if we are not

begins and aware to stop war and conflict by oursel%es as soon as possible without waiting

for the help of others.

:%entually! #he econd 0oming is based upon the cyclic philosophy of gyres and

reincarnation but! allowance being made for this parable con%ention! can be taken as a

direct prophecy of imminent disaster.

SAMPLE OF HOW TO DO CRITICAL APPRECIATION IN EDUCATION

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