International Conference at Jaipur: Binding the time in the era of war and influenza In The Wasteland and Second Coming

The Department of English at the University of Rajasthan, located in the historical city of Jaipur, had the honor of hosting an international conference on the weighty topic of "World War I, Modernism(s), and Time Binding." The event, which took place on January 27th and 28th of 2023, was held in partnership with the Forum on Contemporary Theory and the distinguished Balvant Parekh Centre for General Semantics and Other Human Sciences, situated in the cultured city of Baroda. As a participant in this august gathering, I had the privilege of presenting my own paper on the subject of "Binding Time in the Era of War and Influenza in 'The Wasteland' and 'The Second Coming"

 Binding the time in the era of war and influenza In The Wasteland and Second Coming

Abstract:

This paper deals with reading of the Post- World War I literature, an epic modernist poem The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot and The Second Coming by W.B. Yeats with Alfred Korzybski's concept of ‘General Semantics’ of which ‘time binding’ is an integral part. The Great War (1914-1918) was a defining moment in European and world history. It also had a profound effect on cultural and literary sensibilities, which emerged a new wave of literature- Modernism. The most influential poems of the 20th century, The Wasteland and the Second Coming are a metaphor for the devastated landscape of post-war Europe. As Korzybski describes the unique quality of humans is what he calls "time-binding - the capacity of an individual or a generation to begin where the former left off". The Wasteland connects different tales and allusions from antiquity and situates them all in the modern era of Europe. Furthermore, in the world's destructive "widening gyre," the Second Coming offers the possibility of rebirth.  Both these poems are proving themselves to be exemplars of a “time binder”. As Elizabeth Outka's 2019 essay "Modern Influenza" posed the dilemma,  ' A death in battle could be seen as courageous, but a death from influenza?'," this work also examines the impact of the "Spanish Flu" in these modernist texts. As Korzybski suggested humans can have 'knowledge about knowledge', and 'knowledge about knowledge about knowledge' and gave a concept of ‘Time Binders’. Yet much of this knowledge skips out of the time-binding mechanism of Literary Historiography. 

Keywords: Time binding, The Wasteland, Second Coming,  Alfred Korzybski, Elizabeth Outka, Pandemic, War.

Introduction:

"The word is not the thing" (Korzybski)

Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski was a Polish-American philosopher and scientist who was the founder of the field of general semantics, which is the study of human evaluation and communication. He spent many years studying the structure of human language and thought and developed a theory that aimed to improve human communication and thinking.

Korzybski believed that traditional ways of thinking and communication were no longer adequate for understanding and navigating the rapidly changing technological and social landscape of the time. He argued that the human ability to use abstract symbols and language had led to a disconnection between humans and reality and that this disconnection was responsible for many of the problems faced by society. He proposed that by understanding and applying the principles of general semantics, individuals could improve their ability to evaluate and communicate information, leading to more effective thinking and problem-solving.

Korzybski wrote several books on the subject, including his most famous work "Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics" which was published in 1933. The book has been considered the foundation stone of general semantics and has been widely read and studied.

Korzybski's theory of General semantics is a system of thought that aims to improve human communication and understanding. The theory of general semantics gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly in the United States, where it was embraced by educators, scientists, and artists. Korzybski's ideas were seen as a way to improve thinking and communication in a rapidly changing world, and they continue to be studied and applied in various fields today, such as education, psychology, and communication. Korzybski's theory of General semantics is based on the idea that people's understanding of the world can be improved by becoming more aware of the ways in which language shapes their perceptions.

"The human individual is capable of 'time-binding' and of 'self-reflexiveness'; he is capable of transmitting culture and of self-improvement." (Korzybski)

One of the key concepts of Korzybski's theory is the idea of "time-binding," which refers to the unique ability of human beings to accumulate and transmit knowledge across generations. the concept of "time-binding" was first introduced by Alfred Korzybski in his book "Manhood of Humanity," which was published in 1921 by E. P. Dutton. In this work, Korzybski proposed and explained in detail a new theory of humankind, where mankind is considered a "time-binding" class of life, performing time-binding by transmitting knowledge and abstractions through time which becomes accreted in cultures. Korzybski argued that this ability has played a crucial role in human evolution and civilization, but it also leads to a tendency to reify and hypostatize abstractions, which can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

According to Korzybski, the capacity for time-binding is what allows humans to learn from the past and build on the knowledge and achievements of previous generations. He believed that by becoming more aware of the ways in which language shapes their perceptions, people can improve their ability to time bind and, in turn, improve their understanding of the world.

Alfred Korzybski's Time-Binding theory is a significant contribution to the field of general semantics, which is a study of human evaluation and communication. This ability, according to Korzybski, separates humans from other animals and has played a crucial role in human evolution and civilization. Korzybski argues that the ability to time-bind has allowed humans to build upon the knowledge and experiences of previous generations, leading to advances in science, technology, and culture. He also asserts that this ability is not innate but rather something that must be developed and nurtured through education and training. He believed that by understanding and applying the principles of general semantics, individuals could improve their ability to evaluate and communicate information, leading to more effective thinking and problem-solving.

However, Korzybski also recognized that this ability to time-bind could be problematic, as humans tend to identify with their abstractions and ignore the differences between them and reality. This leads to a tendency to reify and hypostatize abstractions, which can lead to confusion and misunderstanding. He believed that by developing the ability to evaluate abstractions and their relations to reality, individuals could improve their ability to think critically and make more accurate evaluations.

To sum up, Korzybski's Time-Binding theory is a fundamental concept in general semantics, it highlights the unique ability of human beings to accumulate and transmit knowledge across generations, and emphasizes the importance of education and training in developing this ability. 

The Wasteland and Time Binding

T. S. Eliot wrote a poem known as The Waste Land, which is recognized as one of the most significant poems of the twentieth century and a key piece of modernist poetry. The 434-line poem was initially published in 1922. First appeared in two different countries: the UK ( Eliot's The Criterion- October issue) and the United States ( The Dial- November issue).

 

The poem has five sections, each exploring themes of sorrow and disappointment through various narrations and philosophical reflections. The first section, "The Burial of the Dead," establishes these themes, the second, "A Game of Chess," delves into them through personal experiences, the fourth, "The Fire Sermon" offers a reflection on death and self-denial with influences from Augustine of Hippo and Eastern faiths. The final section, "What the Thunder Said" concludes with a vision of judgment after the short poetic supplication in "Death by Water."

As Korzybsky stated, "The ability to symbolize, to use and to understand symbols, is the foundation of human civilization" (Korzybski).

The Wasteland is an epic modernist poem that connects different tales and allusions from antiquity and situates them all in the modern era of Europe. Through its allusions, Eliot presents a world that is fragmented and chaotic, a metaphor for the disillusionment and despair that many people felt in the aftermath of the war. Eliot uses the technique of montage, which is a collage of various cultural and literary references, to create a sense of the simultaneity of different historical periods, and to suggest that the past, present, and future are all interconnected. ‘... its self-sufficient juxtaposition without copulae of themes and passages in a dense mosaic’ (Bloom). This concept of simultaneity is a reflection of the idea of time-binding, which suggests that the past and the present are always in a state of flux and that the future is always being shaped by the past. 

The poem binds together different historical periods, cultures, and literary traditions in order to comment on the present. The poem is also a commentary on the present, specifically the post-World War I Europe and its aftermath. By binding together different historical periods and cultures, Eliot creates a sense of historical continuity and interconnectedness that highlights the ways in which the present is shaped by the past. 

The Waste Land makes extensive use of mythological and literary allusions to convey the themes and ideas of the poem.  

The myth of The Fisher King is a symbol of the sterility and decay of modern society.

Unreal City,

Under the brown fog of a winter dawn,

I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

The myth of a Dying God, the god Attis in Phrygian myth, dies and is reborn, symbolizing the cycle of death and rebirth in nature. In the poem, Eliot uses this myth to suggest that traditional values and beliefs have died in the modern world and are in need of rebirth.

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow

Out of this stony rubbish?

The myth of Tiresias, a Greek myth who appears in the poem, is a blind prophet who has lived both as a man and as a woman. He serves as a metaphor for the way in which people maneuver and manipulate one another in order to achieve their goals.

I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives,

By binding together different literary traditions and cultures to make a commentary on the present, specifically post-World War I Europe and its aftermath. The poem references various European cultures and historical periods, particularly in the section "The Burial of the Dead." For example, he references the legends of the Fisher King, which is a symbol of the sterility and decay of modern society, and the grail legend, which is associated with the Fisher King and the quest for spiritual and cultural regeneration. 

The poem references Indian culture and mythology in the section ‘What the Thunder Said.’ For example, he references the Upanishads, an ancient Indian text, with the line: "Shantih Shantih Shantih". Also, the poem references the god Shiva, who is associated with the destructive power of the universe, with the line: HURRY UP PLEASE ITS TIME.  

Aa well it references Greek mythology, particularly in the section "The Fire Sermon." For example, he references the figure of Tiresias, who appears in both Greek and Roman mythology, with the line: I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives. And Egyptian culture and mythology, particularly in the section "The Fire Sermon." For example, he references the Sphinx, an ancient Egyptian symbol of mystery and riddle, with the line: Unshod. How hast thou been, / With the other men?

Furthermore, references Christian culture and theology, particularly in the section "What the Thunder Said." For example, he references the Bible with the line And at my back I always hear / Time's winged chariot hurrying near. And Chinese culture, particularly in the section "A Game of Chess." For example, he references the Chinese poem The River-Merchant's Wife: A Letter with the line And I will show you something different from either / Your shadow at morning striding behind you / Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you

In addition, T.S. Eliot in The Wasteland draws on a wide range of literary traditions. Eliot references multiple passages from the Bible throughout the poem. For example, in the section "The Burial of the Dead," he quotes from the Book of Revelation: And at my back I always hear / Time's winged chariot hurrying near. Multiple plays by Shakespeare in the poem, particularly in the section "The Fire Sermon." For example, he references the play "Troilus and Cressida" with the line: Sweet Thames, run softly till I end my song; Othello, referenced in the line I had not thought death had undone so many. 

Along with this, Eliot references multiple modern literary works in the poem, particularly in the section "The Fire Sermon." For example, he references the poem "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" with the line: Shall I at least set my lands in order? and eastern texts and ideas in the poem, particularly in the section "What the Thunder Said." For example, he references the Upanishads with the line: "Shantih shantih shantih" (line 425). 

T.S. Eliot combines many historical eras to portray the concepts and ideas of the poem through allusions to various mythologies, literary customs, and cultures. The use of allusions, montage, and commentary on the present, make "The Waste Land" a time-binding poem that connects the past and the present and creates a sense of continuity between different historical periods and cultures.

The Second Coming and Time Binding

"The Second Coming" is a poem written by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats in 1919. The poem reflects on the aftermath of World War I and the collapse of societal order that Yeats saw in the world around him. It explores themes of chaos, destruction, and the cyclical nature of history. 

One of the most prominent images in the poem is the "widening gyre," which is a metaphor for the spiral of history and the way that society is constantly in flux. The "widening gyre" suggests that the world is spiraling out of control and that the past is no longer a guide for the present.

Another important image in the poem is the "falcon" that "cannot hear the falconer." This image is a metaphor for the way that people have become disconnected from their traditions and their past. The falcon represents the individual, who is no longer able to hear the guidance of their practices, represented by the falconer. This image also relates to the idea of the breakdown of order and the emergence of chaos.

The poem also makes use of Christian imagery and allusions, particularly the idea of the "Second Coming" in the title. This refers to the return of Jesus Christ, and it serves as a metaphor for the emergence of a new era or a new order in the world.

Lastly, Yeats alludes to the myth of the sphinx, which is a creature that is part lion, part bird, and part human. The Sphinx is a symbol of mystery and enigma, and its presence in the poem suggests that the world is becoming more challenging to understand and predict.

"The Second Coming" is a poem that uses a variety of myths, allegories, and images to convey its themes of chaos, destruction, and the cyclical nature of history which connects to poem to the present contemporary time. 

Impact of this poetry in the present

According to the debate, both poems effectively capture the chaotic, disillusioned existence of post-World War I Europe. Both employ a range of myths, allegories, and pictures to express their themes of chaos, devastation, and the cyclical nature of history that relate the poem to the current modern era. The allusions to many mythology, literary conventions, and civilizations, blend several historical eras to illustrate the themes and ideas of the poem. The Waste Land and The Second Coming is a time-binding poem that links the past and the present and establishes a feeling of continuity across many historical eras and civilizations via the use of references, montage, and commentary on the current.

Humans are capable of having "knowledge about knowledge," "knowledge about knowledge about knowledge," etc., according to Alfred Korzybski. It promotes human growth in comparison to other worlds, such as the animal world. Though are we? Through their poetry, T. S. Eliot and W. B. Yeats gave us a glimpse of the post-War world, but even now, we can still see that many nations throughout the world are still engaged in conflict for a number of causes, and conflicts are still raging. Recently, the globe was split in two by the most dreadful conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

The Influenza Pandemic

“To die in the war was one thing, but to die in influenza was quite another” (Outka).

The modernist components of The Wasteland and The Second Coming, two modernist poems that are both seen through the lens of war, assist to feed the erasure of the pandemic by instantiating the gaps and silences. “We are trained in modernism to see the trauma of the war but not the trauma of the pandemic” (Outka). In her 2019 book, "Viral modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature," Elizabeth Outka uncovers the subtly but significantly present viral sorrow inside renowned modernist literature that is not often perceived in light of the pandemic.

The letters from Eliot to his mother, friend Henry, and Charlotte Eliot, which Elizabeth Outka studied and cited from secondary sources, hint at the ongoing presence of influenza during the publication of The Wasteland. The virus struck the couple in December 1918, during the second wave in England. Eliot was extremely weak as a result of the sickness. His maid also developed pneumonia, and Viven, his wife, was ill in the latter stages. In his poem The Wasteland, Eliot made connections between influenza, dryness and the environment, and his nervous collapse. He writes about "a new form of influenza… which leaves extreme dryness and a bitter taste in the mouth" in his "London Letter" published in the Dial in July 1921.

Similarly, W. B. Yeats saw his wife defenseless during the devastating second wave of the epidemic in November 1918. In order to combat the illness, he and his pregnant wife George rented a home in Dublin. There was a pandemic in the city, infecting between 600,000 and 800,000 individuals. Although it was tough for the pregnant woman to survive, George managed to do so. As the violent cataclysm unfolds, Yeats “Yeats brings us into a violent cataclysm as it unfolds, one that telescopes between an internal, bodily apocalypse and the vast societal breakdown wreaked by a pandemic level (Outka)” The "blood-dimmed tide" brought to mind violence that crept into bodies and violently perverted what it discovered for Yeats' readers in 1920.

Conclusion:

The Wasteland and The Second Coming are two of the most influential poems of the 20th century. They are a metaphor for the devastated landscape of post-war Europe and serve as powerful examples of time binding. Through their allusions and imagery, they remind us of how the war and the influenza pandemic have shaped the present and continue to shape the future. As Korzybski's concept of ‘General Semantics’ highlights,  “the capacity for accumulating racial experience, enlarging it, and transmitting it for future expansion — is the peculiar power, the characteristic energy, the definitive nature, the defining mark of man” (Korzybsky). Is it true that people are time binders, though? Both of these poems alluded to the situations of war and influenza, which we have lately experienced in our times. Were we able to prevent humanity from learning from the past, as this poetry does?

People have the ability to learn from the past, they have the ability to bind time by connecting with past experiences and using them to better understand the present and shape the future. The reference to war and influenza in these poems is an indication that these events are not isolated incidents but have recurred throughout history. However, it seems that humanity has not fully learned from these past experiences, as evidenced by the fact that these devastating events continue to occur in our present time. This implies that we have not been able to prevent them from happening again, despite the fact that we have the ability to learn from the past. This highlights the importance of truly examining and understanding the lessons of the past in order to create a better future.

Works Cited

Deane, Paul D. “Metaphors of Center and Periphery in Yeats' the Second Coming.” Journal of Pragmatics, vol. 24, no. 6, 1995, pp. 627–642., https://doi.org/10.1016/0378-2166(95)00028-q.

 Deshmukh, Jyotiprakash S. “T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land: A Critical Analysis.” Worldwidejournals, Feb. 2015, https://www.worldwidejournals.com/indian-journal-of-applied-research-(IJAR)/recent_issues_pdf/2015/February/February_2015_1422883455__82.pdf. 

Bloom, Harold, editor. VIVA MODERN CRITICAL INTERPRETATIONS T.S. Eliot's THE WASTELAND. Vinod Vasishtha for Viva Books Pvt. Ltd., 2008. 

Doris, George. “Korzybski and General Semantics.” Self & Society, vol. 11, no. 3, 1983, pp. 159–166., https://doi.org/10.1080/03060497.1983.11084534. 

Eliot, T. S. “The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47311/the-waste-land. 

“Established by Alfred Korzybski in 1938.” Institute of General Semantics, https://www.generalsemantics.org/. 

Hasan, Mariwan. “The Explication of Mythology and Ecology in Eliot’s The Waste Land.” Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 19, no. 1, Aug. 2019, pp. 30–36., https://doi.org/10.3968/11204. 

Kodish, Bruce I. Korzybski: A Biography. Extensional Pub., 2011. 

Korzybski, Alfred, and Marjorie Kendig. Collected Writings 1920-1950. Institute of General Samentics, 1990. 

Korzybski, Alfred. General Semantics Seminar 1937: Transcription of Notes from Lectures in General Semantics given at Olivet College. Institute of General Semantics, 2002. 

Korzybski, Alfred. Manhood of Humanity . CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform , 2016. 

Korzybski, Alfred. Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics. Institute of General Semantics, 2005. 

Kundu, Subhashis. “T.S. Eliot’s Blending of Myth and Reality in the Waste Land - IJHSSI.” Ijhssi.org, Oct. 2018, https://ijhssi.org/papers/vol7(10)/Version-2/G0710023842.pdf. 

Outka, Elizabeth. Viral Modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature, Columbia University Press, 2019. 

Weeks, Donald. “Image and Idea in Yeats' the Second Coming.” PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America, vol. 63, no. 1, 1948, pp. 281–292., https://doi.org/10.1632/459419. 

Yeats, William Butler. “The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43290/the-second-coming.

W.B. Yeats Poems

This blog is a response to the blog task assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. This blog is dealing with two poems of W.B. Yeats, ‘The Second Coming’ and ‘On Being Asked For War Poem’. It's critical reading, re-reading through Indian Poetics and pandemic reading of The Second Reading.

W.B. Yeats poems

W.B. Yeats:

William Butler Yeats (13 June 1865 – 28 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. From 1900 his poetry grew more physical, realistic and politicized. Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1923, his major works include 1928's The Tower and Words for Music Perhaps and Other Poems, published in 1932. Yeats is considered one of the key twentieth-century English-language poets. He was a Symbolist poet, using allusive imagery and symbolic structures. His use of symbols is physical that is both itself and a suggestion of other, perhaps immaterial, timeless qualities.

The Second Coming:

The Second Coming poem was written in 1919 and was first published in ‘The Dial’ in 1920. afterwards included in his 1921 collection of verses Michael Robarts and the Dancer. .It's A Modernist poem as a dirge for the Decline of European Civilization and it can also be called an Apocalyptic poem.

Click here to read an original poem.

The Second Coming poem is written in the 1919 aftermath of world war 1 and the beginning of Irish War of Independence. This Information easily helps us to read the Poem as a war poem. But if we read the history of 1918-19 we find that it was also a period of Flu pandemic. This creates a confusion whether Yeats wrote this Apocalyptic poem in reference to war or flu, as the poem does not suggest any specific reference in it.

We read the poem as a war poem as war is recorded in our mind very differently than pandemics, Pandemics are individualized while War is a national fight which is powerfully recorded in our minds. Today when we are facing Corona Pandemic we are pulled to read literary works with pandemic insight, till day we used to study same texts but never read it through pandemic sight as we never faced it or it was not in our memory.

Here we are going to read this poem as a pandemic poem.

Elizabeth Outka in her text ‘Viral Modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature’ (2019) explains a bit about the authors who addressed pandemic in their work. Outka looked closely at the works of Eliot, Woolf and Yeats who have experienced Flu in person. In this blog we will read W.B. Yeats poem The Second Coming with pandemic insight with reference to Elizabeth Outka’s book ‘Viral Modernism: The Influenza Pandemic and Interwar Literature’.

As Eliot said in his essay ‘Tradition and Individual Talent’ the literary work must not be affected by the poet's personal experience. The main aim of literature or a literary work is to provide details about the condition of the society in which it is written. The poet cannot depersonalize his/her work from his personal experience. So first of all we would have to see what W.B. Yeats or any of his loved ones has faced influenza. If he or any of his loved ones would have faced it his mind must be occupied with all the influenza which will be mirrored in his work.

Reading Yeats’ biography we do find that his wife, Georgie Hyde- Lees was pregnant and was caught by Influenza. In that period the highest ratio of death was among the pregnant ladies, around 70% pregnant ladies were dying because of influenza. Yeats wrote this poem when his wife was recovering. Looking at this biographical element we can interpret this poem to be a pandemic poem, it is definitely a war poem but we also find Influenza effect recorded in this poem.

Now we will read a few lines of a poem which verifies pandemic recorded in the poem.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

These lines of the poem capture the terrible situation of that period, the authority is not able to control the condition of. We have seen this situation in the Corona pandemic when the people were dying and getting infected by the Corona pandemic. We didn't have medicine or vaccines, we were not having any solution to this disease and everything was falling apart. We can imagine the influenza pandemic must be having the same situation and that must be the reason behind writing these lines: ‘Centre cannot hold’ the thing was in control and everything was ‘falling apart’.

The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere

The ceremony of innocence is drowned;

‘Blood- dimmed tide’ this imagery very strongly indicates influenza as the frequent effect of influenza was bleeding from nose, ears and mouth. ‘Ceremony of innocence’, we can read it as thousands of people who did no sin, innocent were dying. We can relate it to the Corona pandemic, how young and old everyone was dying. Here through ceremony of innocence we can also read that in influenza pregnant womens were dying, the child who was not yet born who has not yet done any ‘karma’, the most innocent one were also dying.

The question might arise why the pandemic is recorded in the background and why it is not directly recorded. We are reading an apocalyptic poem directly in context to war and the pandemic insight becomes secondary. As we saw in the poem above ‘The Second Coming’.

We have gone through pandemic lens, the video will give analysis of the poem.

We already discussed that pandemic or disease is a personal battle and therefore it is recorded differently in everyone's mind and the war is a national issue and it is recorded to everyone in a similar way as it is shown. If a poet a writer writes anything on a contemporary issue they might face some political pressure for not writing negative on any issues like pandemic or disease and write something in the favor of authority and perhaps that's only reason that why in the ‘On Being asked for the War’ Yeats has written

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

Which suggests whether the poet write truth or not the society the people is only always going to listen to authority, the Statesman and the mob will troll the writer.

As it happened in our Corona pandemic the Gujarati part 2 switch off the all social media accounts for writing a Gujarati poem showing Real world and negative connotation to authority she was trolled and her controversy was printed in the national newspapers also here is his poem

Looking at the situation we can feel what W.B. Yeats is going through and that's the reason why he is asking that it's better ‘a poet's mouth be silent’. And perhaps this is the reason why today influenza is not recorded in the people's mind the way war is done. we are able to read the poem with the pandemic instead of War but for that we need influenza in our mind and today we are reading it as we are facing the same Corona pandemic and this is opening our minds to read in past that whether any pandemic was present in the past and if yes then how it is recorded in the literature. today this poem this Gujarati poem is recording the real-world, perhaps in the future when the pandemic will erupt society will read this poem and will understand the situation of the world in last pandemic.

On being Asked for a War Poem

Let us analyze ‘On being Asked for a War Poem’ poem as we discussed its line above.

I think it better that in times like these

A poet's mouth be silent, for in truth

We have no gift to set a statesman right;

He has had enough of meddling who can please

A young girl in the indolence of her youth,

Or an old man upon a winter’s night.

It is a small 6 line poem with an ABC ABC rhyming scheme, written in 1915. Yeats was asked by his friend Henry James to write a political poem in response to world war I. Yeats wrote the above titular poem and it has undergone various titles-

To a friend who has asked me to sign his manifesto to the neutral nations	Changed to ‘A Reason…’ In a letter written to Henry James
A Reason for Keeping Silent	Published in Edith Wharton’s A book of Homeless (1916)
On being asked for a War Poem	Published in The Wild Swans at Coole

Critical Analysis of the Poem:

Looking at the title and as discussed before, the poem is a response to the request of a friend to write a political poem in response to War. The poetry begins with a question about the role of the poem in society. As Shelley, a great Romantic poet, once called poets “the unacknowledged legislators of the world”. An ancient philosopher, Plato, even thought that poetry should be banned as corrupting to society. The poem's line ‘A poet's mouth be silent’, Indicates that yet is supporting Plato's view of the poet being silent ‘in times like these’ Which suggest the time like war, the difficult time of the nation or the world. Here we find a contradiction where the poet is writing in the poem that he or she should remain silent it seems the poet has used Metonymy.

‘have no gift to set a statesman right;’ suggested that even if the writers speak or write they have no write to ‘gift’ guide or ability to tell or interfere in any political leader or issue. Which clearly meant that poetry has no connection with politics.

‘He has had enough of meddling who can please’ In this fourth line of the poem that can be read in the two ways as a poet or as a statesman. As the word Statesman is used recently we will first read with reference to the statesman through these lines he suggests that Statesman have done enough ‘meddling’ the other word used for interference in the life of a youth and the life of the old man. And with quick change of imagery by using a poet at the place of he, we can read with a positive connotation that Youth and the old both the generation enjoy is the poem’s interference in their life they enjoy the poet's meddling youth enjoy with its romantic versus while the old enjoys his ballads.

This poem is a contradictory poem, it has an act of refusal-as-assent. It consists of an air of irony, the poet himself is asking poet’s to be silent and he himself is writing it through poem.

We also get confused as to why poets are not happy with war or not supporting it. Because the poet is Pacifist. And the reason for his refusal for not writing a war poem is seen in his letter written to his friend Lady Gregory: ‘I suppose, like most wars it is at root a bagman’s war, a sacrifice of the best for the worst. I feel strangely enough most for the young Germans who are now being killed.’

In a letter of the same year, sent to John Quinn, Yeats wrote that the First World War was ‘merely the most expensive outbreak of insolence and stupidity the world has ever seen and I give it as little thought as I can.’

Also his poems like ‘Easter 1916’, ‘An Irish Airman foresees his death’ suggests his unhappiness towards the war. Ireland was a colony of the British, Irish soldiers had to fight a war not of their patriotic duty but by force of Britisher. We can interpret that it might also be the reason why poet is not interested in wars, Irish people were fighting in war but they had no profit, they were bounded by Britishers.

We have recently learned about Indian Poetics. Read my Blog on Indian Poetics [CLICK HERE].  Let's apply Indian Poetics concept in this two western poems.

On Being Asked for War poem

• According to Kuntaka’s Vakrokti theory, the poem has a Vakrokti element in “On being asked for a war poem’ cause of refusal-as- assent in the poem. Specifically Prakaran Vakrokti.
• Along with, varn vinyas vakrokti- ‘I think it better that in times like these’.
• We also find Ksemedra’s Auchitya theory, as it is a symmetric poem- Iambic pentameter.
• According to Anandvardhan’s theory of Dhvani- ‘A poet's mouth be silent’ this line has Ras Dhvani (Vyanjana), it has direct meaning of staying silent but in the poem through this line poet is satirizing that we should stay silent as no authority is going to listen indirectly its satire to authority, we are supposed to understand the other meaning despite its having direct meaning.
• According to Bharat’s rasa theory, we find Adbhutam originated from (amazement and wonder) rasa in it.

The Second Coming

• According to Kuntaka’s theory of Vakrokti, The imagery of lion’s body and man’s head and rebirth of god seems ironic, which is not possible in real life.
• Vyanjana dhvani in ‘The falcon cannot hear the falconer’ has a direct meaning of a bird not being in control but we are supposed to imagine the world/ situation not being in control also “the blood-dimmed tide” stands for waves of violence, while “the rough beast” stands for “the Second Coming.”
• Varn vinyas Vakrokti in ‘Turning and turning’.
• According to Bhamaha’s Alankar theory, ‘A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,’ we find upama alankara;
• Utpreksha alankar in ‘Surely the Second Coming is at hand.’
• And Rupak Alankara in “the blood-dimmed tide” stands for waves of violence, while “the rough beast” stands for “the Second Coming.” ‘The falcon cannot hear the falconer’ has a direct meaning of a bird not being in control but we are supposed to imagine the world/ situation not being in control.
• According to Bharat’s rasa theory, Karunya ( compassion, mercy) rasa compassion tears the sufferers who have no choice else then second birth of almighty; Bibhatasam (disgust) and ‘Bhayanakam’( horror, terror) raas in felt in imagery of lion’s body and man’s head imagery
• Auchitya is also found as it is a symmetric poem.

This is all my understanding about poems. I have tried to give the majority of Indian poetics (based of theories present in our syllabus) theory applicable in the poem. If you find any to add please write below in the comment box. I hope this might have been helpful to you.

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