Grendel Review

Because of the upcoming AP exam, I thought it'd be a good idea to review one of the books I didn't do an outline on for the timed writings. One of my favorite texts throughout the year was Grendel by John Gardner because of the way it relates to the many allusions that we researched. For example, the speaker claims, "Why are we here? I used to ask her. Why do we stand this putrid stinking hole? She trembles at my words. her fat lips shake. Don't ask" This quote struck me as incredibly interesting in the way it relates to Plato's allegory of the cave. The prisoners in the underground cave are living a different perspective of reality. Once a prisoner is free, knowledge of another world changes his or her reality. Grendel's knowledge/exploration of the world of men changes his perspective of his reality and thus makes him different from his mother. I also find it very interesting that Grendel's mother does not want to experience this change of perspective as if she fears it. She does not want the knowledge that causes Grendel to live in conflict ion between two different worlds. This kind of brings about the major theme of innocence versus experience in the context of two different worlds. Throughout this text, there were also multiple allusions to the Garden of Eden. For example, these speaker claims, "It was wedged sep, as if the two oak trees were eating it. Black saw-dust squirrel dust-was spattered put he leg almost to the thigh." I like this quote a lot because of the picture it paints in my mind. The two trees to me represent Grendel's conflicted nature between his world and the world of men. Also, the fact that the trees are "eating" his foot shows the danger of being int he existential void/middle ground. The middle ground between the tewo worlds is a monster in itself that can kill you. Th rees also portray an allusion to the Garden of Eden, which portrays the dangers of curiosity/knowledge and a loss of innocence. Lastly, "dust" has the denotation of human remains. Thus, it foreshadows Grendel's figurative death of his innocence. This is further exemplified through the connotation of "black", which is death. One main question that brings about the allusion of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse is "Who is beowulf coming to save?" In my opinion, I don't think Beowulf is trying to save anyone. The argument that he he is trying to save the Danes is invalid  because he is taking away their "honor". I think he  is more of a destroyer . In fact, he is reffered to having "sea pale eyes" and has an affability to the coast guard's horse> In this way, gardner is alluding that Beowulf is the fourth horse of the apocalypse known as the Pale Horse or Death.

Hope, Rebirth, and the Monomyth

The contemporary novel that I had to read was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. In our second lit circle, my group truly talked about the meaning of the text as a whole and I thought it'd be a great idea to expound on that by relating it to a structural framework. In this novel, Hosseini portrays the hope of women's rights progression in a primarily patriarchal Afghan society through the allusion off the Garden of Eden in an archetypal framework that models the Monomyth. Throughout the text, Hosseini seems to be alluding the the Genesis. For example, the speaker claims, "Tariq napped beneath a tree on the banks of a gurgling stream". The tree that Tariq naps under can be seen as a direct allusion and foreshadow to the eventual end of a cycle and the creation of a new age of Afghan society, which occurs during the orphanage scene at the end of the text. Another indication of this hopeful rebirth of the cycle is portrayed through the light symbolism. For example, the speaker claims, "A dragonfly whirred nearby. Laila watched its wings catch glints of sunlight as it buzzed from one blade of grass to another. They flashed purple, then green, orange. […] Somewhere, a donkey brayed. A generator sputtered to life."The sunlight "glints" through the fireflies as if it is partially portraying the light from the sun. Throughout this text, light is seen as a symbol of progression and thus this passage is an example of a foreshadow for the eventual push towards progression in Afghan society near the end of the text. Lastly, the generator sputtering to life is a prime indication of this movement towards progression that the whole passage seems to be alluding towards. Near the end of the text, the speaker claims, " The orphanage playground has a row of apple saplings now along the east-facing wall. Laila is planning to plant some on the south wall as well as soon as it is rebuilt. There is a new swing set, new monkey bars, and a jungle gym." Hosseini seems to be making a direct allusion tot he Garden of Eden through his reference to the apple saplings, which indicate a sense of renewal and rebirth. Not only this, Laila's whole world seems to be changed in the way that she is carrying on the Monomyth through mariam. According to Joseph Campbell, the very last step of the journey is to return to a point where everything has changed and it is called the Return With the Elixir. This Elixir could be metaphorical or literal. In Laila (and therefore Mariam's case), the Elixir is the realization of change and success that is constantly around her. The new orphanage indicates a sense of newness and rebirth within Afghan society. One of my favorite points in my group's discussion of this text was the idea that Mariam was seen as a Christ figure who sacrificed herself for the greater good and recycle of the Afghan society. The beauty of the book for me was that Mariam still lived on through Laila in a common bond of hardship and enduring.

Literature Circle 1 Discussion Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion my group had on A Thousand Splendid Suns especially in the way in which we corresponded in our interpretation of the text. For example, throughout the text the theme of covering up or veiling was applicable to both a small and large scale. The speaker claims, "A few moments later, he pushed back the blanket and left the room, leaving her with the impression of his head on her pillow, leaving her to wait out the pain down below, to look at the frozen stars in the sky and a cloud that draped the face of the moon like a wedding veil” (Hosseini 70). This passage is incredibly important in the way that it paints a symbolic picture within the mind. Moon has the denotation of anything that one could desire. Thus, the speaker uses a simile to describe the covering up of the moon as a way of covering up her desire of progression. This is because the "frozen stars", which are representative of the traditional stagnation within Afghan society are in direct contrast from the moon. Therefore, the wedding veil is covering up the progression of women that Mariam so desperately seeks. This theme of covering up is seen again when the speaker claims, "Jalil had taught he  that gray clouds got their color by being so dense that their top parts absorbed the sunlight and cast their own shadow along the base. That's what you see Mariam jo, he had said, the dark in their underbelly" (Hosseini 28). Gray has the connotation of old age and tradition. Thus, the clouds can be seen as representations of the strict patriarchal society in Afghanistan and the people that contribute towards it. It is also very interesting to note that the gray clouds absorb the sunlight. Throughout the text, cold and icy weather is connoted for the stagnation of women, so sunlight can be seen as a direct contrast to that which is progression. The fact that the clouds are absorbing this sunlight is representative of the covering up of progression by the strict hierarchy of tradition and patriarchy in Afghanistan. This quote also relates to the theme of covering up in the form of pregnancy. The "underbelly" of the clouds can be seen as the womb that is personified by the strict hierarchal patriarchy in Afghanistan. The woman are essentially the embryos and babies within this womb and in a sense are being shielded from the light. Lastly, although this book is centered in Afghanistan, there seems to be some unifying Christian elements that are displayed. For example, the speaker claims, "She rolled up the legs of her trousers to the knees, crossed the stream, and, for the first time in her life, headed down the hill for Herat" (Hosseini 28). This quote displays the concept of heaven and hell in the way that Mariam moves in a downward direction, which could indicate a movement from heaven to hell or on a larger scale from the Garden of Eden to Earth. 

Norton/Expulsion Discussion Thoughts

This is one of my favorite sections of the book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion on it. One of my favorite quotes from the section was "Then in my mind's eye I see the bronze statue of the college Founder, the cold Father symbol, his hands outstreched in the breathtaking gesture of lifting a veil that flutters in hard, metallic folds above thef ace of the kneeling slave; and I am standing puzzled, unable to decide whether the veil is really being lifted or lowered more firmly in place; whether I am witnessing a revelation or a more efficient blinding". I thought this quote was so perfect for the book because it truly portrays the mysterious nature of the text on whether or not the university is truly good for the narrator or not. This also brings into the prominent theme of perception versus reality. For example, the black men see the statue through both ways; however, white men could only see it in the way that the veil is being lifted because they have not experienced the hardships of slavery. Another quote that I thought was incredibly interesting was when Mr. Norton was unable to see the "ragged river dozing on the seat beneath the shade of a clump of trees". He even claimss, " Oh! No, I can't see it for the trees" This quote truly exemplifies how the trees and the garden that the white men have created are simply symbols of further oppression for the blacks within the university. For example, when the narrator takes Norton to the unfamiliar grounds outside of school he claims, " there were not trees and the air was brilliant". I think that this is so interesting to note that without the trees (a product of the white man) the narrator feels so free and independent. Thus, it seems as though Norton is blinded by his own work in a sense, which further relates to the theme of perception versus reality. The trees can also be taken to a further figurative level in the way that they could represent an allusion to the Garden of Eden. In a sense, Ellison is portraying the loss of innocence and rebirth that Norton seems to under go. For example, "As we carried him toward the Golden Day one of the men stopped suddnely and mr. Norton's head hung down, his white hari dragging in the dust". Dust has the denotation of human remains and thus relates to the transformation that Norton undergoes after talking to true blood and loosing his innocence. Also, white generally has the denotation of purity and innocence. Thus, the fact that it was being dragged in the dust indicates a sense of shedding or transition from one stage to another.

Liberty Paint Discussion Thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the socratic seminar on the Liberty Paint section of Invisible Man because of the multiple interpretations of this section. One of the main points that I truly liked during the discussion was Antoine's point of the narrator's journey and its relationship to Dante's Inferno. For example, Lucius Brockway could be an allusion to Lucifer or the Devil. Not only this, his workshop is located beneath the industrial factory three stories down as if one is literally and figurative walking down towards hell. Another correlation to Dante's Inferno is seen during the hospital scene. This scene contains many correspondences to circle Six, where Dante portrays the heretics and their fiery chests similar to the iron lung which the invisible man describes as "fiery". Lucius Brockway's positioning within the factory was also incredibly interesting to me as he is located at the very bottom and claims that " right down here is where the real paint is made. Without what I do they couldn't do nothing, they be making bricks without straw..." Essentially, Brockway is the foundation for the "pure" liberty paints. This is so ironic and contradictory considering that the perfectly white paint must be created with black droplets and by a black man himself in a basement. Looking farther than the racism problem, one can also see that the important theme of individuality vs. community. For example, the Optic White paint is created by adding black to the middle of the white paint to make it glossier. Thus, one can imagine an eyeball like symbol which is a smaller circle within a larger circle. This symbol definitely portrays a common motif throughout the book, which is the influence of a larger community over the individual. For example, we see this through the university, industrial paint, brotherhood etc. It seems as though the narrator is constantly influenced by a larger force around him or a community that seems to strip away his individuality until the end of the novel. Not only this, this scene also portrays an evident rebirth within the text. For example, at the beginning of chapter 12, after the hospital scene, the narrator claims, " When I came out of teh subway, Lenox Avenue seemed to careen away from me at a drunken angle, and I focused upon the teetering scene with wild, infant's eyes, my head throbbing". Also, before the beginning of chapter twelve, the speaker notices a "young platinum blonde [who] nibbled at a red Delicious apple as a station lights rippled past behind her. The train plunged". The fruit is an obvious allusion to the Genesis, which could indicate a loss of innocence within the narrator because of his transformation. Lastly, it is interesting to note that the narrator makes another plunge as if he is moving in deeper towards another layer of hell if you wanted to correlate this back to Dante's inferno.

"The World is Too Much With Us; Late and Soon" by William Wordsworth

The World is Too Much With Us; Late and Soon
William Wordsworth

THE world is too much with us; late and soon, Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:

Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! The Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers; For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not.--Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn; Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn. 










William Wordsworth, one of the founders of Romanticism, emphasizes the importance of nature within his poem. Just a little background on Romanticism, the movement places grave importance on the inequality of industrialization, government, and social classes. Not only this, the movement has a strong obsession with nature and it's effects.

Starting in the first two lines of the poem the speaker claims, "The world is too much with us" and "getting and spending". The first phrase "The world is too much with us", when read aloud, we notice an alliteration of the "u" sound. This creates a crowding effect within the phrase that points to the larger point of the poem of the world being too complicated and too much for the speaker. The phrase "getting and spending" could be a reference to the consumerism that plays a role within the current "world" that the speaker is describing. In addition, the fact that the speaker uses "getting and spending" as gerunds indicates their almost never ending nature as if this type of society is a continual progression.  In the next line, the speaker claims, "Little we see in Nature that is ours". This phrase seems to indicate the loss of inspiration and ownership of nature that society had previously had. The speaker then moves on to say "We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!" The speaker seems to use a sarcastic tone because sordid has the denotation of moral distaste and contempt while boon has the denotation of a reward of some sort. Thus, the contradictory nature of the phrase elucidates the speaker's contempt with current society. In the next 3-4 lines, the speaker compares elements of the nature he holds so dearly such as the "sea" and "winds" to "sleeping flowers". The speaker uses personification to exemplify the message of society not adhering to the influential powers of nature anymore. In the next couple lines, there seems to be a shift in tone when the speaker claims, "...Great God! I'd rather be/ A pagan suckled in a creed outworn." Paganism is a primitive form of religious belief, which makes this phrase so interesting because it is as if the speaker wishes he could become more obsolete. In the next couple lines, we learn why he would want to be a pagan. The speaker claims, "Have glimpses that would be less forlorn". The speaker seems to be saying that paganism would allow him to have glimpses of how nature should be perceived with all it's great power and importance. In the last two lines, the speaker alludes to "Triton" and "Proteus" which are greek sea gods who have the power to influence the sea. This allusion help promotes the speaker's want to go back and appreciate the powers of nature.

Hamlet Act 2 Thoughts

This is definitely one of the larger acts in the novel in which there are two scenes. Just to recap, Polonius sends his servant Reynaldo to France with money and notes for Laertes. However, his primary motive for sending him is so he can spy on Laertes. After Reynaldo leaves, Ophelia enters with an upset attitude. She tells her father that Hamlet came to her, grabbed her, and sighed heavily but did not speak to her. Polonius thinks that Hamlet is madly in love wit her but must distance himself from her because of Polonius. polonius believes that his lack of love causes Hamlet's weird mood and goes to Claudius to tell of his opinion. One of the main questions that I had with the Act was what is the purpose of Hamlet acting so madly in love for Ophelia? For example, in Act 2 Scene 1, Polonius claims, "Affection, put! You speak like a green girl/Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his "tenders" as you call them."Tenders is an important word in this scene that has a multitude of denotations such as a boat used to ferry people and supplies to and from a ship or a rail car connected to a steam locomotive to carry fuel and water. These denotations are so interesting because they display how the "tender" is used to carry out a specific task that connects two aspects that are distanced from each other. Maybe Hamlet is using Ophelia as his tender to connect himself with Polonius in order to carry out his task of restoring the order within the Danish society. This is further exemplified through the connotation of the color green which is how Ophelia is described. Green has the connotation of inexperience and thus represents Ophelia's ability to be taken advantage of. Another question that I had about this scene was what Hamlet's true motive or rather the ghost's true motive is within the Danish society. In act 1 scene 1, Hamlet claims to "obey" his mother on not going to Wittenberg. Similarly, in Act 2 Scene 2, Ophelia claims to "obey" her father on not going to see Hamlet anymore. The word obey is used throughout the text and has an interesting denotation which is to behave in accordance with a general principle or natural law. During this time, order and structure was everything and was modeled after teh Great Chain of Being which displays the hierarchy and order that society should follow. It is interesting to note that this Great Chain of Being is completely corrupt with much disorder in the Denmark system. For example, the throne was not passed on to Hamlet who was the rightful heir and even more disorder is caused by the Ghost. This theme and motif of disorder combined with the denotation of obey places light upon the potential purpose of Hamlet's actions which are to restore order within the Danish society through revenge for his ghostly father.

Hamlet-Act 1 Scene 2 Thoughts

Act 1 Scene 2 of Hamlet is an incredibly important scene in the play because it is the first time we truly get to see Hamlet for who he is and understand his inner thoughts. During this scene, Claudius (King of Denmark) is marrying Hamlet's father's former wife Gertrude in a close time span of the former king's death. Just to give a brief synopsis, during this scene Claudius sends ambassadors to Norway and urges Hamlet to stay here rather than study in Wittenberg for university.

During Claudius's soliloquy, he claims, " Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen,/Thy imperial jointress to this warlike state." It is interesting to note Shakespeare's use of the word "state" throughout the text. State has a multitude of denotations which include the condition of a person or thing, rank or status, style of loving, and even the partial condition of the mind. All of these denotations can be used and applied to the sentence as if Shakespeare has meant to put that many layers within the writing of his text. For example, the warlike "state" could be a reference to the partial condition of Hamlet's mind in which he is incredibly hostile towards Claudius. Also, Claudius uses a myriad of paradoxes within this soliloquy such as "With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage". This use of paradox and contradictory structure indicates the deceptive nature of Claudius as if he is truly trying to manipulate those around him. After the King speaks with Polonius, we hear Hamlet's very first line in which he claims "A little more than kin and less than kind."This line definitely portrays Hamlet's viewpoint towards this manipulative king who seems to disdain him for taking the place of his father. Similar to the double meaning seen in word state, Gertrude claims "Do not forever with thy vailed lids/Seek for thy noble father in the dust." Dust has the denotation of human remains and the dry particles of earth. Thus, Shakespeare is yet again using this multiple meaning that could portray the deceptive nature of Gertrude. This deception is further exemplified through the theme of seeming vs. is-ing. For example, Hamlet claims "Seems, madam? Nay it is. I know not seems/Tis not alone my inky cloak, (good) mother..." In this scene, I think Hamlet aptly describes a reocurring theme throughout the text which is the idea of perception versus reality or otherwise known as appearance versus truth. Even in the very structure of the Denmark throne, there seems to be some disorder and chaos because Hamlet is not chosen to take the place of his father. Yet, Claudius is still trying to those in Norway that the kingdom is stronger than ever. It is also interesting to note that Claudius allows Laertes to leave while Hamlet is not allowed to. This reveals an important character trait about Claudius in which he likes to stay in control. In a sense, he is in control of everything except Hamlet. We also notice that Hamlet worships his father as a "Hyperion" which is a sun god. In this way, we can see that Hamlet is willing to sacrifice anything in order to please his father.

Invisible Man-Chapter 1 Thoughts

Aside from the prologue, the first chapter of any piece of literary merit is important in foreshadowing some important themes and motifs that are revealed through the rest of the text. Just a brief summary of this first chapter: the narrator is supposed to be delivering a speech to the "white folk" that explains how there should be an advancement in the treatment of black Americans around the nation. To his surprise, he is told to take place in a "battle royal" type of fight in which he has to fight other black men for the entertainment of the white folk. There is also a scene in which black Americans are told to fight for fake gold coins on an electric rug in order for the white men to be entertained. The narrator does eventually give his speech, and is rewarded with a calfskin briefcase with a scholarship to a state college. 

I think the death of the narrator's grandfather is incredibly important as a foreshadow. For example, the grandfather claims, "Live with your head in the lion's mouth. I want you to overcome em with yeses, undermine em with grins, agree' em to death and destruction, let em swoller you till they vomit or bust wide open."Throughout his life, the grandfather was incredibly meek and accepting towards the white men as if he was a "spy". This is parallel to how the narrator feels towards the white folk throughout the chapter. In fact, the grandfather seems to describe this general submissiveness as "treachery". Treachery has the denotation of a betrayal of trust as if submitting to the white men is breaking ties with the black Americans around him. One of the scenes that I think is incredibly interesting is the scene of the blonde lady dancing as a "creature [who] was completely hypnotized". Creature connotes being under the complete control of another. In this sense, she seems to be under the complete control of the white men that pedestal her as a form of entertainment. However, the difference between her and the black men is that she is white. In this way, maybe this text is not merely about the struggle of racism but rather the struggle of obtaining an egalitarian society from a pervasive standpoint. As I've started to index, I have noticed that the speaker constantly compares himself to a "drunken man". Being drunk causes one to lose the ability to control one's own behaviors, thus it seems as though the narrator is in a constant state of being drunk because he is unable to control his own behaviors with the dominancy of the white men. The speaker also claims, "The boys groped about like blind cautious crabs crouching to protect their mid-sections, their heads pulled in short against their shoulders, their arms stretched nervously before them, with their fists testing the smoke-filled air like the knobbed feelers of hypersensitive snails." Throughout this chapter, Ellison refers to most of the characters through an animalistic parallel. For example, crabs are only able to move side to side, which could indicate a sense of stagnation for the black men who are unable to progress within this society. However, it is interesting to note that both the white men and the black men are given animalistic characteristics, which could be the speaker's way of foreshadowing the eventual equality between everyone. 

Invisible Man-Prologue Thoughts

For starters, the very first line of the prologue is “I am an invisible man” (Ellison 3). Invisible has the denotation of treated as if unable to be seen and ignored or not taken into consideration. This is exactly how the narrator seems to feel. He is the product of an environment that doesn’t seem to accept him because of the people around him who refuse to. One of the scenes that truly got me interested in this book is when the narrarator decides not to murder the man who insulted him because of a realization that he is still invisible. It is hard to tell what the exact meaning of this scene is right now; however, I did notice some very contradictory aspects of it. For example, the violent brutality of the scene takes place “beneath the lamplight” during the night. Generally, the light shining on something in the space of darkness indicates some sort of holiness. We’ll have to read more through the text to figure out what makes this act so holy and justifiable considering that it is so brutal and horrific. It is also interesting to note that the nararrator is described as a “phantom”” (Ellison 5). One of the interesting denotations of this word is a financial arrangement or transaction that has been invented for fraudulent purposes but that does not really exist. I believe that this definition is very interesting in laying out the truth about our nararrator. Is he so invisible that he is nothing but a fake in the eyes of the society around him? The word transaction also reminds me of the sort of a sort of slave trade that might play relevance towards the identity of our main character. I also think it is very relevant to notice his living condition right now. For example, he claims, “I love rent free in a building rented strictly to whites, in a section of the building that was shut off and forgotten during the nineteenth century” (Ellison 6). I think it is so interesting that his own living conditions shows the superiority of white in that society considering that he is located in a “hole” below them. However, his hole is filled with over a thousand lights, which indicates the same holiness described earlier even though the light is taken unfairly from the Monopolated Light and Power Company. In addition, by trying to take as much light from the company as he can, the narrarator seems to be displaying a propensity to revolt against the social norms of his environment. I also thought that the quote paralleling the main character to a bear was quite interesting. For example, he claims, “ I am neither dead nor in a state of suspended animation. Call me Jack-the Bear for I am in a state of hibernation” (Ellison 6). It is kind of scary to think of this almost stagnated state of mind in which one rests up, but upon wakening enters the world filled with energy and ready to “make overt change”.

"Leda and the Swan" by William Butler Yeats

Leda and the Swan William Butler Yeats A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. How can those terrified vague fingers push The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? And how can body, laid in that white rush, But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? A shudder in the loins engenders there The broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemnon dead. Being so caught up, So mastered by the brute blood of the air, Did she put on his knowledge with his power Before the indifferent beak could let her drop? "Leda and the Swan" is a poem that centers and almost retells the story of the rape of Leda from Greek mythology in which a swan is disguised as Zeus. From the very beginning, we see that Yeats uses a synechdoche to illustrate the almost god like perspective of the swan. For example, "great wings" is a part of the swan that represents the whole. Not only this, we see another part representing a whole when Yeats claims "her thighs caressed/By the dark webs". The "dark webs" are representative of the swan's feet, and can be further connoted negatively because of the darkness description. It is also interesting to note the brutality of the rape when Yeats claims "helpless breast, yet it is still quite a seductive. Moving on to the next stanza, we see that the speaker describes Leda's fingers as "terrified". This is a prime example of personification used to emphasize the brutality of the rape in this greek mythology. In the very next line, the speaker uses the phrase "feathered glory". First of all, this can be seen as an allusion to the godliness of Zeus within the mythology. This is further exemplified through the denotation of "glory" which is a luminous ring or halo that could indicate an omnipotent figure. Moving on to the next line, the "white rush" represents the forced nature of the sexual act of the swan; however, Yeats seems to be sending us to different messages. White has the connotation of purity and holiness, yet the swan is preforming an horrific act. In addition, Leda seems to be able to "feel the strange heart beating" which indicates the feelings of excitement or mystery.It is also interesting to note that the speaker claims "And how can body..." not feel the way described above. The fact that Yeats is referring to any "body" shows the equality between man, women, or animal and the inability to stand against God. The next line describes a "shudder in the loins", which indicates the completion of such a sexual act and the impregnation of Leda. The baby that Leda eventually gives birth to is Troy, so it makes sense that Yeats speaks about the "the burning roof and tower" to allude to the eventual Trojan War. At the end of the poem, we find out that the swan is actually Zeus and that some of his knowledge might have been transferred to Leda through the sexual act.