Sudeep Annem Essays (485 words) - American Literature,

Sudeep Annem Mrs. Burch AP English Literature 4 October 2017 Compare/Contrast Essay The expressive poem To Helen written by the professed author Edgar Allan Poe was written to express the admiration that Poe feels for Helen's beauty. On the other hand, the poem Helen by Hilda Doolittle depicts the conflict and issues that arose from the dangerous beauty of Helen of Troy. Poe's piece utilizes precise rhetorical devices in order to place emphasis on Helen's beauty. The usage of alliteration of "weary, way-worn wanderer" in the passage connects with the innate aspect of tranquility that resides in her beauty, also portrayed when compared to a "perfume sea". Poe concocts a setting that depicts how Helen's beauty saves the weary traveler from his rough journey "on desperate seas" and brings him to a life of bliss and luxury. Helen's beauty is once again professed extensively through descriptions of her "hyacinth hair," and "Naiad airs," which contain additional meaning as well because both the Hyacinth and Naiad represent figures in the mythology that presided over Helen's era. The detailed imagery and precise rhetoric used by Poe indicates that, for him, Helen is a symbol of splendor and status. The tone of the poem is one of desire and romanticism, principally evident in the glorious depiction of Helen's otherworldly beauty. The other poem utilizes irony in order to depict the jealousy and hatred that Helen invoked in the Greek people. By saying that she has the "luster as of olives", the author ironically uses olives to allude to her beauty because the Greeks considered olives their exclusive produce and it represented the power of Greece in their society. Similar to Poe's poem, descriptions of Helen's beauty are given in abundance; however, all of the grand traits that Helen possessed resulted in Greeks remembering "past ills" and cause the Greeks to hate her "deeper still." Finally, the author leaves little to interpretation when they profess "only if she were laid, white ash amid funereal cypresses." Clearly, the Greeks would enjoy little more than to see Helen put to death and laid within the Earth. The differences in the written style between the two poems further emphasize the different meanings that the poets are attempting to convey. Poe writes in a smooth and consistent rhyme scheme in order to create a pleasing poem sufficient for discussing the brilliance of Helen's beauty. On the other hand, Doolittle writes with an irregular stanza length and an irregular rhyme scheme in order to create discord and unsettle the reader, providing the opportunity for Doolittle to profess how Helen's beauty was more of a curse rather than a blessing. The contrasts between the harsh ironic tone of Doolittle and the playful exuberant tone of Poe provide a description of how enemies of Troy may have felt about Helen and contrast them with the worship that the people of Troy gave their angel.