Writing Style And Literary Devices: A Comparison By Sylvia Plath Analysis
In this work "Writing Style And Literary Devices: A Comparison By Sylvia Plath Analysis" we will research in more detail the different works of Sylvia Plath. In her poem, “Ariel” Sylvia Plath’s morbid tone is complimented by metaphorical imagery of death that compares her journey towards her own demise with that of a wild horse ride. The poem depicts a woman desperately hanging on to Ariel, a crazed horse who “hauls me the woman through air, ” during what seems like a never-ending ride that screams death in every way. The suspenseful imagery illustrates the woman’s struggle to stay on the horse and is symbolic of Plath’s desire to cling to the remains of her miserable life. In stanza seven, the poem shifts to describe the “dead hands” and “dead stringencies” that now consume the woman, ultimately suggesting she has surrendered to death, because she knows she can no longer fight it. Plath’s metaphorical language abruptly portrays the woman as an arrow hurling “into the red/Eye, the cauldron of the morning”, or hurling towards death at last. Plath employs death depicting imagery and metaphors to highlight her personal transformation from fighting death to eventually accepting it.
Plath’s feelings of victimization in the poem, “Daddy, ” are underscored through her depictions of pain as a result of oppression from the men in her life. Plath compares her father to a “marble-heavy/ghastly statue with one gray toe, ” to emphasize his overwhelming and domineering presence in her life despite him being deceased. She alludes to the Holocaust claiming she was a Jew who “thought every German was you her father” suggesting her father’s wrath has caused her to experience an irreversible, unethical pain. Her father’s death has been a burdensome trouble that has mocked her throughout her whole life, and she has reached her breaking point. Plath employs a metaphor claiming “the black telephone’s off at the root/the voices just can’t worm through, ” to express she is no longer letting her father control her life from his grave. Plath’s use of apostrophe throughout the poem as she addresses her dead father reveal the lengthy strife she has overcome in order to keep his death from consuming her life.
In the poem, “Morning Song, ” Sylvia Plath illustrates her struggle with self-identity as a mother following the birth of her baby through the use of synesthesia. Plath addresses her new born baby comparing his first moments to a museum as “voices echo magnifying your the baby’s arrival. New Statue”. Her comparison to a museum highlights her uncertain feelings about her newborn, as all she can do it observe the child like an exhibit in a museum. Plath’s realistic imagery depicts her “stumble from the bed, cow-heavy” as she wakes to breast feed her crying baby. She compares herself to a cow revealing that she feels her only relation to the baby is animal-like because she is required to feed her offspring. Plath implies her indifferent perception of her relationship with her child as a result of her inability to identify herself with motherly qualities.
In her poem, “Edge, ” Sylvia Plath employs a depressing tone that emphasizes her desire to die a few days before her actual suicide. Plath says fulfillment has been reached when the “dead body wears a smile of accomplishment”. This morbid image implies that Plath feels she can only be happy after she has died. The inclusion of the metonymy, “Greek necessity, ” reveals Plath’s intention to commit suicide is inevitable. Plath utilizes a metaphor when she says it is a “pitcher of milk, now empty, ” and underscores the relief she will obtain from her motherly duties. This also suggests her lack of concern for her own children as they will be left without a mother figure following her death. Ironically, she personifies the moon, claiming it “has nothing to be sad about, ” which suggests she believes her death with be irrelevant to those close to her. Plath exposes her selfish nature throughout the poem as a result of her suicidal thoughts.
Sylvia Plath emphasizes her insecurity of how the world perceives her and her desire to regain her life in her extended metaphor poem, “Face Lift. ” She consistently references being “fizzy with sedatives and unusually humorous, ” suggesting that she feels a sense of normality when she is sedated. Sedatives serve as a symbol of distraction for Plath from her insecurities. Plath writes that “skin doesn’t have roots, it peels away as easy as paper, ” which further emphasizes her desire to change her life or be reborn. The simile suggests she believes she deserves a new beginning and her past does not have to influence her new future. Plath continues the poem, writing that her old self has been “trapped in some laboratory jar, ” metaphorically meaning that she has felt trapped in her own body by her insecurities. She employs a simile for the final line of the poem stating her new face was “pink and smooth as a baby, ” symbolizing the purity she possessed now that she feels reborn. Just like a face lift can make a woman feel new, Plath believes she will feel new if she has a chance to change or end her life. She desperately wants a new beginning of any sort.
In her poem, “Lady Lazarus, ” Sylvia Plath employs strong, defined images of death and pain to later establish her sense of perseverance despite her hardships. The title itself is a biblical allusion as Plath establishes she will be reborn and resurrected just as Jesus did with Lazarus. She describes her many encounters with death and describes herself “like the cat I have nine times to die, ”. This simile highlights her depressed nature as she feels indestructible to death itself. In a sense, she isn’t afraid of dying. She writes that “dying is an art, ” and claims she does it exceptionally well. This metaphor highlights her suicidal nature and implies that she is no stranger to death and has tried to die multiple times. Plath feels like people can physically see her pain on display as if “there is a charge/for the eyeing of my [Plath’s] scars”. Plath describes her pain in reference to a crematorium stating that “melts to a shriek/and turns and burns”. The gruesome imagery highlights the extremity of the pain she possesses in her life and serves as an explanation for her desire to die. Plath confirms that she will “rise with her red hair, ” and be reborn despite her misfortunes”. The connotation of the color red symbolizes Plath’s fiery nature that refuses to give up.
Sylvia Plath references Greece in her extended metaphor poem, “The Colossus” to highlight her mourning of her father’s death. She employs dehumanizing imagery of Greek statues writing how they are “pieced and glued, ” to symbolize that her father’s presence is unreal. She claims that she has mourned “over the weedy acres of your brow, ” suggesting that her father’s death has a been a burden for a long period of time while alluding to the loss of Greek architecture. Plath writes that she “no longer listens to the scrape of a keel, ” emphasizing that she has overcome her mourning and realized the insignificance of her father’s death in her life. The allusion also underscores that Plath no longer desires to communicate with her father as he no longer human to her. She finally realizes she does not need to suffer the loss of her dead father and has come to terms with accepting the remains of him.
In the poem, “You’re, ” Sylvia Plath expresses her ironic detachment from her baby despite its presence in her womb. She includes a simile writing that the baby is “gilled like a fish, ” meaning that it is self-sustaining. She uses imagery to describe the baby in her womb as “mute as a turnip, ” suggesting that the she feels she cannot connect with the child due to its inability to talk. She compares her womb to “a pickle jug, ” which implies that she feels she is just a preserving entity for the child. At the end of the poem, Plath writes that her pregnancy is like a “well done sum”. This simile emphasizes that her pregnancy is complete and highlight that she does not enjoy being with child. Plath describes her pregnancy negatively ultimately suggesting she has little appreciation for fertility.
In her poem, “Widow, ” Sylvia Plath compares herself to a spider to portray her ironic grief after mourning the loss of her husband. Plath writes that “death is the dress she wears, her hat and collar, ” to emphasize the feelings of grief represented by her clothing. She suggests she “is paper now, warmed by no one, ” suggesting that she feels empty, lonely, and like she has nobody to love. Plath includes dark, depressing imagery when she refers to “the trees of loneliness, the trees of mourning, ” which highlights her isolated nature. She personifies the soul, claiming that it “may be beat and be beating at her dull sense, ” implying that although her husband’s soul is gone, it is still taking a toll on her everyday life. Plath illustrates her mourning through her comparison to a spider to highlight her bitter nature and suffering during her time of grieving.
Plath writes about an unwanted child in her poem, “The Secret, ” expressing her worries and the strain it put on the relationship between her and her husband. She describes the baby as “blue and huge” suggesting that the secret is consuming and controlling her life. She compares the baby with a metaphor as a “faint, undulant watermark, ” suggesting that the baby cannot be destroyed or removed and is therefore haunting her. It becomes evident she does not want the secret to be announced because she is ashamed of it. Plath refers to the baby as a “pet, ” which reveals she does not think of the baby as a child and thinks of it more as a burden. Plath uses a metaphor to address the father stating that the baby is “the knife in your back, ” suggesting that the father does not want the child and sees it as an inconvenience. Later, we learn this is most likely because he is having an affair. Plath reveals her disgust for her secret through metaphors to emphasize that her mistake is haunting her.
