The Fleeting MindA poet's struggle to write is one of the last places one might think of drawing inspiration; yet, in WB Yeats's poem “The Balloon of the Mind,” the narrator does just that. The four-line poem, using personification, analogy, and an overall metaphysical conceit, manages to expose the hard work and dedication that goes into writing a poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The poem begins with the narrator commanding his hands to “do as they are told,” in this case meaning write. He's almost begging for some sort of inspiration to come to him and seems ready to take whatever idea comes to mind first. The semicolon at the end of the line not only acts as a pause, as opposed to an enjambment, but is also a hint of hesitation in the narrator's mind, as he is most likely not sure what the next line will be. The second line creates the first part of the analogy; the “mind balloon” is the inspiration to write. Along with the personification of the narrator's hands, the reader sees the first mention of this balloon. The personification of his hands shows that the narrator feels that he has no control over the situation and that it is only up to his hands to write. However, one could argue that the “hands” are simply a synecdoche of the narrator's entire mind and body, or even of the entire writing process. The end of the second verse ends with an enjambement, a possible indication that the narrator has found more inspiration from his thoughts. As the poem progresses to the third line, the reader sees how the “balloon” is an idea as the comparison is further detailed. . By using visual imagery, Yeats is able to convey the fleeting nature of a writer's thoughts and ideas, that they are able to come and go in the blink of an eye, and that writing itself is much easier said than done . A light breeze blows a balloon away from a small child, just as a passing distraction erases any semblance of thought a writer might have had. Using visual images that virtually any reader could relate to, the narrator visualizes a writer's struggle putting pen to paper. He could spend hours sitting in front of his notebook or typewriter, staring at a blank sheet of paper, waiting for that idea to come, only to be left with nothing. This line of the poem is also the longest, as it uses a structural element to soften the words of the line itself, giving them a sort of dragging feeling as they are read. The forced rhyme between "mind" from the previous line and "wind" is used here to make it even clearer that the narrator is doing his best to make the poem work by having some semblance of a rhyme scheme. The last line of the poem completes the analogy by comparing the final poem written to a “narrow shed.” For the narrator, there are only a few ways a poem can be written. The completion of the analogy (Balloon of the mind: Idea :: Narrow Shed: Final product), also completes the idea, as the analogy was the main focus of the entire poem. Because of its stark and unique comparisons, it makes the conceit metaphysical. There is another forced rhyme of "shed", which indicates that the narrator himself is most likely not satisfied with the poem he wrote. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom EssayYeats The poem shows the meticulous process a writer must go through before he can slide famous words onto the.