How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #4
He, too, has been changed in his turn (38)
Even though Yeats could never stand Major John MacBride, he is willing to give the guy his due for sticking to his principles and fighting in the Easter Uprising. John MacBride was the husband of a woman Yeats was totally in love with, so you can see how giving MacBride his props would have been tough for Yeats.
Quote #5
Minute by minute they live:
The stone's in the midst of all (55-56)
The world tends to be a place where things are constantly changing and people are adapting to that change. But like a stone, the fighters of the Easter Uprising weren't willing to take things as they came. They decided to take matters into their own hands. Their unchanging principles make them like a stone that won't change even though water might flow around it.
Quote #6
That is heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child (60-62)
It turns out that it might not be our role as humans to decide when there's been enough death and suffering in the world. According to Yeats, that's the responsibility of heaven or God. It's our responsibility to just keep having babies and mourning each other when we die. Yeesh, no wonder the guy didn't bother fighting in any battles. That's about as stoic as it gets.