Helen of Troy is the beauteous woman who stole the hearts of men and carried herself as Royalty should. She was a powerful icon in ancient times, so much so that a great war waged because of her. It is thanks to the kidnapping of Helen that the Trojan War occurred at all and took its place in history. Her influence and persona still reverberate in these contemporary times and never cease to cause a stir in the minds of men. In “To Helen,” Poe’s speaker has a very worshipful, personal view of her while in “Helen,” Doolittle’s speaker tells of the deep hatred Greece has for Helen. The difference in these views is illustrated in the contrasting form and tone of the poems as well as the diction and imagery.
The form of the poems, including the speaker and tone, reflect the poet’s differing views of Helen. In “To Helen,” the lyrical form, personal speaker, and worshipful tone indicate an enraptured view of Helen, while in “Helen” the rigid form, detached speaker, and bitter tone reflect the speaker’s deep hatred of her. The format of the text in “To Helen” is stylistically flowing and streamlined. The consistency in spacing and presentation read as an ode, pleasant and so easily put into song. The smooth lyricism of rhymes such as “home” and “Rome” contribute to the relaxed, dreamlike scheme. Such a dreamlike theme is supported through the personal views of the speaker. Throughout “To Helen” are repetitions of “me” and even a mention of “I”, thus creating a comfortable mood as if the speaker and Helen are close – even if it only shows one perception. The single point of view, in itself, is rather worshipful and unabashedly admiring of Helen. Such freedom of expression implies that walls have been broken and no secrets are being held...
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...laimed the lives of many. The Helen defined in “Helen” is not someone to be adored and fawned over – no, she is unworthy of such actions. There lies no resemblance between the two descriptions of ancient Helen. The stark distinction between the conflicting speaker views of the one woman in “To Helen” and “Helen” vary greatly when seen through diction and imagery.
Each speaker of the two poems views Helen of Troy under differing lights. The Helen of “To Helen” is as gorgeously flawless as the guiding northern stars, whereas the Helen of “Helen” is an object of utmost contempt and scorn undeserving to be treasured. The speaker of “To Helen” holds her in high esteem, admiring her very looks and compelling nature, while the speaker of “Helen” loathes and disregards Helen’s place of high authority. Many see influential people differently; Helen of Troy is no exception.
Similar to other classic literature, Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey exhibits the human struggle against a greater power, which each person must use their intellect, courage, and morals to overcome. These factors, which can be seen by the epithets and rhetorical questions, are posed to Penelope during the book. The poem is an exultation of man over the glory of the Gods because despite man’s limitations his achievements are obtained through the combination of his intelligence, fortitude and skills not supernatural powers.
The book then talks about viewpoints of women, both real and those who face tragedy. Women during this time were very secluded and silent, but the heroines contradicted that. This chapter talks about the images of women in the classical literature in Athens, and the role they had in society. Many tragedies were ones that formed by mythes during the Bronze Age. It showed the separation in what made women heroic, rather than average. While viewing other Scholarly sourcese, Pomerory writes her own theory, she used others
After centuries of serving as background noise to her husband Ulysses’ odes of sea storms, sirens, and celebrity, the mythological Penelope finally steps into the light in Miriam Waddington’s poem “Ulysses Embroidered.” Functioning as a revisionary text to both the Alfred, Lord Tennyson work “Ulysses” and the tradition of The Odyssey itself, “Ulysses Embroidered” quickly strikes its readers as a fiercely feminist re-envisioning of Penelope and her tale. Waddington’s work allows for an age-old legend to be told in a new way with a bold, feminine speaker, but to what end do her changes remark on Tennyson’s original work? By engaging in two separate modes of revision by both reading against the grain and “constantly [engaging] in dialogue” to work in tandem with the original poem, Waddington
“Such was the tale told me by the priests concerning the arrival of Helen at the court of Proteus. It seems to me that Homer was acquainted with this story , and while disregarding it , because he thought it less adapted for heroic poe...
Oh no, Helen’s been stolen! Prince Paris has kidnapped Helen, the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris was assisted by Aphrodite, who promised him Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, as a reward for siding with her during a competition against the goddesses Hera and Athena.
Lefkowitz believes that the Iliad wouldn't be complete without the role of women. In comparison, Michael Murphy, author of Vows, Boasts and Taunts, And the Role Of Women In So...
This essay explores the role of women in Homer's Odyssey, James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) and Derrick Walcott's Omeros (1990), epics written in very different historical periods. Common to all three epics are women as the transforming figure in a man's life, both in the capacity of a harlot and as wife.
Although readers dive into this poem in the middle of the story, the author still manages to establishes Judith’s character in clear manner through their choice of words. In using words such as “radiant lady” (Judith 14), “bright maiden” (Judith 44), and “brilliant maid” (Judith 124), the author makes it clear
The speaker begins the poem an ethereal tone masking the violent nature of her subject matter. The poem is set in the Elysian Fields, a paradise where the souls of the heroic and virtuous were sent (cite). Through her use of the words “dreamed”, “sweet women”, “blossoms” and
Simone Weil argues that the way Homer presents war and the use of force in the Iliad, in all of its brutality, violence, and bitterness bathes the work in the light of love and justice (pg 25). The point Weil is making is that by depicting the suffering of all of these men regardless of their side, or strength Homer equalizes them in a “condition common to all men”(pg 25). Because Homer equalizes them the reader can feel empathy, or at least compassion for all of the men. However while Weil is correct about how Homer’s descriptions of war and force reveal justice and love, she is wrong in thinking that justice and love are mere “accents” to the Iliad, and progress through the story “without ever becoming noticeable”(pg 25). Homer not only reveals this underlying idea to the reader through his tone and even handedness, but also through Achilles’ journey. By the end of the Iliad Achilles understands justice and love in much the same way that the reader does.
This poem is based on Penelope and Odysseus from the famous epic poem, The Odyssey. In this poem, Dorothy Parker describes Penelope’s perception of her and Odysseus’ situations. Penelope imagines Odysseus effortlessly battling through his obstacles and sailing through the beautiful, sunny skies, while she demonstrates herself to be confined. She describes her longing for Odysseus and loneliness in her husband’s absence. The first half of the poem has a positive connotation as Parker uses phrases such as, “silver seas” and “glittering wave” to describe Odysseus’ journey. While in the second half of the poem, Dorothy Parker uses a negative connotation by using phrases such as, “sit at home and rock” and “bleach the linen of my bed” to demonstrate Penelope’s situation. This shows how Odysseus is experiencing a glorious adventure, whereas Penelope spends her time being lonely and living a monotonous life. In the last line Dorothy mentions how everyone will feel when Odysseus returns, as the poem states, “They will call him brave.” Here, she only mentions the reaction to how the city will react to Odysseus’ return, but she does not mention anything about their thoughts on Penelope. This concludes that Penelope’s acts and sacrifices on behalf of Odysseus will be truly forgotten. Dorothy Parker is trying to show the readers how a man’s actions will be forever remembered as the woman’s will be forgotten. By titling the poem “Penelope”, she tries to balance the importance of both of these characters to show equality of a male and
This essay is anchored on the goal of looking closer and scrutinizing the said poem. It is divided into subheadings for the discussion of the analysis of each of the poem’s stanzas.
In the Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, there are many themes that serve to make a comment about the meanings of the story. The theme of women in the poem serves to make these comments but also establishes a point of view on women in the reader. From this point of view, a perspective is developed into the "best" and "worst" in women. Achievement of this is through the characterization of many women with single notable evil qualities. Similar to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve like the many women in the Odyssey brings about pain and suffering for mankind. Contrary to the depicting of women as roots of evil, the reader sees the other traits of women that are most desirable. The roles of these women are achieved by their portrayal throughout the poem. This in return has a significant affect on how the poem and the message that is conveyed.
Homer, Iliad is the narration of the Trojan war. The Trojan war was one of the most important and significant wars of Greek mythology, Homer described how the war was triggered by the abduction of the most beautiful women known as Helen. This paper will argue how the traditional view of this poem is accurate because it indeed was Helens beauty and her selfishness that sparked the Trojan war. Although Helen was not happy about the outcomes of her mistakes. This paper will present how Helen faced many forms of self judgment, how she created many relationships with significant characters, such as Paris, Priam and Aphrodite. Homers portrayal of this significant women was remarkable as we were able to feel her pain and anguish, the readers were
The motivations behind Helen’s words and actions have been analyzed throughout the years. In one example F. J. Groten, Jr., author of the article Homer’s Helen, clearly viewed Helen as a victim. This view is validated within the poem The Iliad beginning with the speech of Nestor. At this moment, the Greeks are feeling defeated and tired of war and are readying themselves for the journey home. Nestor encourages the men that they should continue their fight and that the treatment of the Trojan women should be like the miseries that Helen has had to suffer. This statement certainly implies that the Greeks feel that Helen was captured against her will (Homer 43).