Title Analysis: Ariel was the name of Sylvia's horse, as well as the name of a character from Shakespeare's The Tempest, who was released from duties by the protagonist.
Content: Plath describes a ride on her horse through the sunrise, past all of the shadowy objects around her. She muses on "how one we grow" to show that she is very close to her horse, as they ride haphazardly towards the rising sun.
Analysis: The poem has an overall positive tone, but still has references to death. I believe that Plath is trying to say that riding her horse gives her release from the things that are holding her back in life, as horseback riding makes you feel untouchable and free. I think that there is a glimmer of hope in this poem, because she and the horse are racing away from darkness and into the sun.
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Edge - Sylvia Plath
Title Analysis: The title refers to the "edge" between life and death. This poem was the last known poem written by Sylvia Plath before her suicide, and has an overbearing tone of resignation.
Content: The poem as a whole glorifies death as "perfection" and an "accomplishment". It describes the physical appearance of death, and its finality. It also mentions Sylvia's children, and how she will no longer be able to care for them. At the end, it says "the moon has nothing to be sad about", and refers to the moon as female, which may imply that the moon is constantly in mourning for the females who choose to take their lives.
Analysis: Plath's death came less than a week after this poem was written, and most likely conveys her thoughts towards her impending suicide. She views death as a sweet release from life, and discusses death and decay as though she is resolved, embracing it. There is some sexual reference to the "night flower" and bringing her children back into it, which shows that her children are still a part of her, but she cannot continue living.
Content: The poem as a whole glorifies death as "perfection" and an "accomplishment". It describes the physical appearance of death, and its finality. It also mentions Sylvia's children, and how she will no longer be able to care for them. At the end, it says "the moon has nothing to be sad about", and refers to the moon as female, which may imply that the moon is constantly in mourning for the females who choose to take their lives.
Analysis: Plath's death came less than a week after this poem was written, and most likely conveys her thoughts towards her impending suicide. She views death as a sweet release from life, and discusses death and decay as though she is resolved, embracing it. There is some sexual reference to the "night flower" and bringing her children back into it, which shows that her children are still a part of her, but she cannot continue living.
Face Lift - Sylvia Plath
Title Analysis: Plath herself never had a facelift, but she is taking on the persona of someone who has had one.
Content: The first stanza is a narrative of the first surgical procedure the character had, which was a bad experience. The second stanza is a comparison of the facelift procedure and the other procedure; the facelift was a much better experience for the character. The third stanza discusses the recovery period of the character, and how her friends do not know she had the facelift done. It also contains a flashback to when the character was twenty years old with her first husband. The last stanza describes how the character no longer looks like an old lady, and has a tone of disgust towards the old face.
Analysis: Time is a huge motif in this poem; I believe that Plath is trying to say that as hard as this character is trying to feel young again, she never truly will be that twenty year old again. While this face lift makes the character feel good in the present, she has not truly reverted her age.
Content: The first stanza is a narrative of the first surgical procedure the character had, which was a bad experience. The second stanza is a comparison of the facelift procedure and the other procedure; the facelift was a much better experience for the character. The third stanza discusses the recovery period of the character, and how her friends do not know she had the facelift done. It also contains a flashback to when the character was twenty years old with her first husband. The last stanza describes how the character no longer looks like an old lady, and has a tone of disgust towards the old face.
Analysis: Time is a huge motif in this poem; I believe that Plath is trying to say that as hard as this character is trying to feel young again, she never truly will be that twenty year old again. While this face lift makes the character feel good in the present, she has not truly reverted her age.
Mirror - Sylvia Plath
Title Analysis: The Mirror is the speaker of the poem.
Content: The Mirror tells a narrative of how it shows people the truth, and is rewarded by their discontent and stress because of their appearance. People are so wrapped up in the way that they look, that it drags them down; this message is conveyed in the second stanza, when the mirror becomes a lake that a woman drowns in.
Analysis: This is Plath's commentary on obsession with physical appearance. The Mirror is neutral and truthful, only containing the reflection of what is there in front of it, and the people who see their reflection are constantly unhappy.
Content: The Mirror tells a narrative of how it shows people the truth, and is rewarded by their discontent and stress because of their appearance. People are so wrapped up in the way that they look, that it drags them down; this message is conveyed in the second stanza, when the mirror becomes a lake that a woman drowns in.
Analysis: This is Plath's commentary on obsession with physical appearance. The Mirror is neutral and truthful, only containing the reflection of what is there in front of it, and the people who see their reflection are constantly unhappy.
Two Sisters of Persephone - Sylvia Plath
Title Analysis: Persephone was the daughter of Demeter and Hades, who spent half of her life in the overworld, and half of her life in the underworld.
Content: In this poem, there are two halves of a person, or two separate people, presented; one of them is unhealthy and dark, while the other is healthy and happy in the sunlight. The dark sister is described as having wasted her life without children, dying "worm-husbanded". The light sister has a child, but also dies bitter and unhappy.
Analysis: Perhaps Plath is attempting to say that no matter what, a woman will die unfulfilled or unhappy because if she never marries, she will feel empty, but if she assumes responsibility as a mother, her happiness will also be sapped.
Content: In this poem, there are two halves of a person, or two separate people, presented; one of them is unhealthy and dark, while the other is healthy and happy in the sunlight. The dark sister is described as having wasted her life without children, dying "worm-husbanded". The light sister has a child, but also dies bitter and unhappy.
Analysis: Perhaps Plath is attempting to say that no matter what, a woman will die unfulfilled or unhappy because if she never marries, she will feel empty, but if she assumes responsibility as a mother, her happiness will also be sapped.
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