The poet, William Butler Yeats, expresses significant worry about the future of his newborn daughter, Anne, in "A Prayer for My Daughter" primarily due to his observations of the changing and often turbulent world around him. He perceives a devaluation of traditional, beautiful "worldly ways" and desires to shield her from the harsh realities and potential for malice.
Yeats’s concerns stem from a profound desire for his daughter to navigate life with inner grace and resilience, rather than being swayed or harmed by external negativities. He wants her to embody virtues that he feels are diminishing in the wider world.
Reasons for the Poet's Concerns
The poet's anxieties are multifaceted, reflecting both societal decay and a father's natural protective instincts:
- Devaluation of Worldly Ways: Yeats observes a decline in the established, perhaps more refined or stable, ways of the world. This perceived societal degradation makes him anxious about the environment his daughter will grow up in, fearing it lacks the beauty and integrity he values.
- Ensuring Her Safety: At a fundamental level, the poet is deeply concerned about his daughter's safety in a world that he views as increasingly unstable and potentially dangerous. This worry extends beyond physical safety to her emotional and spiritual well-being.
- Desire for a Life of Beauty and Virtue: His anxiety prompts him to pray for specific qualities that would ensure her happiness and fulfillment. He solicits for her a life endowed with true beauty, which he associates with:
- Natural Kindness: A genuine, inherent goodness that emanates from within, rather than being superficial.
- Heart-Winning Courtesy: A charming and sincere politeness that allows her to connect positively with others and navigate social interactions gracefully.
- Avoiding Hatred and Malice: A significant fear is that his daughter might fall prey to or embody hatred. He earnestly wishes for her to avoid this destructive emotion, seeing it as a corrupting force that can mar one's character and relationships.
Aspiration for Inner Character
Yeats's worries lead him to emphasize the development of strong inner virtues over superficial attributes. He believes that true beauty lies not in physical appearance, but in a virtuous mind and soul. This is evident in his prayers for kindness, courtesy, and freedom from hatred, which he views as essential defenses against the world's harshness.
The poet’s anxieties and desires can be summarized as a contrast between the perceived flaws of the external world and the virtues he wishes to cultivate within his daughter:
| Poet's Perceived Threats (from the World) | Poet's Hopes and Prayers (for Daughter) |
|---|---|
| Devaluation of "worldly ways" | A life of profound beauty |
| Unsafe and turbulent future | Personal safety and well-being |
| Prevalence of hatred and malice | Natural kindness and heart-winning courtesy, avoidance of hatred |
| Superficiality and intellectual pride | Inner grace and an innocent mind |
Ultimately, Yeats's profound worry stems from a father's protective instinct combined with an artist's sensitivity to societal shifts. He seeks to secure for his daughter not just survival, but a life of deep intrinsic value, shielded by grace and kindness from the potential for coarseness and animosity he observes around him.
