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.
In order to understand the “center” of the Iliad, one must first recognize that the Iliad started as a “Lyrical,” or oral poem and was written down much later in history, becoming a “Narrative,” or literate poem. The Iliad began as a poem that was strictly part of an oral culture, its transition into a written work for a literate culture brought complexities and complications that are often overlooked when examining this poem on its surface. Walter J. Ong explained this phenomenon best when he described the psychodynamics of an oral society. His explanations concerning these particular societies’ psychologies and social dynamics are often times lost on the Iliad’s modern-day reader. Therefore, when reading a piece of literature, one must first take into account how the text has arrived to him through the passage of time and history. So, before we are to examine the modern critics’ interpretations and analyses of Homer’s Iliad, we must first look to Ong’s claims concerning oral societies.
Waddington grabs hold of this notion and retrieves the trope of the “old blind woman in the tower” by giving her new life with the restructuring of the poem (Waddington 4-5). While Tennyson’s epic poem utilizes the strict confines of iambic pentameter and heroic verse known by Homer’s original Odyssey, Penelope’s updated narrative bleeds out through a variant, but equally structured schematic. Waddington’s six stanzas contain a slow moving enjambment of choppier and more laborious lines, creating a certain rocking of language emergent from the first lines: “You’ve come / at last from / all your journeying” (Waddington 1-3). This motion of the poem effuses the tediousness of Penelope’s long wait, as well the feeling of the line by line repetition of the legendary loom through which her story (and her husband’s) is woven.
“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...
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
The speakers and audience in poem are crucial elements of the poem and is also the case in these poems. In the poem Untitled, it can be argued that the poem is being written by Peter based on what his father might say to him...
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
While the other women had minor historical context, Leda is reduced to three words. Not only that, but Jove’s violence against the women increases with every name, Leda being alluded to last drives home the pain he inflicted. In the middle of the third quatrain, the focus is brought back on to the speaker who empathizes and relates with the aforementioned women. She walks “beside them” “freely” and “at ease” (11).
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.
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.
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.
The poet writes these poems to express her strong feelings and tells a story of a beautiful garden. She has used many elements in her work to express her emotions and story in a very beautiful and imaginative way. The use of these elements do not bore the reader and emerge them into a story of creation, life and death, rebirth, and the recovering of innocence. These are the reasons why the poem collection is highly successful and why I enjoy reading these poems and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoy reading poems or any sort of
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
Homer’s Iliad is undoubtedly focused on its male characters: Achilles, primarily, but also Hector and Agamemnon. Nevertheless, it seems that the most crucial characters in the epic are female. Homer uses the characters of Thetis, Andromache, and Helen as a basis for comparison to the male characters. Homer wants his audience to see and understand the folly of his male characters in choosing war over peace, aggression over kindness, and honor over family. While the behavior of these characters clearly speaks for itself, the contrasting attitudes and behaviors of the female characters proffer an alternative; in comparison, the reader can hardly fail to concur with Homer’s message that war, aggression, and honor are misplaced and self-defeating values.
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.