...Ian Gilbert Words by Sylvia Plath is a powerful poem that strikes at the very meaning of words and their potential. At first glance, feelings of strength and energy wash over the reader. When reading it out loud its almost impossible not to picture an overdramatic actor clenching their right hand and looking up to the sky. The use of the word indefatigable makes this poem quite self evident in the power and emotion spewing from that word. The emotion throughout the poem is almost direct pain. This is shown immediately with the first word “Axes.” After reading it a few times this word is still the most striking because words are like axes. They can be very painful. This pain can also be seen in the lines “Wells like tears” meaning more pain caused from words. From this the reader can infer that Plath was probably recently struck down by words. The next striking visual comes from the use of sound and the way sound acts. “Echoes traveling off the center like horses” giving the reader a great sense of indirect onomatopoeia and a stunning visual. A rock dropping into water gives a similar visual with the use of circles, making another reference to the way sound can have an impact. The final three words of the poem sum up at least some of the meaning within the poem. “Govern a life.” This is very accurate for the majority of us. We try not to, but we live the majority of our lives according to what we hear people say about us and what we should do. All these things that she described...
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...Mad Girl’s Love Song Mad Girl’s Love Song is written in 1951, by Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. She was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts and she died on February 11, 1963 in London, England. Mad Girl’s Love Song is a poem, Sylvia Plath wrote while she was a student at Smith College. The poem has a theme of suicide as an escape. There are many places where the theme of suicide appears in the poem. The poem is about a girl who spent her whole life waiting for a man she gave herself to, against her beliefs, who was never to return. There is one phrase in the poem that which has a big importance. I think I made you up inside my head This phrase is repeated a few times and that makes us thinks that the girl is wishing that this man is made up, and she is trying to convince herself of it. The phrase is kind of a quote which signifies that these are thoughts to her, and not out loud, which can means that she is trying to convince herself it is true. Sylvia wished that she would overcome her depression and grow out of the despair she was living in. I fancied you’d return the way you said, but I grow old and I forget your name But in fact, her wishes and search for her happiness had driven her insane. She had been lost for so long that she didn't remember what it was like to truly be happy so therefore she would never be able to identify it if she were to regain control of her life. I think I made you...
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...2013. M.12 Coimisiún na Scrúduithe Stáit State Examinations Commission LEAVING CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION, 2013 English - Higher Level - Paper 2 Total Marks: 200 Thursday, 6 June – Afternoon, 2.00 – 5.20 Candidates must attempt the following :• ONE question from SECTION I – The Single Text • ONE question from SECTION II – The Comparative Study • ONE question on the Unseen Poem from SECTION III – Poetry • ONE question on Prescribed Poetry from SECTION III – Poetry N.B. Candidates must answer on Shakespearean Drama. They may do so in SECTION I, the Single Text (Macbeth) or in SECTION II, The Comparative Study (Macbeth, The Winter’s Tale). INDEX OF SINGLE TEXTS Wuthering Heights The Great Gatsby The Grass Is Singing Macbeth Antigone − Page 2 − Page 2 − Page 3 − Page 3 − Page 3 Page 1 of 8 SECTION I THE SINGLE TEXT (60 marks) Candidates must answer one question from this section (A – E). A WUTHERING HEIGHTS – Emily Brontë (i) In your opinion, to what extent are the values represented by the world of Thrushcross Grange defeated, in Brontë’s novel Wuthering Heights? Support your answer with suitable reference to the text. OR (ii) “Emily Brontë makes effective use of both Nelly Dean and Mr Lockwood in a variety of ways.” Discuss this statement, supporting your answer with suitable reference to the novel, Wuthering Heights. B THE GREAT GATSBY – F. Scott Fitzgerald (i) “Readers of The Great Gatsby are greatly influenced by the narrator, Nick Carraway.” Discuss...
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...made a mark in the world of literature, and modernist writers weren’t afraid to break away from the norm. The Bell Jar, written by Sylvia Plath, is an outstanding novel which depicts the modernist era as a whole. Sylvia Plath takes her readers through the mind of a young girl in her twenties, Esther, whose stability and sanity slowly start to slip away. Esther’s trouble starts within her mind but become magnified when external factors start to interfere. She disconnects herself from society and as her mind regresses; her hope of reaching sanity starts to diminish as well. Throughout the novel, Esther struggles with finding herself in a society filled with uncertainty. Sylvia Plath was able to create the perfect character to reveal her attitude towards new modernist view through her literary techniques, symbolism, and was able to intertwine reality with lunacy, creating the perfect modernist piece of literature. The modern era was composed of many elements in which authors incorporated a variety of literary techniques. The use of stream of consciousness, juxtaposition of ideas, staccato sentences, and symbolism was what led the modern era to success. The shifting outlook authors had during this era was like a chain reaction, and writers began to utilize these techniques to create a novel which was considered to be taboo. Sylvia Plath uses many symbols throughout The Bell Jar to represent various intangible concepts. Esther often feels disconnected from the real world...
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... “Two Sisters of Persephone” by Sylvia Plath, introduces a stage in Plath’s life. Written in 1956, the same year Plath got married, this poem presents two potential paths for Plath and also exposes her severe depression that began as a young girl and endured throughout her adulthood. The speaker’s inability to reconcile two personalities in this poem leads to her demise. This is illustrated though textual and literary devices, as well as mythological allusions. Plath’s background along with Greek myths allows the reader feel a part of Plath’s dilemma and relate her problem to many women. Sylvia Plath was born in 1932. The death of Plath's father in 1940 led to her extreme depression, which never subsided. She had two unsuccessful suicide attempts at ages 10 and 20. However, in 1954, things began to seem optimistic, with Plath receiving scholarship to Harvard summer school and then in 1955 with her graduation from Smith and attending Cambridge University on Fulbright fellowship. On June 16, 1956, Sylvia Plath married Ted Hughes. Plath was known to be a feminist, which is evident in this poem, “Two Sisters of Persephone.” When her hard-working self was presented with marriage, Plath was confronted with a crisis that is represented in the poem. With her new marriage, she questioned whether or not she should remain herself and work, or become the stereotypical wife, stay home, and merely bear children. The emotional effects on Plath from the death of her father ultimately...
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...Honors American Author Essay In an interview, Anne Sexton claims, “Poetry is my life, my postmark, my hands, my kitchen, my face.” (“Anne Sexton Quotes Quotable Quote”). This statement accurately describes Anne Sexton’s life considering she wrote approximately 14 books of poetry while she was alive. Anne Sexton was born on November 9th, 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts and died on October 4th, 1974 in Weston, Massachusetts and was also was most closely associated with the Confessional Movement of the early to mid 20th century. Anne Sexton’s dark, deranged, and personal thoughts fit perfectly with the other writers that took part in the Confessional Movement but her poem, “Young” takes her to her parallel universe that she so hopelessly wished she lived in. The poem “Young” by Anne Sexton was part of her book of poems, All My Pretty Ones which was published in 1962. Throughout some of her poetry, including “Young” it is not so obvious to see why she was part of the Confessional Movement. When one reads the poem “Young” it can easily be interpreted that it is about a lonely young girl on a starry summer night, lying outside on the grass, thinking about how she is transforming from a child into an adolescent. It also touches base on what she used to believe as a child and what she knows is real now. There is almost a sense of mourning when she realizes that her old thoughts are not what they seem, especially when she speaks of God. One can also conclude that she’s dealing with...
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...Anne Sexton was born in 1928, the lastborn in her family, in Newton, Massachusetts. She was the third after her two older sisters. Most of her childhood was spent in Boston. She got her education in Wellesley public schools. When she was 17, she enrolled for boarding school and graduated from Roger Hall Lowell, Massachusetts. She later spent a year at Garland School, a finishing school for women. She modeled for Boston’s Hart Agency. In 1948, she eloped with Alfred Muller Sexton, and married in North Carolina, and remained married to until their divorce on 1973. She had two children, both girls. Anne gave birth to their second child in 1955, and she could not cope with the pressure two small kids with the absence of his husband due to his nature of work. The following year, Anne was hospitalized for treatment of anxiety. She was treated by psychiatrist Dr. Martha Brunner-Orne, diagnosing her with post-natal depression. The psychiatrist later said that Anne suffered from depression of biological nature. Six months later, Anne was treated under the care of Dr. Martin Orne, who took over from the mother. (Wood) It is when receiving psychiatric treatment that she started writing poetry. Dr. Orne encouraged Anne to take up poetry. Driven by her state of mind, illness and depression Anne sort poetry. It was after her suicide attempt that her doctor told her she still had a purpose in life. In 1957, she attended her first poetry led by John Holmes. She joined the John Holmes’s poetry...
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... Literary, the death of human beings is usually described in sad wording with a darker perspective. However, the essay “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain”, written by Jessica Mitford, is a contrast of the way people usually describing death, and she gives an almost full presentation about the process “embalming” in an interesting perspective, she also wants to introduce “embalming” to the readers through her article. This essay will analyze the author’s rhetorical technique, literary elements that Mrs. Mitford uses to inform people about “embalming” and burial process. To begin with, the rhetorical mode that Mrs. Mitford uses to write the essay is description. The author basically describes the steps of embalming to the reader in plentiful details. In her text, she describes that “The preparation room in any of the better funeral establishments has the tiled and sterile look of a surgery”. In this context, she would know hospitality well because she knows what a surgery room looks like. The author paints a basic picture for the reader to imagine the preparation room through her visual sense. Then, she also mentions about the equipment, “His equipment, consisting of scalpels, scissors, augers, forceps, clamps, needles, pumps, tubes, bowls and basins”. She mentions a lot of surgery tools, so these listed equipment paints her picture, the preparation room, more clearly with surrounding objects for the readers to see. Therefore, Mrs. Mitford uses rhetorical mode which is description...
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...Sylvia Plath had a life full of ups and downs. Her lifelong battle with multiple different illnesses is what made her career but also ended it at the same time. Using her research along with the research of other Dr. Jamison was able to make a “literary, biographical, and scientific argument for a compelling association, not to say actual overlap, between two temperaments--the artistic and the manic-depressive—and their relationship to the rhythms and cycles, or temperament, of the natural world.” Plath is just one poet among an extensive list of poets that have suffered from this illness (Butscher 385). Sylvia Plath was born to Otto and Aurelia Plath on October 27, 1932 in Boston Massachusetts. Plath’s father who was a professor at Boston University, the school Plath’s mom was attending, took a bus, boat, and trolley to get to work every morning (Steinberg, “A Celebration”). This dedication proves that Otto...
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...Confessional poetry emerged in the United States in the 1950’s. It was the first time a poet told his or her story through their poetry. It often explored ideas that were thought of as taboo in those times such as mental illness, sexuality, and suicide. Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton were two famous confessional poets. They both also suffered from mental illness which is often expressed in their poetry. Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” and Anne Sexton’s “Her Kind” both use allusions and imagery to convey their emotions to the reader. In Sylvia Plath’s poem, there is an allusion in the title itself, “Lady Lazarus.” Lazarus refers to the biblical figure that was resurrected by Jesus Christ. It’s ironic that the speaker would choose a biblical reference when comparing it to her suicide attempt. Her ”resurrection” happened because she failed at taking her own life. Another allusion occurs at the end of the poem: “Out of the ash, I rise with my red hair, And I eat men like air.” She is referring to the phoenix found in Greek mythology. A phoenix is a long-lived bird that is frequently reborn. The speaker is obviously unhappy with life yet she uses allusions that represent a positive rebirth. The first lines of her poem state “I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it—“ referring to the fact that she has attempted to commit suicide at least once per decade. “The second time I meant to last it out and not come back at all. I rocked shut as a seashell...
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...My interpretation of "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath Marlene Williams Eng/125 December 15, 2012 Michele Watson My interpretation of "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath is a dark and solemn journey through the thoughts of a young girl scorned. This young girl becomes the woman who continues to carry the burden of her childhood in her adult life. The setting and feeling of the poem is dismal and full of rage, a rage Sylvia Plath claims to put behind her in the last line “ / Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I’m through. / “(Plath, 1963) but in reality she was never capable of escaping the pain. The poem “Daddy” if the wording is taken literally as opposed to figuratively and or symbolically, the leads the reader to believe that Sylvia Plath was raised in a military family by an oppressive father who brought his work home with him. The poem entails so much more than what is on the surface, there is a darkness buried deep within the words left for the reader to unearth by searching beyond the words and into the soul of the poet. “Daddy” is engorged with metaphoric references to a dark and oppressive past where Plath equates her father’s hand to that of a Nazi. The reader can be eluded to believe in the third stanza that Plath is describing the uniform of a soldier. ” / And a head in the freakish Atlantic. / Where it pours bean green over blue. / “(Plath, 1963). In reality Sylvia Plath’s father was not in the military, Otto Plath was actually “a professor of biology...
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...would say that understanding this poem is not as hard as the other poems, as we can see the meaning is not so complicated. “Death & Co” written by Sylvia Plath around the timeline of world war II, this poem clearly shows the events and distress that was going around at the time. Death has been described as two people in the poem, “Two, of course there are two” the first being demonic, evil and ugly; this face of death is so evil and ugly that Plath called it “Bastard”', the second death character is amusing, he smokes and smiles (contrasting the other death who cannot smile and cannot smoke either). Both poets use the theme of “death” to express their feelings and to maintain an atmosphere of darkness to show how they feel or what phase of life they are going through. Heany uses some intsresting points in mid term break, once again if we look at the title “Mid-Term Break” which gives a sense of fun, rejoicing and no stress at all; misleads to an idea of happiness because the reader would get an idea that this poem would be happy and active mood. Yet ironically, the poem turns out to be totally opposite; sad and awfully calm. However Plath uses “Death & Co” as her title , which straight away gives an idea of sadness and gloomy atmosphere compare to Heaney’s. This shows that predictably this poem is going to be about Sylvia committing suicide or wanting to hug death, which she has tried many...
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...Mirror – Sylvia Plath This poem is by Sylvia Plath and the narrator is a mirror. The mirror is personified and is endowed with many human traits. This poem is about a mirror that reflects only what it is shown and hence the role of the mirror is said to be the revealer of the reality and truthfulness. The mirror is also said to be faithful. The interesting features’ regarding this poem is how the poet changes tones between the two stanzas, which makes the ending impactful. In the first stanza, the mirror and its role is introduced. The mirror is lonely and its only companion is the wall of which it feels it has become a part of. The mirror shows us some of its human characteristics. However in the second stanza the poet brings in human life, a woman and it is also now a lake, which reflects the unsatisfied lady. The second stanza also shows the comparison of when the lady was young and now when she has become old. The factor of age is brought into the poem, which shows that the lady is getting old and that her reflection in the mirror is displeasing her. The woman turns to other objects such as “The candle” and “The moon” to which the author describes as “liars” which means that they don’t show her for who she really is. The author uses the candle as symbolism for life and the triumph over darkness. However the use of these objects could also represent how humans turn away from the actual truth and go seek something to which they might find more pleasant. The...
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...Yorkshire in 1930. His father was a carpenter and a veteran of World War I. Although his family moved when he was eight years old, the landscape of his birthplace had a huge impact on his writing. He went to Cambridge in the 1950s where he read English Literature, Archaeology and Anthropology. While at Cambridge, he met his first wife, Sylvia Plath, whom he married in 1956. After university he had various jobs, including working in a zoo, teaching and reading scripts at Pinewood Studios. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes had two children but later separated. In the year after their separation she committed suicide. Hughes followed his relationship with Plath by one with Assia Wevill. They lived together and she looked after his children from his first marriage. However, she also committed suicide, gassing herself and her daughter in a manner similar to that of Plath. In 1970, Hughes married Carol Orchard and they remained together until his death. In 1984 Hughes became Poet Laureate and held the post until his death. He died in 1998, shortly after the publication of Birthday Letters, a collection of poems about his relationship with Sylvia Plath. His ashes were scattered on Dartmoor. Hughes writes about the elements and aspects of the natural world in much of his poetry. The poet Simon Armitage said that for Hughes, poetry was ‘a connecting rod between nature and humanity’. Hughes was a very prolific writer who as well as writing poetry, also wrote for children. In his book...
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...Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus” 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” by Sylvia Plath is a very complex poem. Sylvia Plath wrote this intense poem during her most fruitful and imaginative period. “Lady Lazarus” has been a topic of a lot of literary criticism since it was published. It is mostly understood as a collection of Plath’s thoughts, suicidal efforts and urges. (“SYLVIA LADY LAZARUS REVISITED”) The tone in this poem veers between threatening and scornful; it draws attention to itself for its use of Holocaust imagery, reading this poem anybody could figure out that the character and even Plath is not happy with her life and obviously has some deep emotional resentment that unfortunately she never got to resolve. In 1970, M. L. Rosenthal wrote an essay entitled “Sylvia Plath and Confessional Poetry” for Charles’ Newman’s collection...
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