Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Discuss the feminist view that sylvia plath portrays in her poem
Major theme in sylvia plath writing
Major theme in sylvia plath writing
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The poem ‘Mushrooms’, by Sylvia Plath has multiple meanings within the one poem which can be deciphered differently to give altering views. Mushrooms is a poem made up of eleven short three line stanzas and has an underlying sense of gloom throughout the poem. The poem is written in a way that it can be interpreted differently and to different levels of complexity. The most obvious meaning is the conception and ‘birth’ of mushrooms which is described in detail throughout the poem. Looking deeper, the poem is relatable to the human conception of a child through to the birth and early life. The another, more complex, way to look at the novel is in the view of Sylvia Plath from a feminist view that was taking over during the time of the writing of the novel. Mushrooms has many ways of looking at it, in which each gives a varying story.
The primary meaning of the poem ‘Mushrooms’ is a story of the reproduction of the mushroom, from conception to birth. The mushrooms creation is described step by step throughout the poem, from its conception in the first stanza, to its ‘birth’ in stanza six. The conception of the mushroom is described as ‘whitely, discretely, very quietly’ by Plath which makes the poem feel very soft and gentle to the reader suggests that the conception is a very nice and peaceful thing. The poem continues on describing the mushroom in various stages of development and finally, in the last stanza, states that they shall ‘inherit the earth’ which suggests the unseen power of the spores that have been described in the first ten stanzas. The surface meaning of the poem is one of the growth of the mushroom and the power it holds.
Looking deeper into the poem, the mushroom is very relatable to a baby human and its creatio...
... middle of paper ...
...n and that their ‘foot is in the door’ and that they will fight all the way to equality. Looking at mushrooms with a feministic view shows though a very clear referencing by Sylvia Plath through out the stanzas of the poem.
In conclusion, Sylvia Plath’s poem, Mushrooms, can be interpreted differently to gain a different story. The poem in its most basic form is a story of the reproduction of a mushroom and the power that it will hold in the future. The mushroom is also relatable to a human baby in the way that Plath describes the mushroom vividly. Sylvia Plath also uses her writing as a more complex metaphor to express her own personal opinion on the feministic movement that was occurring at the time of the poems publishing. ‘Mushrooms’, a poem by Sylvia Plath is used to convey multiple stories to the reader through various metaphors she uses throughout the writing.
In Chorus of Mushrooms food works as both an isolating and binding factor for Naoe, Keiko and Murasaki. While the three women struggle with an identity crisis, they realize that eating Japanese food gives their life a sense of purpose and meaning. Sharing and Consuming traditional Japanese dishes allows the women to express their multicultural identity in a more authentic way. Naoe, Keiko and Murasaki prove that despite all odds, it is possible to achieve a sense of balance between their Japanese and Canadian culture, and it conceivable to create an alternative identity for themselves, a hybrid cultural
For context 1960 was the eve of the feminist movement. Preceding 1960, Men and Women had gender roles confining each to be a breadwinner and a nest builder. On top of that, Men were also seen above Women and with more rights. The third stanza says "Nobody sees us, / Stops us, Betrays us; / the small grains make room." The personification and metaphor of the mushrooms being women becomes more evident throughout the poem. Furthermore, this line highlights the value women were given at the time. Not that they were worthless but practically invisible. In the next stanza, “Soft fists insist on / Heaving the needles, the leafy bedding,” which is the most blatant feminine part of the poem. The soft hands allude to hands of a woman as they tend to have softer hands than men and "heaving the needles, the leafy bedding" infers to the caretaker sewing and making beds. Plath uses irony, in this stanza, to illustrate that the societal viewpoint of women is inaccurate. The placing of soft fists next to needles concurs that while seen as soft and dainty women have the same capacity as men. It also says "We are shelves, We are / Tables, We are meek, / We are edible,” This stanza once again reveals the treatment of women being poor. Those women are being treated as furniture in a house to be used. The last stanza, “We shall by morning, Inherit the earth. Our foot’s in the
Sylvia Plaths poem, Sow, depicts a beast of mythic proportions through various images, comparisons, and specific word choices. By presenting the sow from both the point of view of its owner, neighbor, and of the speaker, Plath paints a vivid picture of farmyard decadence that the reader can relate to.
Sylvia Plath’s jarring poem ‘Daddy’, is not only the exploration of her bitter and tumultuous relationship with her father, husband and perhaps the male species in general but is also a strong expression of resentment against the oppression of women by men and the violence and tyranny men can and have been held accountable for. Within the piece, the speaker creates a figurative image of her father by using metaphors to describe her relationship with him: “Not God but a Swastika” , he is a “… brute” , even likening him to leader of the Nazi Party; Adolf Hitler: “A man in black with a Meinkampf look .” Overall, the text is a telling recount of her hatred towards her father and her husband of “Seven years” and the tolling affect it has had on
"The bell jar hung, suspended, a few feet above my head…” For most people, when the name Sylvia Plath comes to mind, the word “psychotic” is the word that follows; however, there was more to Plath than her demented works. Throughout her shortened life, Plath had a variety of titles bestowed upon her: daughter, sister, student, wife, mother, teacher, author, and poetess However, Sylvia Plath was a haunted soul, as she also had the labels of “manic depressive” and “bipolar.” Her constant struggles with her mental illnesses are evident in her writing, especially her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar.
Sylvia Plath’s novel, “The Bell Jar”, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. Plath uses images of rotting fig trees and veils of mist to convey the desperation she feels when confronted with issues of her future. Esther Greenwood feels that she is trapped under a bell jar, which distorts her view of the world around her.
Sylvia Plath was a troubled writer to say the least, not only did she endure the loss of her father a young age but she later on “attempted suicide at her home and was hospitalized, where she underwent psychiatric treatment” for her depression (Dunn). Writing primarily as a poet, she only ever wrote a single novel, The Bell Jar. This fictional autobiography “[chronicles] the circumstances of her mental collapse and subsequent suicide attempt” but from the viewpoint of the fictional protagonist, Esther Greenwood, who suffers the same loss and challenges as Plath (Allen 890). Due to the novel’s strong resemblance to Plath’s own history it was published under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas”. In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath expresses the themes of alienation and societal pressure on women in the 1950s through symbolism, an unconventional protagonist, and imagery.
Atwood, Margaret. "Owl Song." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2015. [The poem is utilized to analyze and illustrate themes that can be juxtaposed to Sylvia Plath's poetry. In case themes, literary elements, and biographical elements are drawn together, then there is a commonality amongst eminent female writers. However, the use of the poems and comparisons is to find the underlying factor that traces these possible connections; in case it is not due to mental illness or embracement of death, then The Sylvia Plath Effect may be redrawn to a new possible hypothesis.]
The poem “Tulips” written by Sylvia Plath is a poem that uses extremely vivid language and detail. The poem is called “Tulips”, although tulips play a minor role in the poem. This poem is more about the observation of tulips then it is about actual tulips. At one point it almost feels as if she is jealous of the “Tulips”. She writes in the first person and has a very original structure. The poem is a easy read but intriguing at the same time.
Sylvia Plath’s life was full of disappointment, gloominess and resentment. Her relationship status with her parents was hostile and spiteful, especially with her father. Growing up during World War II did not help the mood of the nation either, which was dark and dreary. At age 8 Plath’s father of German ancestry died of diabetes and even though their relationship was never established nor secure, his death took a toll on her. “For Sylvia, who had been his favorite, it was an emotional holocaust and an experience from which she never fully recovered” (Kehoe 90). Since she was so young she never got to work out her unsettled feelings with him. Even at age eight, she hid when he was around because she was fearful of him. When she was in his presence his strict and authoritarian figure had left an overpowering barrier between their relationship. Sadly enough by age eight Plath instead of making memories with her dad playing in the yard she resented him and wanted nothing to do with him (Kehoe). These deep-seated feelings played a major role in Plath’s poetry writings. Along with his “hilterian figure,” her father’s attitude towards women was egotistical and dismissive, uncondemning. This behavior infuriated Plath; she was enraged about the double standard behavior towards women. Plath felt controlled in male-dominated world (Lant). “Because Plath associates power so exclusively with men, her conviction that femininity is suffocating and inhibiting comes as no surprise” (Lant 631). This idea of a male-dominated world also influenced Plath’s writing. Unfortunately, Plath married a man just like her father Ted Hughes. “Hughes abandonment apparently stirred in her the memories and feelings she had struggled with when her ...
Plath and Sexton's lifetimes spanned a period of remarkable change in the social role of women in America, and both are obviously feminist poets caught somewhere between the submissive pasts of their mothers and the liberated futures awaiting their daughters. With few established female poets to emulate, Plath and Sexton broke new ground with their intensely personal, confessional poetry. Their anger and frustration with female subjugation, as well as their agonizing personal struggles and triumphs appear undisguised in their works, but the fact that both Sexton and Plath committed suicide inevitably colors what the reader gleans from their poems. However, although their poems, such as Plath's "Daddy" and Sexton's "Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman," deal with the authors' private experiences, they retain elements of universality; their language cuts through a layer of individual perspective to reach a current of raw emotion common to all human, but especially female, understanding.
The absence of a specific rhyme pattern also contributes chaos to the tone. The structure of the poem is abstract, much like the characters thoughts and feelings. The rhymes are all over the place and the rhythm is often broken up with words that make it unbalanced and add tension. Another technique the author uses is lots of repetition. This helps to add emphasis and give a more dramatic effect to certain phrases. “Ich, ich, ich, ich,” (932) adds emphasis to her being unable to speak. At some points the repetition sounds a bit childlike showing her inner child. This is evident when she says “and get back, back, back to you” (933). The repetition along with the abundant use of “--oo” sounds and when the author uses terms like “achoo”, “daddy”, “freakish”, “neat”, and “gobbledygoo,” seems to create a Dr. Seuss effect on the poem. It is apparent the naïve child within her is influencing her thoughts and writings. Then, when the dark metaphors and the negative connotation towards her father are added, the tone is set. The internal conflict becomes apparent between the child who loved her “daddy” and the woman who has learned to see the man for what he truly was, a monster.
Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar (1971) is a thinly veiled autobiography. Having been riddled by depression herself, Plath has us follow her protagonist Esther’s journey of self-discovery in order to assert her views on the intersection of mental illness and traditional femininity. In the novel, blood serves to mark transitions in Esther’s life. Time after time, blood intersects with largely feminine milestones and the shifts in her mental health as she witnesses births, is sexually exploited, and must confront her own sexuality. Esther struggles to fit in to the narrow feminine role and views the world through a predisposition for depressive thoughts. The “traditional” era in which she exists enforces very binary gender roles and places her purity
Sylvia Plath has brought the attention of many Women’s studies supporters while being recognized as a great American poet. Most of her attention has come as a result of her tragic suicide at age thirty, but many of her poems reflect actual events throughout her life, transformed into psychoanalytical readings. One of Plath’s most renowned poems is “Daddy”. In this poem there are ideas about a woman’s relationship with men, a possible insight on aspects of Plath’s life, and possible influences from the theories of Sigmund Freud.
The poetry of Sylvia Plath can be interpreted psychoanalytically. Sigmund Freud believed that the majority of all art was a controlled expression of the unconscious. However, this does not mean that the creation of art is effortless; on the contrary it requires a high degree of sophistication. Works of art like dreams have both a manifest content (what is on the surface) and latent content (the true meaning). Both dreams and art use symbolism and metaphor and thus need to be interpreted to understand the latent content. It is important to maintain that analyzing Plaths poetry is not the same as analyzing Plath; her works stand by themselves and create their own fictional world. In the poems Lady Lazarus, Daddy and Electra on Azalea Path the psychoanalytic motifs of sadomasochism, regression and oral fixation, reperesnet the desire to return to the incestuous love object.