Compare/Contrast To Helen vs Helen We are all passionate about something in life, whether it be our values, politics, or circumstances. Something these poets are passionate about is Helen and what her beauty symbolizes to them. In the poems “To Helen” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Helen” by Hilda Doolittle, the authors have views of Helen that differ, while Poe sees Helen’s beauty as light, strength, and patriotism, Doolittle sees her beauty as war and hate. The speaker’s attitude, tone, and themes portray physical beauty as a force to be reckoned with and are passionate while doing it. There are very few common factors in these poems. One major factor is Helen’s beauty. Her beauty is the main objective. Helen is beautiful and how they feel about her is what differs. In each poem they use literary devices, more so in Poe’s poem. For example, he uses two similes comparing Helen to a tree and a statue. He also uses personification “on desperate seas,” …show more content…
In the first Stanza Helens beauty is like nature, by being compared to “Nicean barks,” and “a perfumed sea.” In the second stanza, her beauty compares to home, and in the third and final stanza she is being compared to the light, by being compared to “the agate lamp.” The speaker could be a male sailor on his way home or going towards her. The reason I picked the word patriotic is because the way he talks about her sounds like he is after her, showing his loyalty, or doing something that could lead her to him, such as fighting for her. He could also be one of the soldiers fighting for her in the war, meaning they will eventually get her back. We all tend to make something greater when we are fighting for it. His tone is passion. He is passionate about her. He could also use her as a patriotic symbol for his country worth fighting for. The theme I picked up while reading this is beauty is