A Prayer for My Daughter by William Butler Yeats PDF

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it is a poem by WB yeats...

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APr ay erf orMyDaught erbyWi l l i am But l er Yeat s:I nt r oduct i on APr ay erf orMyDaught erwaswr i t t eni n1919af t ert hebi r t hofhi sfi r stchi l dnamedAnne But l erYeat s.Thi sdat ei squi t esi gni ficantbecausei twass oonaf t ert heFi r stWor l dWar . Nat ur al l y ,W. B.Yeat swast r oubl edandhor r i fiedaboutt hepost warsi t uat i oni nt hewest er n wor l d.Ther ewaschange,chaosandt ur bul encei nt hesoci et y ,andt hewor l dwasbecomi ng har sherandacoar sepl acet ol i v ei n.

Wi l l i am B.Yeat s( 18651939) Atsuchpoi ntofhi s t or yandhumanci vi l i z at i onhi sbeaut i f ul andi nnocentdaught erwasbor n. So,i ti sobvi ousf orYeat sandanyf at hert obewor r i edaboutt hef ut ur eofanewl ybor n daught er . Thi spoem begi nswi t ht hewi sht hathi sdaught erwi l l nev ergeti nfl uencedbyt hatsav age cul t ur ei nt hef ut ur e.Thepoethasbeenl i vi ngi nanewpl acehehasbought ,s i nceshor t l y af t erhi smar r i age.Att hev er ymoment ,hei sbaby s i t t i ng,butbei ngvi ol ent l ydi st ur bedby t hought soft heex i s t i ngchaosi nt hewor l d.Hehasbeenwal k i ngher eandt her ef orsome t i me.Atl as thecomesi nandl ook sathi si nf antdaught erandbei ngst ot al kt oher ,gi v i ng herbl es si ngsandmaki ngmanywi shesf orher . Asi ti swel l knownt hatmos tofYeat s ’ gr eatwor k sr el yupont heev ent sofhi sl i f e,t hi spoem t ooi soneofhi smostper sonal poems .Hemak eswi shesf orhi sdaught ert hatshemus t hat et hosequal i t i est hatdefineMaudGonne,awomanhel ov edbutcoul dnotgetherl ov e. Heseest her ay sofhopef orherdaught eri nt hi spoem s t at i ngt hatr et ur ni ngt ot r adi t i onand

cer emonyi st heonl ywayt oav oi dt heanar c hyoft hewest er nwor l d.Heal socel ebr at est he ar i st oc r acyandt hei rway sofl i f eandv al uest heyf ol l ow.Hewi sheshi sdaught ert obe mar r i edt oanar i s t ocr atandf ol l owt hecer emony . Toputt hemat t ershor t ,t hepoem i snotapr ay eroft heor di nar yki nd,s i ncenogodi s addr essed,buti ti sas etofwi shest hatt hepoetgi v est ohi sdaught er ,awi s ht hathi s daught ers houl dnotdev el opt hequal i t i est hatwoul dcompel hert of acet hecr uel t yoft he wor l d.I ti ssi gni ficantont hegener al l ev el becauset hepoem i sal soanex pr es si onoft he poet ’ sphi l osophyofgoodcul t ur eandgoodwomen

APr ay erf orMyDaught erbyWi l l i am But l er Yeat s:Cr i t i cal Appr ec i at i on APr ay erf orMyDaught erexpos est het ypi cal moder ni s tsent i mentoft hepoet .Thepoethas por t r ay edawayofl i f eandwoul dl i k ehi sdaught ert oadopti t .Theki ndofphi l osophy ,he f or mul at esi nt hepoem i sor i ent edt owar dsanemphasi sont hei mpor t anceoft r adi t i on, cust om andcul t ur ei nt hemoder nwor l dwhi chi sdomi nat edbychaos .Thet r adi t i on,c us t om, cul t ur ei scer t ai nl yar i s t ocr ac y .

Wi l l i am B.Yeat s( 18651939) Hei soft heopi ni ont hatar i s t ocr ac yi st heonl ycul t ur ewhi chcanr edeem t hemoder nwor l d ofchaosandanar chy .Forhi m,ar i s t ocr ac yi st hes our c eofaes t het i c,i nt el l ect ual and cul t ur al beaut y .Ther ef or e,pr obabl ybecaus eofNi et zsche’ si nfluenceuponhi m,he ex pr es seshi shat r edf orcommoner sandwi sheshi sdaught ert obet r ai nedi nt heschoolof

ar i st oc r acy .Hecons i der si tani deal wayofl i f e.Thi si sal ei sur el y ,wel l r easonedi deal , basednotonl yonmyt hol ogyandhi s t or y ,butal soonhi sownex per i ence. Thepoetadvocat esandes sent i al l ynonChr i s t i anor der ,t hek eynot eofwhi chi saman' s senseofhi sownnobi l i t yandsel f suffic i ency .Thepoethasl ef ts ent i ment sandpat hos behi ndandhascul t i vat edanal mos tt r agi cout l ook .Hecannowcombi net heappr ec i at i onof beaut ywi t hasenseoft het r agi cr at hert hanapat het i cel ementofl i f e.Hecannowi mpar t meani ngt ot heor di nar yev ent sofl i f ewhi c hhi sear l i erpoet r ydi dnotat t empt .I nt hepr ocess hi spoet r ybecomesav ehi cl eofpubl i cspeec h.Thepoem i ss t r i ki ngl yflexi bl e.Thepoem canmov et hr oughdescr i pt i onoft hepl acewear ebegi nni ngt or ecogni z et het ower ;i tc an f r eel ydescr i bet hepoet ' smoodofgl oom andt henmov et ot hei deaofbeaut yi nwomen f r om t her et os ymbol sofgr eatl ov ef ounddi s appoi nt i ng,t oHel en,Aphr odi t eandby i mpl i cat i ont oMaudGonne.

n stanza four of ‘A Prayer for My Daughter’, Yeats substantiates his view on how excessive beauty has always been a source of trouble and destruction. He turns to Helen in Greek mythology, considered to be the most beautiful woman on earth, brought the doom upon her, and many others. The image of Helen evokes another figure Aphrodite, who rose out of the spray. The union of Aphrodite with Hephaestus bandy-legged Smith brings to mind the Maud GonneMcBride episode. It makes the poet wonder if the beautiful women eat something stupid for salad, that they make a stupid decision which brings misery forever. “The rich Horn of Plenty” is suggestive of courtesy, aristocracy, and ceremony, that is lost by those women who make stupid decisions.I nt hi spoem,t hepoetpr ai s escour t esy ,char m,wi s dom andt hegl adki ndnesst hatYeat shadf oundi nmar r i age.Hi smai nout bur sti sagai ns that r ed, andespeci al l yt he' i nt el l ect ual hat r ed' .Thei deai st hatabeaut i f ul womanshoul ddespoi l t he subj ect i v i t yofhernat ur ebyt hepol i t i csofobj ect i vi t y ,orsac r i ficet heuni t yofherbei ngt oa causeout si dei t sel f .Becauseofhi sshowi ngofhat r edi nt hepoem somecr i t i cshav e

poi nt edoutt hatt hepoem i ssnobbi sh.Thepoem hasar i ngofopt i mi sm abouti ti nt hi nki ng t hatmer eanar chycannothar mt hechi l di fshei si nnocentandi sni c el ybr ed. Thepoem hasal sobeencr i t i ci z edasbas edont r i vi al i t y ,f ort hepoethasnotdesi r edf orhi s daught erawayofl i f econsi st entwi t ht hehi ghestr el i gi ousormor al i deal s .Hehasnot pr ay edf oranyChr i s t i anvi r t uesf orher .Rev er entashei s,hedoesnotconv eyanyr el i gi on. I nst ead,wear eoffer edi nt hepoem anar i st oc r at i cf ai t h.Howev er ,al l s uc hcr i t i ci sm i s i r r el ev ant .Thepoetdesi r esf orheror gani ci nnocenceandf r eedom f r om hat r ed.Thei deal s whi chheuphol dsar enott heor et i cal butpr act i cal ,andt heycanbeeasi l yadopt edi nt o pr act i ceandas t at eofgr aceat t ai ned.Thepoethasf or mul at edandessent i al l ynonChr i s t i anor der ,t hek eynot eofwhi chi sman' ssenseofhi sownnobi l i t yands el f suffic i enc y . Thepoethasbeent r uet ohi sconvi ct i onsandsot hepoem i sanot herex pr essi onofhi s ar t i st i chonest y . OnAPr ay erf ormyDaught ert hecomi ngofr ui nuponci vi l i zat i ons t i l l pr eoccupi esYeat s : " I magi ni ngi nex c i t edr ev er i e/Thatt hef ut ur ey ear shadcome,/Danc i ngt oaf r enz i eddr um,/ Outoft hemur der ousi nnocenceoft hesea" .Butt hepoem doesmov ef r om t heper sonal t o t hegener al andsomehowphi l osophi c al i ssues .I tmov est hr oughdescr i pt i onoft hepl ace; weal s or ecogni z et hes ymbol i ci deal sofagoodc ul t ur e:t het ower ,t hel aur elt r eeand cust om andcer emony .Thepoem mov esf r om t her eal concer nofv i ol enceoft het i mes;i t descr i best hepoet ’ smoodofgl oom;andt heni tmov est ot hei deal ofbeaut yi nwomen;and f r om t her ei tmov est os ymbol sofgr eatl ov ef ounddi sappoi nt i ng,t oHel en,Aphr odi t eandby i mpl i cat i ont oMaudGonne.Ther ei sapr ai seofcour t es y ,c har m,wi sdom andt hegl ad ki ndness( t hatYeat shadf oundi nmar r i age)aswel lasahopef ormer r i ment .Thenc omes t het er r i bl edenunci at i onofi nt el l ect ualhat r edandofMaudGonne,t hel ov el i es twoman bor n,( whoseopi ni onat edmi ndi ssavagel yat t ack ed) .Thel as tst anzaspr ai sei nnocence, andcus t om andcer emony .I ti sbot hr el ev antandmeani ngf uli nt hecont extoft het er r i bl e vi ol encecausedby" i nt el l ect ual hat r ed"i near l yt went i et hcent ur yEur ope,t houghi tmi ght soundal i t t l e' c hauvi ni st i c' t omoder nr eader s

William Butler Yeats wrote the poem “A Prayer for my Daughter,” dedicated to his daughter, Anne, and concerning her future wellbeing and prospects, shortly after her birth in 1919 after the

end of 1st world war and Irish rebellion Yeats had complex views on early twentieth-century issues including sexism, feminism, and Irish Nationalism; these views are reflected in the poem. Yeats questions how best to raise his daughter in politically turbulent times. He ponders how she will survive the difficult times ahead for Ireland. Significantly, Yeats feels helpless not knowing how to be a good father. Yeats assumes that his daughter needs a man to look after her. He worries about what will happen to her when he is gone. It is crucial that, when she is older, she finds a wealthy husband to keep her stable and comfortable. These thoughts reflect typical nineteenth- and early twentieth-century femininity; as such, the poem is very traditional and gender conservative. Yeats turns to Greek myth in the fourth stanza. He uses Helen of Troy as an example of a doomed woman. She was proud, vain, and arrogant. She destroyed a territory without apology. Above all, Helen drove men to catastrophic distraction. She found love, but it destroyed her, and she was miserable forever. Yeats once proposed to a beautiful woman who rejected him and then lived miserably with her chosen husband; this stanza reflects his own embittered feelings....