What does this refrain mean-How can beauty be terrible-How does the “birth” of this beauty mark a profound change?

Easter 1916

For your “Easter 1916” response paper, write a short (2 ½ page paper with Works Cited on page 4 our later) in MLA format in response to required prompt: “Write a [2 ½ page] response paper considering the significance of the famous refrain ‘a terrible beauty is born.’

What does this refrain mean? How can beauty be terrible? How does the “birth” of this beauty mark a profound change? Why are these words repeated at the end of three of the poem’s four stanzas? How might the paradox within this image reflect a broader wrestling with paradox in the poem?” See “Easter 1916” in Volume F of The Norton Anthology of World Literature for additional information (pp. 550-552).

Include the following in your “Easter 1916” paper:

an informative title;
an introductory paragraph with thesis statement (that responds to the required prompt, listed above);
body paragraphs (with relevant literary evidence from “Easter 1916” in MLA format);
a concluding paragraph (that restates the thesis and discusses the broader significance of your argument/thesis); and
a works cited page (with the required primary source, “Easter 1916”) in MLA format (Links to an external site.).