To Helen vs Helen Two Separate Views of the Woman Who s Face Launched One Thousand
Both poems, “To Helen” by Edgar Allen Poe and “Helen” by Hilda Doolittle have many contrasts. ... These two works also use contrasting imagery and diction. “To Helen” reveals that Poe considers Helen of Troy to be an outstanding woman of great beauty. He speaks of Helen when she is young, and her looks are vibrant. These feelings are known when Poe states, “Helen, thy beauty is to me / like those Nicean barks of yore.” However, Hilda Doolittle refers to Helen in her dark hours looking pale and still. She compares her to dull lifeless olives saying, “the lustre of olives,” meaning that Helen’s complexion is tarnished.