How is the poem 'In Memory of W. B. Yeats' different from the traditional elegy?

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How is the poem 'In Memory of W B Yeats' different from the traditional elegy W H Auden s In Memory of W B Yeats is a modern elegy written in after Yeats s death It is not full of tears and decoration like traditional elegies Instead it mixes realism politics and poetry s truth Modern Setting and Real Background Auden begins with a real and cold picture of the day when Yeats died It is not dreamy like the old elegies The scene is full of snow frozen rivers and silent airports Auden says The day of his death was a dark cold day The line comes again and again This repetition gives a modern newspaper-like truth The poet does not imagine angels or gods He shows real people brokers roaring like beasts and the poor living as usual The elegy becomes a picture of modern life not of

heaven or mourning No Pity but Thoughtful Tribute Old elegies are full of emotion and tears But Auden s tone is calm and wise He praises Yeats with respect not with pity He shows that poetry lives even when the poet dies Yeats is not a god but a man who suffered and created beauty Auden honours his struggle and art in a thoughtful way It is not crying or decoration but deep understanding and truth Universal Message of Hope In the last part Auden turns the elegy into hope and duty He calls Yeats Follow poet follow right To the bottom of the night He asks Yeats to teach people to rejoice even in pain He ends beautifully saying In the prison of his days Teach the free man how to praise This is not only for Yeats but for all poets It gives moral strength not sadness Auden changes the traditional elegy into a modern one He mixes death with daily life reason with emotion and sadness with strength Thus Yeats s elegy becomes both personal and universal calm thoughtful and full of life

In Memory of W.B. Yeats

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How is the poem 'In Memory of W. B. Yeats' different from the traditional elegy?

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W. H. Auden

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