WB Yeats is considered one of Ireland's greatest writers thanks to his eloquent and "otherworldly" poetry and many of his later plays and operas for which he received the Nobel Prize. Often associated with the Irish literary revival, Yeats's early work can be viewed postcolonially. The poem uses Irish and Celtic folklore to "project a strongly Irish element" (Lit 201 Study Guide 2010) seen through understanding cultural ideology. Although most of the themes in Yeats' poetry seem pastoral and mythical, he is projecting a strong message of promoting Irish spirit and feeling. Three poems in which the public can observe this sense are Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea, The Rose of the World and Who Goes with Fergus, all written in 1893. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The goal of Yeats's Celtic mythical poetry was to reconstruct the imaginative processes of the life led by his ancestors in Ireland as a quote from Yeats suggests, his countrymen had stopped following politics and were instead turning to the literary arts and cultural to revive Irish traditions and society: “Everywhere I saw change taking place, young people moving away from politics altogether, adopting Gaelic, adopting Literature, or remaining in politics, could replace violent speeches with actions more violent. From that national humiliation, from the decision to destroy all that made the humiliation possible, from that sacrificial victim, I draw all that lives in the imagination of Ireland today ("modern Ireland")" (Yeats, Lit 201 Study Guide 2010) The first poem to look at is Cuchulain's The Fight with the Sea and, as the footnotes suggest, WB Yeats was very interested in this legendary Celtic warrior Cuchulain and wrote about him numerous times (Yeats, Lit 201 Poetry Anthology).The ancient hero Cuchulain was often considered divine due to his divine abilities and strength. However, when these abilities allow his extreme strength to take over his reason, it becomes his downfall when he kills his son begins with his mother telling a swineherd that he is too strong to waste his life and that he should go and look for his father. The young man enters the camp and feels that his father is highly praised there; However, his father sees the man and, not knowing him, thinks he has invaded the camp. Cuchulain fights his son and as he kills him, the swineherd reveals that he is actually Cuchulain's son. Enraged at having killed his son, he asks the druids to sing and fights with the sea instead of humans. This can be compared in a political sense to the Irish people telling men to be strong and not passive about British rule over their land, but their struggle ends in vain. The story becomes tragic and pedantic; the result is not as expected. Since this poem is an adaptation of a traditional Irish saga, Yeats uses the poem in this way to educate his people about their history (lesson notes). The use of the epic form is particularly significant. Historically, epic poetry is associated with those of the classical tradition such as Homer; Yeats comments that Irish tales are as important and timeless as classical ones. It also incorporates some classical themes such as tragic heroism and the reverse Oedipus complex. The poem also allows the author to challenge the idea that the current belief in logic and reason ignored the imagination (lesson notes). Clearly Cuchulain's Wrestling with the Sea allows Yeats's creative genius to flourish as it tackles themesimportant through politics and cultural identity. Yeats again incorporates different themes in other early poems such as The Rose of the World. One of the most obvious themes in this poem is the symbol of the rose as eternal beauty. Once again the reader is reminded of the classics through allusions to past beauty. An example is the iconic Helen of Troy in the Iliad: “Troy died in funereal splendor (21).” Yeats also introduces Irish myth; the poem can be paralleled with the Irish legend of the beautiful Deidra of Sorrows. This is evident from line 5, “And the sons of Usna died (21),” referring to Deidra's husband who died for her. Yeats was always in love with a woman called Maud Gonne, whom he idolized (class notes). This piece represents the distance between them because she never loved Yeats back and he was forced to admire her from afar. It is quite possible that he wrote this poem as a response to his unrequited love for her. Yeats also has a subliminal political message in the poem that Maude represents the strife of Ireland and that her beauty is compared to that of Helen of Troy; becomes a catalyst for a war between nations. The symbol of the beautiful rose is a great example of how Yeats conveys a political message. He relies on Irish mythology as a means of expressing how his writing is very separate from English writing. English writers only drew on classical Greek or Roman stories, but when Yeats references them as well as Irish folktales, his writing becomes truly distinct. The Irish public would recognize it and it would be well received. This poem is full of mythological allusions to portray a political message, but not as much as another popular Yeats poem: Who Goes with Fergus. As soon as you start reading Who Goes with Fergus, you might infer that the poem is a subtle appeal to nationalism. If the reader knew the context and history from which Yeats was writing, this would become increasingly true. The poem is more about passive nationalism than about the vain fighting in Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea or the idealized nationalism of The Rose of the World. Yeats comments that the Irish population should retreat to its roots of mysticism and legend; this is how they can free themselves from political turmoil and be able to experience Irish tradition. Here Fergus is synonymous with nature and Yeats offers the younger generations this solution to turn to nature in search of hope. Fergus gave up his political ambitions in exchange for the wisdom of the druids, and this is what Yeats urges his audience to do as well. Yeats is clearly concerned with otherworldly aspects and this theme is followed throughout his poetry. The one who goes with Fergus is Yeats who asks his compatriots to reflect with him and to give up useless political battles. It is a step towards pacifism and, in a simpler sense, states that wisdom is the non-confrontational choice. By placing this importance on Irish culture and folklore, Yeats was effectively able to satisfy his need for national pride. The very rich tradition of myth and folklore in Ireland allowed Yeats to draw from many great sagas. He also referenced his personal experiences and the underlying message of Irish nationalism. Yeats was a deeply patriotic individual, but it is truly an exceptional case to observe his treatment of nationalism. Rather than a strong call to arms as many Irish nationalists wanted, it instead chose to reflect Ireland's rich culture and traditional past. Yeats also placed a strong emphasis on the use of imagination and allowed his ideas to flourish; he created visions of beauty and expressed otherworldly notions. Through, 2010