A PRAYER FOR MY DAUGHTER
W.B. Yeats
Answer the following questions in a sentence
or two
1) Why is the poet so much worried about the
future of his new born daughter?
Ans: The poet is worried to see the devaluation of the
worldly ways. He is worried about the safety of his new born daughter and
solicits for her a life of beauty, accompanied by natural kindness and
heart-winning courtesy.
2) What sort of beauty does the poet solicit
for his daughter?
Ans: The poet solicits for her a life of beauty, accompanied by natural
kindness and heart-winning courtesy. He wants his daughter to avoid hatred.
3) What virtues does the poet want his
daughter to be blessed with?
Ans: Poet's wish that his daughter should be of flourishing tree indicates that he wants his daughter to be rooted
in traditions. She should grow and flourish
in virtue and modesty.
He wants her to be
fresh, calm and soothing like a tree.
4) What qualities grow when the mind is
without hatred?
Ans: Hatred is termed as the most evil quality by the poet. So,
the qualities that
would grow when the mind is
without hatred will be positive thinking and nobility of mind devoid of any kind of
negativism. Hatred takes
away the innocence, so the absence of it will make the person cheerful and
innocent.
5) What does the poet wish for his daughter?
Ans: he does not want his daughter to be too beautiful, the
speaker wishes instead for her to be "chiefly learned" in
"courtesy," stating that the hearts of others can be won through
"glad kindness." He wishes his daughter to be a "flourishing
hidden tree" who might be "rooted in one dear perpetual place,"
someone without hatred in her mind.
6) What is “intellectual hatred” according to
Yeats?
Ans: He feels that intellectual hatred is the worst kind of
evil and a blow in character.
7) What is the meaning of “Horn of Plenty’?
Ans: The bellows' full of opinions and pride took
away her 'horn of plenty'. Through this symbol, ‘poet wishes that his daughter should also possess 'horn of plenty' which will not only
catty beauty but also kindness and modesty.
Explain the following statements with
reference to their context.
1) “May she become a flourishing hidden
tree’.
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: The poet in continuance of his prayer for the well
being of his daughter, here, pleads that the soul of his daughter should
flourish and reach self-fulfillment like a flourishing tree. Like the linnets,
happy and innocent thoughts should cluster around her inner life. These little
creatures symbols of innocence and cheerfulness-make others happy by their
songs. The tree symbolizes inner life as well as constancy in place and life
rooted in tradition. Yeats hopes that his daughter will grow and flourish with
virtue and modesty. “May she become a flourishing hidden tree.” She must be
“hidden” not too open and opinionated like Maud Gonne. A “tree” is fresh,
soothing and natural. He wants her to be calm, good-natured and natural – not
over-influenced by opinionated ideas. Yeats wishes that Anne will have merry,
pleasant thoughts. He wants her to talk of good, pleasant things. “That all her
thoughts may like the linnet be, and have no business but dispensing around their
magnanimities of sound.” The linnet is a bird which flies, representing a
merry, sweet, girl – not too serious, bombastic and violent like Maud Gonne.
2) Imagining in excited reverie.
That the future years had come,
Dancing to a frenzied drum.
Out of the murderous innocence of the sea.
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: In these lines, the poet reveals his gloom while
contemplating on the future of his daughter who is sleeping in the cradle. The
poet keeps walking and praying for the young child and as he does so, he is in
the state of reverie. He feels that the future years i.e., the years of
violence and bloodshed and frenzy have already come. They seem to come dancing
to the accompaniment of a drum which is beating frantically. These future years
are seen by Yeats’s imagination as emerging out of the murderous innocence of
the sea. In other words, the sea seems to be innocent but is capable of giving
birth to those howling storms which are capable of ruining everything. Here,
Yeats is thinking with great reverie or anxiety that that the turbulent weather
of war has already visited the world that was supposed to happen later in
future he doubted. Yeats is concerned that he hears the overloaded harsh sound
of the war drums. Anne’s innocence is juxtaposed with the contrasting “sea”
which is “murderous.” “Murderous innocence” is an oxymoron. The sea
represents the world and the crowds around her, and as they are evil,
destructive and take advantage of her innocence, they are “murderous.”
Moreover, the “sea” or the world is termed as “murderous innocence” because as
part of the “sea”, Anne’s innocence is ‘murderous’ to herself because it
enables others to manipulate her.
3) Hearts are not had as a gift but hearts
are earned
By those that are not entirely beautiful.
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: Here the poet, while talking about the virtues his
daughter needs to cultivate, says that he prays that instead of bewitching
beauty, she should have virtues like courtesy. The hearts of people can be won
permanently by the virtue of courtesy. Even those who are not very beautiful
can win the hearts of others by being courteous. The poet continues with what
he wants his daughter to possess more than mere beauty. He wants his daughter
to learn to be compassionate and kind. Many times, men who believed to love and
loved by the beautiful women faced disappointment compared to those found love
in the modest yet compassionate women. Moreover, he says modest and courteous
people attract hearts than those with beauty, referring to his own marriage.
Ultimately, he makes it clear that he wants his daughter to be an agreeable
young woman than an arrogant beauty.
4) Once more the storm is howling, and half
hid
Under this cradle-hood and coverlid
My child sleeps on.
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: 'A Prayer for My Daughter' opens with the image of the child sleeping in a
cradle half hidden by its hood. The child sleeps innocently amidst the “howling
storm” outside, but Yeats couldn’t settle down due to the storm inside. The
storm howling symbolizes destruction mentioned by the poet in his ‘The Second Coming’. The wind bred in Atlantic has no
obstacles except the estate of Lady Gregory, referring to the poet’s patroness,
and a bare hill. The direct impact of the wind, meaning to the force of the
outside world, especially on his daughter, worries the poet. Because of this
great gloom he walked and prayed for his daughter to be protected from the
physical storm outside and the political storm brewing across Ireland. A violent, dreadful storm
is blazing outside. The poet says that the ‘haystack and roof - leveling wind’
is blowing directly from the Atlantic but is obstructed by just one naked hill
and the woods of Gregory’s estate. The poet then introduces her infant daughter
who is sleeping in her cradle, well protected from the assaults of the dreadful
storm that is raging outside. The poet keeps pacing the cradle up and down
while praying for her daughter because a storm has been raging in his soul too.
He is worried for his daughter’s future and his mind is full of apprehension
for the future of humanity.
5) May she be granted beauty and yet not
Beauty to make a stranger’s eye distraught,
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: In the third stanza of ‘A Prayer for My Daughter’,
Yeats prays for his daughter to be gifted with beauty. At the same time, he
doesn’t want her beauty to distraught or makes her dependent on her beauty for
everything. Further, he doesn’t want her to become proud or vain that she
spends all day staring at the mirror and fails to have natural companionships.
The poet implies, too much beauty to be a dangerous one, that he wants her to
be beautiful enough to secure a husband. Yeats prays that Anne will be
beautiful but not excessively. Beauty can be distracting and destructive,
because it draws the attention of all even if he is an unknown person. The much
beauty makes him “distraught” and unhappy as if he cannot fulfill his desire to
possess this beauty. Even Anne also can be derailed for the beauty she has.
6) O may she live like some green laurel
Rooted in one dear perpetual place.
Ans: Poem: A prayer
for my daughter
Poet: W. B. Yeats
Context: Yeats continues to talk about his hopes and
expectations for his daughter. As she grew up, he wants her to be happy and
content. He wants her to become “a flourishing hidden tree” and her thoughts
like a “linnet” referring to its innocence and cheerfulness. Like a linnet, he
wants her to be satisfied in herself, and infect others with her happiness.
Further, he wants her to live like a “laurel” rooted in a particular place. The
poet reveals his wish on his daughter being rooted in the tradition.
Yeats wants Anne to have a solid stability in her mind.
“Rooted in one dear perpetual place.” Means she should be confined in a single
marital life at a single home. The home is happy, so it is “dear.” This may
also indicate loyalty to one man. Maud Gonne had a relationship with Lucien
Millevoye – with two premarital children but married John McBride. Yeats wants
Anne to be loyal to one man, unlike Maud Gonne. Here, Yeats uses mythology. The
“green laurel” is a metaphor which refers to the nymph Daphne who was pursued
by Apollo. Eager to protect her virtue, Daphne turned into a laurel tree.
Similarly, Yeats wants Anne to be virtuous, unlike Maud Gonne. The word “green”
in turn may symbolize peace, innocence and youth.
Answer the following questions in 300 words.
1) How does the poem reveal the concerns of a
father towards his daughter?
Ans: Yeats's "A Prayer for My Daughter" does indeed show the concern of a
father for his daughter, but in rather conventional terms. We must bear in mind
that when the poem was written, in 1919, fathers were still generally expected
to guide the life choices of their daughters, and Yeats is no different. A
Prayer for My Daughter by William Butler Yeats opens with an image of the
newborn child sleeping in a cradle. A storm is raging with great fury outside
his residence. A great gloom is on Yeats’ mind and is consumed with anxiety as
to how to protect his child from the tide of hard times ahead. The poet keeps
walking and praying for the young child and as he does so he is in a state of
reverie. He feels a kind of gloom and worry about the future of his daughter.
He says “As I walk and pray for my younger daughter, I imagine in a state of
excitement and reverie” that the future years (years of violence and bloodshed
and frenzy) have already come and that they seem to come dancing to the
accompaniment of a drum which is beating frantically. These future years
are seen by Yeats’ imagination as emerging out of the murderous (treacherous)
innocence of the sea. In other words, the sea seems to be innocent but is
capable of giving birth to those howling storms which are capable of leveling
everything. In an atmosphere of such violent
revolutionary flux, he wants his daughter to be part of that solid foundation
which he's come to believe is Ireland's only true hope. In that sense, Yeats's
love for his daughter is inextricably linked with his somewhat idealized love
of country.
2) Give a critical appreciation of the poem
“A Prayer for My Daughter.”
Ans: It is
important to read this poem alongside another famous poem by Yeats, which was
actually written just a few months before this poem, "The
Second Coming."
In this earlier work, Yeats sets out his prophecy of doom and gloom,
anticipating the "Mere anarchy" and "blood-dimmed tide"
that was set loose on the world due to political changes such as the Russian
Revolution and the rise of fascism. Many critics view "A
Prayer for My Daughter"
as being a discussion of how to live and transcend such disturbing events. The
poem begins with an account of the speaker praying for his daughter in the
midst of a "howling" storm because of a "great gloom" that
dominates his mind. Having effectively prophesied a massive upheaval in the
world order, now that he has a daughter, Yeats is concerned about the kind of
world that she will grow up in. Note how the violence of nature finds a
parallel in the violence that is to come as the speaker in the second stanza
imagines the future years "Dancing to a frenzied drum" as the storm
rages outside. He prays that his daughter will develop the kind of
characteristics that the women he loved did not possess. His former lover, Maud
Gonne, was beautiful and aware of it and also fired by nationalistic fervor.
Yeats prays that his daughter, by contrast, will be given beauty, but not too
much, because too much beauty can lead to vanity and an inability to relate to
others. He wishes her to learn "courtesy" and hopes that she can have
a life marked by stability and security, becoming a "flourishing hidden
tree." In an uncertain world with an
uncertain future, therefore, Yeats seems to argue that the disturbing changes
in the world can be overcome through a life lived focusing on traditional
values and the importance of human kindness.
3) Explain the reasons of worry about the
future of his daughter.
Ans: Yeats is
worried that his daughter will grow to adulthood in a world where the old
standards the standards of the Anglo-Irish gentry that Yeats so deeply venerates
are in terminal decline. That is why he seeks to protect his daughter from the
democratization of society and its values by ensuring that she will behave
herself in a manner appropriate of a lady of her class. In practical terms,
this means not behaving like Maude Gonne, Yeats' close friend, who, according
to him, sullied her breeding by engaging in radical political activity. This is
not to say that Yeats wants his daughter to become a woman without opinion she
explicitly states that she should be "chiefly learned." It's just
that he's worried that she might turn out like Maude Gonne and display a kind
of intellectual hatred for others and their opinions, which is not becoming for
a lady, especially not one from the Anglo-Irish gentry. As an intelligent,
educated woman, Yeast’s daughter will have opinions, but she won't be
opinionated. In the final stanza, Yeats expresses his wish that his daughter
will be whisked away by her future bridegroom to a place the kind of stately
home associated with the Protestant Ascendancy where custom, ceremony, and
innocence are the norm. Yeats clearly hopes that by entering such a domestic
arrangement, his daughter will be protected from the storms of social change
that rage outside.
4) Justify the title of the poem “A Prayer
for My Daughter.”
Ans: The poem ‘A Prayer for my
Daughter’ portrays the theme of love and anxiety of a father,
who has been blessed with a daughter. It also presents the poet’s hopes for his
daughter and his expectation of her becoming a very beautiful woman, blessed
with the attributes of a virtuous soul. The setting of the poem is uncertain
for the poem is conceived in the mind of the poet. The speaker is the poet himself
talking to his daughter. The poem is conversational and didactic in tone with varying emotions of gloom, uncertainty,
hope, and fear. “A Prayer for My Daughter” is concerned with surviving the
chaos of the modern world the separation of reason from passion, or the
surrender of reason to one’s own violence or the anarchy of the external world.
Yeats thus far in his career had
celebrated the mighty Irish heroes of both legend and the historical past and
presents those courageous men and women who sacrificed themselves for their
ideals. Now, however, the poet expresses certain ambivalence toward those
heroes. He understands that in the necessary sacrifice for a cause, one may
surrender “heart”. In fact, any single-minded commitment to political, social,
or intellectual causes, even to beauty may become obsessive and negate one’s
more important personal and humane concerns. “A Prayer for My Daughter”
proposes the means of rescuing the self, heart, and soul true beauty from a
world of growing disorder and increasing human misery.
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Answer the following
questions.
15) Why does the poet
want his daughter to be free from ‘intellectual hatred’ and ‘opinionated mind’?
Ans: The poet
to make his daughter’s future safe needs his girl to have a few ideals. These
ideals will shield her from the terrible days which have just creped in. He
feels that scholarly scorn is the most exceedingly awful sort of insidious and
a blow in character. Thus, he might want his girl to disregard solid and
difficult feelings regarding any matter political – or something else. He might
want his girl to maintain a strategic distance from the shortcomings of Maud
Gonne. It was a result of her firmly held assessments that drove her to
demonstration absurdly. All her beauty and her great childhood end up being
futile. She demolished her joy in life by picking a useless individual as John
MacBride for a spouse. She would be equipped for getting a charge out of inward
harmony and joy and she would keep herself glad even amidst incidents and the
aggression of the world.
A. Find words from
the text for the following expressions:
1) A condition of
mind and body in which one is lost in dreamy, pleasant thoughts: - Reverie.
2) A state or condition of knowing
nothing of evil or wrong: - Innocence.
3) Virtue relating to good manners and
politeness in behavior: - Courtesy.
4) Warding off evil or misfortune by
one’s own ability: - Self affrighting.
5. God’s grace or blessing: -
Heaven’s will.
B. Make nouns from
the following verbs from the bracket.
(imagine, excite, approve, prosper, reveal.)
Ans: Verbs Nouns
Imagine imagination
Excite excitement
Approve approval
Prosper prosperity
Reveal revelation
C. Make adjectives
from the following nouns from the bracket.
(intellect, arrogance, storm, murder,
courtesy.)
Ans: Nouns
Adjectives
Intellect intellectual
Arrogance arrogant
Storm stormy
Murder murderous
Courtesy courteous
D. Make nouns from the following adjectives from
the bracket.
(kind, intimate, merry, angry, ceremonious)
Ans: Adjectives
Nouns
Kind kindness
Intimate intimacy
Merry merriment
Angry anger
Ceremonious ceremony
