The poet of this poem uses the metaphor of apple-picking to provide a sense of exhaustion relating to the daily routines every person must go through. The farmer lies down and begins to dream about the past harvests that he has had, and through those dreams he realizes that he had “had too much of apple-picking.” The farmer was tired and exhausted by the demands of the world. He had to constantly tend to the apples, because those that fell were instantly deemed “as of no worth.” The demands of society cause him to abandon his work and simply enjoy the dreams of his past glory.

The poet in this poem uses a series of vivid images to display his belief that the mystery of the unknown is the most fascinating. “The land may vary more,” but the people choose to look out at the sea. They are not interested in the known beauty of the land, such as a seagull reflected on wet grass. The mystery of the sea is not only not a bar to the “watch they keep,” but it is actually the draw that causes them to turn their back on known beauty.

The poet in this poem uses the metaphor of a bird to express his troubles over finding ways to keep the diminishing media alive. The narrator is describing a poet who is able to make “the solid tree trunks sound again.” This ability to bring new life to something that has been done before is a truly great skill in the poet’s eyes. The final question clearly shows this belief, as the narrator explains that the biggest problem faced by all is, “what to make of a diminished thing?”

The theme of comparison throughout this poem shows the poet’s belief that beauty means little in the real world. The poet no longer wishes to chase after the ideal of beauty. The line, “Leaves and bark may be tree enough” shows the poet’s view of the impractical nature of beauty. Beauty is an unnecessary addition that does not serve the overall survival of something. The poet has also accepted the view that flowers are only beautiful, “by day” as they do not serve the practical nature of leaves which causes them to be useful even at night.

This poet uses a strong narrative and a strong paradox to express its confused beliefs over the Easter Rising in Ireland. The narrative plays a strong role in establishing the theme, because it tries to explain the “terrible beauty” that was born. It explains that people from all walks of life came together to support the uprising. The schoolteacher and the town drunk fought together were even able to unite in a general support. This adds to the confusion that the poet feels. It is beautiful that all of these people were able to unite and fight for a common goal of freedom, but the poet has to ask, “Was it needless death after all?” This paradox of a terrible beauty showcases the confusion he feels about terrible bloodshed for the beautiful ideal of freedom. The real question being whether serving the goal of freedom was actually able to accomplish anything. In the end, it appears that the poet believes that they did manage to at least further their idea as he chooses to exit on the belief that “a terrible beauty is born” through the death and bloodshed in the name.

This poem clearly displays the regret felt by an Irish Airman who is coming to terms with the high chance that he will die without the honor many associate with war. The Irish Airman has particular problems with this, because he views the cause of his death as a foolish flight of fancy, “a lonely impulse of delight.” He knows that the war will not have a main effect on those that he loves. The lines, “No likely end could bring them loss or leave them happier than before,” clearly show the regret that the man feels now that he understands the reality of warfare.

The frantic and vivid imagery of this poem evoke its message over the inevitable downfall that awaits society. The poet fears that the order of the world is slowly being lost, because “the falcon cannot hear the falconer.” The governments that controlled society are falling, because “the best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” The poet seems to believe that this is an inevitable cycle of the world though. Just as the falcon tears lose from the center of its flight, the world will slowly break from its cycle of order. The fall of Bethlehem to a “rough beast” will be the world’s demise, as the cradle of modern world order falls to anarchy.

The vivid and sad images in this poem showcase its theme of sadness for the loss of the person’s religious figure, assumedly Jesus Christ. It advises the reader to remember that “one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you” and that he viewed you for your personal inner beauty. The poem states that it is good to sadly whisper about “how Love fled.” These sad words seem to be advising them to take comfort through remembering that He has simply left for the great beyond. It is also possible that this poem could be used for any older person who has lost their true love to death.

This poem uses a clear system of imagery to display the thought that the truly great poets are able to evoke emotions that most cannot. The narrator claims that he lacks the necessary inspiration to sing about anything besides “kings, helmets, and swords, and half-forgotten things.” These ideals are merely escapist fantasy that leaves the narrator with “barren thoughts” that he claims, “chilled me to the bone.” The poet’s faithful audience feels a great emptiness over the loss of their source for beautiful words.

This poem uses strong imagery and powerful questions to assert its disappointment in the petty beliefs of men. The poet uses a comparison to the mythical Helen of Troy. Her kidnapping was claimed to be the cause of the Greek’s war with Troy that resulted in what the poet viewed as much unnecessary bloodshed. The imagery attaches the theme of war to beauty, with such lines as, “with beauty like a tightened bow.” These images work alongside his questions concerning warfare like this to not be “natural in an age like this.” The final line “was there another Troy for her to burn?” presents the lingering question of his argument, have the beliefs of men truly evolved over time, or are all civilized men still too concerned with trivial matters?