William Butler Yeats

Of all of Yeats' works, I enjoyed the first poem "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" the most. I had a hard time with Yeats, but this was the one poem that I was actually able to take something out of. The reason this poem was so appealing was because most readers can relate to the idea of getting away and trying to find peace.

The poem begins with,"I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,/ And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:"(1-2). These poems indicate that the narrator is going to get up and go to this lake. Later he lets us in on why he is going to the lake by writing, "And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow"(5). The narrator is going to this lake to get away and try to find some peace. Everyone has some place they like to go to find peace. For the narrator that place is the lake, but for others it may be anything from a pool to an athletic field. Personally, I find a lot of peace when I am at the beach. I love the sunsets and the sound of the waves crashing in onto shore. I could stay at the beach forever, and I feel like nothing can bother me when I am there. I think this is also how the narrator feels about Innisfree. You can tell that he loves the lake through his descriptions of the beauty surrounding it. He states,"There midnight's all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,/ And evening full of the linnet's wings."(7-8).

In the last stanza he writes, " I will arise and go now, for always night and day/ I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shores;/ While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,/ I hear it in the deep heart's core."(9-12). This last stanza makes it clear that the narrator is not physically going to the lake. He knows the lake is what brings him peace, so he is able to escape there whether it be physically or just mentally. He could be in the city, but his mind may be at the lake. The last line was the most meaningful to me. I think that what the author is saying is that despite what is going on around him, he is able to hear the sounds from the lake that are so calming to him. I think Yeats wants people look inside of themselves to find peace. Peace does not have to come from your surroundings, but you have to look into your heart to know what is going to make you happy.

Yeats wants people to realize that your heart is the only thing that can lead you to happiness and finding some peace. Your mind is constantly functioning in the present, but your heart does not have to be focused on the present.