Moral Inversion and Apocalyptic Violence in Yeats’s “The Second Coming”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3126/irjmmc.v7i1.93036Keywords:
W.B. Yeats, moral inversion, the second coming, apocalyptic violence, gyresAbstract
This study aims to identify and analyze moral inversion and apocalyptic violence in W.B. Yeats’s “The Second Coming.” A qualitative documentary research design was employed to accomplish this study. Major poetic excerpts which reflected the moral inversion and apocalyptic violence in the poem were the sources of primary data, whereas relevant books and peer-reviewed journal articles were utilized as the sources of qualitative secondary data. Thematic analysis was applied to interpret the primary data. The findings indicate that Yeats’s “The Second Coming” functions as a powerful metaphor for moral inversion and apocalyptic violence. It reflects the persistent erosion of ethical and democratic values. The poem reveals that the “lack of conviction” among the virtuous is not merely a historical condition but a recurring phenomenon that continues to shape periods of social and political crisis. The analysis reveals that Yeats portrays a world where traditional virtues are systematically replaced by predatory chaos. This article highlights the enduring relevance of Yeatsian prophecy in understanding contemporary global crises.
Downloads
References
1. Al-Hawtali, A. (2025). Spiritual crisis in modernism: A study of WB Yeats’s poetic vision. BRU ELT Journal, 3(1), 61–76. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392963993_Spiritual_Crisis_in_Modernism_A_Study_of_W_B_Yeats's_Poetic_Vision
2. Aman, Y. K. (2021). The apocalyptic image of the beast in William Blake’s ‘The Tyger’ and WB Yeats’s ‘The Second Coming’. Critical Survey, 33(3-4), 47–61. https://doi.org/10.3167/cs.2021.33030407
3. Ariyani, S. D. (2023). Is moral education effective in preventing radicalism and terrorism? Indonesian Journal of Counter Terrorism and National Security, 2(1), 115–146. https://doi.org/10.15294/ijctns.v2i1.66161
4. Castle, G. (2024). Yeats, revival, and the temporalities of Irish modernism. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009411691
5. Gibson, M., & Mann, N. (Eds.). (2016). Yeats, philosophy, and the occult. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0135.17
6. Goldner, I., & Ben-Nun Bloom, P. (2023). Polarization and moral threat: Insights from systemist analysis. Social Sciences, 12(8), 453. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12080453
7. Grosso, A. (2024). Inversions and conversions, moral and otherwise. In M. J. S. Helfand (Ed.), Science, faith, society: New essays on the philosophy of Michael Polanyi (pp. 251–276). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46005-2_12
8. Hale, C. R. (2017). What went wrong? Rethinking the Sandinista revolution, in light of its second coming. Latin American Research Review, 52(4), 208–215. https://doi.org/10.25222/larr.269
9. Higgins, G. (2025). Yeats and Heaney’s noble words. International Yeats Studies, 9(1), 131-149. https://open.clemson.edu/iys/vol9/iss1/11
10. Lake, P. (2020). Hamlet's choice: Religion and resistance in Shakespeare's revenge tragedies. Yale University Press. https://dokumen.pub/hamlets-choice-religion-and-resistance-in-shakespeares-revenge-tragedies-9780300256703.html
11. McGuire, M. H. (2017). Gyres and waves: Bergsonian movement and multiplicity in the works of WB Yeats and Virginia Woolf (Doctoral dissertation). The University of North Carolina. https://libres.uncg.edu/ir/uncg/f/McGuire_uncg_0154D_12332.pdf
12. Ruppo, I. (2024). Translation as a tool for interpretation: Hebrew-language translations of Yeats’s “The Second Coming”. International Yeats Studies, 8(1), 27-48. https://open.clemson.edu/iys/vol8/iss1/3
13. Van den Bos, K. (2020). Unfairness and radicalization. Annual Review of Psychology, 71(1), 563–588. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050953
14. Vuckovich, R. (2021). A devil under the guise of a good conscience. Labyrinth, 23(1), 86–104. https://doi.org/10.25180/lj.v23i1.257
15. Walsh, T. (2019). The Second Coming: An animated adaptation by Joan C. Gratz. Nordic Irish Studies, 18, 77–95. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27041556
16. Yasmeen, R., Khan, M., & Akhter, S. (2024). Structures of power and authority in WB Yeats’ “The Second Coming” in contemporary times. International Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 3(2), 296–308. https://irjssh.com/index.php/irjssh/article/view/202
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Research Journal of MMC (IRJMMC)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
