Topic 5: A few pieces of Music/ Film/ Art that Convey the Mood of "The Second Coming"

I originally said that I would find just two pieces of either music, film, or art that convey the mood of the poem, but there's just so much interesting stuff out there in the world, and I couldn't help but find more than that to connect to "The Second Coming."

My first two pieces were paintings:

Painting One: The Last Judgement by Hieronymus Bosch

 

This painting relates to "The Second Coming" for one main reason: This painting portrays the second coming of Jesus, also known as "judgement day" or "the last judgement." This is the day that Jesus would come down and judge good and evil.

 

In the center is an image of earth, along with the remaining human population. To the left of this is an image of what I assume is supposed to be Heaven, as it is very green and lush, and seems calm. Also, in the distance, you can see a glowing figure in the sky, the figure of God. To the left of the center drawing is an image of what must be Hell, which seems to be barren and chaotic. What I found a bit odd was that the picture of earth in the center looks very similar to the picture of Hell, as if once judgement day comes, earth will be in a hellish state.

 

This painting does, however, show Christ as a great and heavenly figure, which opposes the voice of Yeats in his poem.

 

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Painting Two: The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel

 

 

 

 This painting is of an apocalyptic-type setting. Death is occurring everywhere; in the distance, you can see a person hanging from the gallows, another about to be struck by the sword of a tall, slender creature. Towards the front, the ground is littered with dead bodies.

 

To the left, there is a group of people gathered around a cross. I'm guessing they are present to symbolize looking to and praying to God in such a disasterous time, in hope that He may help them. From the look of how things are, though, it doesn't really looked like they can be helped.

 

There is no image of Christ or God in the painting, so it doesn't seem like - if it is the end, if it is Judgement Day - that Jesus would come to save them. That is how this painting represents Yeats's opinion in "The Second Coming." There is no savior that will rescue them. Only a beast that will cause destruction. Perhaps the beast mentioned in the poem is what caused all of this havoc in the first place. After all, the setting is very similar to a desert, as was spoken of in the poem. 

 

 

I will be posting more pieces in future posts.

Topic 4: How I would describe "The Second Coming" to the Average Fourth-Grader

If I were to give a lecture on the poem "The Second Coming" to a fourth grader or a class of fourth graders, I would do my best to make sure that they understand it as best as possible.

I would start with telling them a bit - not too much, though - about the author, William Butler Yeats:

William Butler Yeats, the author of the poem, was a Catholic soldier in World War II. One of his really good friends in the war was killed, and this was extremely saddening for Yeats. When he came back from the war, he was very emotionally damaged, and his faith with God was destroyed. He wrote this poem after returning from the war.

I would then rephrase the poem in a way that they would be able to understand:

Turning and turning in the center of the storm,
The bird cannot hear the bird caller;
Things fall apart; Chaos is everywhere
There are no leaders, no laws, and nobody knows what to do,
War is taking over, and everywhere
The ceremony of Baptism is made evil;
Good people remain silent and without opinion, while the worst of people
Are taking over, with strength and boldness.

Others believe that the Second Coming of Christ will occur,
That he will save us, and judge the good and evil;
But when I hear of the Second Coming,
I see a vision of the Holy Spirit
In dry, lifeless lands;
I see it as an evil creature,
A pitiless, killing monster
Which, as it drags itself across the land,
Throws off the shadows of other creatures.
Nighttime returns to all of the land, but now I know
That for the twenty centuries that people have been waiting,
There was nothing good worth waiting for, and they were fooled into thinking that there was.
Now, though, is there a terrible beast, whose time has come at last,
Slouching towards Bethlehem, the center of all religion, to be born?

After reading this, I would summarize it breifly to make sure that they would get the main ideas:

Around the world, everything is out of order and chaotic. War is occurring, people are dying, and evil is taking over, while the good people do nothing. Everyone thinks that they will be saved by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will judge good and evil, but they are wrong. What the author sees when he hears about this "Second Coming" is the spirit of God in the form of a monster that will destroy, rather than save, if it ever does come to earth.

Topic 3: How "The Second Coming" reflects Dissent

The definition of "Dissent" is to hold or express opinions that go against those of another person or group. In other words, it means to disagree or differ with someone else's opinions.

Within the whole concept of the poem is Yeats' dissent towards what others believe the Second Coming is. He explains in lines 9 and 10 what other people think when they hear about the Second Coming, but then follows it with his dissagreeing opinion, showing his dissent against what they believe. For example, he describes his vision of the spirit being evil and monster-like rather than brave and heroic.