Question

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Write an argumentative essay about how this poem best represents the themes of Ovid's "The Story of Daedalus and Icarus" and Brueghel's painting Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.

Musee des Beaux Arts by W. H. Auden

About suffering they were never wrong,
The old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position: how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along;
How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood:
They never forgot
That even the dreadful martyrdom must run its course
Anyhow in a corner, some untidy spot
Where the dogs go on with their doggy life and the torturer's horse
Scratches its innocent behind on a tree.
In Breughel's Icarus, for instance: how everything turns away
Quite leisurely from the disaster; the ploughman may
Have heard the splash, the forsaken cry,
But for him it was not an important failure; the sun shone
As it had to on the white legs disappearing into the green
Water, and the expensive delicate ship that must have seen
Something amazing, a boy falling out of the sky,
Had somewhere to get to and sailed calmly on.

Introduction:
What do you think is the meaning of the painting and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus?
How does the poem match the story and painting? Why do you think this?


Body:
What lines from the poem show a similar meaning to the painting and the story? Why?
Explain those lines in your own words.


Conclusion:
What do you think about the whole story of Icarus? What lesson do you think it is supposed to show?
What can people get from reading the stories and poems and looking at this painting today?
What life lessons can we learn from this myth?

Answer 1

The myth of Daedalus and Icarus, as well as Brueghel's painting "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus," both explore the themes of hubris, human limitations, and the indifference of the natural world to human suffering. W.H. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" echoes these themes and further reinforces the idea that human suffering often goes unnoticed or ignored by others.

The poem begins by stating that "About suffering they were never wrong, The old Masters," implying that the old masters understood the inevitability of human suffering. This is evident in the story of Daedalus and Icarus, as Daedalus warns his son not to fly too close to the sun, but Icarus's hubris leads him to ignore his father's advice, ultimately resulting in his tragic fall. Similarly, in the painting, the fall of Icarus is not the focal point; instead, the plowman continues with his work, and the ship sails calmly on, indifferent to the tragedy unfolding below.

Auden goes on to describe how suffering often takes place in the midst of everyday life, "While someone else is eating or opening a window or just walking dully along." This is exemplified in both the story and the painting, as Icarus's fall and subsequent drowning go unnoticed by those around him. Even the "expensive delicate ship" sailing by fails to recognize the significance of what has just occurred.

The poem also highlights the contrast between the miraculous and the mundane, with the "aged" passionately waiting for the miraculous birth while children skate "On a pond at the edge of the wood." This contrast is mirrored in the story of Daedalus and Icarus, as Icarus's flight represents the miraculous, while his fall represents the mundane reality of human limitation and mortality.

Overall, Auden's poem captures the themes present in both the story and the painting, highlighting the indifference of the natural world to human suffering, the inevitability of human limitations, and the contrast between the miraculous and the mundane.

In conclusion, the story of Icarus serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of hubris and the importance of recognizing our human limitations. Reading stories and poems like this and looking at paintings like "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" can remind us of the fragility of human life and the need for humility in the face of the natural world. The lesson we can learn from this myth is to be mindful of our actions and to strive for a balance between our aspirations and our limitations.

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