Brad Waters
Jerry Hansen
English 280, Section 29
February 9th, 2008
Loss of Faith
	In the poem “The Second Coming,” author W. B. Yeats speaks both discretely and directly about religious issues. Even if one did not have a milieu of religion, Yeats usage of particularized language and graphic imagery makes it rather apparent that the underlying topic is of religious significance. Yeats clearly expresses his ideals that faith is diminishing in the world and the antichrist is rising from the sacrilege of humanity. The first stanza of the poem opens by illustrating an unexplained scene of chaos and turmoil and is followed by a second stanza which clarifies the significance behind the apocalyptic introduction. 
In the opening, Yeats writes “The falcon cannot hear the falconer.” Here, the falcon represents mankind and the falconer represents God.  He implies that people cannot hear God anymore and that there is an overall lack of religion and morality in the world. He also states, “The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere/ The ceremony of innocence is drowned.” The “ceremony of innocence”, or practice of baptism, has ceased because of the tainted waters.
These lines also begin the major contrast between the two stanzas: water.
	In the first stanza, there are many phrases used which imply the presence of water. To contrast this, he uses imagery of a dry desert for the entire second stanza, which helps to reinforce the notion that “baptism” is ending. The innocence of the baptized children has relinquished and all that remains is a hope for the future. The first lines of the second stanza express this optimism for the second coming of Christ, but quickly transmogrify into a startling image. In place of an expected savior, “a shape with lion body and the head of a man” appears. This beast symbolizes the pagan antichrist. Yeats even references an old tale in which the pagans were silenced and tells of how after “twenty centuries of stony sleep” their “hour come round at last.” The poem comes to an end with the image of the aforementioned beast as it “slouches towards Bethlehem to be born.” 
	Throughout the entire second stanza, Yeats uses not only the contrast between water and desert to colligate the two stanzas, but also employs many other ways to link everything together.  For example, in the first stanza, Yeats describes a falcon circling in a “widening gyre.” Yeats reproduces a similar image in the second stanza when he writes, “while all about it,/ Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.” Both these phrases provide scenes of birds soaring in an eerie, circling pattern, despite their various differences. A second example is the recurring idea of childlike innocence demonstrated by both baptism and the rocking cradle which symbolizes the birth of baby Jesus. All of these literary tricks help amalgamate the poem together into one common theme.
	In everyday life, examples can be observed which mirror the premise of godlessness expressed in this poem. Yeats utilizes numerous literary devices to combine everything together into one universal implication expressing the world’s lack of religion and the metaphorical ascension of the antichrist. He presents both comparative and contrasting associations which facilitate the unity of the two stanzas. Together, these stanzas tell the complete story of “The Second Coming.”