Answer and Explanation:
Let's take a look at the lines mentioned:
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
In lines 11–17 of the poem, what other allusion does Yeats use?
Yeats alludes to the Sphinx, a mythological creature with a human head, the body of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and wings of an eagle.
Why do you think he uses it? What is the author's message?
In this poem, the speaker talks of a drastic change in times in an apocalyptic manner. He compares such change to the second coming of Jesus Christ, when it is believed people will be judged for their sins.
The speaker talks of destruction and fear, as well as of lack of conviction and innocence. He alludes to the Sphinx to enhance such a message and convey that humanity's atrocious actions shall be punished. The Sphinx devours those who cannot solve its riddle, so it is sent as a punishment for a crime. Notice how, in the poem, the Sphinx moves slowly, calmly, and powerfully. While the world caves in, it remains unperturbed amidst the chaos. The chaos does not bother it. As a matter of fact, the Sphinx seems to enjoy the destruction.