189k views
1 vote
Year 9 English - Poetry

How do the poets use figurative language to show the cost of conflict in 'Easter 1916' and 'The seconds coming'? How are they similar/different?

User Lloeki
by
3.2k points

1 Answer

5 votes

Answer and Explanation:

In "Easter 1916" we can see figurative language through the use of metaphors. The author makes a strong use of metaphor when comparing stones to revolutionaries, intensifying the idea that just like stones, revolutionaries are immobile and therefore will remain constant and strong even if time passes. As we know, metaphor is a figure of speech that allows a non-implicit comparison between two elements. This metaphor is important in this poem, because the poem presents the moment when the Irish protested against England, in the second world war. By comparing Protestants with stones, the poet shows how they would not change their minds about England no matter what.

"The seconds coming" is a poem where Yeast shows the second coming of Jesus Christ to dominate the earth. Although the poem is different from "Easter 1916" it also presents metaphor as a figurative language. This metaphor is seen with the comparison between falcon and the falconer, reinforcing the idea that humans are controlled by something great. The metaphor can be seen again, when the poet compares the second coming of Jesus Christ with a "rough beast," showing that this will be a grandiose, yet frightening event. However, this poem also has a strong irony, which is not seen in "Easter 1916". The irony is seen in the phrase "the best lack all conviction, while the worst / Are full of passionate intensity" because it ironic religious concepts about how Jesus agrated in relation to the most beloved humans.

User Fadrian Sudaman
by
3.3k points