Women's Fight Against Social Convention in Sylvia Plath's Poem, Ariel

657 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of Sylvia Plath

Women's Fight Against Social Convention in Sylvia Plath's Poem, Ariel

"Ariel" is the title poem from Sylvia Plath's controversial collection of poetry written during the last few months of her life in 1963. The traditional gender roles of 1960s America promoted a double-standard and wrongly imposed upon women the idea of a "Happy Housewife Heroine" who cherished "the receptivity and passivity implicit in (her) nature" and was "devoted to (her) own beauty and (her) ability to bear and nurture children" (Friedan, 59). Plath comments on the devastating effects of social convention on individuality, but she realizes that both sexes are affected by society's oppression of its members. She contemplates this theme throughout Ariel, especially in the "The Applicant," a critique of the emptiness of the stereotypical roles of men and women at the time.

In Shakespeare's The Tempest, Ariel is a good spirit who is enslaved by Prospero and is constantly striving for freedom. This struggle is comparable to that of American women for recognition and respect in the 1960s. "Ariel" illustrates ...

Show More
Related

  • Comparison: The Grinch Vs. Scrooch

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    Seuss, The Grinch is the main protagonist in this tale, but not much background is given on this green fellow. In the story, The Grinch is accompanied by his dog, Max, throughout most of the movie. Max acts as a sidekick that helps the Grinch, but is somewhat of an underdog. But puns aside, Max wasn’t treated the best by the Grinch in most of the movie. The Grinch made him pull an entire sleigh which held the Grinch and all of the Whos’ Christmas food, gifts, and decorations. While Max is pulling the sleigh, The Grinch is continuously yelling at him to make him move faster despite the extremely heavy weight on his shoulders, and expects him to carry all of it on his lonesome. To add onto that, The Grinch makes Max help, treating Max almost like a slave, which is extremely unethical and should never be done. But The Grinch doesn’t really even treat Max like a worker, Max just does what he’s told, and doesn’t get much out of the things he’s done for the

    Read More

  • What Is The Theme Of The Unquiet Bed By Dorothy Livesay

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the world, there are rudimentary gender characteristics, both physical and psychological, that differentiate a man from a woman. However, some people do not associate themselves with these stereotypical characteristics. Notwithstanding the amount of progress achieved in the past few decades, gender stereotypes are still solemn. Qualities like strength, intellect and sexual deviance are usually associated with men, while qualities like irrational, emotional and insecure are more relevant to women. In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” and Dorothy Livesay’s “The Unquiet Bed”, each poet captures the expression of female

    Read More

  • Overcomes Hard Times in The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story, 'The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,' an older woman is having flashbacks of her life, while she is slowly dying. Throughout her life, this woman, Granny Weatherall, has had many life altering experiences. With these experiences, she has become the strong woman that we have become to know.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Pollution in Utah

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...have to drive from Heber City, to I-80 through Park City, down Parleys Canyon and along Northbound I-15.They estimate that would be one truck every four minutes, every day, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.(“Salt Lake Oil,”2013).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Grinch Who Stole Christmas is a children’s story book written by Theodor Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss. The story revolved around the Grinch, a grouchy and bitter creature who lives in a snowy mountain just north of a town called Whoville. The Grinch despised the townspeople called the ‘Whos’ and their annual Christmas traditions. Through the story, the Grinch transform from a bitter and unpleasant creature to becoming a much happier

    Read More

  • Character in Katherine Anne Porter's The Jilting of Granny Weatherall

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” a short story by Katherine Anne Porter, describes the last thoughts, feelings, and memories of an elderly woman. As Granny Weatherall’s life literally “flashes” before her eyes, the importance of the title of the story becomes obvious. Granny Weatherall has been in some way deceived or disappointed in every love relationship of her life. Her past lover George, husband John, daughter Cornelia, and God all did an injustice by what Porter refers to as “jilting.” This unending cycle of wrongdoing caused Granny to be a mixture of strength, bitterness, and ultimate fear as she faces her last moments in life.

    Read More

  • The Jilting Of Granny Weatherall By Katherine Ann Porter

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story, "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall," written by Katherine Anne Porter, it is essentially focused on Granny Weatherall, an old woman who is in her death bed who is reminiscing about important life events, her young days and her children.. Granny's strong character and personality reminded me of my own grandfather, who had the same character as Granny Weatherall. The reason why I chose this particular short story was that it reminded me of my grandfather, who had a huge impact on my life, and as reading this short story of Granny Weatherall, memories of him filled up in my head.

    Read More

  • Sylvia Plath's Life and How It Influenced Her Poetry

    1847 Words  | 4 Pages

    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 ...

    Read More

  • Mechanical Engineering

    384 Words  | 1 Pages

    Mechanical engineers must be licensed of they are to do anything that affects peoples’ lives, property, or the environment. A bachelor’s degree is minimal for most companies. A master’s degree assures a better starting salary and opportunities for advancement. High school credits should have good grades in: math, physics, chemistry, biology, drafting, computer and mechanical courses. To become a mechanical engineer you should start at a high school level when you notice curiosity of how, any why things work.

    Read More

  • Mirrors by Sylvia Plath

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    Giles, Richard F. “Sylvia Plath.” Magill’s Critical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Frank N. Magill, b. 1875. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1992.

    Read More

  • Comparing Poems 'Fueled And Machines'

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    The poems “Fueled” by Marcie Hans and “Machines” by Daniel Whitehead Hicky can be compared and contrasted using similarities found in the poetic devices present in each poem. The most important similarity between both poems is the theme: Man tends to favor technology over nature. Because both poems essentially have the same theme, they both also have the same general purpose. Both poems criticize man-made creations. Each poem points out how mankind worships and elevates technology over nature. Due to this, the speakers seem to have a bias toward nature as they both show the accomplishments of mankind as something negative as opposed to nature which is shown in a positive light in both poems. To convey the theme of these poems, both poets use comparison and contrast to prove their poem’s

    Read More

  • Human Relationships Between The Central Characters in William Shakespeare's The Tempest

    1450 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare was intending to represent several different groups of people in society through his plays and “The Tempest” was no exception to the rule. I aim to show how the “human” relationships in the play reflect real life relationships within Shakespeare’s own society (as well as his future audience), for which his plays were written and performed.

    Read More

  • Indian Literature In Sylvia Plath's A Silence Desire

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, this analytical discussion on a particular ground of feminism focuses on a different style of writing, a special mood of expressing the subordinate voices of the society. These two discussed poets though occupy a larger portion in English Literature but their works polish the literature and brightens its glow to the different age’s readers. Their dynamic approach in literary works is not only a break through to the stagnancy of traditionalism rather literature becomes like ‘heteroglosic’. Today Sylvia Plath is read under so many theories and critics are seeing her from different point of view. From the psychoanalytical perspective she is widely read under the Electra complex. ‘Daddy’ is then the prominent example for that. In the end whatever is left is unscathed and will ever remain.

    Read More

  • Philadelphia Air Pollution Essay

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, as well as others, that trap heat. Greenhouse gases create the greenhouse effect, which is the process of these gases trapping heat in the atmosphere so that Earth’s surface does not get too cold. This is a natural process, but the anthropogenic additions to the amount of greenhouse gases released are causing a problem. (Withgott & Lapasota, 2014). The carbon dioxide gets trapped and ozone and particle pollution occur. Pollution refers to smog, and particle pollution refers to microscopic particles of aerosol floating in the air (Ricci, 2012, 1). Philadelphia “failed miserably” in terms of ozone and particle pollution in the air (Ricci, 2012, 1). A color-coded scale has been created to determine the pollution in the air each day. Philadelphia has seen an average of thirty -four days each year in which orange, high pollution, has been seen. This makes it unbearably difficult to breathe. Philadelphia also averages one “red”, extremely high pollution, day each year (Ricci, 2012). The American Lung Association has become involved because this pollution is effecting people’s lungs and breathing. They are especially concerned about people who suffer from conditions such as asthma and emphysema. Nobody should be breathing this dirty polluted

    Read More

  • Mechanical Engineering: The Career Of Mechanical Engineering

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mechanical engineering is seen as a broad level of engineering. There are several different ideas that could be addressed in this profession. For example, mechanical engineers have many responsibilities, some of which include developing processes and products, and testing designs. Engineering is its own branch of science and technology that concerns the designing, building, and usage of engines, machines, and other structures. Mechanical engineering focuses more on the machines. Due to the fact that many companies and people require mechanical systems in some way, there are numerous opportunities in this profession. When researching the career of mechanical engineering it is important to address the history, skills and

    Read More

More about Women's Fight Against Social Convention in Sylvia Plath's Poem, Ariel

Open Document