Beauty is defined as physical or mental characteristics that are pleasing to a person’s senses. Although beauty is often defined as pleasing, others may find the beauty in a person repulsive. “One man’s loss is another man’s profit,” is an appropriate quote that similarly describes the contrasting poems. Both of the poems aren’t only focused on beauty, but one is describing Helen as their savior or hope and the other is describing her as their destruction. The poems “To Helen,” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Helen,” by Hilda Doolittle convey different ideas of feminine beauty and romantics characteristics through the use of imagery, figurative language and tone to contrast the clashing views of beauty. The differences in these poems might be quite …show more content…
For instance, the poems, “To Helen,” by Edgar Allan Poe and “Helen,” by Hilda Doolittle write about Helen and her beauty, but are actually written in two completely different ways. Poe’s poem, “To Helen,” has many characteristics of American Romantics literature because he values nature, individuality and the authors sense of emotion to express his love and admiration for Helen. In the first stanza of the poem, Poe was comparing Helen’s beauty, in the form of similes and metaphors, to nature, “Like those barks of yore, That gently, o’er a perfumed sea,” (Poe 1 - 3) to express the traveler’s essence for Helen. Throughout the rest of the poem Helen’s beauty is seen as a way home or, “The light at the end of the tunnel,” to guide the traveler back home. Helen and her faultless beauty are the traveler’s hope and savior, but are far from that in the eyes of …show more content…
Edgar Allan Poe and Hilda Doolittle have very different writing techniques, but still manage to use similar figurative language to illustrate the beauty of Helen, who was thought to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. The speaker in Poe’s poem, “To Helen,” sees Helen and thinks of her with admiration and love and as a symbol for aspiration and salvation. As opposed to Poe’s poem, the speaker in Doolittle’s poem, “Helen,” is expressing the thoughts and views of Greece’s people about Helen as an extreme animosity. Although the poems were written in completely different forms, they both still portrayed Helen as a beautiful woman, but “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and these poems are a clear example of that. Works
Imagine reading a poem and believing it means one thing, but the underlying message is something completely different. Authors like to use different literary techniques to make a valid point, to make the reader feel a certain emotion, or even to share a distinct memory with their reader. Poetry has helped authors focus their readers on their work by achieving themes that may portrayed in several pieces of their work. In May Swenson’s case, she used a variety of techniques to create different emotions for the reader, while expressing certain periods of her life. May Swenson uses nature in her poetry to personify sexuality and make it into a repetitive theme in her work. Many of Swenson’s critics can agree
Edgar Allen Poe was the author of several daunting works of literature. Two examples of Edgar Allen Poe's literature are "The Tell Tale Heart" and "The Raven." If we compare these two works, one a short story and the other a poem, we will see that Poe shows great mastery of symbolism, as well as other forms of literary technique. In these two stories, many people would say that Poe uses the tales to reflect the way he perceives life in general. Poe makes obvious use of symbolism, metaphors and imagery within these two works of literature.
Analyzing different mediums can enhance an individual’s overall appreciation and understanding of a particular idea or story. While analysis of a painting can reveal the mood of the artwork, an analysis of a poem can reveal the author’s tone. Much more then that, analysis provides an opportunity to explore each work in an attempt to understand human nature through each author’s perspective. While exploring the painting “Ulysses and the Sirens” by J.W. Waterhouse and the poem “The siren song” by Margaret Atwood, a universal truth presents itself. While the painting focuses on the thematic idea of Odysseus being stubborn while his men care for his safety to get home, the poem holds a different view. In contrast, the thematic statement from the poem discusses the idea that the Siren hates singing and being in a bird suit, but is asking for help but it’s still tempting to hear the song. Although differing in point of view, both the painting and the poem explore an aspect of human nature that are relevant to society today. There are two different authors for the painting and the poem. However, the two are different when compared to each
Both Poe and H.D. use diction to convey their contrasting opinions of Helen. Poe uses positive words such as “grandeur” and “glory” to describe ancient Greece and Rome, both which were home to Helen, thus associating Helen with grandeur and glory. Poe also writes “brilliant,” another example of positive diction that demonstrates his reverance of Helen. Lastly, in his poem “To Helen,” Poe uses the word “holy,” suggesting that Helen should even be worshipped for her beauty. However, Hilda Doolittle uses diction to express an opposing view. She uses strong words such as “hates” and reviles.” This is negative diction, suggesting a negative opinion of Helen. H.D. also writes “funereal,” going as far as to say that Helen would look better dead “amid
Both the poems have the theme of love, written from a man’s point of view, and explores the way men treat woman in relationships. The former does this by a male narrator writing a poem to a female, using imagery to entice her. The latter by using a duke, explaining the story of what happened to his previous wife whilst looking at her picture. Both the poems use imagery and other poetic devices but in different ways. The first uses them more often to impress her. The second uses them in a
Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving are both enthralling writers. They both have unusual styles of writing but they are similar in some ways. The writers are comparable in the use of tone in their works. Irving‘s use of tone in his stories are typically optimistic, yet dramatic. Poe’s uses of tone in his stories are filled with horror and are also dramatic. Poe and Irving use different techniques to develop a complex meaning in their short stories. For instance, elements such as imagery, tone, and irony are placed in these stories contribute to make these stories intense.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: there can be many different perspectives seen in a poem. One individual could read a poem as depressing and another can perceive it as a new beginning. One’s views rests on individual perspectives. For example, Edgar Allen Poe’s writing is dark and controversial. In my essay I will argue that Poe was not in his right mind and he was driven mad with evidence throughout his short story “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
In today’s modern view, poetry has become more than just paragraphs that rhyme at the end of each sentence. If the reader has an open mind and the ability to read in between the lines, they discover more than they have bargained for. Some poems might have stories of suffering or abuse, while others contain happy times and great joy. Regardless of what the poems contains, all poems display an expression. That very moment when the writer begins his mental journey with that pen and paper is where all feelings are let out. As poetry is continues to be written, the reader begins to see patterns within each poem. On the other hand, poems have nothing at all in common with one another. A good example of this is in two poems by a famous writer by
“Thou art an emblem of the glow/ Of beauty- the unhidden heart-/ The playful maziness of art” (3-5). “To The River___” by Edgar Allan Poe is a poem about a young boy who is enthralled with the daughter of Old Alberto. The origin of the poem may be explained by the fact that Poe wrote it at the mere age of eighteen; a time when emotions flow freely and the mind is yet to be fully developed. The poem describes the young girl as a perfect example of raw and pure beauty through classic literary elements such as imagery, tone, rhyme, and diction. “To the River” is a beautiful poem that compares the elegance of a young woman to a crystal clear flowing river.
The power of love and emotion is evident in Lord Byron's poems, "She Walks in Beauty" and "So We'll Go No More A-Roving." Because of their consecutive placement in the book, "She Walks in Beauty" and "So We'll Go No More A-Roving" tell a story of a relationship. In the first poem, "She Walks in Beauty," the speaker glimpses a beautiful woman who reminds him of "the night" and "starry skies." Throughout the piece, the speaker is fascinated by her beautiful facial features. The last stanza summarizes this beautifully when he comments on her "eloquent" characteristics. In the last half of the story, "So We'll Go No More A-Roving," however, the speaker is losing the sparks of passion that he once had for his lover. This is largely
Not only do these poems share differences through the speakers childhood, but also through the tones of the works.
Although both poems discuss Helen of Troy, both speakers’ withhold different perspectives within the first stanza. In “To Helen” the speaker sets Helen on a pedestal as he uses the apostrophe “Helen, thy beauty is to me” (Poe, line 1). He emphasizes that he speaks to her as the title “To Helen” sets the praiseful tone within the poem. However, the unimpressed speaker of “Helen” displays the loss of connection to this famous woman as
Life is full of unexpected changes, advancements and insights. People will look at life through different lenses as they age. However, some social norms will be unwavering. Social norms, such as women being considered the weaker ones in society, have been around for a long time. Hilda Doolittle explores what it means to be a woman in society in her poem “Eurydice”. She alludes to the Orpheus myth and modifies Eurydice’s character from passive to strong to show that women can be resilient and independent even if men try to use women to glorify themselves and even if society tries to downplay women. Doolittle does this through her diction, symbolism and imagery of flowers and colors.
The works of Edgar Allan Poe and Sylvia Plath convey feelings of sorrow, in attempt to release their emotions and show the reader their true mental struggles. Although these writers were alive at extremely different time periods, they shared characteristics in the way they wrote and the messages emanate in their poems and other writings. However, their works vary from each other as Sylvia often focuses on her depression through pathetic fallacy and nature while Poe focuses on the evil within and the acceptance of death of the people closest to him. Edgar Allan Poe and Sylvia Plath similarly dealt with various obstacles in which they wrote about, but the way in which they expressed these issues in their works of literature differed immensely.
Two novelists Emily Bronte and Mary Shelly both depict this in their novels Wuthering Heights and Frankenstein. In the forms of showing the strong emotion of characters and their awe of nature. Bronte especially depicts these natures in her intense but romantic style of writing. In conclusion, Emily Bronte used romanticism to make a more intense impact to the reader and their