Question

How does Helen Dare use comparisons to characterize Susan B. Anthony, and what do these comparisons reveal about her point of view?

Answer 1

When looking for comparisons, you are looking for metaphors or similes. For example, “The sun is a hot bowl of lava.” That is a metaphor. The sun is being compared to lava. OR The sun is as hot as a bowl of lava. That is a simile.

There can also be direct comparisons such as: Susan’s work of Art mirrors that of da Vinci. So as you read, look

for examples such as these. Then you need to ask how this shows us a specific point of view. Are the comparisons done in a positive light or no?

Answer 2

Helen Dare uses comparisons of Susan with the knight of La Mancha. She characterizes Susan B. Anthony as an unattractive woman with an unpleasant appearance that can be easily mocked. That's because Dare characterizes Susan B. Anthony as "Somehow the tall, gaunt figure, the pale, lean, earnest, intellectual face of Susan B. Anthony is indissolubly linked with a love of my youth - my dear Knight of La Mancha."

However, she claims that she does not characterize Susan in this way to be funny and mock her appearance, much less discredit the struggle that Susan leads. Helen Dare, does not call herself a suffragette, but recognizes the power of Susan's cause and says that Susan's appearance is irrelevant, since she is not fighting for her own wishes, but for the wishes of many people.

In other words, Helen Dare says that Susan's struggle should not be influenced by people's perception of her appearance.