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The poem seems to pose the question ‘who or what am I fighting for?’

This question appears in many poems on the theme of war.

Those fighting were often risking their lives for a sense of political or moral duty. Many held patriotic beliefs or felt that they may find glory through warfare. In reality this was not the case.

In this poem, Yeats’ airman does not hunger for glory through a sense of patriotism.

His desire to fly into battle comes from his indifference to both political and moral duty and from the sense of pleasure he gets from the "lonely impulse of delight”. This he relishes when in the air, free from the concerns of the world beneath him.

He considers how little war will affect his own people – "‘Kiltartan’s poor’" – and sees that their lives will be unaffected by the war he fights in.

He is therefore free to pursue his own desire – flight.

Here, flight serves as a metaphor that allows the airman to face his death on his own terms.