Compare_and_Contrast

Edward Field’s: Icarus and Anne Sexton: To A Friend Whose Work Has Come To Triumph In the story of Icarus it speaks about speak a young man and his father named Icarus and Daedalus. Daedalus was well known for his skills a carpenter and a inventor he produced many works. Icarus and Daedalus were imprisoned for something Daedalus had done. Daedalus decided to come up with an idea to escape by constructing some wings and flying to safety. He warned his son Icarus not to fly too low because if the wings touch the water than it will get wet and if he flies too high his wings will melt if he flies close to the sun. He constructed his wings with feathers and wax so the durability was not strong enough. Instead of Icarus listening to what his father told him he went ahead and enjoyed the thrill of flying until he flew to high and his wings suddenly melted. Many people these days always want to follow their dream and reach high but never like to listen to people’s advice because they feel they should do it on their own. People have to learn in order to understand what’s right and what’s wrong to experience the fullness of success and dreams. People can achieve greatness and succeed at anything that they do in life as long as, you have focus, character, and motivation. In Edward Field’s “Icarus” and Anne Sexton “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph” These poems speak of both the importance of success and the heartbreak of failure. There are various types of tones that the authors both use to better portray the story of the life of Icarus. The language that they both use describes two versions of the same character in his defeat as well as his successes. There were words and literary terms that stood out to me as I read these two poems. Fields uses this literary term “Than the usual drowning/the police prefer to ignore the confusing aspects of the case” (lines 3-4) this statement speaks of the depressing state that Icarus was living in, feeling that life was not even worth living. When you have been successful person and for you to go to the bottom it is a depressing feeling. The statement dealing with the police is speaking of how society never really paid attention. But rather ignore the issue and tuck the issue away. Another statement that make me see the deep depression that Icarus is “never dreaming that the gray respectable suit/concealed arms that had controlled huge wings/nor that those sad defeated eyes had once/compelled the sun” (lines 11-13) Though Icarus wears the suit of a business man he struggles to understand why he can’t conform to the society and time that he lives in. The suit that he wears can be a reflection of how many people live their lives confined and concealed to the worries of the world. In the poem by Anne Sexton she describes the more successful, daring, and care free side of our friend Icarus. She uses words that better depict Icarus such as “There below are the trees/as awkward as camels/and here of the shock starlings pumping past/and think of innocent Icarus who is doing quite well”.( lines 5-7) This statement is the author appreciating the care free nature of Icarus and how he made the choice despite of his actions and the consequences he would receive from his father Daedalus. Sexton did not see that as an issue because she felt as if why does it matter what happened to him in the past, but let us acknowledge Icarus for what he has done. When I read this poem I believe that Anne Sexton can be directing this poem to a friend and maybe telling her friend that it’s much easier to remain average then to take the extra risk of being extraordinary and great. In our life at times we often are perplexed by things that we could have done to make our lives much more successful and less depressing then they are. “And daily in his workshop/curtains carefully drawn/Constructs small wings and tries to fly/ To the lighting fixture on the ceiling/ fails every time and hates himself for trying/ He had thought himself a hero/had acted heroically/and dreamt of his fall/the tragic fall of the hero.” This quote basically states that even though Icarus tried very hard to put his wings back together, to relive who he once was but instead of becoming successful he felt like a failure .The tone of this story is basically negative because the author uses the quote “wishes he had drowned” (line 31) which seems very disturbing.