Have students conjecture about the "meaning" that emerges from the synthesis of the above aspects of form (craftsmanship). Encourage them to define the logical relationship between and /or among stanzas (where applicable) and to abstract any "third dimension" of meaning, identifying their perception of what specific aspects of craftsmanship generate a " third dimension."

The above approach to analysis lends itself to several brief in-class writing responses.

Extend the discussion by examining the concept of "organic unity" as it relates to artistic expression, particularly in the Yeats poem under discussion.

Deepen the discussion of "meaning" by explicating the following two poems:

Clarify Yeats' philosophy of cycles of history as he develops it through his various "gyre" images. (the continuum of the dissolution of civilizations as each lives out a two-thousand year cycle of developing, growing, decaying, to be replaced by another two- thousand year cycle of civilization that will go through the same stages )

Discuss the term "metaphysical conceit". Ask students to consider whether or not the images in the two poems are "metaphysical conceits". Ask them to write a brief explanation of their conclusions, clarifying their position with specific evidence from the text. (Presumably, most of them will argue that the central images of each poem meet the definition. Urge them to be thorough and precise in clarifying specific ways the concrete images "shock" the reader in to the grasp of abstract meaning.)

An explication of one of John Donne's poems would help to clarify the concept of "metaphysical conceit". Suggestions: Valediction Forbidding Mourning; The Relic.

Discuss the image of the "falcon" as a "gyre" image and a metaphysical conceit. Some students could be assigned to prepare a presentation on falconry, giving special attention to the uses of falconry in the past and an explanation (maybe with visual reinforcement) of the circling pattern of the falcon. {Note: Once, when I was teaching this poem, a student volunteered that falconry was his hobby, and offered to bring in his bird for demonstration. The day was arranged; the class adjourned to meet outside. The experience was memorable. Even the sight of the glove and the cover on the bird became reinforcement for discussion of the inner workings of the poem.}

Call attention to the fact that the phrase, " things fall apart" became the title of
well-known novel by

Give a brief in-class writing assignment that requires students to delineate specific ways the structure and texture of each poem build Yeats' "gyre" theory of history. Clarify that evaluation of their work will be based not only on the range and depth of their analysis, but also on how precisely and vigorously they argue their position with specific textual evidence.

After collecting papers, consider having students share individual analysis in small groups before opening the discussion out in large group format.

As a companion study to the two "cycle" poems, consider introducing or re-introducing the earlier assignment on the "Dynamo and the Virgin" chapter from Henry Adams', The Education of Henry Adams, and adding to it the reading and study of his chapter, "A Dynamic Theory of History".

Examine the structure and texture of each poem along the lines suggested above.

Clarify Yeats' use of "Byzantium", the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, as the symbol of art, which provides the "ideal life of the soul". Share with students the historical perspective of the city of Byzantium as a holy city, one famous for its dedication to intellectual life and the creation of exquisite art such as paintings, mosaic work, crafts in gold and silver.

If time allows, consider setting up a Web and/or print media "search" project in which students trace some of the background of the city as it becomes Constantinople, then modern Istanbul.

Another special project in which to embed the study of Yeats' poems on Byzantium could be a collaborative study of the "Orientalism" that dominated many areas of art expression in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

For instance, after dividing the class into small groups, assign each group one of the following suggested topics to research and present: the impact of the opening of the Suez Canal and the resumption of relationship with Japan, at the end of the 19th century, as igniting forces of "Orientalism" in painting, music, dance, literature, fashion, and interior design; the paintings of James McNeil Whistler; the "Oriental" choreography of Fokine, Diaghilev, Ruth St. Dennis; a specific, celebrated ballet of the era, for instance, Scheherazade; celebrated classical ballet dancers in the movement, for instance, Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky; the music of Rimsky-Korsakov; the use of the "artifice", finger cymbals and gongs in the dance and music idiom.

The above investigation could help ignite a discussion about the artist's imagination and the purpose of art. Such a discussion, for purposes of the study of Yeats' "Byzantium" theory, could focus on such topics as: the nature of Beauty; objectivity versus subjectivity in controlling art expression; inspiration for art; art as "the artifice of eternity" in a transitory world; art as providing the "connectedness" with the spiritual domain; the "Eeolian Harp" " image, as used in Romantic poetry.

To sustain the energy of such a discussion, assign a formal paper, the topic of which would send students directly into the texts of the two "Byzantium" poems. For instance, ask students to construct a thesis (and argue it forcibly with specifics from the text) that asserts their perception of the meaning of "artifice of eternity" as Yeats develops the concept in the poem. Other suggested paper topics: a comparison of Sailing to Byzantium with Keats's "Ode to a Grecian Urn"; a comparison of Yeats's, "Byzantium" to Shelley's "Mutability," or Wordsworth 's sonnet "Mutability"; a comparison of Shelley's "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" to Yeats's "Sailing to Byzantium.

Close study of the poems, Under Ben Bulben and Blood and the Moon would return students to a "gyre" image. In these poems, however, the "gyre" takes on the connotative properties of a spiral staircase. The persona of the poem ascends to "Byzantium".

Assignments related to a study of these poems could incorporate discussion of vignettes of Dante's trilogy ( In some programs, 10th grade students study The Inferno; even a brief encounter with Dante at that level helps to ready them for literature in which they will be immersed later.) The idea of descending
and ascending in a spiral pattern could be reinforced through a little work in Dante.

Another study of the "spiral staircase "image could center on a comparison with the way the image emerges in T.S. Eliot's poem, "Ash Wednesday."

A comparative study of Yeats' and Eliot's poems could also ignite a discussion or offer an opportunity for a written analysis of the two author's assertions concerning "ritual" and the bonding of the present to the past achievements of artists and artisans.