Transcript An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
W B YEATS
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
Those that I guard I do not love;
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.
BACKGROUND TO POEM
• Written as an epitaph for Major Robert Gregory
• son of W.B.Yeats's friend , Lady Gregory,
• Joined the Royal Flying Corps in 1916, and he became
Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur in 1917.
• Gregory earned a Military Cross 'for conspicuous gallantry
and devotion to duty.'
• He died tragically at the age of thirty-seven when an Italian
pilot mistakenly shot him down.
AN IRISH AIRMAN FORESEES HIS DEATH
• Impending death – it is inevitable
• Many soldiers/pilots entered the war knowing they
would never return
• Sense of helplessness
I know that I shall meet my fate
Somewhere among the clouds above;
Those that I fight I do not hate,
IRONY
Those that I guard I do not love;
What was Ireland’s political
stance/position during WW1?
Kiltartan Cross – Gregory residence in County Galway, Ireland
My country is Kiltartan Cross,
METONOMY
My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
No likely end could bring them loss
Or leave them happier than before.
Catalogue of reasons why
soldiers traditionally fight
Nor law, nor duty bade me fight,
Nor public men, nor cheering crowds,
A lonely impulse of delight
Drove to this tumult in the clouds;
Irish Nationalism vs British Rule
I balanced all, brought all to mind,
The years to come seemed waste of breath,
A waste of breath the years behind
In balance with this life, this death.