WB Yeats is considered one of the greatest Irish writers because of his eloquent and "supernatural" early poetry and many of his later dramas and works for which he received the Nobel Prize. Often associated with the Irish Literary Revival, Yeats's early work can be viewed in a postcolonial sense. The poetry uses Irish and Celtic folklore to “project a strongly Irish element” (Lit 201 Study Guide 2010), as demonstrated by the understanding of cultural ideology. Although the majority of themes in Yeats's poetry appear pastoral and mythical, he projects a strong message of promoting Irish spirit and feeling. Three poems in which the audience can observe this meaning 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 should not be banned'?Get the original essayThe aim of Yeats's Celtic mythic poetry was to reconstruct the imaginative processes of the life led by his ancestors in Ireland. Suggests that his countrymen had stopped following politics and were instead turning to the literary and cultural arts to revive Irish traditions and society: "Wherever I saw change taking place, the young men turned away completely of politics, turning to Gaelic, turning to Gaelic. Literature, or by remaining in politics, to be able to replace violent speech with more violent action. From this national humiliation, from the resolve to destroy everything that made the humiliation possible, from this sacrificial victim, I draw everything that lives in the imagination of Ireland today ("modern Ireland ")" (Yeats, Lit 201 Study Guide 2010) The first poem examined is Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea and, as the footnotes suggest, WB Yeats was very interested in this legendary Celtic warrior Cuchulain and wrote about him on numerous occasions (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 override his sanity, it leads to his downfall when he kills his own son. The story begins with a swineherd who is told by his mother that he is too strong to spend his life in slow motion and that he should go find his father. The young man enters the camp and learns 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 in fact Cuchulain's son. Enraged at having killed his own son, he asks the druids to sing and he fights with the sea instead of humans. This can be compared, politically, to the Irish people telling the men to be strong and not be passive in the face of British rule over their land, but their fight ends in vain. The story becomes tragic and pedantic; the result is not as expected. As this poem is an adaptation of a traditional Irish saga, Yeats uses poetry in this way to educate his people about their own history (lecture 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 points out that Irish tales are just as important and timeless as these classics. It even incorporates some classic themes like tragic heroism and the reverse Oedipus complex. The poem also allows the author to question the idea that current faith inlogic and reason ignored imagination (course notes). Clearly, Cuchulain's Fight with the Sea allows Yeats's creative genius to flourish by drawing on major themes of politics and cultural identity. Yeats again incorporates different themes in other ancient poetry 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 remembers the classics through allusions to the pastbeauty. An example is the iconic Helen of Troy in the Iliad: “Troy died in a funerary glow (21).” Yeats also brings the Irish myth; the poem can be paralleled with the Irish legend of the beautiful Deidra of Sorrows. This is evident in line 5, "And the children of Usna died (21)", referring to Deidra's husband who died for her. Yeats was always in love with a woman named Maud Gonne, whom he idolized (lecture notes). This piece represents the distance between them because she never loved Yeats and he was forced to admire her from afar. It is most likely that he wrote this poem in response to his unwavering love for her. Yeats also has a subliminal political message in the poem that Maude represents the conflict of Ireland and that her beauty is compared to that of Helen of Troy; this 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 draws on Irish mythology as a way to express how his writing is very distinct from that of England. English writers would only draw inspiration from classical Greek or Roman stories, but by referencing them as well as Irish folk tales, his writing becomes truly distinct. The Irish public would recognize it and it would be well received. This poem is littered with mythological allusions to describe a political message, but not as much as another popular Yeats poem: Who Goes with Fergus. Once one begins reading Who Goes with Fergus, one 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 more and more true. The poem is also more about passive nationalism than the futile struggles of Cuchulain's Combat with the Sea or the idealized nationalism of The Rose of the World. Yeats points out that the Irish population should fall back on its roots of mysticism and legend; this is how they will be able to free themselves from political turmoil and be able to live the Irish tradition. Fergus here is synonymous with nature and Yeats offers this solution to the younger generation to turn to nature for hope. Fergus gave up his political ambitions in exchange for the wisdom of the Druids, and this is what Yeats also urges his audience to do. Yeats is clearly concerned with otherworldly aspects and this theme is followed throughout his poetry. Accompanying Fergus is Yeats who asks his compatriots to think with him and abandon useless political battles. It is a step toward pacifism, and in a simpler sense, it affirms that wisdom is a non-confrontational choice. By placing this emphasis on Irish culture and folklore, Yeats was able to effectively fulfill his need for national pride. The very rich tradition of mythical tales and folklore in Ireland allowed Yeats to draw inspiration from many great sagas. He also referenced his own personal experiences and the underlying message of Irish nationalism. Yeats was a deeply patriotic individual, but his treatment of nationalism is truly an exceptional case. Rather than a powerful appeal to, 2010