* Because of the gyres the falconer cannot call his falcon home. * You can say it’s a symbol for chaos in the world – something is deeply wrong * There is no order * “The centre cannot hold” – the theme of the poem * With out this order and hierarchy the world cant function properly * Everything has turned radical (his political opinion) * The innocent are pressed with their faces in the dirt * The tide (the war) has driven away all good * It gives the reader the feeling of being rushed over that “we are drowning” * The worst and the best * Think about that time you dropped your lunch in the cafeteria and all the people you hate laughed really hard, and all your friends were too embarrassed to do anything about it. According to Yeats, Europe after the war is kind of like that. Things are so messed up that you can’t tell the good and the bad apart. * The only reason why the society fell apart is, because the people did not stand up for their religion and government.
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* The true meaning of something is revealed – but we don’t know what * All the violence and moral confusion is a part of “The Second Coming is at hand” * The bible – Jesus will come back * Its written during the aftermath of a war – they need faith * “Spiritus Mundi” * get a glimpse of it * Collected soul of the universe, contain memories from all of time * We all have a supernatural connection to one another * When we feel truly inspired we see “Spiritus Mundi” * This brings Yeats to the desert * Mythical beast – the sphinx * Pitiless expression – cant have empathy with other humans * The sphinx in the desert is best thought of as an inhuman force of nature. Therefore, it is neither good nor evil. * It cares no more about the fates of people
