Sylvia Plath Flashcards
Mad Girl’s Love Song
Can’t escape reality, miserable without lover, suffering from going after man who didn’t love her
- personification of stars
- repetition
- self reflection, mocking
- name slipping =lover was illusion
The Colossus
Grappling w loss of father, attempts to reconstruct memories, dad isn’t as great in reality, never completely
- based of Greek mythology and oracles
- references to Roman funeral
- no longer listens for dad’s footsteps
Stillborn
Comparing poetry to child, questioning her skills, wants perfection
- metaphor of poetry as child
- personify poems
- symbol poem for child
- dissatisfaction (diction)
- imagery and descriptive language
Morning song
Learning how to be motherly and overcome alienation, disconnect w baby bc of abuse with husband, trapped in relationship
- baby reminder of aging
- sees baby in more beautiful way (progression)
- inanimate object, raw and impersonal
Tulips
Hospital stay, tulips made her aware of her emotions, given her positive mindset
- water theme=can’t stay afloat
- metaphor for relationship w Hughes
- sterile hospital environment=emotionless
- parasitic relationship
- wants death
Insomniac
Painful memories of her experiences, daytime isn’t better than night, ppl to understand her depression
- repetition of light is painful
- memories
- day to night progression
- light dark happy sad contrast
- reference to father and suicide
Blackberrying
Realizing time w Hughes took away her life before, childhood memories
- personification of berries
- happy to sad progression and abuse
- positive environment tainted w death
- contrast w reality
Mirror
Visual reflection, self reflection, losing youth, aging
- lake connects
- delivering harsh realities
Daddy
Victimizing self for not knowing father, only man she has is Hughes, didn’t know what dad was like, confronting last and trauma
- shoe as metaphor for oppression (encasing her)
- WWII and Holocaust references
- comparing her as Jew dad as hitler
- desire to die and be w dad
- progression to be done w sympathizing w dad
Cut
Self destructive behavior, experimentation, separation of body and bind, battle w depression
- personification of ginger
- violent men
- war references
- progression of thrill to ill
- battle and metaphor for depression
Lady Lazarus
Suicide
- holocaust references
- cat as metaphor for her
- suicide attempt references
- oxymoron for pearls
Bio
Born in Boston Massachusetts. Father passed away when 8. Depressed. Got scholarship to smith college, on summer break was guest editor for NYC magazine, took sleeping pills and hid under House suicide attempts, rehab, shock therapy, finished College at smith, scholarship to Cambridge, met Hughes, married quickly, had kids, abuse, cheating and separation, took life
