In the poems, “To Helen” and “Helen”, both Edgar Allan Poe and H.D. emphasize the beauty of the infamous Helen of Troy; however, the speakers’ attitudes differ as one praises and worships Helen while the other condemns her for her treachery and remains unmoved by her beauty.…
In the poems, "Helen", and "To Helen", by H.D. and Edgar Allan Poe, both authors portray their contrasting views of Helen of Troy. In these poems, both authors acknowledge Helen's physical beauty, a quality that she is known for in the ancient world. However, this proves to be the only comparison between these two perceptions. Based on Poe's poem, it appears his view is coming from a loving, and tender place. He admires Helen's existence, and continues to praise her. On the other hand, H.D. speaks of Helen in a disdainful and negative way. These poems articulate these messages through the use of figurative language.…
She is subjected to the wishes of the gods in a world ruled by the…
Helen of Troy was one of these women. Like so many women Homer speaks of, her beauty alone could be the cause of a catastrophic outcome. It is argued she began the Trojan War when she was given to Paris, the prince of Troy, who chose Aphrodite over Athena and Hera, who, furious at being seen with any less beauty, urged the Greeks to march towards Troy. Born to Zeus and Leda, Helen is a central female figure in both of Homer 's poems. From what we can tell, she was always treated well by the Trojans, and generally badmouthed by the Greeks.…
Literary devices are heavily used throughout both poems. Repetitive sounds are prominent in both…
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet who was born November 18, 1939. ‘Helen of Troy does Countertop Dancing’ is found in one of Atwood’s poetry books entitled, ‘Morning in the Burned House’ which was published in 1995. There are two distinct themes that are evident in this book. The first is the exploration of torture, particular to the torture of woman. This theme is made clear through the retelling of certain myths such as Helen of Troy. Many of her poems have been based and inspired on mythological figures as well as fairy tales. The second theme of the poems, in the book, is based on mortality and aging, which was a reaction towards her father’s death. However the theme of the torture of woman and the use of mythological figures will be what we will be dealing with in ‘Helen of Troy does Countertop Dancing’. Atwood uses a narrative approach in this poem. This creates a personal connection with the reader especially woman feminists. Helen of Troy was known as the most beautiful woman in the world. There have been many different stories about who her parents were and how she was conceived. However in Atwood’s poem it appears she chose the idea that Helen was the daughter of Greek God, Zeus, and Spartan Queen Leda. It has been said…
Poe's figurative language contributes to the persona's overall tone and to the theme of Helen's grace and beauty. In the poem “To Helen” Edgar Allen Poe emphasizes Helen beauty through imagery by stating “Helen, thy beauty is to me Like those Nicean barks of yore” and he compares her beauty to a beautiful ship. The attitude of the poem is admiring and applauding as seen by the use of the word "thy" & the features of Helen as "thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face.” The line of alliteration “weary, way worn wanderer” is used to emphasize the men searching for their way. Helen is seen as a light, which guides lost travelers home to their native land. Poe uses the line of imagery “Like those Nicean barks of yore, That gently, o’er a perfumed…
The poem consists out of three short stanzas written in free verse. It is an image poem held together with repetition of sounds. The speaker is standing outside, trying to depict the antagonism between “all Greece” and Helen by describing their interaction. As there is no reference to time or space it seems that the speaker is depicting an image of this antagonism rather than event. The image is the rising hate towards Helen and how it affects her. The first line in the first stanza „All Greece hates” sets the tone of the poem, hateful, bitter tone. The word Greece seems to imply that not only people hate and judge Helen for her part in the war, for Greece is a country, but the whole culture. It shows the intense hatred and condemnation towards Helen especially when being reinforced with words such as “hate” and “reviles”.…
The atmosphere gives a hint to the audience on what to feel, if it is confusing the audience don’t know what emotion is trying to be shown, in a poem the atmosphere isn’t clear to understand whereas in a song it is. This can be seen in the song WIN by Brian McKnight, since the author sings his own work the author is able to give the feel he intended to do. The atmosphere which is created around this song gives the sense of determination and makes the audience feel really engaged. Whereas the poem Invictus by William Ernest Henley doesn’t create the exact atmosphere for everyone. In fact it creates various atmosphere for different people. As everyone is different. The song is able to create the wanted atmosphere because the author sings his…
instance, the authors each have their own poem in which they state their own feelings…
Furthermore, Helen contributes significantly to the theme of erotic love blinding men and causing citywide conflict in the Iliad. Paris’ attraction to and desire for Helen, the most beautiful of all women at the time, essentially led to the downfall of Troy. In Book 3, Aphrodite inspires the erotic love between Helen and Paris that Helen initially resists but is overcome by the power of this attraction fostered by the goddess. This book of the Iliad shows erotic love as an undeniable, powerful force responsible for much of the conflict resulting in the rest of the epic poem.…
The tone of each poem differed amongst each other. “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” has a…
The structure, or how the poem was written, supports the themes in a way. A structural example would be the stanzas are organized in couplets: each stanza consisting of two lines to show the separate perspectives of each persona (woman 1 and…
Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee...but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war. The Greeks are plotting to invade Troy to steal the treasures of the Trojans. Meanwhile Prince Paris is assigned by his wise father and King of Troy to travel to Sparta and shows the peaceful intentions of his people. Along his journey, he falls into the sea during a storm and is rescued on the shore by the Queen of Sparta, Helen. When he recovers, he believes that she is a slave and they fall in love with each other. When he arrives at the Spartan palace, he is arrested by King Menelaus but Helen helps him to escape. They travel together to Troy and give the excuse the Greeks need to start the war and put Troy under siege for years. The Greeks are unsuccessful in their intents, until they listen to the cunning Ulysses. The Greeks then withdraw their one thousand ships from the Trojan waters and offer a wooden Horse of Troy as a gift to the winners. –Helen of Troy (1956)…
This culture of this story is extremely different than the culture of today. The characters in this story are outrageous. For one thing, the majority of the characters are Greek gods and goddesses. Greek mythology was very popular 3200 years a go, however presently it’s primarily a thing of the past and these gods don’t show up too frequently in modern day literature. The closest things we have to Greek goddesses in entertainment today are the Kardashians. Also, as far as I can remember, no magic apples have ever flown in and disrupted any of the weddings I’ve been to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though there was an abundance of magical fruits and enchanted vegetables in the time of Helen of Troy. This is something we seem to be lacking in our modern day culture. One thing I did find relevant to our modern culture is the way that the three goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite reacted upon hearing that whoever had possession of the apple would be the, “Fairest of them all”. It seems that today, a lot of girls will do anything to be the most beautiful. Something is not right in our heads, and we know it. For this reason, it didn’t surprise me when they each offered such high bribes so that Paris would choose them to receive this over-glorified apple.This culture of this story is extremely different than the culture of today. The characters in this story are outrageous. For one thing, the majority of the characters are Greek gods and goddesses. Greek mythology was very popular 3200 years a go, however presently it’s primarily a thing of the past and these gods don’t show up too frequently in modern day literature. The closest things we have to Greek goddesses in entertainment today are the Kardashians. Also, as far as I can remember, no magic apples have ever flown in and disrupted any of the weddings I’ve been to. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though there was an abundance of magical fruits and enchanted vegetables in the…