Sylvia Plath

Essay by JDK23College, Undergraduate October 2002

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A Discovery Through Poetry

Poetry can be expressive, strong, intense, and sometimes confusing. Through all that poetry is and can be to certain individuals, one thing is for sure, it's a discovery of oneself. Some poems are about historical events, some about emotions and thoughts, some as simple as nature. The most abstract poem can make one think of oneself. One particular poem comes to mind when thinking of self-discovery, Sylvia Plath's "Daddy"; this poem is about discovering the truth of her father. This poem is very strong in self-discovery and with a manifestation of what she wants to believe her father was evil, due to his early death. Another poem that deals with discovery of self is "A Last Marriage" by Virginia Hamilton Adair. In this poem she faces death and loss at all angles in her life, only to discover a garden that fills her with hope and understanding.

The garden symbolizes her last commitment, thus her last marriage. Poems make one think beyond what the words mean. Poems are a window to the soul of the writer and in some cases, of the reader. Poems that open up their reader's soul are the poems that help discover oneself.

In Plath's poem "Daddy", she develops a manifestation of her father. She develops an evil individual, someone, whom would have been just as evil as a Nazi, someone she doesn't even want to know. Plath uses allusions in her poem of her father being a Nazi and her mother a Jew, partially to make him the opposite of what he feels for him. Plath's father died when she was eight years old left her hurt and angry most of her life. Through this poem she makes comparisons to Hitler and the Jews as to be oppressed by...