Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing - 1488 Words

Teagan de Marigny DSVTEA001 Due Date: 16 September 2011 English Literary Studies: ELL1016S Tutor: Nicola Lazenby Tut group 13 Assignment 2: Poetry ‘Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing’ – Margaret Atwood ‘Helen of Troy does Countertop Dancing’, by Margaret Atwood, deals with the refusal to agree to or obey with the idea that woman need to live a self-respected life and have a humble day job, which is pressured by society in order for woman to be ‘Ideal’. As well as Atwood’s writing on the oppressed female and her finding of power and control in everyday life. In this poem, there is an account of Feminist Resistance. Through observing the context, contents and form of the poem evidence of this resistance will be made clear.†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbut I come from the province of gods’(58) ‘My mother was raped by a holy swan.’(62) ‘in my blazing swan-egg of light.’(80) Here are three instances where Atwood refers to the myth of who Helen’s parents were and how she was conceived. Using Helen of Troy as the ‘prostitute/stripper’ in the poem creates great interest and entertainment due to the history of who Helen of Troy was. Helen is here being referred to as having no morals and self-respect. This introduces feminist resistance in the sense of irony that the ‘most beautiful woman in the world’ is a prostitute. This allusion provides us with the idea of the approach Atwood had for this poem. The poem begins with the idea that woman feel disgusted towards other woman who sell their bodies and degrade themselves by stripping and entertaining men. Women see this as giving woman in society a bad reputation and men who find pleasure in such a thing still sees this as a woman having no self respect. However this job is known as the world’s oldest profession for woman and who decides if this way of making money is really wrong? ‘...I should be ashamed of myself/if they had the chance. Quite dancing. /Get some self-respected job .’ (2-5) Helen then rebuts by stating that why would she leave this job when all she’ll be getting is ‘†¦minimum wage, and varicose veins†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (6-7) she goes on to say, ‘Selling gloves, or something. Instead of what I do sell. You have to have talent to peddle a thing so nebulous’ (12-15) whyShow MoreRelatedHelen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing1480 Words   |  6 PagesTeagan de Marigny DSVTEA001 Due Date: 16 September 2011 English Literary Studies: ELL1016S Tutor: Nicola Lazenby Tut group 13 Assignment 2: Poetry ‘Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing’ – Margaret Atwood ‘Helen of Troy does Countertop Dancing’, by Margaret Atwood, deals with the refusal to agree to or obey with the idea that woman need to live a self-respected life and have a humble day job, which is pressured by society in order for woman to be ‘Ideal’. As well as Atwood’s writing on the oppressedRead MoreThe Use of Mythological Allusions in Margaret Atwoods Poetry831 Words   |  4 PagesMargaret Atwood’s poems, â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing† and â€Å"Sekhmet Lion-Headed Goddess of War†, allusions are used to empower and change the way we view the female speaker. This is especially obvious in â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing†. The poem is about a stripper, which is considered to be quite a degrading job in today’s society. Normally such a protagonist would be looked down upon and pitied by the readers, and yet through allusions to Helen of Troy (a woman widely consideredRead MorePower of Power Essay1170 Words   |  5 Pagesdesire for an establishment of power, if one(it?) does not already exist. Power can be greedy, selfish, aggressive, but also a necessity for order and peace. It is always controlling. It has existed since the beginning of time and will continue to play a vital role in the lives of all, forever. In literature, power can be depicted in a variety of ways, affecting different numbers of people and things. Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing†, Toni Cade Bambara’s â€Å"The Lesson†, Henrik Ibsen’sRead MoreHelen Of Troy Does Countertop Dance A nalysis1359 Words   |  6 Pagesspecifically, woman dealing with the essence of being a woman and how other people think they must behave. In Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing exemplifies three main roles, although all intermix constantly throughout the poem. The first role Helen takes on is a stripper, the second is the goddess from the myth, and the third is a representation of all women around the world. The roles the character â€Å"Helen† takes throughout the poem reveal important feminist values and illustrate many important the individual