Excerpt from Research Pitch:
Hence, at the end of the poem, Yeats uses terms to suggest that Leda has made a full transformation from weak women to 1 with a sexual assertiveness that could only be referred to as a shudder and a power that can be greater than Zeus’s. Through this suggestion, Yeats also highlights that women are different than the Greek’s conception of those in the misconception. Instead of getting weak, his word selections argue that they are powerful enough to conquer even the finest of effective men, which this fight to become effective is what makes them gain that ability.
Finally, the structure of Yeats’ poem itself suggests Leda’s eventual climb from a weak, sexually conquered, “staggering girl” (2), to a solid, sexually aggressive woman. This could be seen, initial, through the chronological nature in the poem. Content, imagery, and word decision all search for Leda’s evolution in a date fashion. Inside the fist stanza, Leda is definitely the weaker from the two – her thighs are captured by the swan and her neck is its beak. In the last stanza, however , Leda is the more robust. She has captured the swan’s knowledge and power, leaving him fragile enough to drop her. In between these two stanzas, Yeats traces her voyage and struggle to power and sexual assertiveness. Thus, through structure, Yeats not only points out that Leda is, without a doubt, strong, but also he suggests that the processes that the lady goes through to have her strength are just as important as the end result. This is true for two factors. First, Yeats implies Leda’s true durability by allowing for her to prove that recently acquired durability against anyone who has had that for years. That is, by allowing Lena to, in a sense, get over the swan that got just moments ago kept her life in its hands through her newfound strength, Yeats shows that Leda’s strength is more profound. Second, Yeats’ attention to the voyage suggests that women are not always born with inherent durability and intimate assertiveness, as he seems to imply men will be, but that they may acquire it through certain actions. He even more implies that increasing strength and sexual assertiveness this way is more effective than simply having an inherent durability, as Leda is turned out to be stronger than the swan by the end of the poem.
In addition to chronology, Yeats’ is composition proves his suggestion concerning women’s durability and sex assertiveness in two different ways. First, Yeats uses a visual technique by simply setting another stanza aside by its first line, which is further indented then your rest of the lines in the composition. This collection reads, “being so swept up, ” and is interpreted while either a mention of the the image of Leda growing in her orgasm, Leda’s entanglement with the swan, or perhaps the fact that she’s “caught up” in Agamemnon’s death (Yeats 12). By simply setting the queue apart, however , as if it truly is caught up itself, Yeats facilitates the view that what Leda is swept up in is the orgasm, and also her rise to electric power and sex assertiveness. In addition , Yeats’ use of rhetorical questions leave his conclusion up to model. Still, the rhetorical query at the end of the poem could be interpreted because further focusing his stage regarding Leda’s newfound strength by suggesting that the bottom line is clear. That is, readers can feel free to read some sarcasm into this strength element. Thus, through composition, Yeats highlights his topic regarding Leda’s own durability and lovemaking assertiveness, although suggesting that this can be general to apply to any or all or most women.
Thus, Yeats’ poem “Leda and the Swan” can certainly be read as a retelling of the Classic Ancient greek Myth recounting the woman’s union with Zeus in the form of the swan. A better reading of the poem, nevertheless , suggests that they have great plans. While the occasions of the poem are the same since those included in the myth, Yeats shows his brilliance by using three poetic techniques – imagery, expression choice, and structure – to advise a completely new theme. That theme is definitely contrary to many interpretations of the classic Greek story. Instead of offering women since weak and sexually unaggressive, Yeats shows that women are both strong and sexually assertive. At first glance, viewers might interpret this topic as Yeats’ critique of sexism, although a more very careful reading nonetheless reveals a number of sexist assumptions on the part of Yeats. For instance, he seems to mean that men happen to be inherently strong and sexually assertive, although women need to work for this kind of strength. Further review and interpretation about the motivation of Yeats’ styles is needed, but understanding how Yeats’ retelling corrected the ramifications of the Ancient greek language myth is known as a point intended for discussion and debate.
Performs Cited
Yeats, William Retainer. “Leda and the Swan. “