Comparing Frank O Hara And Ben Greenman's An Image Of Leda

Great Essays
The art of literature has been divided into categories such as High and Low. However opposing these categories are, modern day authors are beginning to intertwine these forms of literature in order to appeal to this generation of readers. Author Frank O’Hara has accomplished this by intertwining the High and Low forms of literature in one poem, and author Ben Greenman has accomplished this by modifying classical pieces of literature to a form that is more accepted in the younger generation of readers. In doing this modification, Greenman and O’Hara took the serious aspect away from their literature. Frank O’Hara has implemented this technique in his poems “An Image Of Leda” and “Poem,” and Ben Greenman in his book Celebrity Chekov. In the poem “An Image Of Leda,” Frank O’Hara links the similarities between the movie theater and the Greek myth Leda and the Swan. To many, this poem is considered a Low from of art because it is comparing a classical Greek myth to modern mechanism. With this comparison, Frank O’Hara is trying to make his poem appeal to the younger generation of readers by leading them to believe that the poem is going to be about the movie theater. The poem consequently loses the High art form aspect because of the comparison of Greek mythology to a …show more content…
The moviegoer is wondering if it was a good idea to go to the cinema, and Leda is questioning whether or not she is enjoying this inhumane experience. This questioning on both characters’ parts is answered in the last line of the poem where the author addresses the “real pleasure in loving a shadow and caressing a disguise.” In the cinema, the moviegoer is enjoying the movie, and in the Greek myth, Leda is enjoying the rape. This line accurately describes both of the events that are taking place, tying together these opposing ideas one last

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