travelling from one place to another. Both Plath and Larkin portray this in a literal and metaphorical sense. I will analyse and compare ways in which Plath and Larkin portray their ideas about what a journey is to them. ‘Ariel’ and ‘Sheep in Fog’ by Plath portray the idea of a journey as a metaphorical escape as she struggles with her own insecurities and paranoia and contemplates death as the end to her journey. ‘Here’ and ‘Whitsun Weddings’ by Larkin portray a journey as an escape from the bustles
Sylvia Plath and Philip Larkin had very different outlooks on life and the purpose of life, Plath very much injected her personal experiences into her writing and was a passionate poet. Larkin was arguably a more realistic and observant poet, which in turn made him more pessimistic. Both poets explore the theme of fulfilment, Plath specifically through her poems ‘Morning Song’ and ‘Letters in November’, featured in her 1965 posthumous collection ‘Ariel’ and Larkin through his poems ‘Faith Healing’
AP Literature Poetry Essay Prompts (1970–2011) 1970 Poem: “Elegy for Jane” (Theodore Roethke) Prompt: Write an essay in which you describe the speaker's attitude toward his former student, Jane. 1971 Poem: “The Unknown Citizen” (W.H. Auden) Prompt: In a brief essay, identify at least two of the implications implicit in the society reflected in the poem. Support your statements by specific references to the poem. 1972 NO POEM 1973 (exam not available) 1974 Poem: “I wonder whether one expects