Depression and pain leads to suicide. Sylvia Plath, a modern poet, was a master of allusion and imagery. Plath dedicated her life to poetry. It is heartbreaking that we lost a talented soul at such a young age but her work will live for eternity.
Sylvia Plath was born October 27th 1932 to Otto and Aurelia Plath. She was raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father, Otto, emigrated from Germany at the age of 15 and soon became a professor at Boston University. Aurelia, Plath’s mother, was also a teacher but she gave that life up once Sylvia was born. Constantakis explains how Otto Plath died from diabetes when Sylvia was only eight and how most of her poetry focuses on her relationship with her father. Plath spent most of time as a child with her younger brother Warren. She was very dedicated to school and always received high grades and awards for her intelligence. September of 1950, Plath began her freshman year at Smith College in Massachusetts. At the end of her third year, she was named guest managing editor of Mademoiselle and given a month’s “working vacation” in New York. After returning from New York, she suffered a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide in 1953 of August by swallowing sleeping pills according to Constantakis. She was hospitalized for awhile and returned to Smith for her senior year in February, 1954. Plath sailed to England after receiving her scholarship to study at Newham College, Cambridge University.
After spending her Christmas break of first semester touring London and Paris, she met Ted Hughes at a party on February 25th, 1956. Ted and Sylvia were married on June 16th, 1956 in London. She completed her year of study in 1957 and then sailed to the United States with Ted to become an English profes...
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"Advanced Search Subscribe Start a New Subscription Give a Gift Subscription Renew a Subscription Online Edition Digital Edition by Zinio Academic/Institutional Subscriber Alert Current Issue Blogs NYRblog NYRgallery 50 Years Events Print Archive Classifieds Shop Illustrations Newsletters." On Sylvia Plath by Elizabeth Hardwick. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
Constantakis, Sara. "Mushrooms." Poetry for Students. Presenting Analysis, Context and Criticism on Commonly Studied Poetry. 2010. Print.
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Plath, Sylvia. The Journals of Sylvia Plath. Ed. Ted Hughes and Frances McCullough. New York: Ballantine Books, 1982.
During a time when women didn't have many rights or received much recognition, Sylvia Plath was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on Oct. 27, 1932 (Rosenberg 10). Her parents would've never expected their daughter would one day become such a success in a male-dominated profession of writing. At an early age, her writing career started to kick off, as well as the start of many dark events that would become the inspiration for her writings. When I first read "Blackberrying" by Plath, I simply thought that it was a simple story about going to pick blackberries only to then get distracted by the lure of the sea. But after reading it a few more times, I started to pick up on the subtleties that lay within the poem.
...connection to Sylvia Plath is so strong that her story has become a means of coming to terms with elements of my own life. Her unflagging spirit and perseverant frame of mind have inspired me to define for myself my own inner worth, as opposed to allowing others’ approval to be responsible for characterizing who I am.
Sylvia Plath was born on 27 October 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Plath’s father was a very strict man with dictatorial attitudes that stuck with and scarred Plath. Her father died due to complications with his diabetes when Plath was only eight years old, inspiring her poem “Daddy” (Academy of American Poets). “Daddy” is one of her most famous works that basically declares her hatred for her father.
Emily Dickinson is regarded as “America’s most original poet” and was born on December 10th, 1830 (CITATION1). During her life, she spent most of her time alone in her house, spending time with only herself and writing poetry. When she died at the age of fifty-five, her sister decided to publish the 1,800 poems Emily had written. Before her death, Emily had only published ten of her poems. Because of this, she was not widely known before she died, unlike Sylvia Plath. Sylvia Plath, on the other hand, is a well-known author and poet. She even won the Pulitzer Prize award for Poetry in 1982 (CITATION2). Sylvia was similar to Emily Dickinson in that she was not an outgoing person. In fact, she was often depressed, and eventually took her own life in 1963 (CITATION3). While unfortunate, Sylvia Plath had written many popular poems, such as “Daddy”, short stories, and a semi-autobiographical novel called “The Bell Jar”.
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.
Vendler, Helen. Poems, poets, poetry: an introduction and anthology. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1997. Print.
"About." Personal Blog, n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015. [When finding an explanation for the similarities between the writers, it is important to play close attention to biographies. In case the psychoeconomic factors that Ruonco describes are true, then biography constitutes most of the development of the Sylvia Plath affliction. Moreover, the biography provides an insight into the views of the author for a better and more accurate understanding of her poetry. Furthermore, it is imperative to use her auto-statement since she referres to her "muse" as something out of her control which can be traced to Kaufman's
Kehoe, John. "Young, Talented, And Doomed: The Life Of Sylvia Plath." Biography 3.5 (1999): 88. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Sylvia Plath, an innocent scarred by her memories, shares her story through her considerably dark poems. On October 27, 1932 in
Plath’s father died early in her life leaving her with unresolved feelings, and this brought a lot of troubles later on in life. Sylvia was a great student but when she was overwhelmed with disappointments after a month in New York, she attempted suicide (“Sylvia Plath”). After receiving treatment and recovering, she returned to school and later moved to England where she met her future husband, Ted Hughes (“Sylvia Plath”). Their marriage with two children didn’t last when Ted had an affair. They separated and Ted moved in with the new woman, leaving Sylvia and their two children. Battling depression during this time, Sylvia soon ended her life. She left behind numerous writings that many might see as signs of her depression and suicide attempts.
Through her dark and intense poetry, Sylvia Plath left an eternal mark on the literary community. Her personal struggles with depression, insecurities, and suicidal thoughts influenced her poetry and literary works. As a respected twentieth century writer, Sylvia Plath incorporated various literary techniques to intensify her writing. Her use of personification, metaphors, and allusions in her poems “Ariel,” “Lady Lazarus,” and “Edge”, exemplifies her talent as a poet and the influence her own troubled life had on her poetry.
Dickie, Margaret. 1979 Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Urbana: the University of Illinois Press. [http://www.usm.maine.edu/~jkuenz/391/lazarus.htm, accessed 6 May 2007]