GyanpithIn this short poem by W.B. Yeats, a young man and a young woman argue over whether she can ever be loved for herself alone and not for her beautiful yellow hair. This page gives complete answers to all the textbook questions on the poem.
Key points
- The poem is a conversation in three stanzas between a young man and a young woman, Anne Gregory.
- The young man says her thick, golden hair, like "honey-coloured ramparts", makes young men fall for her looks alone.
- Anne replies that she can dye her hair brown, black or carrot so that she is loved for herself.
- The young man ends by saying that only God can love a person for herself alone.
- The theme is the contrast between outer beauty and inner worth, and how people judge by appearance.
- Each stanza has six lines, and the second, fourth and sixth lines rhyme (despair, ear, hair).
Before You Read
This poem is a conversation between a young man and a young woman. What are they arguing about?
They are arguing about whether a person can be loved for her inner self rather than for her outward beauty. The young man says that no young man will ever love the young woman "for yourself alone" because they are attracted by her yellow hair. She replies that she can dye her hair so that she is loved only for herself. He ends by saying that only God can love a person in that way.
Thinking about the Poem
1. What does the young man mean by "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear?" Why does he say that young men are "thrown into despair" by them?
By "great honey-coloured / Ramparts at your ear", the young man means the young woman's thick, golden-yellow hair falling over her ears. Ramparts are the high, wide walls around a fort, so the metaphor shows how full and grand her hair is, like a wall around her face.
He says young men are "thrown into despair" by them because her beautiful hair attracts them and makes them fall madly in love with her. They despair of ever winning her love. The image of a rampart also suggests a barrier: her beauty stands like a wall between the lovers and her real self, so they love only her looks and never come to know the person inside.
2. What colour is the young woman's hair? What does she say she can change it to? Why would she want to do so?
The young woman's hair is yellow, a golden, honey colour. She says she can get a hair-dye and change it to "Brown, or black, or carrot". She wants to do this so that young men will not be attracted only by her beautiful hair. She wishes to be loved "for myself alone", that is, for her inner qualities, her nature and character, and not for her outward beauty.
3. Objects have qualities which make them desirable to others. Can you think of some objects (a car, a phone, a dress…) and say what qualities make one object more desirable than another? Imagine you were trying to sell an object: what qualities would you emphasise?
We value objects for their qualities. For example:
| Object | Qualities that make it desirable |
|---|---|
| Car | good mileage, safety features, comfort, attractive design, low maintenance, brand reputation, price |
| Mobile phone | good camera, long battery life, fast processor, large storage, sleek look, reasonable price |
| Dress | colour, fabric, fit, comfort, latest fashion, stitching quality |
If I were selling a mobile phone, I would emphasise the qualities buyers care about most. I would talk about its excellent camera, its long-lasting battery, its fast performance and its stylish, lightweight design. I would also stress that it gives good value for money and comes with a warranty. This shows that we love objects for their qualities alone, and the poem asks whether people should be valued in the same way.
4. What about people? Do we love others because we like their qualities, whether physical or mental? Or is it possible to love someone "for themselves alone"? Are some people 'more lovable' than others? Discuss this question in pairs or in groups, considering points like the following.
Qualities often attract us to people at first. Real love, however, goes beyond looks, talent or fame. We can love people for themselves alone when we love them whatever they look like, whatever they achieve and whatever their faults. Nobody is truly "more lovable" than another; some people are only more admired.
(i) a parent or caregiver's love for a newborn baby, for a mentally or physically challenged child, for a clever child or a prodigy
This is the purest example of loving someone for themselves alone. Parents love a newborn baby before it has shown any talent or quality. They love a mentally or physically challenged child just as deeply, and often care for that child with extra tenderness. A clever child or a prodigy may make parents proud, but they do not love that child more because of the cleverness. A parent's love is unconditional.
(ii) the public's love for a film star, a sportsperson, a politician, or a social worker
The public's love depends on qualities. People love a film star for good looks and acting, a sportsperson for victories, a politician for promises and work, and a social worker for service. This love is really admiration. It changes when the qualities fade: if a star's films fail or a player loses form, the public soon turns to someone else. The public does not love these people for themselves alone.
(iii) your love for a friend, or brother or sister
We may first choose a friend because of shared interests or a pleasant nature, but true friendship grows into love for the person as a whole. We accept our friend's weaknesses along with the strengths. Our love for a brother or sister is even closer: we may quarrel, but the bond remains, whatever they look like or achieve. This love comes very near to loving someone for themselves alone.
(iv) your love for a pet, and the pet's love for you
The love between a pet and its owner is simple and unconditional. We love a pet dog or cat even when it is old, sick or ugly. In return, the pet loves us without caring whether we are rich or poor, beautiful or plain, successful or not. It welcomes us with the same joy every day. A pet's love is perhaps the best example of loving someone for themselves alone.
5. You have perhaps concluded that people are not objects to be valued for their qualities or riches rather than for themselves. But elsewhere Yeats asks the question: How can we separate the dancer from the dance? Is it possible to separate 'the person himself or herself' from how the person looks, sounds, walks, and so on? Think of how you or a friend or member of your family has changed over the years. Has your relationship also changed? In what way?
It is very difficult to separate a person from the way he or she looks, sounds, walks and behaves. These things are part of who the person is, just as the dance cannot exist without the dancer. At the same time, a person is more than looks, and our love for someone does not depend only on appearance.
My grandmother is a good example. When I was little, she was strong and active. She worked in the kitchen garden all day and carried me on her back. Now she is over seventy, her hair has turned white, she walks slowly with a stick and her eyesight is weak. Her appearance has changed a great deal, but she is still the same loving person who tells me stories and blesses me before every examination.
Our relationship has changed, but it has grown deeper, not weaker. Earlier she looked after me; now I help her, read her the newspaper and take her to the doctor. This shows that although looks change with time, real love is for the person herself, and it can grow stronger as the outward appearance fades.
You may also write about a friend whose looks or habits have changed but whose friendship has remained the same.