An Irish Airman Forsees His Death

Question 1

What is Yeats communicating about conflict?

Answer 1

Conflict lowers value of human life
Unpatriotic - questions motivation for conflict & fighting
Futility of conflict

Question 2

What is the structure used in ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’?

Answer 2

Dramatic monologue - communicates/explores Irish Airman’s thoughts
Split up into 2 quatrains - simplistic structure
Elegy - Yeats mourning friend’s death

Question 3

What are the technique used in ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’?

Answer 3

Anaphora - “those” “my” “nor” - highlights contrast, builds argument of independence
Chiasmus - “The years to come seemed waste of breath/A waste of breath” - exploring balance in pilot’s mind

Question 4

What is the rhyme/rhythm used in ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’?

Answer 4

Iambic tetrameter
Alternate rhyme
Split up into quatrains
Simple structure - reflects pilot’s thoughts

Question 5

What is the imagery used in ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’?

Answer 5

“Tumult in the clouds” - suggests danger pilot has to face

Question 6

What is the vocabulary used in ‘An Irish Airman Foresees His Death’?

Answer 6

“Kiltartan’s poor” - suggests speaker is common man