LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
Q. 1 what are the ideas contained in the poem “THE Lake Isle of Innisfree”?
Ans. W.B. YEATS has a deep longing for peace. So he visits The Lake Isle of Innisfree. There
he builds a small cabin with nine rows of beans. He wants to see a beehive and desires to stay
there along. The disturbance will not grant him peace. He wants to spend his time away from
the noises of the city. There are nature remains at work around the clock i.e. from morning to
midnight. The natural insects and birds grant him satisfaction, fascination and peace.
In the lake Isle of Innisfree, the lapping water flows towards the shore slowly. He realizes that
peace too comes slowly. The sound of the water touches his heart deeply and stands on the
roadside to feel its effect. It provides the poet with peace, beauty, happiness and satisfaction.
Q2: In the poem The Lake Isle of Innisfree‟, what does the poet find so attractive about „The
Lake Isle of Innisfree‟.
Ans.
The thing that the poet finds so attractive about Lake Isle of Innisfree is its promise of peace.
The poet, then, long for this place which affords a sense of contentment and relaxation far from
the busy modem life. The poem‟s slow and regular meter helps to convey this languid, dreamy
effect. There is also the vivid impressionistic description of the colours and beauties of this
place, and the soothing stir of nature which is so different from the strident noise of the city
where the poet actually is, as the final stanza makes clear.
The poet, then, is physically trapped in the city, but he can imagine the beauty of Innisfree and
this gives him spiritual sustenance. This is one of Yeats‟s early lyrics, exhibiting a familiar
romantic sensibility in its praise of the deep purity and beauty of nature which is contrasted
with the drabness, shallowness and sterility of modem urban living.
Q3:In your opinion, what words or phrases used by the poet are the most effective in bringing
the person, place or thing for life? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans.
Throughout the poem, Yeats uses a variety of imaginative phrases to capture the essence of the
lake
Isle. He brings the island to life by referring to the different birds and insects there. He
comments on how “the cricket sings” and refers to “linnet‟s wings”. This gives a sense of
energy on the island, and reminds us of what a natural place it is.
The line “and live alone in the bee-loud glade” correctly captures the point that Yeats is trying
to make about the island. It is an isolated place, where he can enjoy the solitude.
In the second stanza of the poem, Yeats describes how the light changes on the island
throughout the day. He tells us that “noon‟s a purple glow”. This light brings the entire lake Isle
to life.
Finally, Yeats manages to capture the sounds of the island. He tells us that he can hear” water
lapping in low sounds by the shore”. Yeats uses alliteration to recreate the sounds. By repeating
the letter “I” so many times, we get a sense of the slow and gentle movement of the water.
Q4: Does the poem celebrate the theme of escapism? Explain.
Ans.
The poem focuses on Innisfree as a place of escape for the speaker. The speaker describes
Innisfree as a simple, natural environment where he will build a cabin and live alone. „The Lake
Isle of Innisfree‟ expresses the idea that nature provides an inherently restorative place to which
human beings can go to escape the chaos and corrupting influences of civilization. In this poem,
the speaker/Yeats longs to live in the simplicity of nature, with no extraneous distractions of
city life or the superfluous habits, customs, and daily routines of an increasingly fast-paced,
modem world. The speaker is only dreaming of “getting away from it all.”Even if he never
goes, he will at least have the mental escape. This is the saving grace; even if he cannot get out
of the city, he can imagine the escape as he can will himself to hear the lake water lapping even
while standing on the pavement in the city. There is another appeal/implication that one can
never go back to the past place of nostalgia and youth, but through imagination and reflection,
one can always have the mental escape and memory of another time and place.
