The speaker fears that those who “consider beauty a sufficient end” will become less naturally kind, which in turn may mean that they have trouble finding intimacy and making friends. He refers to Helen, an allusion to Helen of Troy, as an example of how being too beautiful can be a curse, rather than a blessing.
What is said about beauty in the poem A Prayer for My Daughter?
The poet continues on to comment on his hopes for her beauty:“May she be granted beauty and yet not.” His vacillation is that beauty in women sometimes brings disasters. … By the end, the poet wants his daughter to be courteous, as love cannot come unconditionally and freely.
What does Yeats wish for his daughter in the poem A Prayer for My Daughter?
Yeats suggests that kindness and generosity breed trust and affection between people. Yeats would also wish his daughter a life of stability and deep-rootedness—that is, a quiet life away from noisy thoroughfares.
What does Yeats stat about hatred in a prayer for my daughter?
At the same time the poem makes an indirect reference to Maud Gonne also whom Yeats loved so much and yet could not win her hand. The poet looks within himself and finds that there is hatred inside. He thinks that hatred kills innocence and wishes that his daughter should not harbor hatred.
How does the poem reveal a Fathers concern for his daughter a prayer for my daughter?
Yeats’s “A Prayer for My Daughter” does indeed show the concern of a father for his daughter, but in rather conventional terms. We must bear in mind that when the poem was written, in 1919, fathers were still generally expected to guide the life choices of their daughters, and Yeats is no different.
Why does the speaker pray for the infant in the poem A Prayer for My Daughter?
Why is the speaker’s mind fill with gloom as he walks and prays for his young daughter in “A Prayer for My Daughter”? The speaker’s worried about what kind of future his daughter will have when she grows up. He is acutely aware of the many pitfalls that lie ahead for a woman of her social background.
Who is Maud Gonne in a prayer for my daughter?
Maud Gonne (the poet’s beloved) married a worthless man MacBride and remained unhappy. Thus, the poet wants his daughter to inculcate the virtues of courtesy and humility. The heats of people can be won by courtesy. Even those who are not very beautiful can win the hearts of others by showing courtesy.