EnglishCBSE Class 10 · For Anne Gregory

For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message, Class 10

Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked

In For Anne Gregory by W.B. Yeats, a young man says no young man can love Anne for herself alone and not her yellow hair. She replies that she can dye her hair, and he answers that only God can love her for herself alone. The poem's message is that real love is for the person, not for outward looks.

Follow the conversation left to right: the poem's message is that real love is for the person, not looks, and only God loves that way.

Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.

Understand For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem

The poem as a conversation. The poem has three stanzas and is a conversation. The first stanza is spoken by a young man, the second by the young woman, Anne Gregory, and the third by the man again, reporting what an old religious man said.

Stanza 1: the young man. He tells her that never shall a young man, thrown into despair by those great honey-coloured ramparts at her ear, love her for herself alone and not her yellow hair. The ramparts are the high, wide walls around a fort, and here they describe her thick, golden hair, which the young men find as impressive and as hard to resist as the walls of a castle. His point is that men will love her for her hair, not for herself.

Stanza 2: Anne's reply. Anne answers practically. She can get a hair-dye and set such colour there, brown or black or carrot, so that young men in despair may love her for herself alone and not her yellow hair. She does not reject beauty, but she wants to be loved for who she is, and she is ready to test whether anyone loves her beyond her looks.

Stanza 3: the old man's text. The man replies that he heard an old religious man declare, only last night, that he had found a text to prove that only God could love her for herself alone. Humans, in other words, are drawn to appearance, but divine love sees the person.

Theme. Is it possible to love someone for themselves alone? The poem says it is very hard for people, because we are first drawn by what we see. True, selfless love is rare.

Message. People should not be valued for their looks or riches; each person deserves to be loved for who they are. Looks change, character remains.

Tone. The tone is lightly ironic and a little sad: the clever dye reply meets a deeper answer from the old man.

Key quotations

Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.

Love you for yourself alone And not your yellow hair.
The young man (stanzas 1 and 3): Refrain at the end of stanzas 1 and 3, spoken by the young man. In Anne's stanza 2 it changes slightly to 'May love me for myself alone / And not my yellow hair'.
The refrain that carries the central question.
But I can get a hair-dye And set such colour there
Anne: Stanza 2.
Shows her practical test of whether she is loved for herself.
only God, my dear, Could love you for yourself alone
The old man's text, reported by the young man: Stanza 3.
Suggests that only divine love sees beyond appearance.

For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem: key facts

Three stanzas: Stanza 1 the young man says men love her hair
Stanza 2 Anne says she can dye her hair
Stanza 3 the old man says only God can love her for herself; A conversation in three turns.
The refrain: Love you for yourself alone
And not your yellow hair
Repeated at the end of each stanza; The idea the poem keeps returning to.
Ramparts: High wide walls of a fort
Here: thick honey-coloured hair at her ear
Powerful and hard to resist; From the textbook gloss.
Message: Looks attract first
Looks can be changed
Real love is for the person
Such love is rare; Four points for the answer.

Stanza 1	the young man says men love her hair
Stanza 2	Anne says she can dye her hair
Stanza 3	the old man says only God can love her for herself

How to answer For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem questions

Use this for theme, message or conversation-based questions.

1Identify the speakers: the young man, Anne and the old religious man's text.
2State what each says in one line.
3Explain the repeated line about loving for oneself alone.
4State the theme: looks against character, human against divine love.
5Close with the message.

For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem in real life

The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Liked for looks or for self

Suppose a girl wins many followers online for her hair and clothes, but after an illness she cuts her hair short. Only two friends keep visiting her, and she realises they are the ones who liked her for herself.

Which idea of the poem does this show?

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Many liked her for her looks.
Changing her appearance tested them.
Real friends stayed.

Answer: It shows the poem's question: people who like us for looks may leave, but those who like us for ourselves remain.

Memory hook: Looks fade; the person stays.

Tricks to remember For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

Man, Anne, Old man
Stanza 1 man, stanza 2 Anne, stanza 3 the old man's text.
Use it when: Speakers in order.
Ramparts at your ear
Thick golden hair like castle walls.
Use it when: For the image question.
Hair-dye test
Dye the hair, see who stays.
Use it when: For Anne's practical reply.

For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem: solved examples

Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.

Example 1: Ramparts · 1 mark · MCQBoard level

In the poem, 'honey-coloured ramparts at your ear' refers to Anne's
(a) earrings (b) hair (c) dress (d) eyes

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The ramparts at her ear are her thick yellow hair (1 mark).

Answer: (b)

Example 2: Anne's reply · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level

What does Anne say she can do about her hair? Answer in 30-40 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

She can use a hair-dye (1).
Brown, black or carrot, so she is loved for herself alone (1).

Answer: Anne says she can get a hair-dye and change her yellow hair to brown, black or carrot. Then young men who are in despair over her hair may love her for herself alone, not for the colour of her hair.

Example 3: The young man's claim · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

Why does the young man say that young men cannot love Anne for herself alone? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Her hair is striking (1).
Men fall for appearance first (1).
They cannot see beyond it (1).

Answer: The young man says that Anne's thick, honey-coloured hair is so striking that young men are thrown into despair by it. They are attracted to her appearance first and cannot see beyond it, so none of them can love her for herself alone, apart from her yellow hair.

Example 4: The old man's text · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level

What does the old religious man's text suggest about love? Answer in 40-50 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

Only God can love you for yourself (1).
Human love depends on appearance (1).
Selfless love is rare (1).

Answer: The old man says he has found a text to prove that only God can love a person for herself alone. It suggests that human love depends largely on appearance or qualities, while divine love sees the real person. Such selfless love is therefore very rare among humans.

Example 5: Loved for oneself · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency

Is it possible to love a person for themselves alone? Discuss with reference to the poem in 100-120 words.

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

The poem's position (2).
Counter-view or examples (2).
Judgement (1).
Expression (1).

Answer: The poem suggests that this is very difficult. The young man says that no young man can love Anne for herself alone and not her yellow hair. Even when Anne offers to dye her hair, the old man's text says only God could love her purely for herself. It seems that humans notice looks first. Yet I believe it is possible, though rare. A parent loves a child whatever her looks or marks, and true friends stay when appearances change. The poem does not say such love is impossible; it says that it needs a deeper understanding than a quick attraction. We should try to see the person, not only the surface.

Where students lose marks in For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

Mistake: Naming the wrong speaker
The stanzas switch speakers.
Wrong working
Anne says that only God could love her.
Right working
The young man reports the old man's text in stanza 3.
Do this: Man, Anne, old man's text.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Explaining ramparts as a real wall
It is a metaphor for hair.
Wrong working
There are high walls near Anne's ear.
Right working
The thick, honey-coloured hair is compared to the walls of a fort.
Do this: Say 'metaphor for her hair'.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Saying the poem is against beauty
It asks for love beyond beauty.
Wrong working
The poet says looks are bad.
Right working
The poem says looks should not be the only reason for love.
Do this: Use 'not only'.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Missing the message
The board expects a conclusion.
Wrong working
Anne dyes her hair and the old man says something.
Right working
The poem teaches that people should be loved for themselves, not looks.
Do this: End with the message.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.

Exam tips

Use Man, Anne, Old man to keep the speakers in order.
Explain ramparts as a metaphor for thick golden hair.
Quote the refrain and say what it stresses.
Say 'not only for looks', not 'looks are bad'.
End with the message about loving a person for who they are.

Practice questions on For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Who says that only God could love Anne for herself alone?
(a) Anne (b) The young man (c) An old religious man, reported by the young man (d) Anne's mother
Hint
Stanza 3.
Answer
(c)
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
Why would Anne want to dye her hair? Answer in 30-40 words.
Hint
To be loved for herself.
Answer
Anne wants to dye her hair to test whether young men can love her for herself. If they still love her after the colour changes, their love is for the person, not for her yellow hair.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does the repetition of the last two lines in each stanza do? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Refrain and emphasis.
Answer
The last two lines of each stanza act as a refrain. They stress the central question of the poem, link the three voices together and keep returning the reader to the main theme: whether people can be loved for themselves and not for their looks.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What is the tone of the poem, and how is it achieved? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Light, ironic, a little sad.
Answer
The tone is lightly ironic and a little sad. Anne's practical answer about hair-dye sounds playful, but the old man's text gives a deeper and more serious reply. The simple conversational language, the refrain and the gentle surprise at the end create this mixture of lightness and seriousness.
Q5 · 6 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
A friend says that looks are important because they are the first thing people notice. How would you respond, using the poem, in 100-120 words?
Hint
Accept first impressions but not as the basis of love.
Answer
I agree that looks are noticed first; the poem accepts this when the young man says that men are thrown into despair by Anne's yellow hair. But the poem asks what happens after the first glance. Anne does not want love that depends on one feature that she can change with a hair-dye. The old man's text suggests that love for the person alone is rare, which means we must work to see beyond appearance. Looks may start an interest, but friendship, family love and trust grow from character. If our regard stops at the surface, it may disappear when appearance changes. So the poem is a reminder to look deeper.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1.Who wrote For Anne Gregory?Show answer
William Butler Yeats.
2.How many stanzas does it have?Show answer
Three.
3.What colour is Anne's hair?Show answer
Yellow.
4.What colours does she say she could dye it?Show answer
Brown, black or carrot.
5.Who can love her for herself alone, according to the old man?Show answer
Only God.
6.What are ramparts?Show answer
The high, wide walls around a castle or fort.

For Anne Gregory: Theme and Message of the Poem: frequently asked questions

What is the message of For Anne Gregory?

People should be loved for themselves and not for looks; such love is rare among humans.

What does the refrain mean?

It asks whether anyone can love Anne for herself alone, apart from her yellow hair.

What is the tone of the poem?

Lightly ironic and slightly sad.

Which questions come from this poem?

Extract questions on the stanzas, 40-50 word answers on the conversation and a long answer on love and looks.