Symbols have been used often in the history of our planet. Cultures such as the Egyptians used literal symbols in their writings to represent objects such as animals and water. However, symbols do not always mean a written figure. Often the word symbol refers to a metaphorical representation of something using something that has no relation to literature or speech. In fact, almost every work that has lasted all these years contains major symbolism in one way or another. William Butler Yeats, a great writer of the early 20th century, wrote many incredibly symbolic and meaningful literary works. The following five poems by William Butler Yeats all contain important symbols that are crucial to the poems, whether personal or cultural: When You Are Old has a small symbol of the night sky; The island of Innisfree Lake uses the symbol of a log cabin; The Wild Swans at Coole uses the obvious symbol of swans; The Second Coming uses a beast as its symbol; and Sailing to Byzantium uses sail. To begin with, Yeats uses the universal symbol of the night sky to symbolize insignificance and anonymity in his poem When You Are Old. This poem is about Yeats' personal life. The purpose of this short three-stanza poem is to make the girl he loved when he was young remember him when she grows up. Starting at line 1 and moving to line 2, he says, “When you are old. . . And nodding by the fire, take out this book. He put this poem in a book for her and her alone, as a profession of his love for her which cannot die. The symbol itself, however, is not a personal symbol but rather a universal connection. In the last line of the poem, referring to his view of himself and all the other young men in his life, he says that he "hid his face in the middle of a crowd in the middle of a paper….. .g, as mentioned in this poem, is a cultural symbol because of the ease with which it is accessible to people. However, the poem itself seems to be very personal towards Yeats and his awareness of old age and the things that become more important to you as you get older. It can be assumed, however, that the use of the mental image of sailing was used for a specific reason, to help the culture understand that it is a journey of no return, to a place with perfect balance , just like Byzantium. Obviously, William Butler Yeats used very significant symbols in his poetry. He seems to be good at choosing the best object to represent an idea or feeling, whether it's swans for company or a log cabin for peace. Additionally, he is very good at using cultural ideas such as the sky, sailing, and the birth of Jesus Christ to get other points across..