For Anne Gregory Summary Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 10

About the Poet 

• William Butler Yeats, an Irish poet and playwright, born in 1865 in Sandymount, Ireland, came from an artistic family. 
• Influenced by Irish mythology, his poetry evolved from conventional to incorporating realism and spirituality. 
• Yeats experimented with forms, including automatic writing, and emphasized rhythm and traditional poetic forms. 
• Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923, he passed away in 1939.

Key Points of the Poem 

• In the poem, the poet converses with a young girl named Anne Gregory and advises her that if a boy becomes upset over her rejection, it doesn't necessarily mean he is a genuine lover. 
• He might have been attracted to her solely because of her physical appearance, like her beautiful yellow hair. The poet emphasizes that true love values inner qualities over outward beauty. 
• In response, Anne suggests altering her appearance to test if she can find genuine love. Ultimately, the poet shares a realization from a religious figure that only God loves us for who we are, highlighting the importance of inner beauty over superficial traits.

Detailed Summary

Stanza 1  

Never shall a young man,
Thrown into despair
By those great honey-coloured
Ramparts at your ear,
Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.

The poem begins with the speaker addressing Anne Gregory, praising her stunning honey-colored hair, which has the power to captivate any man's heart. The speaker suggests that this external beauty acts as a barrier, preventing others from seeing Anne's true self. Because of her striking appearance, the speaker doubts whether any man can love Anne for who she truly is, rather than just admiring her outer beauty, specifically her lovely hair.

Stanza 2

But I can get a hair-dye
And set such colour there,
Brown, or black, or carrot,
That young men in despair
May love me for myself alone
And not my yellow hair.

In the second stanza, Anne responds to the speaker by emphasizing that outer appearances are superficial and unimportant. Using her hair as an example, she suggests that external beauty, like hair color, can easily be changed and is therefore not genuine. Anne asserts that anyone who loves her must see beyond her outward appearance and appreciate her true self. She believes that genuine love should focus on her character rather than her physical attributes, such as her yellow hair.

Stanza 3

I heard an old religious man
But yesternight declare
That he had found a text to prove
That only God, my dear,
Could love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair.

In the final stanza, the speaker responds to Anne's belief in love for internal beauty. The speaker recalls an encounter with an old religious figure who claimed that only God possesses the ability to see beyond external appearances. Humans, according to the speaker, are easily swayed by outward beauty and fail to understand the depth of a person's soul. Therefore, the speaker concludes that only God can truly love Anne for who she is, unaffected by her external beauty.

Theme/ Message

Theme 

• Conventional Ideas of Beauty: Beauty is often defined by cultural standards, leading to a narrow and unchanging perception. Lighter hair is typically deemed beautiful, while darker hair is considered less attractive. This societal belief is deeply ingrained, with many, including Anne Gregory, unquestioningly accepting it. However, the poet challenges this notion, suggesting that true beauty resides within a person's character rather than their external appearance. Despite this alternative perspective, Anne's response to the poet's idea remains uncertain.
• Men's Judgement Based on Outer Appearance: Throughout the poem, the poet critiques men for evaluating women solely based on their outward appearance, overlooking their inner qualities. The poet advocates for men to appreciate women for their character rather than just their looks. While the poet acknowledges Anne's inner beauty, he doubts if others in her peer group will share the same sentiment.
• Universal Truth Told by a Wise Man: The mention of an "old religious man" symbolizes wisdom and knowledge. According to the poet, this wise figure asserts a universal truth: only God truly understands and loves individuals for who they are beyond their physical appearance. God's love for Anne is based on her kind nature, rather than just her external beauty.

Message 

• True love transcends physical appearance: The poem suggests that genuine love goes beyond superficial qualities like physical attractiveness. Instead, it delves into the deeper aspects of a person's character and inner qualities.
• Inner beauty holds greater value: True love is depicted as being rooted in the inner beauty of one's heart, mind, and soul. The poem emphasizes the importance of appreciating a person's inner qualities rather than solely focusing on external features.
• Divine love is selfless: The poem implies that only God possesses the capacity for unconditional and selfless love. Unlike human beings, who may be swayed by external appearances, God loves individuals for who they truly are, beyond physical attributes.

 Literary Devices 

• Rhyme Scheme - The rhyme scheme of the poem is abcbdb.
  “But I can get a hair-dye a
  And set such colour there, b
  Brown, or black, or carrot, c
  That young men in despair b
  May love me for myself alone d 
• Metaphor - A metaphor is a literary device used to represent a comparison without using the words “like” or  “as”.
  In the poem, the phrase ‘honey-coloured ramparts’ is an example of a metaphor.  Yeats, through the metaphor, compares Anne Gregory’s hair to the walls of a fort.
  ‘Ramparts at your ear’. Just like the walls of a fort hide and protect the city, the hair hides the true self of Anne Gregory. 
• Apostrophe - An apostrophe is a rhetorical device in which a speaker or writer addresses an imaginary or absent person, object, or concept as if it were present and able to respond. In poetry, an apostrophe is often used to convey intense emotion or to give voice to an otherwise inanimate object or abstract idea.
  In this poem, Yeats is seen talking to Anne Gregory, but the readers don’t see her at any point in the poem.
  The poet makes use of apostrophe to address the poem to Anne, an absent audience.
  Note:
  Some students raised doubts on this device. So here is some more of explanation on the use of this device.
  There is a use of apostrophe as a poetic device in the poem. However, it’s important to note that the term “apostrophe” in poetry refers to a figure of speech in which the speaker addresses an absent or imaginary person, or an abstract idea, as if it were present and capable of responding.
  In the poem, the speaker seems to be addressing someone directly, possibly a woman with yellow hair. The repeated lines “Love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair” suggest a direct address to the person with the yellow hair. This can be considered a form of apostrophe, as the speaker is addressing the qualities of the person directly, in this case, the yellow hair.
  So, while apostrophe is present in the poem, it is not in the form of the punctuation mark ‘ but rather in the form of a rhetorical device where the speaker is addressing someone or something directly.
• Alliteration
  Love you for yourself alone
  The phrase ‘your yellow hair’ is an example of alliteration.
  Brown, or black
• Repetition
  The phrase ‘yellow hair’ has been repeated many times. By repeating this phrase, the poet is reinforcing the notion of external beauty. The word ‘despair’ is also repeated in the poem. It reflects the young men’s feelings for Anne Gregory. 
• Anaphora - Repeating a word or phrase at the beginning of sentences or clauses that follow each other, done for emphasis
  In the 3rd stanza – the second and third line
  That he had found a text to prove
  That only God, my dear,
• Enjambment - Lines in a stanza ending going or continuing without any punctuation
  In the 2nd Stanza: the 4th and the 5th Line
  That young men in despair
  My love me for myself alone
  In the 3rd Stanza: 1st, 2nd and the 3rd Line
  ‘I heard an old religious man
  But yesternight declare
  That he had found a text to prove

Difficult Meanings

• Despair: hopelessness, here it means failure in succeeding or even expecting to get the love of Anne Gregory
• Ramparts: a defensive wall of a fort but here it means a lock of hair around the ears; here it is a metaphor as her hair covers her face like ramparts cover and protect a castle. The hair acts as a wall and protects her face from being seen fully or entering to feel the inner beauty of the soul of Anne Gregory. Men will stop just at loving her outward beauty.
• Dye: a substance used to change the colour of hair
• Carrot: of carrot colour
• Yesternight: the previous night 
• Text: matter, original writing
• Declare: to announce or tell others or claim
• Prove: to demonstrate and show the truth by evidence or argument