How Did Sylvia Plath Great Depression
The Greatest Depression of Plath
The end of World War One transitioning into the great depression would make for an unlikely time for two European descendants to birth one of the most highly influential poets of their time. October 27, 1932 would mark the day that Otto Plath and Aurelia Plath had become the parents of this astounding poet Sylvia Plath. The relationships that she would begin to form with her parents from such a young age would be a unique and complicated tale. Reflections of Sylvia’s upbringing in these unique times would be shown throughout many outlets of hers including her personal life and demeanor as well as her relationships and most of all her poetry. The works of Sylvia Plath have often been described as confessional …show more content…
poetry, where one will emphasizes the intimate and unflattering details of ones personal life. Within Sylvia’s collection of work there are varying examples of emotions and complexity while intertwining her personal life into her work. Sylvia’s unique upbringing coupled with personal losses while not living up to ones self-expectations intern makes her the poet she is today. The role her parents had played within Sylvia’s poetry would make for some of her critically acclaimed works, furthermore this paper will explore the influences, references and emotions portrayed there in.
Arguably Otto Plath was the most frequently portrayed parent in Sylvia’s work, most noticeably and easily identifiable in the poem “Daddy”. Throughout this poem harsh context is used to describe and critique her father. In a way questioning him as a person and the choices he had made. Within the first three stanzas she writes references to her fathers illness and ultimate demise and how she prayed in hopes to heal him “I have lived like a foot for thirty years, poor and white, barely daring to breath or achoo” (Plath, 3-5). “Ghostly statue with one gray toe big as a Frisco seal” (8-10). “I used to pray to recover you” (14). Sylvia had been quoted after hearing news of her father’s amputation due to neglected diabetes saying, “When he buys shoes, will he have to buy a pair, Mummy?” (Letters home, Plath pg 24). Sylvia had idolized her father for being what appeared to be so strong throughout her childhood; she had looked upon him as a “god” in her eyes. Being quite optimistic in regards to her father’s health as any child would be she had prayed quite often for him, although after his passing she had said “I will never speak to god again.” (Plath, 25) In a retort and outlast to all her unanswered prayers for her father. Within the fourth, sixth and seventh stanza’s Otto’s background is toyed with and manipulated into Sylvia’s visions within the poem “Daddy”. “In the German tongue, in the Polish town” (Plath, 16). This sheds light on her father’s origins as a Polish immigrant as well as one of his three spoken languages one of which is Germanic. The following lines would be quite controversial “I thought every German was you” (29), “Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. I began to talk like a Jew. I think I may well be a Jew” (32-35). Ironically comparing her father to a Nazi war criminal while Otto Plath had felt such guilt when stepping on a bug once as Aurelia had mentioned in “Letters”. The more literal meaning behind this comparison would be that she felt powerless to her father and his choices; albeit selfish considering the impact it would in turn have on Sylvia. Personally incorporating a comparison between the two seems all to dramatic and to profound for the message she was trying to portray. Nazi’s had killed countless people while her father had done absolutely nothing in comparison to her, probably feeling she needed to amplify this as she glorifies emotions throughout her works. She did however feel victimized by his stubbornness and the image that his authority could not be questioned. This leads back to her prayers for her father and the neglect he had towards his own health this would lead to his death. As Dr. Loder had been quoted saying in Letters Home, “how could such a brilliant man be so stupid” (Plath, 23). In the continuation of intertwining her personal life within her poetry Sylvia wrote, “I was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die and get back, back, back to you”. (Daddy, 57-60). Peculiarly she had only been eight years old at the time of his death. Within this stanza indirectly she passes blame to Otto for her failed suicide attempt when she had mentioned getting back, back, back to you. Her first failed suicide attempt would disappoint Sylvia as she had said that she “couldn’t even kill herself” as if it had been a lighthearted subject. That “it was the last act of love” (Letters Home, pg124). While projecting that it was for her long passed father and possibly her fans or family by saying “I would have spare them all by ending everything at the height of my so-called career” (pg 130) Plath.
The Bell Jar would begin to set the tone for Sylvia’s independent life away from home in which time she would be in constant contact with her mother via letters nearly weekly.
This close relationship would be rooted early in Sylvia’s childhood; Aurelia had begun to act as a buffer for both her children while Otto’s condition began to worsen. It had been documented that Otto had not taken the most active role in his children’s upbringing, he had old-fashioned qualities instilled that had to be the head of the home and breadwinner, leaving the housekeeping and child raising to Aurelia. Sylvia possibly felt that her mother was trying to get in-between her and really connecting with her father as Aurelia had to keep her children happy and somewhat oblivious while making sure that Otto was as well rested and relaxed as possible. In The Bell Jar I believe Sylvia captured it best her self by saying, “I may hate her, but that’s not all. I … love her too. ‘After all, as the story goes, she’s my mother” (Plath, pg 82). Through studying and learning more about Sylvia’s childhood and adolescence I personally feel that she was all to hard on her mother portraying her as a sickly person that purposely cut between her and what she believed was true happiness in her father. Within the poem “Medusa” although Medusa is a woman that with looking into her eyes turn the voyeur to stone with snakes for hair. This Amplifies that even the title is an over exaggeration of an image of Aurelia. Sylvia uses metaphors all threw this poem portraying her father as a jellyfish and quite possibly a cobra, both with similar defenses of paralyzing their enemies. Within the sixth stanza “Overexposed, like an X-ray” (31), Sylvia would hint towards her mother being transparent and that she could see right threw her and the intentions she held. Letters from home would contradict any assumptions one could make about poems seemingly tailored towards her mother. Sylvia had written roughly six hundred
letters within her lifetime to her family within her lifetime, seemingly with a mask on the whole time. She would write of all her wonderful experiences and how elated she was with life, all over the course of rejections failed relationships and loneliness. I think Aurelia saw right threw this, as it seems to be easy to see while reading “Letters Home”. This is not to say many were genuine but Sylvia was very good at hiding pain through a happy face. Mother’s instincts were very apparent and point to why her mother was very careful with regards to coaching Plath and advising her of what to do, as she was very unstable.
To explore the relations between Sylvia Plath’s parents within her work poses many challenges. Plath had never stuck to one medium and uniquely had written all these letters to family and friends giving great insight and almost a play by play of her short thirty year lifespan. As mentioned before in the instances retaining to parental figures or images of them throughout her poetry Otto was the main subject. While other mediums such as her book The Bell Jar and then the letter her mother would later publish Letters Home Aurelia would be on the main stage. One comes to the conclusion that within Sylvia’s life she had many struggles many hardships and a rollercoaster of her own torments and ideals. Within the mask that Sylvia had worn to the public and shown to her family on numerous occasions would shape her into what seems to be a deeply saddened and troubled young lady. She had married and had two children and the delights of which would probably satisfy many females at the time troubled her with responsibilities and the feeling that it all had gotten in the way of her writing. There is something very sinister and sad in the revelation that surrounds Sylvia Plath and her image. While not being able to seemingly ever get over the loss of her father and having been a self proclaimed over achiever any failures or losses within her life troubled her much deeper than they probably should have. This being said as any poet or any human being emotions are never constant. Sylvia’s best works were those of sorrow and despair with the hidden meaning open for interpretations to the reader. As Susan Bassnett had wrote in “Sylvia Plath An Introduction to the Poetry” “Sylvia Plath’s life-work, each piece of glass in a kaleidoscope contributes to the overall pattern; remove a piece and the pattern changes But there is no absolute final, true picture created by those glass particles, any more than there is a final, definitive, true self that the reader can uncover though reading a dead woman’s brilliant, fragmentary papers” (pg85). The meaning I can take away from this quote is that there is always a big picture to be seen when studying such a diverse poet. If you had only her poetry to go off and no background connections and deeper meanings would not be made. If you had read all her letters to her mother while she was away you would assume she had a strong jaw and didn’t let the little things bother her. But when you look down this kaleidoscope each person will describe something different as it is open to our own interpretation but similarities will always arise.
Sylvia Plath being the figurative rubix cube of a human being, when you have one side complete the other side is still a jumbled mess of differing colors these colors can be seen as emotions. The final and true insight into her works her intricacies of her life within her poetry. The depression, suicidal references and actions within her poetry and life; unfortunately but semi understandably destroyed by her late husband Ted Hughes in an effort to censor his children from their mothers last writings. The mystery behind these and why they were to be considered by him harsh enough to have been destroyed forever is lost. A stunningly brilliant young child that turned to writing and poetry to focus energy and emotions would later be idolized by her peers. Her rise to fame like all great artists was only after her passing when one can really look at the poet as a whole. Sylvia’s genius lay beneath her mask, under her heart that was damaged by her father, neglected by her husband and coddled by her mother. The last poem Plath had ever wrote was titled “Edge” in which the profound lines that summarize her greatly are “The Woman is perfected. Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment”(Plath). A smile of accomplishment for having finally been able to rejoin her father, her savor and leave her depression filled world behind her forever.
Works Cited
Bassnett, Susan. Sylvia Plath: an Introduction to the Poetry. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print. "The Colossus - A Poem by Sylvia Plath - American Poems." American Poems - YOUR Poetry Site. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .
"Daddy - Sylvia Plath." Internal.org Poets. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .
Gill, Jo. The Cambridge Companion to Sylvia Plath. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print.
"Neurotic Poets - Sylvia Plath." Neurotic Poets - Neurotic Poets - The Link Between Creativity And Madness. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. .
"PAL: Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)." California State University Stanislaus | Home. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .
Plath, Sylvia. Letters Home. New York: Harper & Row, 1975. Print.
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar / Sylvia Plath. London: Faber, 1966. Print.
Sylvia Plath." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. . "Sylvia Plath-Medusa." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. .
The end of World War One transitioning into the great depression would make for an unlikely time for two European descendants to birth one of the most highly influential poets of their time. October 27, 1932 would mark the day that Otto Plath and Aurelia Plath had become the parents of this astounding poet Sylvia Plath. The relationships that she would begin to form with her parents from such a young age would be a unique and complicated tale. Reflections of Sylvia’s upbringing in these unique times would be shown throughout many outlets of hers including her personal life and demeanor as well as her relationships and most of all her poetry. The works of Sylvia Plath have often been described as confessional …show more content…
poetry, where one will emphasizes the intimate and unflattering details of ones personal life. Within Sylvia’s collection of work there are varying examples of emotions and complexity while intertwining her personal life into her work. Sylvia’s unique upbringing coupled with personal losses while not living up to ones self-expectations intern makes her the poet she is today. The role her parents had played within Sylvia’s poetry would make for some of her critically acclaimed works, furthermore this paper will explore the influences, references and emotions portrayed there in.
Arguably Otto Plath was the most frequently portrayed parent in Sylvia’s work, most noticeably and easily identifiable in the poem “Daddy”. Throughout this poem harsh context is used to describe and critique her father. In a way questioning him as a person and the choices he had made. Within the first three stanzas she writes references to her fathers illness and ultimate demise and how she prayed in hopes to heal him “I have lived like a foot for thirty years, poor and white, barely daring to breath or achoo” (Plath, 3-5). “Ghostly statue with one gray toe big as a Frisco seal” (8-10). “I used to pray to recover you” (14). Sylvia had been quoted after hearing news of her father’s amputation due to neglected diabetes saying, “When he buys shoes, will he have to buy a pair, Mummy?” (Letters home, Plath pg 24). Sylvia had idolized her father for being what appeared to be so strong throughout her childhood; she had looked upon him as a “god” in her eyes. Being quite optimistic in regards to her father’s health as any child would be she had prayed quite often for him, although after his passing she had said “I will never speak to god again.” (Plath, 25) In a retort and outlast to all her unanswered prayers for her father. Within the fourth, sixth and seventh stanza’s Otto’s background is toyed with and manipulated into Sylvia’s visions within the poem “Daddy”. “In the German tongue, in the Polish town” (Plath, 16). This sheds light on her father’s origins as a Polish immigrant as well as one of his three spoken languages one of which is Germanic. The following lines would be quite controversial “I thought every German was you” (29), “Chuffing me off like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. I began to talk like a Jew. I think I may well be a Jew” (32-35). Ironically comparing her father to a Nazi war criminal while Otto Plath had felt such guilt when stepping on a bug once as Aurelia had mentioned in “Letters”. The more literal meaning behind this comparison would be that she felt powerless to her father and his choices; albeit selfish considering the impact it would in turn have on Sylvia. Personally incorporating a comparison between the two seems all to dramatic and to profound for the message she was trying to portray. Nazi’s had killed countless people while her father had done absolutely nothing in comparison to her, probably feeling she needed to amplify this as she glorifies emotions throughout her works. She did however feel victimized by his stubbornness and the image that his authority could not be questioned. This leads back to her prayers for her father and the neglect he had towards his own health this would lead to his death. As Dr. Loder had been quoted saying in Letters Home, “how could such a brilliant man be so stupid” (Plath, 23). In the continuation of intertwining her personal life within her poetry Sylvia wrote, “I was ten when they buried you. At twenty I tried to die and get back, back, back to you”. (Daddy, 57-60). Peculiarly she had only been eight years old at the time of his death. Within this stanza indirectly she passes blame to Otto for her failed suicide attempt when she had mentioned getting back, back, back to you. Her first failed suicide attempt would disappoint Sylvia as she had said that she “couldn’t even kill herself” as if it had been a lighthearted subject. That “it was the last act of love” (Letters Home, pg124). While projecting that it was for her long passed father and possibly her fans or family by saying “I would have spare them all by ending everything at the height of my so-called career” (pg 130) Plath.
The Bell Jar would begin to set the tone for Sylvia’s independent life away from home in which time she would be in constant contact with her mother via letters nearly weekly.
This close relationship would be rooted early in Sylvia’s childhood; Aurelia had begun to act as a buffer for both her children while Otto’s condition began to worsen. It had been documented that Otto had not taken the most active role in his children’s upbringing, he had old-fashioned qualities instilled that had to be the head of the home and breadwinner, leaving the housekeeping and child raising to Aurelia. Sylvia possibly felt that her mother was trying to get in-between her and really connecting with her father as Aurelia had to keep her children happy and somewhat oblivious while making sure that Otto was as well rested and relaxed as possible. In The Bell Jar I believe Sylvia captured it best her self by saying, “I may hate her, but that’s not all. I … love her too. ‘After all, as the story goes, she’s my mother” (Plath, pg 82). Through studying and learning more about Sylvia’s childhood and adolescence I personally feel that she was all to hard on her mother portraying her as a sickly person that purposely cut between her and what she believed was true happiness in her father. Within the poem “Medusa” although Medusa is a woman that with looking into her eyes turn the voyeur to stone with snakes for hair. This Amplifies that even the title is an over exaggeration of an image of Aurelia. Sylvia uses metaphors all threw this poem portraying her father as a jellyfish and quite possibly a cobra, both with similar defenses of paralyzing their enemies. Within the sixth stanza “Overexposed, like an X-ray” (31), Sylvia would hint towards her mother being transparent and that she could see right threw her and the intentions she held. Letters from home would contradict any assumptions one could make about poems seemingly tailored towards her mother. Sylvia had written roughly six hundred
letters within her lifetime to her family within her lifetime, seemingly with a mask on the whole time. She would write of all her wonderful experiences and how elated she was with life, all over the course of rejections failed relationships and loneliness. I think Aurelia saw right threw this, as it seems to be easy to see while reading “Letters Home”. This is not to say many were genuine but Sylvia was very good at hiding pain through a happy face. Mother’s instincts were very apparent and point to why her mother was very careful with regards to coaching Plath and advising her of what to do, as she was very unstable.
To explore the relations between Sylvia Plath’s parents within her work poses many challenges. Plath had never stuck to one medium and uniquely had written all these letters to family and friends giving great insight and almost a play by play of her short thirty year lifespan. As mentioned before in the instances retaining to parental figures or images of them throughout her poetry Otto was the main subject. While other mediums such as her book The Bell Jar and then the letter her mother would later publish Letters Home Aurelia would be on the main stage. One comes to the conclusion that within Sylvia’s life she had many struggles many hardships and a rollercoaster of her own torments and ideals. Within the mask that Sylvia had worn to the public and shown to her family on numerous occasions would shape her into what seems to be a deeply saddened and troubled young lady. She had married and had two children and the delights of which would probably satisfy many females at the time troubled her with responsibilities and the feeling that it all had gotten in the way of her writing. There is something very sinister and sad in the revelation that surrounds Sylvia Plath and her image. While not being able to seemingly ever get over the loss of her father and having been a self proclaimed over achiever any failures or losses within her life troubled her much deeper than they probably should have. This being said as any poet or any human being emotions are never constant. Sylvia’s best works were those of sorrow and despair with the hidden meaning open for interpretations to the reader. As Susan Bassnett had wrote in “Sylvia Plath An Introduction to the Poetry” “Sylvia Plath’s life-work, each piece of glass in a kaleidoscope contributes to the overall pattern; remove a piece and the pattern changes But there is no absolute final, true picture created by those glass particles, any more than there is a final, definitive, true self that the reader can uncover though reading a dead woman’s brilliant, fragmentary papers” (pg85). The meaning I can take away from this quote is that there is always a big picture to be seen when studying such a diverse poet. If you had only her poetry to go off and no background connections and deeper meanings would not be made. If you had read all her letters to her mother while she was away you would assume she had a strong jaw and didn’t let the little things bother her. But when you look down this kaleidoscope each person will describe something different as it is open to our own interpretation but similarities will always arise.
Sylvia Plath being the figurative rubix cube of a human being, when you have one side complete the other side is still a jumbled mess of differing colors these colors can be seen as emotions. The final and true insight into her works her intricacies of her life within her poetry. The depression, suicidal references and actions within her poetry and life; unfortunately but semi understandably destroyed by her late husband Ted Hughes in an effort to censor his children from their mothers last writings. The mystery behind these and why they were to be considered by him harsh enough to have been destroyed forever is lost. A stunningly brilliant young child that turned to writing and poetry to focus energy and emotions would later be idolized by her peers. Her rise to fame like all great artists was only after her passing when one can really look at the poet as a whole. Sylvia’s genius lay beneath her mask, under her heart that was damaged by her father, neglected by her husband and coddled by her mother. The last poem Plath had ever wrote was titled “Edge” in which the profound lines that summarize her greatly are “The Woman is perfected. Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment”(Plath). A smile of accomplishment for having finally been able to rejoin her father, her savor and leave her depression filled world behind her forever.
Works Cited
Bassnett, Susan. Sylvia Plath: an Introduction to the Poetry. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print. "The Colossus - A Poem by Sylvia Plath - American Poems." American Poems - YOUR Poetry Site. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .
"Daddy - Sylvia Plath." Internal.org Poets. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .
Gill, Jo. The Cambridge Companion to Sylvia Plath. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2006. Print.
"Neurotic Poets - Sylvia Plath." Neurotic Poets - Neurotic Poets - The Link Between Creativity And Madness. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. .
"PAL: Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)." California State University Stanislaus | Home. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. .
Plath, Sylvia. Letters Home. New York: Harper & Row, 1975. Print.
Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar / Sylvia Plath. London: Faber, 1966. Print.
Sylvia Plath." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 10 Nov. 2011. . "Sylvia Plath-Medusa." Angelfire: Welcome to Angelfire. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. .