An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Question 1

An Irish Airman Forsees His Death — Context:

Answer 1

• William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin in 1865. He was raised in London but gained a love of Irish literature and mythology.
• Yeats lived during a period of great change in his native country, as it fought to achieve full independence. However, after the outbreak of WWI, many Irishmen went to fight for Britain.
• In this poem, Yeats tries to show how they struggled with their identity as Irishmen who were risking their lives fighting for a country that they did not feel was their own.
• This poem is an elegy in memory of Robert Gregory, the son of Yeats’ patron, Lady Augusta Gregory. He was shot down and killed while in Northern Italy, aged 37.
• This poem explores the state of mind of men who volunteered, as Robert Gregory did, to fight in war and examines their motivation.
• Yeats had no military experience himself.

Question 2

An Irish Airman Forsees His Death — Rhyme:

Answer 2

Alternating ABAB rhyme scheme

Reflects his alternating thoughts on war and what truly motivated him to join and fight.

Question 3

An Irish Airman Forsees His Death — Rhythm:

Answer 3

Iambic Pentameter.

Steady rhythm, coupled with the consistent rhyme scheme and unchanging structure reflects the speaker’s calmness and composure in the face of imminent death.