Transcript W.B. Yeats

W.B. Yeats (1865-1939)
Background
•WB
Yeats was born in 1865 in Dublin. His
family was upper class.
• Yeats turned into the greatest Irish Poet of
the Twentieth Century.
•He spent some of his early life in London.
That’s where he wrote The Lake Isle of
Innisfree at the age of 25. The Isle was a place
he daydreamed about.
•He loved Sligo, his mother’s home place
and the location for The Lake Isle of
Innisfree.
•The Lake Isle of Innisfree is a poem which
shows that Yeats was a bit of dreamer, like a
lot of poets. He liked to dream of a beautiful
place like Innisfree.
•The poem also shows how simple use of
language could achieve musical effects.

This is a poem by WB Yeats in which he
dreams of escaping the busy streets of
London. He remembers Innisfree as a
perfect little island that would supply all
his needs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGoaQ43
3wnw&feature=related
Stanza 1
 Yeats wants to go &
live
on the island of Innisfree.
 He would like to live
there by himself &
lead a simple life.
 He
would like to
build a small cabin &
wants to grow his
own food.
Stanza 2
 The poet describes the
tranquillity(calmness) of
the island. The mornings
are very peaceful & filled
with sounds of crickets
chirping “ for peace comes
dropping slow”.
 At noon the heather glows
purple in the sunlight.
 At night the glittering
stars are reflected in the
water.
Stanza 3
 The thought of Innisfree
is always in the poet’s
mind & heart:
“I hear it in the deep
heart’s core”.
 He is always imagining
the pleasant sounds of
its waters:
“for always night and day/
I hear lake water
lapping with low
sounds by the shore”.
Themes
 Escape
The speaker wishes to
live a peaceful life
away from the hustle
& bustle of the city.
The idea of being
independent is very
attractive to him.
Themes
 A Love of Nature
The poet longs for the
calmness & peace of the
countryside.
The poem celebrates the
beauty of Innisfree.
The island is alive with the
sounds of nature, the
chirping of the crickets,
the buzzing of the bees,
etc.
It also celebrates the visual
aspect of the island.

The use of sound effects enhances the
sound and meaning of the poem. Sound
effects mirror the beautiful sounds of the
island.

‘lake water lapping with low sounds by the
shore’.
The ‘l’ and ‘s’ sounds here show alliteration.
Note the 4 ‘l’ sounds also in this quote:
‘live alone in the bee-loud glade’
Can find more examples yourself?
Is a type of rhyme that occurs where
similar vowel sounds are repeated in a line
of poetry.
- "I will arise and go now"
- "cricket sings"
- "noon a purple glow"
- "and evening full of the linnet's wings"
- “clay and wattles made"
- "low sounds by the shore"
- "I hear it in the deep hearts' core"
- "for peace comes dropping slow"
- "dropping"
- "lapping“= the ‘I’ sound in the line, ‘I hear
lake water lapping’, echoes the actual
sound of the water gently spilling against
the shoreline.



- loves and appreciates nature
- longs for private and a peaceful existence
- man of independence, resourceful and selfsufficient
- proud
- wants to escape modern living and return
to a more simple lifestyle.
- tranquillity appeal to him
- imaginative/ day-dreamer.