The Fate of Icarus: Landscape with the Fall of Icarus and To a Friend Whose Work has Become a Triumph

Stories can have multiple interpretations depending on who tells it and the person who reads it. In “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” and “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph,” both authors talk about the Greek myth of Icarus’ flight that led him to death because he didn’t listen to his father’s. Daedulus, orders. In “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus,” William Williams seemed to be hiding the tragedy of Icarus’ death. In “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph,” Anne Sexton seemed to be sarcastic when it came to Daedulus but claimed Icarus as an “innocent hero.” The point of view in Williams’ poem is from the island’s inhabitants and Breughel’s. His point of view is not like a narrative because the narrator doesn’t seem to be there, which makes it into a third person’s point of view. The point of view in Sexton’s poem is from someone who is visualizing the scene, someone who was put in Icarus’ place, a concerned observer, a friend, King Minos, or even Daedulus. Her point of view is in second person point of view. In Williams’ poem, he gives a visible image of the surroundings, which hides the true tragedy of Icarus’ death. He doesn’t really explain what happened. As he begins telling his poem, he seems to try to involve the reader, as they portray themselves as Icarus. Throughout his poem, the reader eventually “falls from the sky” and gets closer to Icarus’ death. He uses irony, personification, and alliteration throughout his poem about death. Sexton’s version it gives us an image where Icarus is a hero for his accomplishment and Daedulus is mocked for letting Icarus fly. She says that Icarus’ death showed that it is better to take risks and fail than to take the easy way out, which in this case, Icarus took a risk and failed and Daedulus took the safe way out by living safely but a boring life. She mocks him for living safely because Daedulus probably knew that there was no way that Icarus can survive and that it was a wasted chance. She calls