Poetry explication on Easter 1916 by Yates

The Rebellion <Tab/>Great poets undeniably have an ability to seize upon particular incidents and use them to explore and illuminate the human condition. In William Butler Yeats Poem, "Easter, 1916" he does just that. This poem commemorates the Easter Rising of 1916, in which a group of Irish insurgents captured the General Post Office in Dublin and held out for several days before surrendering. It also represents the constant turmoil present in …

…as a mother would a fallen child. <Tab/>Yeats was clearly fascinated and at the same time troubled by this heroic and yet in some ways pointless sacrifice. Although by no means does he show any disrespect towards the brave men that died during the Easter Rebellion. The Irish people had born the terrible beauty of Irish patriotism and the Irish revolutionary spirit. They had changed their country, and themselves, forever.