cut by sylvia plagth

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Recommended: Themes and poetic style of Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath was born in October 27,1932. Otto Plath, Sylvia father, died when she was 8 years old. There has been occasion where Plath tried to commit suicide. She got married to Ted Hughes on June 16,1956. In 1962 Ted Hughes left Plath for Assia Gutmann Wevill. After that Sylvia Plath feel into a deep depression. She committed suicide in February 11,1963.

Intro to Poem:

“Cut” is by Sylvia Plath, she wrote the poem in October 27,1962. “Cut” is included in the Ariel Collection.

Summary:

“Cut” is about a time when Sylvia cuts her finger while she was chopping an onion. In the first two stanza Plath gives a vivid description of the cut. The rest of the stanzas she uses historical events to describe the cut.

Interesting, focus of commentary:
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The positive and negative connotation Plath uses during the poem.

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Plath feeling about the cut shifts throughout the poem. She begins the poem by experiencing a “thrill”. “Thrill” being a positive connotation shows the fascination she has for the cut on her thumb,and giving off the idea that the cut was on purpose. In the third stanza she says “Clutching my bottle of pink fizz” symbolizing champagne; champagne is used for celebration giving the readers the idea of celebration. In the fifth stanza she says “a celebration this is” also showing her fascination of the wound on her thumb. Then she has a shift after the fifth stanza. In the sixth stanza you begin to notice her attitude towards the wound is not the same, sh...

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...magery to describe the battle of depression.

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III. Conclusion:

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This poem is a reflection of her feelings during this time period. She use some criticism on the last three lines of the poem. She says “Trepanned veteran,/Dirty girl,/Thumb stump”. She is comparing herself to a “trepanned veteran” who is a survivor of any type of war. She also call herself “dirty girl”. She feels guilty of her behavior knowing that she has two children. To conclude, Plath uses connotation and historical events to make a reflection.

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