Themes Evident in Sylvia Plath Poems

Lastly, another use of diction in Plath’s poem is words associated with death and therefore, internally affect the tone of the poem. First, in line fourteen they use the word “vanish” which means to go away and never come back. This word is directly related to what death means and in using this word suggests that there is death involved in this particular poem, and the attitude towards it is not positive.

The last two stanzas are the darkest, and ultimately appear to put some type of closure on Plath’s life. She obviously believes that she killed her father when she was ten years old, stating that “if I’ve killed one man, I’ve killed

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.

Although Plath uses atrocious examples of death and uses the rebirth of Lazarus as the basis of the poem, the underlying tone presented is

Quotes: In Plath’s poem ‘Daddy’, Hughes begins by pointing out that mere human beings were insufficient for Plath’s worship, she needed “a god”. The psychological

As a result, Plath wants retribution. The last stanza of the poem clearly displays her desire to avenge what she perceives to be a slight on her humanity by stating that she will, once again, rise from the dead and “eat men like air” (line 84). This irreverent attitude towards her own end showcases the theme of suicidal thoughts or

Sylvia Plath, while one of the best-known poets of the 20th century, has diminished in popularity to the modern audience. Despite this, Plath’s work is still poignant today with its self-examination of life in the context of poor mental health and its confessional style that has become a staple of American literature.

How Sylvia Plath's Life is Reflected in the Poems Daddy, Morning Song, and Lady Lazarus

Wrapped in gaseous mystique, Sylvia Plath’s poetry has haunted enthusiastic readers since immediately after her death in February, 1963. Like her eyes, her words are sharp, apt tools which brand her message on the brains and hearts of her readers. With each reading, she initiates them forever into the shrouded, vestal clan of her own mind. How is the reader to interpret those singeing, singing words? Her work may be read as a lone monument, with no ties to the world she left behind. But in doing so, the reader merely grazes the surface of her rich poetics. Her poetry is largely autobiographical, particularly Ariel and The Bell Jar, and it is from this frame of mind that the reader interprets the work as a

There is no doubt that Sylvia Plath is definitely one of the most diverse controversial poets of our time. Sylvia Plath was born October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts and unfortunately passed away on February 11, 1963 in London, England due to her battle with suicide. The poem relates to her life and also her perspective of the world. As a matter of fact, critics often characterized her as “extreme,” due to the deep emotional issues that she would write about. As time has passed, Plath is often referred to as a “cult figure.” “Lady Lazarus” is one of Plath’s most popular works. To make it simple this poem is about death and her suicidal experiences. (Sanazaro)

“Lady Lazarus” contains a huge amount of figurative language and literary elements to communicate that the poem is indeed a look into Plath’s life, as it reflects her battle with a mental illness. Furthermore, the speaker’s tone varies across the poem, since suicide can be seen as a powerful performance, or a piece of art, that allows for cleansing and resurrection from a patriarchal society. Thus, Plath demonstrates her desire for death as a masterpiece by using diction, the circus metaphor, and the Holocaust imagery to develop the tone of the poem.

Another literary device that Plath uses is connecting the poem to herself. Usually it is a norm to keep the author separate from the poem, but in Plath’s case it is a different. She is writing about her own father. Knowing this sends the meaning of the work to a different level of context and makes it stronger because it is truly how she feels about the loss of her own father. Not only is she is explaining that she does not like her father, she tells how the entire community despises her father, “And the villagers never liked you. They are dancing and stamping on you” (77). A major hit on her father in this line, writing that the herself and the villagers are dancing on his grave enforces the fact that she hated her father. Plath writes that she goes back to dance on his grave because she is not at peace with the hate she has for her father yet. The feelings left after him dying are still there.

Some of the dark negative emotions Sylvia Plath shares in this poem can make anyone have sympathy on her feelings. Especially, when she writes,

There are a number of themes brought up in 'Lady Lazarus'. One theme is the holocaust. In the 2nd stanza, Plath mentions a "Nazi lampshade". This refers to the myth that the Nazis used Jewish skin from the victims of the holocaust to make pieces of furniture such as "lampshade" and "paperweight". This idea adds to the disturbance of the poem whilst illustrating the main theme of death. Another theme is the phoenix. This is a mythical, red haired bird that burns when it dies and resurrects out of the ash. Plath describes this process in her poem: "I turn and burn...Out of the ash/I rise with my red hair". The idea of the phoenix resurrecting gives the reader powerful imagery whilst reinforcing the fact that Sylvia Plath wants to die but keeps coming back to life, like a phoenix. However, she sees this as a negative, which relates to, in my opinion, the most important aspect of this poem: the demonic tone. Plath uses carnival imagery to convey the image of her death being like a show, where people come to watch: "The Peanut-crunching crowd/Shoves in to see". This idea is disturbing and adds to the demonic tone of the poem. Also, she refers to Satan in the 27th stanza: "Herr God, Herr Lucifer"; she is also demonising God in this quote, which is blasphemous and some might say evil. Finally, the image of a fire doesn't just relate to a phoenix burning but also the fires of "hell": "...melts to a shriek./I turn and

Sylvia Plath uses a lot of symbolism in her poetry as well as many other literary devices, especially in her poem “Ariel”. When Plath was younger, she had a horse named Ariel. Ariel in the poem is meant to symbolize Plath, the rebellious spirit that the female speaker of the poem aspires to be. It also symbolizes the transcendence