Anne Sexton was born Anne Gray Harvey on the 9th day of November 1928 in Newton, Massachusetts. She was a very disturbed poet whom wrote of her experiences with depression and mental illness. Sexton, a confessional poet, was an internationally known figure. Although this is true not all critics were positive. In fact they felt she bared too much in her poetry. Too much meaning it was acceptable for men and not women. Such topics as drinking problems, ,mental breakdowns and divorces. A fellow poet Louise Bogan stated," these are almost always women's secrets that do not, in the ordinary way of things, get told. To outline personal relationships....always at a high pitch of emotion requires courage." Anne Sexton had this courage.
As a child Anne felt unwanted and unloved, mostly by her mother. Sexton wrote poems when younger but had a minor setback, this setback was her mother. Once in high school two of her poems were published and her mother accused her of plagiarism.
Anne Kristine Osland
English: Administration Building, McLean Hospital,...
Anne SextonAnne then stopped writing for fear of future accusations. She was very afraid of her mother because when she was punished she was to be locked in her room cut off from all outside life. While in her room she would then hide in her closet until her mother would allow her to come out. Anne always felt rejected as if the only reason she was there was to keep her father with her mother. Sexton once wrote "the unwanted, the mistake/ that mother used to keep father/ from his divorce." This statement clearly exposes her feelings of basic "abandonment". having had an unsatisfying relationship with her mother she went in search of a new mother figure. This person was great aunt Anna Ladd Dingley. Her aunt became very much of what she needed...