In W.B. Yeats' poem 'The Second Coming,' what symbol represents his theory of historical cycles?
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Correct answer: The Gyre
Yeats used the 'gyre' (a conical spiral) to represent the 2,000-year cycles of history. In 'The Second Coming,' the widening gyre signals the collapse of the current era — 'the center cannot hold' — and the imminent arrival of a new, ominous age.
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