Amazing Poets Are Able To Write Their Innermost Feelings

Saying Sylvia Plath was a troubled woman would be an understatement. She was a dark poet, who attempted suicide many times, was hospitalized in a mental institution, was divorced with two children, and wrote confessional poems about fetuses, reflection, duality, and a female perspective on life. Putting her head in an oven and suffocating was probably the happiest moment in her life, considering she had wanted to die since her early twenties. However, one thing that was somewhat consistent throughout her depressing poetry would be the theme of the female perspective. The poems selected for analysis and comparison are, ”A Life”(1960),”You’re”(1960), “Mirror” (1961), “The Courage of Shutting-Up” (1962) and

Sylvia Plath is known as a profound writer, depicted by her lasting works of literature and her suicide which put her poems and novel of debilitating depression into a new perspective. In her poem “Lady Lazarus,” written in 1962, her mental illness is portrayed in a means to convey to her readers the everyday struggle of depression, and how it affects her view of her world, herself, and even those who attempt to tackle her battle with her. This poem, among other poetry pieces and her novel The Bell Jar, identify her multiple suicide attempts, and how the art of dying is something she has become a master of. Plath’s “Lady Lazarus,” about her trap of depression and suicide attempts, is effective and thought provoking because of her allusions to WWII Nazi Germany and the feelings of oppression and Nazism that the recurring images evoke.

In 1963 on a cold winter day of February 11th, Sylvia Plath ended her life. She had plugged up her kitchen, sealing up the cracks in doors and windows before she was found with her head inside of her gas oven inhaling the dangerous fumes. She was only thirty years old, a young woman with two small children and an estranged ex-husband. A tragic detail of her life is that this is the second time she had tried to commit suicide. Plagued with mental illness her whole life, which is evident within her poetry. She would write gripping, honest portrayals of mental illnesses. Especially within Ariel, the last poetry book she wrote, right before she took her life. Although it’s hard to find a proper diagnosis for Sylvia Plath, it is almost definite that she at least had clinical depression with her numerous suicide attempts and stays in mental hospitals undergoing electroshock therapy. Sylvia Plath is now famously known for her writing and the more tragic parts of her life. Such as the separation from her husband, Ted Hughes, mental illness, etc… Plath may not have intended for her life and art to become inspiration to many people but that has become the end result. Sylvia Plath writing shows symptoms of her suicidal thoughts. To study specific moments in Sylvia Plath’s life, it can be connected to certain writing’s of her’s, such as “Daddy”, The Bell Jar, and “Lady Lazarus”.

Sylvia Plath was an American Poet who was renowned for poetry mostly in the United States. She, however lived a difficult and depressing life which led to a few futile suicide attempts, but ultimately led to a successful suicide attempt leaving her children to live on without a mother. This end result was due to a multitude of issues in her life from Sylvia’s sanity. She wasn’t the most stable child. Her marriage also played a role in her suicide. Her successes weren’t acclaimed until after her death, when a majority of her work was released. There were two major aspects to her life: her poetry and her sanity. These three combined make up a majority of Sylvia’s life.

Sylvia Plath’s work is marked with her trademark style, one full of enigmatic analogies and ambiguous metaphors. Sadly though, the life of Sylvia Plath was indeed shorter than anyone expected. Nevertheless, in the thirty years Plath meandered through the world, she left an everlasting impact. Remembered as one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the twentieth century, Plath cultivated a literary community unlike any predecessor. Additionally, since a sizable portion of Plath’s work was read posthumously, her suicide brought the much needed attention to physiological illnesses. Unfortunately though, Sylvia Plath will never know the perennial impact she left from her distinguished works that have touched numerous lives.

Sylvia Plath was an American author and poet. Her death at the age of 30 by suicide was the end of her long struggle with mental illness throughout her life, chronicled in her most famous work, her fictional, but inspired by her life novel, The Bell Jar, cited for its feminist themes and exploration of mental illness. Plath is considered one of the greatest poets and novelists of the 20th century, whose works were influenced by her mental illnesses, and still have relevance today.

Sylvia Plath once said, “ The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt”(Good Reads). Ms. Sylvia Plath was a novelist, poet, and a short-story writer (Monroe 2015). At the age of eight, she published her first poem which appeared in The Boston Traveller (Orr, Morrish, Press, et.al). Plath a terrific artist, which lead her to receiving the Scholastic Art & Writing award (Beckmann 2006). Sylvia Plath influenced literature in a positive manner because of her feminist voice in her poems.

Sylvia Plath is a “confessional” who puts her own experiences in her works that were written during the eighteen century. Sylvia Plath was diagnosed with depression, but recovered when she first attempted suicide in college. In her marriage to Ted Hughes she fell back into depression, which led her to attempt suicide and again this time she died .During the twentieth century, women in American culture were treated as objects without a voice, and male dominance suppressed them. Plath uses allusion, symbolism and metaphors throughout her poems “Tulips” and “Cut” to demonstrate the theme of women in American culture.

Sylvia Plath’s rather depressing story begins in Boston, Massachusetts October 27, 1932, the day Aurelia Plath gave birth to her. In the span of Plath's life she constantly suffers from depression which eventually leads to her brutal suicide on February 11, 1963. Sylvia began writing poetry a young age and continued to write throughout her life, earning herself many awards, even some after her death (Bio.com). During the time in which Plath was working for Mademoiselle magazine, in 1953, she tried to kill herself for the first time. Plath recovered shortly from the traumatic incident over her first suicide attempt while receiving treatment from a mental health facility. Soon after, Sylvia started studying at Cambridge University, where she

By just reading Sylvia Plath’s works of writing, it is apparent that she had an infatuation with portraying negative and brutal thoughts. For example, her poem “Daddy,” she clearly expresses her rage towards her deceased father. The poem is full of contradiction and the interpretation is up the reader. Pieces like this gives insight into Sylvia’s mental sanity, which was questioned at times. In her early

There are ultimately two ends to depression, getting better or ending it all. Sylvia Plath chose the latter, and end her life of February 11, 1963. She was born October 27, 1932, and is the daughter of Aurelia Schober and Otto Plath. Her father taught German and died when she was ten, both of these have an influence on her poetry, as seen in the poem “Daddy.” Plath published her first poem shortly after graduating from high school in 1950. In 1953 she hit a deep depression, along with her first suicide attempt. Plath’s struggle with depression is reflected upon in her poetry, this includes her poems “Daddy” and “Elms.”

Emily Dickinson went through tough conditions, depression, when writing poetry. Her poems not only were reflected by her feelings, but about everyday subjects, like a dream she had, something she saw in a garden, and people she came across with. Dickinson did not write like other poets during the nineteenth century, she wrote lyrics, poems about the inner life of thoughts and feelings. She was on the greatest masters of the short lyric poem.

Sylvia Plath is often described as a feminist poet who wrote about the difficulties women faced before women's right were a mainstream idea. From reading her poetry, it is quite obvious that Plath's feminism is extremely important to her, but she also wrote about a lot of day to day experiences and made them significant through her use of literary devices such as metaphors and symbols. Plath may also be best known for her autobiographical poetry written in a confessional style that appeared during the 1950s. She is considered a very important poet of the post-World War II era. She became widely known following her suicide in 1963 (Bawer). Through Sylvia Plath's poetry, readers are able to get a glimpse into her personal life. The

Sylvia Plath, a great American author, focuses mostly on actual experiences. Plath’s poetry displays feelings and emotions. Plath had the ability to transform everyday happenings into poems or diary entries. Plath had a passion for poetry and her work was valued. She was inspired by novelists and her own skills. Her poetry was also very important to readers and critics. Sylvia Plath’s work shows change throughout her lifetime, relates to feelings and emotions, and focuses on day to day experiences.