“The Lake isle of innisfree” William Butler Yeats

Form This poem contains four quatrains (a quatrain is a 4 line stanza) This poem also contains a Rhyme Scheme (a rhyme scheme occurs when there is a definite pattern of end rhymes within a poem) This poem is a lyric poem (rich in musical devices and expressing emotion) It is NOT a free verse poem because it contains a definite rhyme scheme

Label the Rhyme Scheme: I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray, I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

1st Quatrain I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree The inverted sentence structure and the comma create a CAESURA, or pause to slow the line 1st Quatrain I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made: Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. (Onomatopoeia) Soft ‘h’ sounds create EUPHONY When something is Euphonic, it sounds pleasant and soothing to the ear If something has hard ‘k’ and ‘p’ sounds, it would create CACOPHONY (rough and harsh to the ear) “Nine bean-rows” is an ALLUSION to Henry David Thoreau’s transcendental writings in “Walden”

2nd Quatrain It rarely gets completely dark in Ireland And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. It rarely gets completely dark in Ireland Imagery: Anything that appeals to the Five Senses Yeat’s creates stunning visual and auditory imagery in this poem

3rd Quatrain I will arise and go now, for always night and day CONSONANCE: the repetition of consonant sounds in a word 3rd Quatrain I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray, I hear it in the deep heart’s core. This repetition is an example of Anaphora. Literally, anaphora means ‘to carry again’ Anaphora is the repetition of a certain phrase throughout a poem “I will arise” is repeated here. This same phrase begins the first quatrain, and it is only slightly changed in the second quatrain when it begins “And I shall” –

Mood/Tone Every poem has it’s own unique mood, or tone. A mood is the general feeling established in a poem. One cannot write, “this poem has a mood” One can characterize the mood, instead. (Hint: look at the adjectives and sound devices – is it soothing, calm, peaceful, horrific, depressing?)

Theme One could say that the theme of “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is that man often desires a harmonious union with nature and a return to a simpler way of life. What literary elements does Yeat’s use to help convey this theme?

Classwork: Write and INTRODUCTION paragraph for an essay about how the theme is illustrated in this poem. (You do not have to write the essay – we are just practicing introductions) When editing your paragraph , make sure that you identify the theme of the poem, that you include TAG, and that you identify three literary elements that help convey this theme. Your thesis statement should come at the END of your paragraph.

Ways to Begin Introductions A general statement: “Poets use many different poetic elements to convey their message or theme.” A question: “What is the most effective way to share a theme or message with a reader when writing a poem?” A shocking statement. “Many people hate poetry, but they should at least appreciate the methods and elements used to write a poem”

Again, the last sentence should be your thesis: In Yeats’ poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” the theme that man should desire a harmonious union with nature is conveyed using the poetic devices of allusion, imagery, and anaphora.