Sylvia Plath extract

Essay by bethrodriguezHigh School, 10th gradeA+, October 2006

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Through the text, the author introduces to us each member of the Denway family, as well as their characteristics. She does this in a very simple way and a very innocent one as well. She talks about them like she was a simple watcher of the scene, who's conveyed all the laughter and moments the family pass, as so are we.

We first have the character of the father. From the beginning, we notice he's a very sweet man, full of love for their kids, who plays and talks with them, and gives them "huge bear hugs". He's seen as a "giant of a man" by his daughter, but we understand that because it's through a child's view, he's not as tall as it's described to us. Of course, as any parent, we notice his impatient side, like when he says "Good lord, doesn't he do anything but cry?", but still, although he sometimes is tired, he's a family person, and a caring man.

He might be seen as a model of the perfect father. His daughter sees him as a powerful person, because "he knew best and never gave mistaken judgment".

We also have little Warren, the baby boy of the house. He's still very young to make decisions, or at it seems, even to talk, but still, he's describe to us in a very simple way: he's a normal baby. He cries, he plays, he loves "eating chocolate pudding". We can picture him as a very beautiful baby, whose "hair was gold... and his skin was the colour of his glass milk". I think that mainly he behaves badly because his sister, Alice, puts him in trouble and plays jokes on him. But, apart from that, he seems as a very quiet baby, who loves being in his own world, with his own things and nothing disturbing him. "He ate very quietly... he had been good all day".

There's also the mother. Which is described to us as a very affectionate woman "Her mother's face was tender and soft", who defends their kids from anything, as we see when Walter's crying "He is tired... poor baby". We get the kindness of mom, and her true love for her family. But because she's so warm-hearted doesn't mean she's naive. She knows about the situation her daughter put Warren it and it's aware about the jokes, but she just simply doesn't take measures about it.

Finally, we have Alice Denway, the daughter. She appears as a very trouble-maker girl, who loves to make fun of his brother, but it's obvious that she loves him very much. It's very typical for the older ones to play like that with the younger ones. We can notice that she has that child-behaviour of messing around and having fun in an innocent way: playing with the father of with the brother silly games. She loves indeed very much all her family. She has an admiration for her father, as she "worshipped him". She also likes her mother being so kind and beautiful, and loving with her and her brother.

In general, this family makes me be full of memories about mine when I was younger. I always played with my brother like that: joking around and playing tricks on him. My relationship with my parents was and is still a very good and close one. When I read this passage, I feel like I'm sharing those feelings with this family: loyalty to them, having fun and just passing a really good time. There are times when we fight, as all families do, but we are still supporting each other in hard times.

What the author does to convey all this, all the family relationship in a very vividly and particular way, is by how she describes each member to us, and the actions that happen and interlinks them. There are several sources though the passage which helps us to understand the relationship between them. From the protection of the mother towards he baby, to the jokes of the daughter towards to son, up to the final part, where father and daughter "gave a clear triumphant laugh" of what has happen.