Traces of Postcolonialism in W. B. Yeats’ “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”

Traces of Postcolonialism in W. B. Yeats’ “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death”

This research looks at one of the very first instances of the Postcolonial poem in Ireland in the twentieth century, written by W. B. Yeats. This adds to the importance of the issue as W. B. Yeats is mostly regarded as a nationalist, not a postcolonial activist as he lived many years before the presentation of the Postcolonialism theory. Through discussing some traces of the postcolonialism in the work “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” and proving its authenticity as it is essential to a postcolonial work, the objective is achieved. As we are not trying to represent W. B. Yeats as a complete example of a postcolonial activist, but a forefather to the movement, no need to find out all elements of postcolonialism in literature is a pre-assumption. In this study social, historical, theoretical background is also provided and is tried to use analytical point of view as a means of criticizing.

This research looks at one of the very first instances of the Postcolonial poem in Ireland in the twentieth century, written by W. B. Yeats. This adds to the importance of the issue as W. B. Yeats is mostly regarded as a nationalist, not a postcolonial activist as he lived many years before the presentation of the Postcolonialism theory. Through discussing some traces of the postcolonialism in the work “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” and proving its authenticity as it is essential to a postcolonial work, the objective is achieved. As we are not trying to represent W. B. Yeats as a complete example of a postcolonial activist, but a forefather to the movement, no need to find out all elements of postcolonialism in literature is a pre-assumption. In this study social, historical, theoretical background is also provided and is tried to use analytical point of view as a means of criticizing.