Essay Questions

What are the needs of a women, as described in "In Tara's Hall"?

In the beginning of the poem, the main character is described as being sitting in a wonderful hall, with a woman sitting on his knee. The man has a conversation with the woman, listing all the things a woman needs in order to be happy. Among these elements are listed luxurious clothes, a roof over her head, passion and maybe, as the narrator points out, love. The main character claims women had no need for love, but rather only needed physical possessions in order to be happy. This description is rather demeaning when it comes to women and apart from being described as being secondary to men in society, they are also described as being unable to make a living on their own and they were in fact, dependent on the men around them and thus, with little to no value.

What was the Oracle of Delphi and why it is associated with a dolphin in "News from the Delphic Oracle"?

Delphi was in ancient Greece a sacred city, believed to be the navel of the world, or the place chosen by Zeus to be considered as being the center of the world. The ancient city was situated on a hill, 100 miles away from Greece and housed an impressive temple built in Apollo's honor which housed an oracle, a woman who was belived to be able to communicate with the Gods and who was often consulted by every religios person, from farmers to kings, and asked to interpret the future. Delphi was far from being situated near the sea and thus the association between Delphi and the dolphin can't be the result of its physical location. Dolphins are associated in Greek mythology with the god of the sea, they were also associated with Apollo since it is belied he transformed into a dolphin when searching for a suitable place to build his temple and, according to mythology, he found Delphi in this manner.

Who is Cuchulain in the poem of the same name?

Cuchulain is one of the most well-known figures in the Irish mythology. According to legend, he was the son of a Queen and the Sun God who impregnated the young Queen by transforming into a fly and then being swallowed by the Queen on her wedding night. The young boy was from the beginning an extraordinary character who possessed supernatural powers. Unfortunately, he is described as being violent which lead him to serve as a guard dog for a man named Cullan after Cuchulain killed his dog accidentally. In his youth, Cuchulain felt in love with a young woman who set him on a series of heroic quests to prove his love for her. One of this adventures took Cuchulain through the underworld, a scene described through the poem wrote by Yeats.