Palma 1
Tara Palma
English 102
Poem Comparison Essay
April 17, 2014
The poems "Her Kind" by Anne Sexton, and "I am Vertical" by Sylvia Plath contain numerous
differences like structure, tone and rhythm. After breaking down both readings, these poems contain
common themes; individual identity, society, isolation, and death are themes portrayed in both poems.
The differences of the symbolism of these common themes help visualize a difference between the
importance of accepting yourself and being accepted.
Abnormality of the individual's identity was a first common theme between both poems. In "Her
Kind", the line: "I have gone out, a possessed witch," (1) helps imagine the sense of how she is an
outcast and since it is in past tense, this can imply the speaker may be capable of going in and out of a
possessed state of mind. Line: "lonely thing, twelve-fingered, out of mind" ("Her Kind" 5) continues the
speaker's description of what others think of her and referring to herself as a "thing" is dehumanizing
and takes away the idea of a "normal" person. In the poem "I am Vertical", the first line tells the reader
that the identity of the speaker is not as appealing as the rest of her world: "But I would rather be
horizontal" (1) helps the reader notice the jealousy of the life she does not have like the rest. This first
stanza goes into detail of a life she'd "rather" have with love, beauty, and nurturance. A better
understanding of wanting what everything surrounding her has, builds up the idea of her lacking the
"norm" as the speaker gazes into happiness when imagining what she'd rather be.
Palma 2
In both poems, the speakers' identities are similarly envisioned as "abnormal"... Society is
another theme that comes into play with...
Sylvia Plath
23 Fitzroy Road, London : The house where Sylvia P...
English: Grave of Sylvia Plath The grave of poet S...