Thus, Yeats use of romantic elements in form conjures his desire to halt change, however also reveals how this yearning is ineffectual.
The emotional and intellectual journey towards an acceptance of change is clearly portrayed in 'The Second Coming'. Yeats' recognition that the experience of modernity demands new, experimental poetic forms and features is evident in this work. When composed, in 1920, Yeats had come to terms with the rejection of Maude Gonne, and has now married Gerogia Lees. Yeats employs aspects of a tradition poetic form, the sonnet, in the second stanza in order to clearly display his reconciliation and understanding that change cannot be stopped in this modern world. The shifting paradigm is illustrated through subversion of the sonnet convention of presenting a problem and then solving it, whereas his use of the sonnet is to offer no solution at all. The evocation of Christ in the title "The Second Coming" deliberately foreshadows an expectation of divine intervention into this chaotic world. This is illustrated in the second stanza and through the high modality; "Surely the second coming is at hand". The subversion of the sonnet form is clear through the hideous arrival of "the rough beast" that brings greater chaos rather than a peaceful conclusion to a tumultuous age. The innovative and experimental use of a conventional poetic form reflects the realization Yeats has to his rapidly changing world that orthodoxy is no longer adequate in responding to such times. .
Yeats uses symbolism and motif as a means to represent the tension between the two worlds he is astride during 1916. In his lifetime, he has witnessed social and political upheaval, including World War I and the Easter 1916 uprising. In 1916, because of the proximity of these events, "Wild Swans at Coole" shows a tension, and to some extent, a futile attempt to reject of change.