WOMAN REPRESENTATION IN POE’S TO HELEN Fiola Kuhon Bina Sarana Informatika University, PSDKU Tegal [email protected] ABSTRACT Sir. Edgar Allan Poe was recognized for his gothic yet in depth writings. Every object he put in his works ended up as an interesting center of a literary study. Therefore, the aim of this research was to analyze the representation of a woman in Poe’s To Helen, the first version of the poem published in 1831. Meanwhile, to analyze the poem, an expressive approach and feminism approach were applied during this research. Hence, this research was a descriptive research where all the data were obtained and presented in words. Having analyzed this poem, it was discovered that in this poem, Poe depicted woman opposite to his major theme of beautiful victimized women. In this poem, the woman was represented as fair, caring, comforting and full of wisdom to the extent where a person found love and home in her. Keywords: Woman, Representation, Depiction, Poe, To Helen, Poem 1. Introduction Poetry is a work where someone inspirations. Women had been the can sum up ample and deep story in a subject of numerous poems written by short manner. However, as short as it Poe, and there were considerably might seem, a poem covers more than amount of them are entitled after the what can be imagined by the readers. female character. “To Helen” (1831), Therefore, whoever or whatever the “Lenore” (1831), “Eulalie – A Song” object of the poem is, they must hold a (1845), “Ulalume – A Ballad” (1847), special place in the poet’s heart. “To Helen” (1848), “For Annie” (1849), Despite of the reason behind it; love, and “Annabel Lee” (1849). However, in lost, anger, fear, or even death, lies a most of those poems, especially the special tale that promotes the writing women mention in the poems above, process. Thereupon, the process to were represented as vulnerable victim, read and analyze a poem is always taken away by death. Therefore, they challenging and enlightening. were called as Poe’s dark women back Edgar Allan Poe was a respected in the day. writer for his works where To Helen is a poem written by Poe romanticism, gothic, horror and women and published in 1831. Although it is meet. Many researchers found that not as popular as Annabel Lee but this women had become one of his biggest work has got a chance to gain attention 59 | P a g e from the readers back then. Coming Poe’s To Helen. Hence, the approach from the same topic which as a woman, used were an expressive approach, To Helen seemed to have a different where the writer reflected the content vibe than Annabel Lee since in To of the poem with the life of the poet’s Helen, the woman is depicted since the writer believed that the beautifully. However, is that so? During setting for when the work was created his career as an American writer, Poe had an immense impact into the work has written many works and among itself. Therefore, the feminism them women has appeared quite a bit approach was also included since the as the object of his works. However, poem was about women the most well know works are where representation, furthermore since the the women were depicted as victim or poem itself was published in 1831 even worse death. where the first wave of feminism took By then, the first wave of the place, this approach was seen insightful feminist movement occurred in Europe for the discussion. Thus, the discussion and America. The oppression and was limited and focused only on how marginalized by the men, created a the woman in Poe’s To Helen was commotion among women to be able represented through the lexicons and to have an equality in voting and the way she was narrated in the poem. experience a more appropriate education. During this era, many 2. Literature Review literary works where women were Wherefore Sir. Edgar Allan Poe is a objectified and victimized were all over big name in for his phenomenal works, the world. Among them, Poe was many studies have been conducting to considered as a male writer who analyze his poetry or tale. Hence, the presented women with weakness and studies about all the women mentioned laxity. in his works were also conducted. A study conducted by Martens However, most of the studies focus (2013) showed that women had more on the stories where beautiful appeared in Poe’s poems often. In The the women became the helpless Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar victims or murdered and dead, as in Allan Poe (the 2006 edition by Barnes & Annabel Lee and Lenore. Noble), he stated that around 54% of Besides gothic, woman is a very the poem included in the book were poplar theme in Poe’s works. However, about women. However, as far as the as mentioned before, most of the writer’s research went, there were only women appeared in his poem was a few researches were conducted pictured as helpless victims, someone about To Helen, especially in analyzing who is sick, dead and even worse the woman representation in this murdered. Therefore, considerably specific poem. As women were quite amount of studies about them were often featured in Poe’s poem, conducted heretofore. In early 2010, a therefore the writer was interested and study conducted by Grcic entitled Poe’s challenged to analyze the Ladies: Search for Perfection stated representation of woman limited in during his lifetime, Poe had 60 | P a g e experienced facing the death of women theme where women were closed to him which most likely represented by Poe. In fact, there were affected his works and drove him to some interesting women, such as the unload those painful experiences to intelligent women named Kate in Three ample of his works. Grcic then wrote Sundays a Week and Madame Lalande ”Throughout his work Edgar Allan Poe in The Spectacles. Thus, only a few is guided by the idea explained in his studies were conducted about to “Philosophy of Composition” where he Helen, especially on how the woman is says that the best inspiration for the depicted in the poem. Therefore, this most poetical melancholy is found in study was conducted to focus more in “the death of a beautiful woman”…”. It analyzing the representation of women explained why popular works like in Poe’s To Helen. Annabel Lee, Lenore, Eleonora, Berenice, Ligeia, Morella, Madeline 3. Research Method were created. In conducting this research, the Furthermore, The Loss of the Ideal researcher used a qualitative research. Woman in Edgar Allan Poe’s Poetry, a Therefore, all the data were taken in study carried out by Reynaud (2014), form of words rather than numbers and stated similar testimony about how the it did not deal with numbers, diagram experience of losing significance and formulas. Therefore, the data in women had an immerse influence in this research were collected from Poe’s works. When Poe found a relevant books, articles and documents, beautiful, intelligent and inspiring both from offline and online sources. In women in Jane Stanard, his friend’s addition, the researcher divided the mother whom he honored in To Helen source into two parts; those were the after she died. Jane was the women primary source and the secondary whom young Poe has fallen in love sources. The primary source was a with, He began idolizing her and later poem To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe. referred to her as his “passionate Moreover, the secondary sources that boyhood, *…+ the first, purely ideal love the researcher used consist of of *his+ soul” 25 in a letter to Sarah H. supporting books about the poet, Whitman. As for Annabel Lee, Poe poetry, and related articles about Poe’s wrote this in grief of the death of his To Helen and Poe’s biography. wife Virginia Clemm who died very Hence, to analyze the poem, the young and left Poe a miserable and researcher used an expressive emotionally painful life. approach which the researcher A year before, a study entitled The assumed would be suitable for this Representation of Women in the Works research. As stated by Abrams (1979) of Edgar Allan Poe was conducted by “Expressive approach judged the work Martens (2013). In this study he by its sincerity or genuine or adequacy explained more about the to the poet’s individual vision or state representation of many women who mind; and it often looks in the work for appeared in Poe’s works. It appeared evidence of the author who consciously that victim women were not the only has revealed in it.” Thus, to analyze the 61 | P a g e poem, researcher was obliged to study The weary, way- The weary, way- about the life of Poe to comprehend worn wanderer worn wanderer how it affects the poem in any way bore bore possible. Expressive approach believes To his own native To his own native that the state of emotion when the shore. shore. poet writes a work will most likely On desperate seas On desperate seas influences the process of writing. long wont to roam, long wont to roam, Therefore, the poet and his poem was Thy hyacinth hair, Thy hyacinth hair, not separable. thy classic face, thy classic face, Furthermore, in the discussion, the Thy Naiad airs, Thy Naiad airs have researcher also analyzed certain area of have brought me brought me home the poem by using a feminism home To the glory that approach.