Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Icarus Literary Essay
The modern world has certainly evolved from the time of ancient Greece. In the poem Icarus, by Edward Field, a Greek mythological character is placed in the bustling, ironic reality of the modern world. The once fearless and ambitious Icarus, takes his risk taking too far and finds himself miserable and trapped. His only failure turns out to be his worst failure of all and Icarus cannot get up after this final fall. Field uses euphemism, imagery, dictation, and irony to tell the story of a young adventeurer who is unable to overcome his tragic defeat.Icarus provides a strong message to readers about reaching for the stars, but being able to pick yourself up after you fall. Field uses euphemism to describe Icarsusââ¬â¢ ââ¬Å"hero[ic] fallâ⬠(l. 20), not to his tragic death, but rather ââ¬Å"to the middling stature of the merely talentedâ⬠(l. 21). Icarus is portrayed as a hero in Greek mythology, so when he is transformed into the vastly different, mediocre world, it is his ultimate fall. His life changes from ââ¬Å"compel[ing] the sunâ⬠(l. 14), to ââ¬Å"rid[ing] commuter trainsâ⬠(l. 29).The transition to mediocrity is worse than death to Icarus, and Edward Field emphasises this through the use of euphemism. Icarusââ¬â¢ fall to mediocrity is also emphasised through Fieldââ¬â¢s strong use of imagery. The reader is able to easily understand and visualize the transition from the first stanza, which describes Icarusââ¬â¢ tragic death and implies the differences between his traditional home and his new home, to the third stanza, where imagery deprecates his life in the new world. Right away imagery illustrates Icarusââ¬â¢ hard fall into the contemporary world when he goes from a hero to a ââ¬Å"report filed and forgottenâ⬠(l.6).This use of imagery shows how Icarus is quickly forgotten and his peers have a carelessness towards his new persona as ââ¬Å"Mr. Hicksâ⬠(l. 10). The imagery enforced here helps the reader to understand the harsh reality of Icarusââ¬â¢ fall to mediocrity. Fieldââ¬â¢s use of irony and dictation are the final pieces that illustrate Icarusââ¬â¢ fall to the modern world. In the opening stanza of the poem the ironic culture of the new world is brought to light when the witnesses of Icarusââ¬â¢ fall run off to a ââ¬Å"gang warâ⬠(l. 5). Right away this establishes the cruel stature of urban life and the ironic revision of roles for Icarus.When Icarusââ¬â¢ report is ââ¬Å"filed and forgottenâ⬠(l. 6), it has an ironic spin on Greek mythology, because in ancient Greece tales resembling this would never be forgotten. Icarusââ¬â¢ new home in the real world is ironic because his new facade as ââ¬Å"Mr. Hicksâ⬠(l. 10) is portrayed as a nice, friendly neighbour, which is very farfetched from Icarusââ¬â¢ foolish and disobedient personality in his traditional home. Fields use of dictation throughout the poem is a constant reminder of the new s etting in the contemporary world Icarus is now living in.Words like ââ¬Å"commuter trainsâ⬠(l.29) and ââ¬Å"committeesâ⬠(l. 30), constantly clarify and emphasis the mediocre setting. Field strongly employs techniques of euphemism, imagery, irony, and dictation. In doing so, he conveys both poetically personal reflections and an effective change of Icarusââ¬â¢ setting, shaping this work as an even more tragic story for the protagonist than his death would have been. Icarus provokes the reader to self reflect on their attempts to reach the heavens and their abrupt fallings. It is a reminder to us that no matter how hard you fall, nothing will beat the pain of giving up.
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