Based on the 1990 Prompt, reworked to apply to W.
In the poem, Yeats laments the misinterpretation of his earlier works. In a well-organized essay, briefly summarize Yeats' thoughts and analyze how the diction, imagery, and syntax help to convey his state of mind.
W.B. Yeats, an Irish poet of the 19th and 20th centuries, often wrote of his homeland and its culture. He focused on the folklore of Ireland in his initial works, and the more contemporary aspects of social life later. He was regarded as one of the best writers of his time, and even won the Nobel prize in Literature in 1923 because of his works. However, Yeats was disillusioned at the wide response and misinterpretation of his earlier works, as expressed in this poem to himself, "A Coat".
Yeats was a true Irish countryman, and was proud of his heritage. Much of his earlier poetry reflected his attachment to his country, and he recounts these works within the lines of this particular poem.
I made my song a coat.
Covered with embroideries.
Out of old mythologies.
From heel to throat;.
Here, Yeats uses figurative language and imagery to symbolize his past works, which meant much to him. His song is his story, so to speak, and he made it into a poem, or the coat. The mythologies are his Irish folklore, the stories of old told by word of mouth and fable from his childhood. It is the culture of his youth and his country he wrote about. The imagery here, imagining his pieces and words as a coat, a textile, are represented as something made with care-- in order to show their importance to him.
The second part of the poem shows Yeats' discontent for the way his pieces were seen and used by many. He uses figurative language here, again, to portray their deeds:.
But the fools caught it,.
Wore it in the world's eyes.
As though they'd wrought it.
The "fools" are those who misinterpreted his work. They read it and touted it as Irish folklore in itself, when really it was a simple tribute to the stories of old.