Mr.

September 1913

By William Butler Yeats

September 1913 focuses on the state of the Irish nation in its pre-war era. The poem itself is a satirical criticism of the stagnant nature of Ireland. The title itself refers to a strike that occurred during that month and year, a strike that served only to hurt the economy of Ireland. The poem starts with a descriptive and vivid criticism of the dead-like state of the Irish people. Yeats progresses by referring back to the Irish heroes, now long dead, who created a "romantic" aspect to the Irish Revolutionary Movement. He creates a sort of ode to the heroes, and elevates them to a status of martyrs and God-like figures. The poem ends with Yeats allusion to the loneliness that the death of romanticism has created, and the slow stagnant death this will cause. The poem ends with Yeats discussion of the death of O'Leary, Ireland's great hero, and the fact that he now lies deep in his grave, unable to linger in this new counter-progressive Ireland.

The main theme of the poem is the stagnant nature of Ireland and the death of its romantic aspect. Yeats focuses on the conditional aspect of this theme, for it is the most critical aspect needed for him at the moment in the history of Ireland. The economic and social stagnation of the nation is something he takes personally to heart, and thus contemplates on the future of his beloved homeland. The death image he keeps attempting to debate is what the contemporary opinion of the intelligentsia is during the pre-rebellion Ireland. Thus he tries to use indirect sarcasm (in the form of metaphors) to heavily satirize the contemporary thoughts on Irish Independence.

The main motifs of the story are those that relate to death, stagnation, and the constant rotting-like aspect of the Irish people. He first states this during the second line in which he states that all the people did was "fumble in a greasy till", and "dry the marrow from the bone." He continues to depict the death of Ireland in ways that reflect on death. He alludes to the rope of a hangman, and to the martyrdom or heroes. By debating the credibility of these heroes, and their importance towards Irish independence, he is able to criticize public opinion towards the English occupation of Ireland. The symbol that is characterized in the depiction of the hangman's rope is the impending death of Ireland. Yeats feels that if Ireland is not reformed immediately, it will suffer the tragic death that arises from the stagnation of a nation.

Symbols throughout the poem are represented by the deprived, stagnant imagery used to describe the Irish people. The poem starts by describing the Irish people by using words such as Greasy, and shivering. This makes the reader thing that the current state of Ireland is ineffective and in its current form would not be able to get anywhere, or progress to any desired results. Yeats' then uses the names of famous Irish nationals in order to stir a sense of patriotism--the main purpose of the poem. Yeats also uses nature symbols to trace the problem back to its primal core.

The main use of literary features is portrayed in the allusions Yeats uses