William

Butler

Yeats

born in Ireland in 1865born in Ireland in 1865 father and brother - famous paintersfather and brother - famous painters concentrated on literature, composing concentrated on literature, composing

poetry, and writing plays poetry, and writing plays fascinated by history and culture of Irelandfascinated by history and culture of Ireland involved in Irish politics involved in Irish politics poem written in 1899, one of his earlier poem written in 1899, one of his earlier

poems, reflects his interest in the Irish poems, reflects his interest in the Irish peasantry peasantry

The Song of the Old Mother

I rise in the dawn, and I kneel and blowTill the seed of the fire flicker and glow;And then I must scrub and bake and sweepTill stars are beginning to blink and peep;And the young lie long and dream in their bedOf the matching of ribbons for bosom and head,And their days go over in idleness,And they sigh if the wind but lift a tress:While I must work because I am old,And the seed of the fire gets feeble and cold.

What is it about?What is it about? a hard-working, poor old woman a hard-working, poor old woman compares herself to young women of the compares herself to young women of the

house (spend their days dreaming of love house (spend their days dreaming of love and worrying about their appearance)and worrying about their appearance)

could be her own children or the children could be her own children or the children of people she works for as a maid of people she works for as a maid

written in the first person, as if listening in written in the first person, as if listening in to the woman's own thoughtsto the woman's own thoughts

Purpose?Purpose?

Perhaps to Perhaps to Evoke sympathy for the oldEvoke sympathy for the old Passing judgement on the youngPassing judgement on the young Comment on hard life of social Comment on hard life of social

underclassunderclass

Dominant emotions?

Weariness?Weariness? Anger?Anger? Disgust?Disgust? Self-pity?Self-pity? Annoyance?Annoyance? Whining?Whining? Spite?Spite?

EmotionEmotion - - tone of voice: How should the poem be read?

Wistfully - old woman wishes she Wistfully - old woman wishes she could be like the young women? could be like the young women?

Bitterly - angry that life has been so Bitterly - angry that life has been so hard compared to the lives of the hard compared to the lives of the young women?young women?

Sadly and resignedly - regrets that Sadly and resignedly - regrets that life has been like this but knows no life has been like this but knows no option of changing it? option of changing it?

Dominant tone of voice?Dominant tone of voice?

resignation - but there is certainly a resignation - but there is certainly a hint of resentment, even bitterness, hint of resentment, even bitterness, in her attitude to the youngin her attitude to the young

degree of sympathy we feel toward degree of sympathy we feel toward her will probably depend on whether her will probably depend on whether we think the girls in the poem are the we think the girls in the poem are the daughters of the Old Mother's wealthy daughters of the Old Mother's wealthy employers, or her own childrenemployers, or her own children

FormForm

just ten lines longjust ten lines long most lines exactly ten syllables longmost lines exactly ten syllables long poem is almost like a square - ten by poem is almost like a square - ten by

ten. Perhaps this reflects how limited ten. Perhaps this reflects how limited the Old Mother's life is: she cannot the Old Mother's life is: she cannot break away from the rigidity of her break away from the rigidity of her life.life.

RhymeRhyme

rhyming coupletsrhyming couplets rhyme scheme is rhyme scheme is AA BB CC DD EEAA BB CC DD EE. . half-rhyme between the first and last half-rhyme between the first and last

couplets (couplets (blowblow and and oldold) helps to 'round ) helps to 'round off' the poemoff' the poem

both starts and finishes with “both starts and finishes with “the seed of the seed of the fire”the fire”

Rhyming coupletsRhyming couplets traditional rhyme scheme for simple traditional rhyme scheme for simple

songs and nursery rhymessongs and nursery rhymes poignant poignant sad song about an old woman who feels sad song about an old woman who feels

left out of life rhymes as lightly as a left out of life rhymes as lightly as a child's nursery rhymechild's nursery rhyme

RhythmRhythm four stresses or beats in each line. four stresses or beats in each line.

Each group of stressed and unstressed Each group of stressed and unstressed syllables is called a metric syllables is called a metric footfoot, and , and verse which has 4 feet per line like this verse which has 4 feet per line like this is called is called tetrametertetrameter::

I rise ¦ in the dawn, ¦ and I kneel ¦ and blowTill the seed ¦ of the fire ¦ flicker ¦ and glow;

Never ever offer technical terms without explaining/suggesting intended effect on reader!!

strong regular rhythm – for what?

emphasises the physical side of emphasises the physical side of the woman's work the woman's work

the beat falls on “the beat falls on “riserise, , dawndawn, , kneelkneel, , blow”blow” in line 1, for example, in line 1, for example, as if hammering out her tough as if hammering out her tough routineroutine

language simple languagesimple language ordinary polite English (not colloquial) ordinary polite English (not colloquial)

with few words more than one syllable with few words more than one syllable in lengthin length

suggests that the woman’s life - a suggests that the woman’s life - a simple, straightforward simple, straightforward

concerns/activities that occupy her concerns/activities that occupy her now are basic as she says, “now are basic as she says, “I must I must scrub and bake and sweepscrub and bake and sweep.” .”

The title indicates that the woman is The title indicates that the woman is a Mother.a Mother.

not clear whether not clear whether the youngthe young whose whose idleness she describes are her idleness she describes are her children or not children or not

possible the word possible the word MotherMother merely an merely an affectionate name for an old woman, affectionate name for an old woman, and that she has no children - or that and that she has no children - or that her children have grown up and left her children have grown up and left her aloneher alone

If so, perhaps reminded of her own If so, perhaps reminded of her own daughters when she sees the young daughters when she sees the young women.women.

young women have nothing to do but young women have nothing to do but worry about the colour of their ribbonsworry about the colour of their ribbons

Harsh contrast between the idleness Harsh contrast between the idleness of the young - who are more suited to of the young - who are more suited to physical work - and the old woman.physical work - and the old woman.

The young “The young “sigh”sigh” or complain (line 8) or complain (line 8) if the wind merely disarranges their if the wind merely disarranges their hair, but the old woman does not hair, but the old woman does not complain - at least, not explicitly. complain - at least, not explicitly.

Final line could be a veiled complaintFinal line could be a veiled complaint

AlliterationAlliteration

repeated “repeated “bb”” and “ and “kk”” and “ and “pp”” plosiveplosive sounds in “sounds in “scrub and bake and scrub and bake and sweep”sweep” (line 3) emphasise how hard (line 3) emphasise how hard and physical the woman's work is.and physical the woman's work is.

long, languid “long, languid “l”l” liquid liquid sounds in “sounds in “lie lie long”long” (line 5) help to convey the (line 5) help to convey the laziness of the young women.laziness of the young women.

AssonanceAssonance

girls can almost be heard sighing in girls can almost be heard sighing in the assonance of line 8 “the assonance of line 8 “sigh if the sigh if the wind but lift a tress”wind but lift a tress”;;

the soft rhyme and the soft rhyme and sibilantsibilant sounds in sounds in lines 7 and 8 – “lines 7 and 8 – “idleness / tress”idleness / tress” emphasises the gentle way in which emphasises the gentle way in which they spend their days they spend their days

Effective use of repetitionEffective use of repetition

“ “ I must scrub and bake and sweep”I must scrub and bake and sweep” in line 3in line 3 is echoed by “ is echoed by “ I must work”I must work” in line 9in line 9, reinforcing the repetitive, , reinforcing the repetitive, unending nature of her work. unending nature of her work.

Line 10 “…”Line 10 “…” mirrors mirrors line 2 “…”,line 2 “…”, gives gives a feeling of finality and enclosure to a feeling of finality and enclosure to the poem. the poem.

Each morning she blows at “Each morning she blows at “the seed the seed of the fire”of the fire” (line 2) until it “ (line 2) until it “flickers and flickers and glows”glows”, and she can get on with the , and she can get on with the rest of her work. rest of her work.

The The seed metaphorseed metaphor suggests that the suggests that the fire is alive and growing.fire is alive and growing.

However, when “However, when “the seed of the fire”the seed of the fire” is is repeated at the end of the poem (line repeated at the end of the poem (line 10), it refers to the 'fire' within herself.10), it refers to the 'fire' within herself.

She is dying, so her own seed is not She is dying, so her own seed is not glowing/growing, but becoming feeble glowing/growing, but becoming feeble and cold. and cold.

Her own seeds - her own children - are Her own seeds - her own children - are perhaps a source of disappointment as perhaps a source of disappointment as they are not thriving.they are not thriving.

The Old Mother's day is dictated The Old Mother's day is dictated by the stars - she starts work at by the stars - she starts work at dawn and doesn't stop “dawn and doesn't stop “Till stars Till stars are beginning to blink and peepare beginning to blink and peep.”.”

The burning stars The burning stars echoecho the the ““seed of the fire”seed of the fire”, glowing in the , glowing in the dark sky like coals in the hearth. dark sky like coals in the hearth.

Attitude, Tone, IdeasAttitude, Tone, Ideas

Much of the meaning of a poem is Much of the meaning of a poem is conveyed by the conveyed by the attitudeattitude it expresses it expresses toward its subject matter. toward its subject matter.

''AttitudeAttitude' can be thought of as a ' can be thought of as a combinationcombination of the of the poet's poet's tonetone of of voicevoice, and the , and the ideasideas he or she is he or she is trying to get across to the reader. trying to get across to the reader.

IdeasIdeas

Yeats often wrote about the passage Yeats often wrote about the passage of time, and of youth and beauty of time, and of youth and beauty giving way to old age and death. giving way to old age and death.

The Song of the Old MotherThe Song of the Old Mother is a is a meditation/reflection on this theme. meditation/reflection on this theme.

contrasts two types of human endeavour: contrasts two types of human endeavour: the young women's dreams of love and the young women's dreams of love and

obsession with appearance; and the hard, obsession with appearance; and the hard, grinding, thankless work that is the Old grinding, thankless work that is the Old Mother's lot. Mother's lot.

Who are the young women ?Who are the young women ?

Old Mother's own children?Old Mother's own children? Idleness may be easier to forgive. Idleness may be easier to forgive.

Perhaps in her youth the old woman Perhaps in her youth the old woman herself dreamed of love, lay late in herself dreamed of love, lay late in bed, and obsessed about whether bed, and obsessed about whether her ribbons matched. her ribbons matched.

Perhaps, as old people often do, she Perhaps, as old people often do, she has forgotten what it's like to be has forgotten what it's like to be young!young!

children of the old woman's rich children of the old woman's rich employers?employers?

More likely to view them as spoilt and More likely to view them as spoilt and selfish young people whose idle lives are selfish young people whose idle lives are made possible only by the drudgery of made possible only by the drudgery of poor servants like the Old Mother.poor servants like the Old Mother.