William Butler Yeats - Prayer for My Daughter: Yeats's aristocratic leanings often clashed with the rising tide of modern democracy. How might Prayer for My Daughter be read as a subtle commentary on his anxieties about the future of a world increasingly shaped by mass movements and potentially volatile ideologies?
1
The poem explicitly endorses democratic ideals and the power of the masses.
2
Yeats's desire for his daughter to possess "natural kindness" and "simple beauty" can be interpreted as a yearning for enduring, perhaps more traditional values as a counterpoint to the perceived instability and potential for vulgarity associated with rapid social and political change.
3
The poem's focus is solely on personal and familial concerns without any broader social implications.
4
Yeats expresses unwavering optimism about the future of modern democracy.