Contributions Of Sylvia Plath - 1302 Words

Throughout the decades many great poets and writers have influenced and impacted the literature that we read today. Henrik Ibsen’s pivotal work regarding social and moral issues of his day and Sigmund Freud’s writing pertaining to peoples’ mental health are just a few of examples of profound writers who contributed to the growth and development of literature. Sylvia Plath was also a profound writer and one of the most respected poets and prose writer of her time as well. She was once described as â€Å"one of the most celebrated and controversial of postwar poets writing in English† (â€Å"Sylvia Plath†). Many of her poems talked about her own mental issues, her marriage problems, conflicts with her parents that were left unresolved, or her vision†¦show more content†¦Three of Plath’s more well-known works that were written later in her life titled â€Å"Daddy,† â€Å"The Beekeeper’s Daughter,† and â€Å"The Col ossus,† mention her issues with her father. Not only in these poems, but in some of her others too, she addresses her and her father’s relationship, her feelings of betrayal from his death, and of how she felt like a victim of his hold over her. Otto’s death really took a toll on the whole family, especially Sylvia, and she began to struggle with depression. The family began to struggle financially, and that forced them to have to move. They made their transition to Wellesley, Massachusetts where Plath’s mother began to teach at Boston University. Sylvia used writing to cope with her loss, and had her first poem published when she was only eight years old. Plath was a well-educated and brilliant student, and she published several more poems and stories while still being a teenager in high school. She went to Smith University on a scholarship and exceled greatly there. It was also there at the University where she started to suffer from the effects of her severe depression. She attempted to commit suicide by taking sleeping pills, but she failed despite her efforts. In lines 58-59 of her poem â€Å"Daddy,† Plath writes â€Å"At twenty I tried to die and get back, back to you.† This line serves to show that Sylvia loved her father so much that she tried taking her own life to get back to him. After recoveringShow MoreRelatedSylvia Plath s The Ideas Of Death, Quarrel, And Firsthand Encounters1590 Words   |  7 Pages Death may seem horrifying to some, but to others it is the entryway to a world of beauty and justice. In Sylvia Plath’s work the ideas of death, quarrel, and firsthand encounters are all vital contributions that work to develop Plath’s view on suicide and its ability to liberate her from the hindrances of life. Death makes it possible to attain sovereignty where her mind could release itself from its physical imprisonment such as the ones portrayed in her poems. Read MoreEssay about Sylvia Plath1185 Words   |  5 PagesSylvia Plath This line is from Sylvia Plaths poem Lady Lazarus, one of many that helped make her an icon of modern American poetry. They have an eerie, prophetic quality, seeming to foreshadow the tragic death of this young writer. Understanding Sylvia Plaths words require a closer look at both her life and a few of her works. Though critics have described her writing as governed by negative vitalism, her distinct individuality has made her a conversation piece among those familiarRead MoreEssay on The Dark Life and Confessional Poetry of Sylvia Plath2207 Words   |  9 Pagespoetry—established their poetry in a single, unified voice that accentuated intimate human topics such as death, sexuality, and family. An important contributor to contemporary and confessional poetry was Sylvia Plath, who employed personal aspects of her life into her style of confessional poetry. Plath suffered from a deep depression that influenced her to often write in a dark, melancholy style. This depressio n included two suicide attempts of which she wrote before succeeding in suicide at the ageRead MoreSylvia Plath And Anne Sexton1782 Words   |  8 Pageswriters cope with their personal experiences and feelings in a new, and constructive way. Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton were a major part of the confessional writing movement in the 20th century. Sylvia was an American poet, novelist and short story writer who lived most of her life being clinically depressed, and attempting to take her own life multiple times when she finally succeeded in 1963. Much like Plath, Anne was also an American poet and was considered to be mentally ill and suicidal. WhileRead MoreAnne Sexton Confessional Poetry Analysis1192 Words   |  5 Pagespopularity. Confessional poetry is the poetry of the personal or I, and it began to emerge in the late 50s and early 60s (A Brief Guide to Confessional Poetry). It is associated with poets like Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, W. D. Snodgrass, etc., with Lowell playing teacher for both Plath and Sexton. This poetry movement was all about opening closed doors, allowing the discussion of topics that were once considered forbidden and shameful. Anything once indecent to mention in polite companyRead MoreKate Chopins Writing Career and Influence on Society Essay1091 Words   |  5 Pagesinsightful and inspirational work of fiction. Critics claimed that â€Å"her work exemplifies whatever approach they favor at the moment; romanticism, realism, naturalism, existentialism, feminism†. Lewis P. Simpson claimed Kate â€Å"made a significant contribution to late nineteenth-century realism† (Skaggs 9 ). Joyce R. Ladensan wrote a review stating that The Awakening â€Å"is a powerful story of one woman’s education as antagonist against Victorian marriage and the social and psychological straight jacketRead MoreShel Silverstein Critical Review1565 Words   |  7 PagesNicole Turner ENC 1102 Mrs. S. Padgett-Giorda Critical Research Essay on Shel Silverstein While many will point to poets such as Robert Frost and Sylvia Plath when speaking intellectually about the work that was produced by their pens, one should not overlook the valuable contributions of Shel Silverstein. From his first publication, The Giving Tree, to his final work, Falling Up, Silverstein entertained generations of children and parents alike with his use of poetry. His work, specificallyRead MoreEssay on Ambiguous Women: The Power of the Female Narrative3068 Words   |  13 Pagesinto my silence, and in my head, they shouted and chattered and whispered and sang together (6). Throughout my first semester at Bates, I have identified with Carey. The narratives that discuss growing up as a woman have empowered me. Woolf, Carey, Plath, Rich, and particularly Heilbrun: I recognize the power of these narratives, not only when considered as individual lives or models suggesting alternative realities, but when considered collectively in terms of their life-altering impact. Looking atRead More Langston Hughes - A Literary Genius Essay2076 Words   |  9 Pageswhen the Academy of American Poets conducted a public vote that attracted more than ten thousand people responded to find out which American poet among 205 nominators deserves to be placed on a postage stamp, Hughes far outdistanced the runner-up, Sylvia Plath, to achieve the honor. Futhermore, among the websites of more than 400 poets featured on the academy, Hughesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ was most frequently visited according to this organizationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s statistic (Rampersad). In the article à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Poet lives in Kerry campaignà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Read MoreNostalgia in the Poems by Kamaladas3364 Words   |  14 Pageswoman, the scent of Long hair, the musk of sweat between the breasts, The warm shock of menstrual blood, and all your Endless female hungers ... - The Looking Glass This directness of her voice led to comparisons with Marguerite Duras and Sylvia Plath[4] At the age of 42, she published a daring autobiography, My Story; it was originally written in Malayalam and later she translated it into English. Later she admitted that much of the autobiography had fictional elements.[5] Kamala Das wrote