The author of Sailing to Byzantium, William Butler Yeats was one of the most prolific poets of his day. He was from Ireland, but he moved to England once he figured out that England was the place to be. W.B. Yeats used his fantastic skills to write some of the best poetry out there. Adrian Paterson from The Irish Times states, “Yeats today is respected rather than loved.” This is an incredible feat to accomplish, to be so loved that you are respected is one of the biggest forms of flattery. If an author is loved, then all his writing is judged the same, but if an author is highly respected. Then his or her work is judged without bias, this is because the critiques respect Yeats enough to say the truth. …show more content…
Throughout the poem Yeats uses big words that no many scholars understand to hide his messages. Once studied thoroughly, the message becomes clear. On page 1147 line 17 Years exclaimed, “O sages standing in God’s holy fire.” A sage, in this case is an old wise person. Yeats is saying in this quote that he wants to to listen to the old wise people that are painted on the walls of the Byzantine churches. Michelle Hammond from Michelle Hammond.com states, “It is wisdom through age that gives you good judgement, knowledge, discernment, and common sense.” This quote is a great representation of how much comes along with wisdom. These incredible qualities only come along with age, and this quote helps make it clear. One of the biggest messages in the story Sailing to Byzantium is age is where wisdom comes …show more content…
There are many themes that are flying around in the world Yeats. He is a great poet and his writings will last the ages. Wendy Mead from Biography.com states, “Yeats went to Dublin University Review in 1885, he soon abandoned art school for other pursuits.” This shows that Yeats tried to do what he wanted, but he had a different calling. This shows greatness and Yeats was great.
Works Cited
Hammond, Michelle. “The Power Of Wisdom .” MichelleHammond, 2017, www.michellehammond.com/the-power-of-wisdom/.
Mead, Wendy. “William Butler Yeats.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 8 Oct. 2016, www.biography.com/people/william-butler-yeats-9538857.
Oaklander, Mandy. “Old People Have Less Stress and Anxiety than Young Ones.” Time, Time, 24 July 2016, time.com/4464811/aging-happiness-stress-anxiety-depression/.
Paterson, Adrian. “Why WB Yeats Is a Poet for Our Times.” The Irish Times, The Irish Times, 10 Feb. 2015, www.irishtimes.com/opinion/why-wb-yeats-is-a-poet-for-our-times-1.2095915.
Pillemer, Ph.D. Karl A. “Why Should We Listen to Old People? A Very Good Question.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Jan. 2012,