Landscape Of The Fall Of Icarus And Anne Sexton's

617 Words3 Pages
Whether through literature or real-life occurrences, society tends to be oblivious to the adversity of others. Celebrated artists of the past have intensely demonstrated their understanding of human suffering within their masterpieces. W.H Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts”, Brueghel’s Landscape of the Fall of Icarus, and Anne Sexton’s “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph”, share a unique, yet meaningful message. All three pieces pertain to the myth of Icarus and convey the idea of humanity’s indifference towards suffering, each with a unique style and structure. Auden’s “Musée des Beaux Arts” demonstrates human indifference towards suffering with a contemplative, yet calm tone in the format of a poem. For instance, as Auden conveys, “In Brueghel’s Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away / Quite leisurely from the disaster”. Through this, the speaker refers to the myth of Icarus and illustrates that whenever a disaster takes place, most tend to calmly ignore it and continue with their lives. To further demonstrate,…show more content…
On the other hand, Brueghel’s “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” illustrates indifference with the same calm tone, yet the painting provides a more tranquil and subtle setting and shows the world’s indifference towards individual martyrdom. For instance, the lush scenery consists of a working ploughman, a vibrant sun in the horizon, delicate boats in the glimmering sea, a shepherd tending his animals, and looming mountains. The artistic aspects of this painting all serve by contrasting with Icarus’s death, which is seen as a pair of faint legs splashing the water beside a ship. Through this strategy, the artist demonstrates that individual tragedy does not disrupt the daily life of others and that society does not tend to those
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    Anne Sexton’s “To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph”, and William Carlos Williams’ “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus” depict vastly different interpretations of the Ovid tale of “The Story of Daedalus and Icarus” specifically focusing on Icarus himself. Both poems offer their insight into Icarus’ journey, but Sexton shows a much more witnessed, exciting, and triumphant affair, while Williams comes in giving an almost completely opposite version, that shows Icarus’ flight to be unnoticed, dull

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