Question

Explain how Years views nature in “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” by William Butler Yeats in 250 words.

Answer 1

In 1888 William Butler Yeats wrote "The Isle of Innisfree Lake," one of his most popular and widely anthologized plays. The poem gets its title from a very small, uninhabited island that sits at Lough Gill, a lake in Sligo, Ireland's home county of Yeats. This pastoral poem's speaker longs for building a simple life on Innisfree, seeking harmony through communion with nature. It is obvious, however, that relations with city life hinder the speaker from realizing this vision. The focus of the young poet on issues of faith and Irish culture is felt in this poem which also includes the kind of archaic language he would later abandon and decry.

Following an ABAB rhyme scheme and a loosely iambic meter, the poem's apparently simple, succinct structure belies its intricate rhythm and sound networks, which are responsible for much of its emotional effect and enduring popularities.

Subtle references to religious practice continue, such as "morning veils," a term that likes early morning weather, such as fog and dew, and head coverings that are also used for religious purposes. Plus, phrases like "purple light" and "All a glimmer at midnight" create a dreamy, magical atmosphere. In fact, the speaker obviously feels a strong emotional bond with Innisfree, saying it calls out "both night and day," calling the speaker constantly. The two share a spiritual kinship, as nature resides inside the speaker, who feels it "in the center of the deep heart." The speaker believes it will bring "some harmony" to heed their calls. Thus, the speaker champions nature as a profound divine force that can bring about inner serenity.

Through this way, the speaker describes nature as a profound spiritual power possessing universal truths — a wellspring of knowledge that can only be reached by a complete renunciation of modern society. Nevertheless, the speaker remains trapped in an urban environment, despite nature calling "both night and day." By exposing the difference between the daydream of the speaker and fact, the poem indirectly challenges the achievability of a substantive link with nature in modern civilisation.