W.B. Yeats

Reading W.B. Yeats' article gave me a lot of new things to consider while reading poetry in general. I read his article, The Symbolism of Poetry, prior to reading his actual poetry, and I was glad I read the assignments in that order. First, I would like to recognize some of the ideas and suggestions that struck me while reading the Yeats' article, then I will attempt to identify his theories (in practice) from the poetry we have read in class thus far.

Yeats stressed that "symbolism is at the heart of poetry", and that poetry should not be completely obvious in its meaning, rather "evoke subtle, complex emotions" (877). This idea makes sense to me, I think Yeats is explaining that ambiguities are okay because they allow for other interpretations and if (as readers) we are engaging in thought and are evoked by emotion, then poetry is fulfilling its purpose. Basically, if you don't leave a poem engrossed in thought, or captivated by emotion, then perhaps the poetry isn't that "good". Yeats also suggests that symbolism is the "substance of all style", and the beauty of the poem lies in the symbolism. This made me think of Hopkin's poems, because symbolism is a big time substance in his style! Hopkins does not come right out and say what he means; we must figure out his symbolisms. I don't know how Yeats felt about Hopkin's poetry, but I think Hopkin's style encompasses the symbolisms Yeats was speaking about.

Lastly, I want to touch on rhythm, and Yeats' suggestion that rhythm can take one into a hypnotic trance. I did not leave his poetry feeling entranced, but I did notice rhythm in his poem "The Song of Wandering Aengus". It was fun to read the poem aloud because the rhythm was noticeable, and kind of "bounced along". In conclusion, I am looking forward to what other classmates thought of Yeats' article, and then his theories in practice.