In analyzing the poetry of WB Yeats, I have come to understand the multiple contrasting themes and positions he presents in his poetry. However, my understanding has been influenced most by Yeats's exploration of the key conflicts of aging alongside political anarchy. These are expressed in the poems “Wild Swans at Coole” (1916) and “Leda and the Swan” (1923) respectively, using the central symbol of the swan. In “Wild Swans at Coole,” Yeats conveys the conflict in his heart; where he is an aged old man as opposed to the young and revitalized swans. He laments the loss of his playful energy which he sees in the abundance of love and vitality in the swans. In “Leda and the Swan,” Yeats conveys the political dichotomy of the Irish nationalistic struggle against opposing British repression; exemplified by the swan's advance towards the vulnerable Leda. Yeats presents the key conflict of aging by exploring his own declining life versus the spiritual transcendence of the swans in “Wild Swans at Coole.” Yeats wrote this poem in October 1916 after his final rejection by Maud Gonne, following the death of her husband, John MacBride, in the Easter Rebellion. Yeats then reflects on the inertia of his own life, as he gathers at Lady Gregory's estate in Coole Park. While it revolves around the idea that sexual fulfillment with Maud has been lost. Yeats retains the last of his Romantic concerns in perceiving a spiritual element through the natural world, where nature reflects youth and beauty. The main way this is conveyed is through the swans, which symbolize youth, vitality and freedom, Yeats's conflicted position in relation to his personal state. Yeats conveys this through a thoughtful and sorrowful tone, while h...... in the center of the paper ... ...the spiritual element of life, discovered through the natural world with “Wild Swans at Coole”, and the story with “Leda and the Swan”.Works Cited1. Bogan, L., 1938, “William Butler Yeats,” The Atlantic Monthly, May 1938, accessed 8 June 2012, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1938/05/william-butler-yeats/4672 /2. Holstad, S., n.d., “Yeats's 'Leda and the Swan': Psycho-Sexual Therapy in Action,” California State University, accessed June 8, 2012, http://www-scf.usc.edu/~erdemoz/Write/ leda.html3. “Modernist Poetry 2: WB Yeats,” lecture by Dr. Aaron Kelly, April 20, 2004, from the green booklet “Module B: The Critical Study of Texts: William Butler Yeats.”4. Morrison, A., 1998, “Theories of Post-Coloniality: Edward W. Said and WB Yeats”, The Imperial Archive Project, accessed 9 June 2012, http://www.qub.ac.uk/imperial/ireland/saidyeat .htm