"Leda and the Swan" and "Rape of Europa" Comparison Essay
"Leda and the Swan" and "Rape of Europa"
A comparison and contrast of Yeats' poem, "Leda and the Swan" with Jean Cousin the Elder's image, "Rape of Europa".
# 153713
| 836 words
| 3 sources
| MLA
| 2013
| 
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Description:
The paper compares the poem "Leda and the Swan" to the picture "Rape of Europa" and highlights three similarities and three differences between these two works. The paper first discusses the similarities that include the message of rape, the underlying political themes and the sexual orientation and aspects of the relationship between man and woman presented in each work. The paper then discusses the differences that include the different outcome, the critical theme of unity and the symbiotic relationship displayed in the image.
From the Paper:
"The works are similar in 3 respects. The Leda and the Swan talks of a powerful goddess, who has seduced and raped Leda, the Queen of Sparta. Europa, on the other hand, has been invaded by powerful bull that overcomes her. No doubt the authors in the two pick the message of rape to represent powerful forces overcoming their powerless victims who can do nothing about it. The use of the words "helpless", "caught", "terrified" and "big blow" (Yeats, 3, 4, 5) in the Leda and the Swan indicates a powerless Swan, same as the use of words such as "rape of Europa" and images that show a big bull overcoming Europa indicate a powerless/helpless Europa. The second similarity is that both the Leda and the Swan and Rape of Europa are born with a political theme in them: the original theme in the poem is the oppression of Ireland by England. In both cases, the politics in the European region are represented. The political theme in the picture is that Europa has been invaded by extreme forces of "nationalism, violence and oppression" in Nazism (Tiphane, 1). The original poem Leda and the Swan relates to the creation of Greece and then the other version of the poem relate to formation of Ireland. Ireland became so "so caught up" and "so mastered" (Yeats, 11-12) even 7 years later after gaining independence."Sample of Sources Used:
- Guy Tiphane. Yeats' Leda and the Swan: Politics and Passion. 2002. Web. 30 Sept. 2013
- Jean Cousin the Elder. "The Rape of Europa". Web. 30 Sept. 2013
- William Butler Yeats. "The Leda and the Swan", 1924.
Cite this Comparison Essay:
APA Format
"Leda and the Swan" and "Rape of Europa" (2013, October 28)
Retrieved March 31, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/leda-and-the-swan-and-rape-of-europa-153713/
MLA Format
""Leda and the Swan" and "Rape of Europa"" 28 October 2013.
Web. 31 March. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/comparison-essay/leda-and-the-swan-and-rape-of-europa-153713/>