The Fisherman

The Fisherman

·      The fisherman is the perfect Irishman that Yeats writes his poems for as he feels he is reasonable and appreciates his work. He is a symbol about everything perfect about Ireland.

·      This poem links to THE STOLEN CHILD due to the concept of a perfect, idealist place and mythical characters and its form on the page

“Born or unborn it is for him I write” – Yeats

·      Yeats didn’t like his critics. He got very defensive when people attacked his poetry.

·      Poem was written in 1914 and published in 1919

·      The fisherman has no name there is a degree of distance to show he can never be real. He is very wise and in tune with nature – Yeats ideal person.

·      Yeats feels some people didn’t appreciate the art of poetry and art of Romanticism

·      IDEAL AUDIENCE AND IDEAL IRELAND.

Form, Structure and Rhythm ect.

·      Simple rhyme scheme; alternate rhyme

·      Largely iambic trimeter

Line by Line

1.     “still” – ambiguous. Standing still and focused on fishing but also he could see him still. Dash after still ( caesura) is where Yeats pauses to introduce us to his mythical character.

2.     “freckled man” suggests an out doors type but also like camouflage and blending in with the land scape showing how at one he is with nature.

3.     Repetition of “gray” means not boring but blends straight in and doesn’t stand out in his surroundings- showing how his is a true out doors man. Connemara tweed- upset it was actually made in Scotland; not what it seems and isn’t perfect – like his Ireland.

4.     .

5.     “Dawn” magical…