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Subject: English Literature (For college & university students)

Literary and Historical Context of “Easter, 1916”
Literary Context
The poem "Easter, 1916" by Yeats is an example of an elegy since it
laments the deceased
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," in that it is
concentrated on a historical and political event rather than a single person
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During the English Civil War, when Oliver Cromwell led the
Parliamentary force to victory over the royal army, Marvell wrote his poem
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Through their contrasting responses, these poems show how difficult it may
be to comprehend history and assess political issues
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In his poem "The
Fisherman," he employed the "Easter, 1916" trimeter form
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Later poets would use "Easter, 1916" as a model for their poems on
significant political-historical occurrences
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Similar to Yeats' "Easter, 1916," Auden utilizes the same trimester form
and references the event's date in his title
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Yeats was a source of inspiration for the Irish poet Seamus Heaney as
he wrote about the aftereffects of the Easter Rising
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In the late 1960s, there were violent clashes between those who

wanted Northern Ireland to remain a part of the United Kingdom and those
who wanted it to join the Republic of Ireland
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The poems by Auden and Heaney illustrate how Yeats'
poem served as an example for other poets who were searching for purpose
and meaning throughout traumatic periods of history

Historical Context
"Easter, 1916" honors the Easter Rising, which took place when Irish
nationalists mounted an uprising against British authority to secure Irish
independence
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The United Kingdom was created in 1800 when Ireland and
Great Britain were united
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Many Irish nationalists rejected the union with Britain and fought for
Home Rule restoration for many years (self-government for Ireland)
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However, it wasn't
put into effect until after World War I, which had recently started
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James Connolly and Thomas MacDonagh were members of the
Military Council, Patrick Pearse oversaw the military organization, while John
MacBride subsequently assisted in commanding the rebel forces
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The General Post Office was among the important buildings that
armed rebels took in Dublin, the nation's capital
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The British imposed martial law and used force to put an
end to the uprising
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Pearse gave the order to surrender all forces on April 29, since the Irish were
besieged and outnumbered
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Although
several of the leaders were freed, fourteen of them—including Pearse,
MacDonagh, MacBride, and Connolly—were ultimately found guilty of
murder and put to death
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However, following the killings, the Irish population grew increasingly angry
toward the British and more sympathetic to the cause of the rebels
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Following the Rising, Sinn Féin garnered a
sizable majority of seats in the Irish parliament
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The Irish
Republican Army engaged in combat with British forces for the next two
years during the Irish War of Independence
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The Irish Free State
was established in the south as a semi-independent dominion within the
British Empire, while Northern Ireland remained a member of the United
Kingdom
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Yeats' poem was included in Ireland's memory of the Rising
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