Yeats' poem took me by surprise. I couldn't believe that he related the rape of Leda by Zeus in a swan form. It was violent and sexually explicit. By doing additional research, I found out that she later lays eggs and has several children, Helen and Clytemenestra as mentioned to us in the footnote, but also Castor and Polydeuces, gods of war, are among the others. In this depiction, we can see how instantaneous acts reap long term consequences and how every action effects the future.
Immediately, this poem catches the reader. "A sudden blow: the great wings beating still...her thighs carressed...her nape caught in his bill..."(1125) as Yeats emphasizes the brutal the act, the rape is embedded in our minds.
This poem was a little confusing and wasn't one of the best pieces I've read by Yeats.
There are unanswered questions that can be gathered by such an event though, What was Zeus' purpose in doing such a thing? Is this poem only in reference to a myth?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Letisha,
ReplyDeleteYou obviously seem to understand the overall concepts of the poem, and like you, I also believed this poem to uncover the "overall consequences" of an action. However, I would have loved to see you support your broad conclusions with more evidence. I think you could have also attempted to try to answer your own questions that you present at the end of this blog. Maybe, as a 'god', Zeus intended for these exact consequences, as if Leda was used as a
pawn in his broader plan of redirecting history. I enjoyed this blog overall though!
thanks!
Alex
Tisha,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex that this post suggests some really good insights about Yeats's poem, especially the subject matter, but needs more evidence and deeper analysis. Your readers would like to be able to follow and understand your observations and insights, but cannot really do so when you limit your posts to such short and sketched in content.
I think it's cool that you did additional research. Inside those eggs were some pretty important people, including Helen, about whom Yeats writes much. Yeats clearly has a fascination for Helen, and she would not have ever existed had such horrible circumstances not been brought upon her mother. So maybe Alex is right: Zeus, and later Yeats, saw some master plan in all of these actions.
ReplyDelete