An Analysis of "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"

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“An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” by W.B. Yeats In World War I, many new concepts were coming to light in terms of military technology. Concepts such as poison gas, tanks, machine guns, and airplanes are among the most notable that were introduced to the battlefield. For many, this new technology added on to the fear of dying knowing there were more weapons to be feared, especially aircraft. Even though aircraft were vital to observations of the battlefield and fighting the enemy in the skies, the concept of a fighter plane was new, and many mishaps occurred due to not having knowledge on flying and fighting in the air. According to wikianswers.com, the average life expectancy of a World War I pilot was four weeks (“What”). In “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death,” W.B. Yeats writes about Major Robert Gregory, who was a fighter pilot flying for the United Kingdom. This poem, like flying, emphasizes balance, enacting a kind of accounting whereby the airman lists every factor weighing upon his situation and his vision of death. Yeats’s “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” combines the destiny of dying in war, the realities of war, and a passion for aviation in a poem that brings readers into the mindset of Major Robert Gregory, paying subtle tribute to his courage and passion. The Irish airman clearly expects he is going to die, but he does not fear death as he feels it is his destiny to fight and die in the war since his past was and his future has no promise. Major Gregory has gone into this battle, this "tumult in the clouds" (12), clearly expecting that he will die. He does not fear this death, but rather sees it as a welcome escape from the drudgery of daily life. He does not feel that life has brought him much in the past and has no hope that things will improve for him in the future. His feelings are expressed quite plainly when he says, "The

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