Textual integrity refers to how the poet utilizes context, form and language in order to create a work that is meaningful and valuable. It is also something that will resonate with the audience and move them or even change their minds. In Auden’s “Spain”, “In Memory of W. B. Yeats”, he focuses a number of themes. These include: the way his poetry and that of others can reveal the reality of his time, and the horrors of modern warfare.

Auden begins his speech in Spain by referring to “yesterday”, and the many great achievements of mankind. There is the expansion into “China along trade-routes”, the great conquests, explorations, and wooden and rock man-made marvels like “the Chapel built in the Forest” and “the Carving of Angels”, as well as the growth and industrialisation of modernity. Now that ‘yesterday,’ has passed and we are now in the midst of “Today The Struggle”. Auden describes three main characters: a poor man, a writer, and a scientific researcher. The poet is eager to witness the horror of war in order to write about it. The scientist is occupied by his projects most of the time, but he worries about his friends’ lives. They spend their days in “fireless lodges”, thinking of how “our day was our loss”. Spain looks to the future, a time of romance, exploration, and simple pleasures like “the walks by the Lake”. Then, the harsh reality of today’s brutality ruins this wonderful imaginable idea. Today death and misery are the reality of life. Spain’s Future is Uncertain, It has a Glory Past but Might Not Have a Glory Future. In Memory of W.B. Auden’s thoughts about poetry and a poet in times of hardship as well as normal life struggles are expressed through Yeats. The poem is divided up into three parts. Auden begins by mourning Yeats. Auden then goes on to comment on Yeats’ poems. The first section uses Yeats’ environment to illustrate his death. For example, “brooks froze”, “airports were almost deserted”, or “snow defaced public statues”. It is a powerful way of showing how, because of Yeats, everything stopped. The wolves are also seen running through the evergreen forest, implying that the poet’s poetry will continue to live on even after his death. Yeats has lost his ability to speak up for himself. Now he’s relying on “his admirers” and his poetry is “scattered”, as ashes. But the average man is not able to be effective. Brokers yell and scream on the ground, while the poor continue suffering. Auden’s thoughts are thrown between two elements. One is that a poet can die unnoticed, and almost be insignificant. The other is that it should be a major national crisis. The second section is about the way Yeats’ poetry was shaped. “Mad Ireland Hurt You into Poetry / Now Ireland Has Her Madness and Weather Still” reinforces Auden’s belief that Yeats’ poetry will live on even after his death. Third section: a call. The “Irish vessel”, which has “emptied its poetry”, is still “barking”, indicating that war continues even though Yeats died. Auden says in the final stanza, “We need a poet to teach the free man to praise”, since Yeats has died and we now lack a powerful voice. Auden positions his audience as themselves and not something abstract or abnormal. In “Spain”, for example, he compares characters with ordinary people, such as poets, scientists or poor people. Auden uses this technique to make his audience feel his poetry and for it to stick in their mind. Auden’s dream at the end “Spain” is that “poets will explode like bombs”, implying he would like poets to possess the explosive power of bombs. Auden describes in his poetry the horrific living conditions he had to endure. Dictators suppressed freedoms, and their country was forced into a brutal war. In “In Memoriam W. B. Yeats”, he examines the role of the poet in these horrible situations. In “In Memory of W. B. Yeats”, he explains his belief in the power of poetry to “lift our spirits” and to “persuade us rejoice” despite the hardships that we may face. Auden believes that we should celebrate life now, because it could be taken away from us one day due to an event beyond our control. Death is inevitable and you cannot stop it. Auden acknowledges the importance of love, but also that death and suffering are part of life. They must exist with wonderful things like love. Auden is always commenting on how poets are used to define the way people see reality. He also comments on how their work continues even after they die. He suggests that poetry is a powerful tool to change the minds of people and therefore, the government. Auden’s “In Memory of W. B. Yeats”, the final chapter of the book, calls for other poets who can replace Yeats in his position as a string influencer. Auden’s ending to “Spain” is bleak, as if he didn’t think poets could change anything. In the end, I feel that “In memory W. B. Yeats'” has a greater impact on changing the audience’s mind.