Kara Ireland
Professor Smith
ENGL 1102
Nov. 17, 2016
Autonomy in The Lake Isle of Innisfree
Picture your own state of bliss. Is there any place on earth that brings you complete serenity? Is there any sanctuary that offers you an utter sense of inner harmony and tranquility? Namely speaking, I have a few. The most ideal environment for me would include an intimate, cozy place that has soft lighting, many blankets, a plushy place to lay or sit, and the free will to write to my heart’s content: a nook, essentially. Or perhaps a subdued coffee shop setting with soft music serenading me as I down a cup of my choice in the midst of composing a new chapter, that might suffice. Maybe even a secluded setting with my guitar in my lap and no intruders as I express myself through music could be considered such a place. In short, I am happiest when I am creating. And yet, I can create anywhere. Sometimes your happy place is not a place at all. A happy place is as much of a concept and condition as what is making one happy. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” explores that notion in depth, using a variance of diction to insinuate such pleasure. The happiness in this poem is credited to the solitude of the speaker just as much as the idea of going to Innisfree. The speaker’s specific diction, such as the reiteration of “I” and “alone” leads one to believe that no one else is included when he imagines such a place. The mere thought of nature clearly brings the speaker joy, as perceived by the extensive detailing and his use of color imagery with “purple” versus “gray”. Perhaps a deeper interpretation lies in the title “Innisfree”, meaning the poem associates freedom with being within nature. Transcending that, there are several descriptors in succession that insinuate overall “peace” when regarding Innisfree. It is assumed that the speaker doesn't travel to Innisfree or go anywhere at all, thus gathered by his use of “there” and “heart”. The speaker uses diction and figurative language such as metaphor, imagery, and symbolism in this poem to express his desire for solitude in nature.
The concept of solitude is prevalent in this poem and it is employed using diction specific to isolation. The constant use of “I” gives the impression that the speaker desires no one else's presence. There is no inclusive language such as “us” or “we”. The speaker only refers to himself and nature. The image of the “small cabin” also might indicate that he intended to be without company, thus not needing much space (2). The voice is comforted by nature and further indicates the craving for absolute solitude with “alone” in line four. “Alone” emphasizes the desired autonomy while being in Innisfree (4). When the speaker does include extraneous things, it has to do with nature and what he wants surrounding him. “Nine bean rows” and “a hive for the honeybee” are included, and those are not material things (3). Perhaps the speaker has the longing for Innisfree because it is away. It can be inferred that the speaker is surrounded by people as he yearns for Innisfree, which heightens the desire to be alone there.
The speaker never physically travels to Innisfree, however, which can be determined by his diction. For the speaker in that setting, Innisfree is intangible. Innisfree may very well be a memory of the voice. “I hear it in the deep heart’s core” leaves space for interpretation of the exact meaning, but it is known that the speaker does not actually go there (12). Hearing it in the deep heart’s core indicates that the speaker is merely visualizing Innisfree. Never in the poem did he make note of being in such a place. “I will arise and go now” is reiterated throughout this poem (1, 9). Repetition was used for the word “arise” twice, once in the first quatrain and again in the last quatrain (1, 9). Arise has several meanings, but the literal definition that fits this context means to emerge from a problem or situation, or to become apparent. The repetition of that word invites further assessment, and in doing so, one finds a deeper meaning to this poem. Perhaps the speaker is transcending his undesired physical placement by mentally “teleporting” to Innisfree instead. Essentially, the voice is disassociating from his environment when he claims to “arise and go now.” It is a constant visualization that spans over time at that, because the speaker mentions “for always night and day” which gives the impression that he has prolonged stays in Innisfree (9). It constitutes his ephemeral happiness, closing his eyes and traveling there on any given day, at any time and place.
Throughout this poem, diction and imagery collaborate to create one accord between the speaker and the lake isle of Innisfree, insinuating the calmness of the location. There are subtle ways Yeats sets the serenity, like using imagery to describe the lake water’s movement as “lapping” (10) rather than something more cacophonous. That description caters to the auditory sense. “Lapping” is a gentle motion, and a word that ultimately sways the tone of the poem. He does it again in a metaphor by mentioning how “slow” (5) peace drops over the morning. The associated words that come to mind from that word don’t give way to too much business. The buzzing honeybees are seemingly as much activity Innisfree receives.
Further exemplification of diction choice lies in the speaker’s color imagery in lines seven and eleven. Putting a lens to the two preferred colors paints a picture that is awfully transparent in meaning. “Purple” is meant to be more alluring and attractive, and it would be considered as so by most. Purple is bright. Purple is a cheerful color, which contributes largely to the main point at hand of Innisfree being the speaker’s version of paradise. [ Purple is a very rare color in nature, thus inviting the notion that it may be artificial. That peculiar adjective, artificial, sheds light on the thought that Innisfree could be a manifestation of the mind. The color that is found in nature, however, is most likely to be light purple – and light purple evokes nostalgic feelings. ] It is hardly a coincidence that the voice chose this specific color to describe Innisfree, his idyllic place. This new information further supports the proposal that this version of Innisfree is simply a memory.
On the other end of the spectrum, grey is the perfect contrast because it lacks that level of vibrancy or excitement. [ During that research, it was revealed that grey is the color of conformity.] Perhaps the speaker is conforming to his surroundings, being bound by his blossoming society. Grey is also a color that stifles and depresses energy. Because of the speaker’s desire to “go to Innisfree” (1), it becomes clear that he is currently elsewhere. Where he is, specifically, is undisclosed. While Innisfree is an island, away from the city, the city itself must be where the speaker resides. The line “while I stand on the roadway, or the pavements grey” (11) indicates that the voice is somewhere within civilization. The speaker compared Innisfree to purple, yet civilization with a dull grey. The stark contrast was purposeful.
The title “Innisfree” begs closer scrutiny of the word because it can be moulded to understand the context more in depth. “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” is an allegory concerning the ability to find inner peace. Reverting to phonics and breaking down “Innisfree” helps one discover the aforementioned meaning that was managed to be derived. When taken apart, there is “in is free” which supports the prevailing point about solitude and freedom in the second body paragraph. The denotative meaning of the word itself is an uninhabited island in the midst of Lough Gill, Ireland. [Coincidentally enough, it was found that Yeats spent his summers there as a child from venturing into the author’s biography. It only contributes to connotative meaning, the nostalgic feelings he may be submitting to as he thinks of Innisfree. The natural world comforts him in memories as it pleased him in person, during his childhood. In this case, Yeats may very well be the speaker in the poem. ]
Innisfree is the speaker’s model land of serenity and remains so even when he is not present. The lingering impression of that simplistic, country living has left on the speaker comforts him in his current life as a city-dweller. Anyone can relate to this tactic when they’re faced with an unpleasant predicament, such as being surrounded by noise when one longs for quiet. Imagining that one is elsewhere is a simple, yet effective way of decreasing the anxiety that comes with loud, stressful environments. Whenever I find myself in the midst of a rowdy crowd or rambunctious space, I often picture my little nook to give myself some peace of mind, no matter how fleeting it is. In short, this is exactly what “The Lake Isle of Innisfree” has portrayed. After exploring the various uses of that effectively employed figurative language and cleverly chosen diction, the attractiveness of nature and essence of solitude was highlighted. It takes dissecting a piece to maintain a decent grasp on his deeper meanings, and it takes reading between the lines to truly comprehend a poem of this magnitude.