What is your critical perspective? This is a self-directed assignment to produce a significant piece of work exploring a topical theme that you can convey to an audience. This work should explore relations to the wider world and issues of topical interest to a wide public audience.
HELENA: THE CAUSE FOR LOSS
Helena, beautiful Helena.
What did she know when she was born?
How did Fate and Nemesis curse her?
How many lives have been torn?
A thousand ships have sailed, Helena
looking for a shadow, a flawless silhouette
Trojans and Greeks’ heroic deaths have suffered
being Olympian god’s fatal marionette.
The whole world was split in two: Helena,
Gods and humans fight for honour and pride,
looking for the ultimate price, Helena.
Moreover, everyone had to choose a side.
And when the war was over, Helena,
when Ilion vanished in smoke and flame
Gods declared peace, Helena
quickly blaming an evil, ungodly dame!
An everlasting name, Helena
reminding a ten-year mythological war
but considering the circumstances
what happens to the modern world?
Humanity is always looking for a Helena.
To personify the Evil or a Cause.
To accomplish their deeds and pursuits
to justify horrifying pain and loss.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The story of Helen of Troy influences the poem above. Through the verses, we investigate the tragic fate of a person who unwillingly became the cause of a war and the loss of a nation.
Helen becomes the embodiment of a villain who, in this case, has been declared the most beautiful woman in the world. She was also described as a trophy from Goddess Aphrodite(Venus) to win a beauty contest between Goddesses.
Benjamin West: Helen Brought to Paris
Helen Brought to Paris, oil on canvas by Benjamin West, 1776; in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C. 143.3 × 198.3 cm.
She was the ultimate award and had to be kidnapped for this, following a destiny controlled by Gods. This fact implies disastrous fate for many heroes who perished fighting for the highest aspect of their value code: honour.
However, was that allegation fair, being accused of actions so painful and disastrous?
The poem concludes that it is not. There has always been a quest from Gods and humans for someone to blame and justify their actions.
Helen became the scapegoat for a war with only the intention to conquer and destroy. Her kidnapping was only the motive for one of the most famous wars in the history of humanity. Greeks’ seek for honour was the dress-up of greed. The myth of Helen makes sense today more than ever. Today’s Gods (the ones who pull the strings and decide the world’s fate) are looking for Helen to accomplish their deeds and cover their atrocities. It is thought-provoking to consider how this ancient myth can still teach us valuable lessons about the human condition.
References:
Wikipedia contributors, ‘Trojan War’, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 28 December 2023, 17:17 UTC, <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trojan_War&oldid=1192299417> [accessed 14 January 2024]
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Helen of Troy”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Sep. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Helen-of-Troy. Accessed 14 January 2024.
Send to your tutor:
- Documentation of your work and any feedback you have received from an audience, either within OCA or externally.
- A revised draft of your Critical Analysis.
- A reflective commentary reviewing your work and critically reflecting on both tutor and peer reviews of your work.
- A summary of ideas as to how you may disseminate your work to an audience in the future.
1:1 Tutorial
This tutorial is focused on discussing your Critical Review. Your tutor will review your work within your learning log and Contextual Report and return feedback to you in written form, or a video call discussion.
Reflection
Check your work against the assessment criteria listed in the introduction to this course guide before you send it to your tutor and make some notes about how well you believe your work meets each criterion.
Reworking Your Assignment
Following feedback from your tutor, you may wish to rework some of your assignments in preparation for the assessment. If you do this, make sure you reflect on what you’ve done and why as this will demonstrate responsiveness and learning to the course assessors.
Student Community: Engagement with an Audience
Use the forum space to share your work with your peers.
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