**Helen Grey**
*By Christina Georgina Rossetti*
Because one loves you, Helen Grey,
Is that a reason you should pout,
And like a March wind veer about,
And frown, and say your shrewish say?
Don't strain the cord until it snaps,
Don't split the sound heart with your wedge,
Don't cut your fingers with the edge
Of your keen wit; you may, perhaps.
Because you're handsome, Helen Grey,
Is that a reason to be proud?
Your eyes are bold, your laugh is loud,
Your steps go mincing on their way;
But so you miss that modest charm
Which is the surest charm of all:
Take heed, you yet may trip and fall,
And no man care to stretch his arm.
Stoop from your cold height, Helen Grey,
Come down, and take a lowlier place;
Come down, to fill it now with grace;
Come down you must perforce some day:
For years cannot be kept at bay,
And fading years will make you old;
Then in their turn will men seem cold,
When you yourself are nipped and grey.
What evidence in "Helen Grey" supports the idea that Helen Grey is an unpleasant person?
Use details from the poem to support your answer.
Answer (3)
When the author claims that Helen Grey miss that modest charm, w hich is the surest charm of all. He might be handsome of all, but when he will trip and fall, no man would care to stretch his arm and help. This shows that Helen is an unpleasant person.
The passage "Because you're handsome, Helen Grey, Is that a reason to be proud? Your eyes are bold, your laugh is loud, Your steps go mincing on their way; But so you miss that modest charm Which is the surest charm of all: Take heed, you yet may trip and fall, And no man care to stretch his arm." explains that Helen Grey isn't a very pleasant person. In the first part it's saying that Helen Grey is very proud. Then it goes on to explain how Helen Grey acts like she's better than everyone because of her charm. Finally the narrator tells Helen Grey that because of her pride and her unpleasantness, she needs to be careful because when she needs something no-one will want to help because of the way she acts.
In "Helen Grey," evidence suggests that Helen is unpleasant due to her pouting, shrewish remarks, pride, loudness, and absence of modesty. The speaker warns her against her harsh wit and emotional volatility, indicating that such traits could alienate others. The poem emphasizes that her cold demeanor may lead to her eventual loneliness as time passes.
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