Spring And Fall Vs. Sailing To Byzantium

"Spring and Fall" vs. "Sailing to Byzantium"

"Spring and Fall" and "Sailing to Byzantium" are both interesting poems that compare

youth and old age. Hopkins's poem mainly focuses on the feelings involved with losing youth.

Yeats's also portrays this loss of joy, but continues deeper to show general views of society

toward the elderly. The two works may be compared on the basis of their subjects, point of

view, degree of elaboration, tone, length and the author's writing style.

"Spring and Fall" seems to precede "Sailing to Byzantium". "Spring and Fall" is written

to a young child. Her grieving is recognized ( line 1-2) and finally accepted to be caused by the

loss of her youthfulness. "Sailing to Byzantium" depicts an old man as a speaker. He describes

the world's prejudices for youth over the elderly. He then goes on to speak of finding a new city

for himself (line 15-16) and the grief of his continuous journey of aging. Both poems depict a

bleak, lonely outlook on growing older, yet to very ifferent degrees. Yeats goes deeper into

spiritual turmoil caused by aging. He shows an xtremely deep sense of loneliness and grief, as

well was a want to be free, while Hopkins only skims the surface of these feelings. "Spring and

Fall" shows a shallow mourning, more for the loss of youth than the actual pain of old age. The

want is simply to gain back youth. Thus, "Sailing to Byzantium" shares a common perspective

with "Spring and Fall", but picks up where the latter leaves off.

Point of view and length vary between the two poems. "Spring and Fall" is from an

outsider's point of view on a young girl's grief. In effect, it is much shorter than "Sailing to

Byzantium". Hopkins explains only outward appearances of this grief, and does not elaborate on the personal, deep thoughts of age. "Sailing to Byzantium", in contrast, is in a first person point of view. The speaker, who is an old man, expresses a range of feelings in a more specific way. He feels lonely, unappreciated (lines 6-8), and captured in a dying form. Because you are seeing

into the many trials and tribulations