September 1913 Flashcards
What is the context of ‘September 1913’? (3)
- From Responsibilities, 1914
- In response to the Dublin Lock out- the largest ever Irish industrial dispute which was between 20,000 workers and 300 employers and took place from August 1913 to January 1914 and was concerning the workers desire for unionisation (ITGWN trade union) which was illegal at the time
- Also in response to the Hugh Lane Bequest after the majority of Irish people had disagreed with the movement of a number of expensive, modern art pieces to Ireland as they were considered decadent trash
What are the overall messages of ‘September 1913’? (4)
- Yeats wants Ireland to have pride and not to die for violent causes
- Wants the Irish people to forget about their devotion to money or religion and unite with the common cause of Irish independence, but through democratic methods
- Lambasts modern Ireland and its lack of romanticism- deifies those who have died in the past; and wishes people were more like them
- WBY is particularly scathing of the Irish middle class and catholic bourgeoisie c
How does WBY emphasise the importance of money to people, rather than Irish independence, in ‘September 1913’? (2)
-“fumble in a greasy till’- people are gaining so much money they have to grease their cash registers: WBY questions the priorities of the people
- “add the halfpence to the pence”- People priorities lie in money rather than in pride of Ireland.
- ->In Irish mythology, Irishmen had to pay a halfpenny to enter the after-life: WBY suggests that the people are saving so much; they are beginning to save for death!
How does WBY emphasise the importance of religion to people, rather than Irish independence in ‘September 1913’? (2)
- “And prayer to shivering prayer”: the effect of prayers are now wearing off and becoming increasingly thin, causing “shivering”. The use of “And” adds the feeling of a rant to the poem as Yeats uses syndetic listing (“But fumble in a greasy till/ And add the halfpence to the pence/ And prayer to shivering prayer”
- “But little time had they to pray”- WBY satirises modern Ireland’s catholic bourgeoisie in comparison to the heroes of Ireland’s past
“For men were born to pray and save:”- Ironic as Ireland have become boring and anti-romantic- all they care about is praying and saving up money OR “save” could be used to mean “save” Ireland and the Irish people, and he’s saying that rather than just “praying”, people should set about saving Ireland and the Irish people
How does WBY emphasise that the life of Ireland has been sucked away and removed in ‘September 1913’?
- “You have dried the marrow from the bone?”- The life and soul of Ireland has been sucked away by the British values of wealth and religion (Napoleon called the British a “nation of shopkeepers”)
- “And what, God help us, could they save?”- WBY again satirises the Irish dependence on God, and question- due to this dependence, and a general lack of romanticism- what did the heroes of Irish past really have to save? (Also has subtle pun of ‘saving’ money)
-“For this that all that blood was shed,/ For this Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone”- The use of syndetic listing emphasises WBY’s anger at the current state of Ireland given the sacrifice of Fitzgerald, Emmet and Tone.
The word “this” is stressed to emphasise Yeats’ disgust that the heroes died for “this” Ireland
How does WBY display the difference between the Irish heroes and the modern Irish people in ‘September 1913’?
- “Yet they were of a different kind”- These people that WBY is about to speak of were different from the people now- “kind” suggests that the people that Ireland are producing has changed and the race or “kind” is now also “different”
- “The names that stilled your childish play”- These people have been around for so long they were household names and legends even when the current generation were children AND the current actions of the Irish is “childish” in comparison to the magnificent actions of the heroes of the past
- “They have gone about the world like wind”- Not only are these heroes well known but they are Romantic heroes and have become part of the nature of Ireland- part of the “wind”
How does WBY illustrate the futility of modern Ireland in ‘September 1913’? (3)
-“Was it for this the wild geese spread/ The grey wing upon every tide; ”- “wild geese” was an Irish colloquial term for the Irish soldiers who travelled away to fight for European armies- as the Irish soldiers went to fight in WW1 despite Ireland not being involved in the war
“grey wing” has both words stressed to emphasise the feeling of flight or soaring and thus accentuate WBY’s feeling of the loss of Irish troops
-“For this that all that blood was shed,/ For this Edward Fitzgerald died, And Robert Emmet and Wolfe Tone”- The use of syndetic listing emphasises WBY’s anger at the current state of Ireland given the sacrifice of Fitzgerald, Emmet and Tone.
The word “this” is stressed to emphasise Yeats’ disgust that the heroes died for “this” Ireland
-“All that delirium of the brave?” – WBY questions the motives of the “brave” revolutionaries
“delirium” also questions whether the brave were just mad and wouldn’t have rationally done what they did OR that this “delirium” was the sort of Romantic ideal that Irish people lack today OR that the bravery of the revolutionaries is only considered a result of “delirium” now Yeats has witnessed what they were fighting for.
What is the reference to Cathleen ni Hoolihan in ‘September 1913’ and what is the significance of this?
- “Yet could we turn the years again, / And call those exiles as they were / In all their loneliness and pain, / You’d cry, ‘some woman’s yellow hair / Has maddened every mother’s son:’ ”
- ->“Exiles” and “loneliness” emphasises the romanticism of the heroes in comparison to their modern compatriots
- ->Yeats highlights how the people of today cannot connect with the heroes of the past as they claim that the heroes have been “maddened”
-The allusion to Kathleen ni Hoolihan in “some woman’s yellow hair” is a play by WBY about the spirit of Ireland Kathleen ni Hoolihan, who had blonde hair, and encouraged men to go out and fight.
“yellow” satirises the blonde hair and emphasises the overreaction of the people to any form of artistic expression and romanticism, whilst WBY emphasises the Irish people’s fear of truly standing up for anything important in their country
-Link to ‘The Man and the Echo’ in
“Did that play of mine send out
Certain men the English shot?”
What is the refrain of ‘September 1913’ and how does it emphasise the themes of the poem?
“Romantic Ireland’s dead and gone, / It’s with O’leary in the grave”
-WBY emphasises how he feels Ireland has lost its romanticism and has lost it’s priorities of what is important.
WBY highlights how since all the remains of a Romantic Ireland lies with O’leary- one of the revolutionaries- in the grave.
What is the final refrain of ‘September 1913’ and how does it emphasise the themes of the poem?
- Final refrain: “But let them be, they’re dead and gone, / They’re with O’leary in the grave.”
- WBY feels he has no choice but to leave Ireland be as he can not overcome the masses on his own; after all, all he believes Ireland stood for is now in the grave- WBY attempts to make Irish readers feel guilty for their lack of action.
What is the rhyme scheme of ‘September 1913’ and how does it illustrate the themes of the poem?
Constant ABAB rhyme scheme helps to exemplify the tone of a rant that WBY is trying to get across and helps to emphasise the last word of each line, thus creating emphatic positioning of words such as “pray”, “save”, “grave” etc.
How does the structure and form of ‘September 1913’ accentuate the themes of the poem?
Fixed, clean structure emphasises WBY clear and fixed intent in the poem. Also helps to satirise how Yeats thinks the reader will enjoy a simpler, less experimental literature.
