?The Lake Isle Of Innisfree? By William Butler Yeats Essay, Research Paper

In Touch

Many authors have had different ways to express certain situations; some seek to entertain while others teach lessons that are frequently overlooked in everyday life. In the poem ?The Lake Isle of Innisfree? by William Butler Yeats I believe the purpose is to bring the readers in touch with their own lives and surroundings. In the poem there is an anonymous character that longs for peace and speculates on the moral of the story: being in touch with life is more satisfying than any worldly possession.

In the poem, an anonymous character is speaking to himself on a roadway in a city similar to New York City. The speaker is stimulated to speak when he hears the ?lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore? and is reminded of the peace on the Lake Isle of Innisfree.

In ?The Lake Isle of Innisfree? the anonymous character is imagining the peacefulness that he is longing for in his life. The character says, ?I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,? and then continues to portray the life that he is lacking by residing in the city. The character goes on to describe the cabin which he intends to build out of clay and wattles, the nine bean rows he will have, and the hive for the honeybees. He then moves on and recounts the sounds of water lapping and crickets singing. Following that he depicts the midnight?s glimmer, the moons glow and the evenings full of linnets? wings.

I believe that William Butler Yeats? main intention in writing this poem is to encourage readers to reflect the peace that the character is longing for to their own lives. I also sense that the character in this story is expressing Yeats? actual feelings about his own longing for peace. Likewise, I feel that the character?s desire to be on the Isle of Innisfree and to create life by growing plants and living free is one of the most overlooked and important aspects in human existence. In the poem the character is wishing that he were young once again so he can experience the freedom and peace that he and every person had when they were adolescents. I also feel that the character is fantasizing about leaving the city and going to Innisfree so he will no longer have to confront the problems in his life.

Since the dawn of time, authors have suggested morals in writings that are important, but frequently overlooked. These morals might include suggestions about the reader?s outlook on life or their direction spiritually and mentally. However, if people turned the intentions to peace and living free, instead of materiel items, I feel that the world we be a more civilized and respectful place.