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Tasks: No Second Troy by William Butler Yeats

Who was Helen of Troy?

In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy a woman who was famed for her beauty. She left her husband King Menelaus and fled to Troy with her lover Paris, son of King Priam. She was the indirect cause of the Trojan war.

According to the legend the Greeks won the Trojan war by using a trick. After a long siege of Troy the Greeks pretended to leave and sail away. They left behind a wooden horse, which celebrating Trojans brought inside the city walls. The horse was filled with Greek soldiers who then came out, fought, sacked the city and burned it to the ground.

Who was Maude Gonne?

Maude Gonne was born in England but became convinced that Ireland should be independent from the United Kingdom. She became an Irish republican revolutionary, and she was a suffragette who fought for women's rights. She was arrested more than once in her lifetime and imprisoned for six months in 1918 for her involvement in protests.

Maude Gonne was famous for her beauty. She had a relationship with William Butler Yeats and was his muse, but she refused to marry him.

Understanding the poem:

  1. The name Helen of Troy is never mentioned in the poem. What is it in the poem that suggests that she is relevant for our understanding of the poem?
  2. The poem makes use of several rhetorical questions. What are rhetorical questions, and what does the poet achieve by using them?
  3. William Butler Yeats was in love with a woman called Maude Gonne who was an Irish republican revolutionary. Many people believe this poem is about her. Can you find evidence in the poem that supports this theory?
  4. Should a poem be read and understood based only on the text itself, or is it OK to draw on information we have about the author's personal life and the time in which it was written?
  5. This poem is usually considered a love poem. Do you agree with this interpretation? Give reasons for your answer.
  6. Do you think the poem is a comment on the Irish struggle for independence? Give reasons for your answer.

Read:

Choose a poem by William Butler Yeats to read aloud in front of a group of peers. You can use "No Second Troy" or "The Second Coming" which you will find here on NDLA, or you may look for other poems. You can for example find poems on the Poetry Foundation website: Link to Poetry Foundation website.

Practise reading the poem aloud. Focus on speaking clearly and slowly enough, so that your reading is easy to follow for your peers. You may also think about how to best convey the tone and feeling of the poem.

When you have finished reading, say a few words about what you think the poem is about.

Get feedback from your peers: What did they like best about the reading? Was there room for improvement?

Write:

Pick one of the tasks and write a longer text.

  1. Pick two well-known love songs (or two love songs that you particularly like). Compare the two songs. Are they about happy relationships? What literary devices are used in the songs, and what is achieved by using these devices? Do you think the lyrics are important, or is it the melody that makes these songs famous/good?
  2. Compare the poem "No Second Troy" with another love poem, for example William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 130" ("My Mistress Eyes"). What do the poems have in common? What literary devices are used in the poems, and what is achieved by using these devices? Are the poems about happy relationships?
  3. Write a text where you discuss whether "No Second Troy" should be considered a political poem or a love poem.

Present:

Pick one of the tasks and make an oral presentation. The presentation may be made as an audio or video recording, or as a traditional classroom presentation.

  1. Pick a well-known contemporary Irish poet. Present the poet and one or more of their poems. Do you see any similarities between the topics this poet focuses on and the topics William Butler Yeats addressed in his poems?
  2. Present William Butler Yeats and one of the two poems "The Second Coming" or "No Second Troy". You may also present one additional poem that you choose. Discuss if William Butler Yeats is relevant for a modern audience. Does his political focus mean that he is mainly relevant for people who are interested in Irish history?
  3. To outsiders, countries like Ireland, Northern-Ireland, England and Wales seem very similar. What caused Ireland to seek independence? Make a presentation about Ireland's struggle for independence.

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