The Ephemeral MindA poet's struggle to write is one of the last places one might think to find inspiration; Yet in WB Yeats' poem "The Balloon of the Mind" that is exactly what the narrator does. The four-line poem, using personification, analogy, and an overall metaphysical conceit, manages to expose the hard work and dedication required to write a poem. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The poem begins with the narrator commanding his hands to “do as they are told,” in this case, that is, to write. He almost begs for some sort of inspiration to come to him and seems willing 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 also constitutes a hint of hesitation in the narrator's mind, as he is likely unsure of what will be the next line. The second line creates the first part of the analogy; the “balloon of the mind” is the inspiration for writing. Along with the personification of the narrator's hands, the reader sees the first mention of this ball. The personification of his hands shows that the narrator feels that he has no control over the situation and that it is only his hands that must write. However, one could argue that the "hands" are simply a synecdoche for the narrator's entire mind and body, or even the entire writing process. The end of the second line ends with an enjambment, a possible indication that the narrator has found further inspiration in his thoughts. As the poem progresses to the third line, the reader sees how "balloon" is an idea since the simile is more detailed. . By using visual imagery, Yeats is able to convey the fleeting nature of a writer's thoughts and ideas, that they can come and go in the blink of an eye and that writing itself is much easier to say what to do. A gentle breeze blows a balloon away from a small child, just as a passing distraction removes any semblance of thought a writer might have had. Using visual images that virtually any reader could relate to, the narrator visualizes the struggle of a writer putting pen to paper. He could spend hours sitting at his notebook or typewriter, staring at a blank sheet of paper, waiting for this idea to come to him, only to end up with nothing. This line of the poem is also the longest, using a structural element to soften the words of the line themselves, giving them a sort of dragging feel when read. The forced rhyme between "spirit" 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 written poem to a “narrow shed.” For the narrator, there are only a few ways to write a poem. The completion of the analogy (Ballon of the mind: Idea:: Narrow Shed: Final product) also completes the conceit, as the analogy was the main focus of the entire poem. Because of its striking and unique comparisons, it makes the conceit metaphysical. There is another forced rhyme of "shed", which indicates that the narrator himself is probably not satisfied with the poem he has written. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Yes The poem shows the painstaking process that a.