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Helen Doolittle Helen Figurative Language

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In her poem “Helen” Helen Doolittle alludes to Helen of Troy as she describes the feud between her and the Greeks. Her use of vivid, visual imagery and selective rhyme to connect two contrasting, and yet similar, concepts: love and hate. Through this she touches on the concept of forgiveness and how it is not always deserved and is not always earned.

The images presented in the poem are particularly evocative and revolve around a singular concept, “All Greece hates/the still eyes in the white face”(Doolittle). The color white is a recurring motif throughout the piece as it describes the infamous woman. In this instance, it describes her beauty, which the Greeks despise her for. Now, they are not jealous of it, they are hateful …show more content…

This creates an immediate contrast between the Greeks feelings towards Helen and what she does that causes the reaction. This is the main concept of the entire poem and the scattered rhyme scheme only helps to drive it home. Not only does this deepen the feud between Helen and her former compatriots, it also emulates the war that was fought because of Helen. This also reinforces the question of wether or not Helen deserves the hatred she receives, especially when she does something as simple as smiling. This rhyme scheme is used again later in the stanza with the lines, “Hating it deeper still/when it grows wan and white, /remembering past enchantments/ and past ills” (Doolittle). In this instance, the rhyme is placed in a moment of comparison. The Greeks hate Helen because of the pain she has put their country through, and continue to do so even though the war is over. The space between the two words also symbolizes the rift between Greece and Helen. It shows that the rift is unlikely of being repaired, even though there was a time when they thought her enchanting. Though the Greeks will never forgive Helen, it is still unknown if she deserves this hatred. However, forgiveness does not need to be earned. The Greeks have every right to despise Helen, but Helen does realize her wrongs and has every right to continue with

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