When You Are Old- WB Yeats

Question 1

What is the primary theme of the poem ‘When You Are Old’ by William Butler Yeats?

Answer 1

Unrequited love and failed relationship

The poem reflects the speaker’s feelings towards his former lover Maud Gonne.

Question 2

Who is the subject of the poem ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 2

Maud Gonne

Maud Gonne was an Irish revolutionary and actress who rejected Yeats’ marriage proposals.

Question 3

What literary form is ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 3

Short lyric poem

The poem consists of three stanzas and is written in iambic pentameter.

Question 4

What is the tone of the first stanza of ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 4

Romantic and positive

The tone shifts to one of regret and melancholy by the end of the poem.

Question 5

What narrative perspective is used in ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 5

Second person narrative

The use of ‘you’ addresses the former lover directly.

Question 6

What feelings does the speaker express about his love in ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 6

Genuine love compared to others

The speaker emphasizes that he loved her soul, not just her beauty.

Question 7

What does the speaker urge his former lover to recall in the poem?

Answer 7

How many loved her for both true and false reasons

This includes love based on her physical beauty.

Question 8

What imagery is used to describe love in the final stanza of ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 8

Personification of Love as it flees

Love is depicted as hiding behind the stars.

Question 9

Fill in the blank: The poem ‘When You Are Old’ was published in _______.

Answer 9

1892

Question 10

What is the significance of the use of ‘bars’ in the poem?

Answer 10

Negative association

The capital ‘L’ in ‘Love’ suggests that love will endure even beyond Yeats’ death.

Question 11

How does Yeats use repetition in ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 11

Repetition of ‘loved’

This creates a sense of something in the past and emphasizes the speaker’s feelings.

Question 12

What is the effect of the elongated assonance in the poem?

Answer 12

Produces an effect of sadness

The sounds help to evoke the tone of regret.

Question 13

True or False: ‘When You Are Old’ is an autobiographical poem.

Answer 13

True

It reflects Yeats’ personal experiences and feelings towards Maud Gonne.

Question 14

What are the common themes explored in ‘When You Are Old’?

Answer 14

• Love
• Memory
• Aging
• Youth
• Regret

Question 15

What type of imagery is used in the phrase ‘bending down beside the glowing bars’?

Answer 15

Romantic imagery

This suggests a nostalgic reflection on love.

Question 16

Fill in the blank: Yeats won the Nobel Prize for Literature in _______.

Answer 16

1923

Question 17

What is the impact of the poem’s structure on its overall effect?

Answer 17

Steady and distinct rhyme scheme

This contributes to the song-like and flowing quality of the poem.