The atrocities of Nazi Germany are used as symbols of the horror of male domination. The constant and crippling manipulation of men, as they introduced oppression and hopelessness into her life, is equated with the twentieth century's worst period. Plath's father is transformed into a "Panzer-man," a "Fascist," and a "bastard." Words such as Luftwaffe, the aircraft known as the "Angels of Death" used by Adolf Hitler during WWII, and Meinkampf, Hitler's political manifesto, are used to characterize her father and husband as well as male domination in general. (Perkins, 594) The frequent use of the word black throughout the poem also conveys a feeling of gloom and suffocation. .
Plath felt oppressed and stifled by men throughout her life. The first stanza of "Daddy" conveys her feelings of domination by her father: .
You do not do, you do not do Any more, black shoe In which I have lived like a foot For thirty years, poor and white, Barely daring to breathe or Achoo. .
Plath uses similes and metaphors to describe herself as a foot being cowed by a black shoe- her father- in which she barely dares to move. Other very intense similes and metaphors such as "Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belson," and "I think I may well be a Jew" clearly show the feelings of anguish and hopelessness she felt under her father's control. .
Strong images are presented throughout the poem. The words "marble-heavy, a bag full of God" convey the omniscience of her father's authority and the weight it imposed on her throughout her life. Another strong image is the comparison of Plath's husband to a vampire: "The vampire who said he was you / And drank my blood for a year, / Seven years, if you want to know." This stanza accounts the way Plath's husband stripped her of her sense of self. Plath gave Hughes her trust and he gained total control over her, which he used to his advantage, thus "drinking her blood.
The poetry of Sylvia Plath contains various themes that stem from the author's mind. ... In her early poetry, two major opposites like love and hate are contrasted in a poem. ... Some of the most cherished poetry in Plath's collection came from tragic experiences in Plath's own life. ... Her thoughts are mixed together and jumbled to produce great poetry. Yet this poetry is difficult too completely understand. ...
Feminine liberation, a concept which secedes much of Plath's poetry is explored in the final stanzas of 'Lady Lazarus'. ... Hughes has used both his own familiar metaphors and images as well as the language of Plath's poetry to explore more abstract concepts of guilt. ... The poem describes the entangled images of Plath and Hughes created in Sylvia Plath's poetry. It uses Otto Plath's familiar character to explore the power of Plath's poetry to subvert realistic standards of guilt in 'A big shock for as much of your Prussian backbone/Can be conjured ...
In poetry, it is common for writers to use death as a major theme for their creations to express their fears, questions or experiences about this subject. ... All of this drew her back into depression but fortunately, her poetry collection was completed before her tragic suicide in February 1963 by intoxicating herself with gas ("Short Biography"). ... As stated above, the life of Sylvia Plath definitely affected her writing and the way she wrote poetry. ... I think I may well be a Jew" (Plath 132) (Platizky). ... Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You" (Plath 132). ...
William Blake and Sylvia Plath use poetry as a type of communication, using techniques that they have mastered to capture and convert certain elements of their imagination. ... Plath and Blake utilise imagery as the key element of their poetry to create images in one's mind of the wondrous objects and obstacles that possess their imagination. ... Symbolism also blossomed throughout various verses of Blake and Plath's poetry, allowing readers to detach from a set definition of the poetry to explore other diverse pathways stimulating one's imagination in infinite directions. ... R...
One of the more difficult aspects of understanding poetry is that of the metaphor. ... " (Plath). ... " (Plath). ... " (Plath). ... While this is an unconventional display of Sylvia Path poetry, it still leaves a lasting impression just the same....
Sylvia Plath's poem "Tulips" is an interplay between the need for peace and an ascent to wellness. ... "Tulips," also addresses the political climate of the time when Plath wrote this poem. ... She had a feminist leitmotif to her poetry and her poem, "Tulip" is written from the point of view as if the speaker has seen events which have already happened. ... Plath's work utilizes a form of narrative poetry, telling a story and it is written with seven lines in each stanza. ... Plath's poem contains end-stop lines and enjambments. ...
SYLVIA PLATH : THE APPLICANT Sylvia Plath's Poem "The Applicant", explores many issues, in particular it looks at the ideas of feminism and the role of women in a marriage. ... Plath's early poetry is well-crafted and traditional, but her late poems exhibit a desperate brilliance and photo-feminist cry of anguish. ... Silvia Plath has used many poetic methods to help propel the concerns of her poem. ... Plath does, however, mention death twice in "The Applicant", which adds darkness to the humour. ... In conclusion, Sylvia Plath has been able to deal with a large and personal ...
Sylvia Plath is a writer with a life that generated a lot of interest. ... Her works closely reflect her life, and by understanding the events in Plath's life her poetry and prose becomes clearer to the reader. Sylvia Plath became a sort of a martyr for women's rights. ... Otto Plath died of diabetes mellitus and it was up to Aurelia Plath to return to work and support her two children Warren and Sylvia. ... She produced a lot of confessional poetry that allowed her to channel her longstanding anxiety, confusion, and doubt into poems of power. ...
Sylvia Plath was a great American poet gaining her fame and recognition in the twentieth century, after her death. ... Regardless of the reason of how or why she gained the attention, getting to know her past, history and biographic facts will help to get a better understanding of Sylvia's poetry. ... It is in fact that one of Plath's central themes in poetry is women being haunted by the male domineering nature. ... Finally, the confessional poet Sylvia Plath transcribed her experiences into poetry; her creativity was endless. ... Even after dead she impacts her audience transmittin...