Allusions In The Second Coming

Mystical Insights to “The Second Coming” In “The Second Coming,” William Butler Yeats brings forth menacing allusions while using supernatural events to apply his cultural roots with religious and historical reverberation. Yeats relates the binaries of birth verses death to demonstrate the cycles of time which humanity passes through during the stages of life with prophetic visions he has seen. With the benefit of imagery and symbolism, Yeats creates compelling, mystical insights of juxtaposition patterns with terrifying nature, dreadful elemental details, and conflicting characteristics regarding animals and man. Even though the fear that man has wrought his own destruction, that mankind, in need of a savior, will be judged harshly, Yeats may have been expressing his and others’ fear of their world spinning out of control because theories of government, such as communism or socialism to human rights violations and the “rough beast” or desert sphinx appears to be an anti-Christ figure, bringing not salvation, but destruction. In the first stanza, Yeats makes use of objective diction giving
Additionally, mankind’s degeneration has transpired yet another focus towards creation; “world” (4), and “everywhere” (5) happens to be significant in terms, granted all stand affected. Uniquely, “The ceremony of innocence is drowned;” (6), indicates an observance of purity being engulfed creates boldness, because man verses nature becomes challenged. Yeats also uses metonymy in “The blood-dimmed tide” (5), and “ceremony of innocence” (6), referring to colors as blood red for debt or death and white of innocence and purity. With this in mind, concrete evidence of spiritual reference directs the reader back to the title, “The Second