Contribution Of Sylvia Plath Poetry

Contribution Of Sylvia Plath Poetry
Sylvia Plath's life shown in her work
Sylvia Plath is often be described as a feminist poet who wrote about the difficulties women faced
before women's right were a mainstream idea. The essayist Thomas McClanahan wrote, " At her
brutal best– and Plath is a brutal poet– she taps a source of power that transformers her poetic voice
into a raving avenger of womanhood and innocence". It is quite obvious that Plath's feminism is
extremely important to her poetry, but she also wrote about a lot of day to day experiences and made
them significant through her use of metaphors and symbolism. Plath may also be best known for her
autobiographical poetry written in confessionalist style that appeared during the 1950s. She is
considered an important poet of the post–World War II era. She became widely known following her
suicide in 1963. Through Sylvia Plath's poetry readers are able to explore her life. The particular
time and place in which she wrote her poetry, the death of her father, her failed marriage, her battle
with depression and others who influenced her all lead to the writing of some of her most cherished
works. By aligning the works of Sylvia Plath alongside the events in her life, one is able to get a
better understanding of her work and her as a woman in the era that she lived in.
Born on October of 1932, she grew up in a strong academic family environment in Winthrop
Massachusetts. Plath would, later on, dedicate a poem to Winthrop and the surrounding areas called
"Point Shirley," where she attempts to create a vivid image of the coast while using a sort of serious
and depressing tone. Plath says, "From Water–Tower Hill to the brick prison / The shingle booms,
bickering under / The sea's collapse"('Point Shirley'). She describes the town as almost bland and
uninteresting. Her father, Otto Plath, was a German professor of Biology, an entomologist, and also
authored a book about bees; which would later become the subject of many of Plath's later poems.
Her mother, Aurelia Plath was pursuing a career in teaching when she met Sylvia's father. At the age
of eight, Sylvia Plath published her first poem, her father would die that same year. This would be
the beginning of her career as a poet.
Plath lived
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Analysis Of Two Lovers And A Beachcomber By Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath and "Two Lovers and a Beachcomber by the Real Sea" Sylvia Plath, while one of the
best–known poets of the 20th century, has diminished in popularity to the modern audience. Despite
this, Plath's work is still poignant today with its self–examination of life in the context of poor
mental health and its confessional style that has become a staple of American literature. On October
27, 1932, Sylvia Plath was born to Aurelia Schober and Otto Plath, both immigrants of Germanic
descent. Although she was born in Boston, Sylvia Plath spent her childhood years in Winthrop,
Massachusetts, a smaller coastal town. Unfortunately, Plath lost her father to diabetes–related
complications in November of 1940 at the young age of eight; however, her eighth year of life also
brought her the publication of her first poem in the children's section of The Boston Herald. Two
years later, the Plath family moved to Wellesley, Massachusetts, so her mother could work at Boston
University and support the family. Plath excelled at her school in Wellesley and began to receive
prizes and awards for her writing. Along with her natural intelligence, this culminated in a
personality that her mother described as "precocious" as well as the development of perfectionist
tendencies that would afflict her significantly later in life (Barnard 15). Similarly, America's
entrance into World War II in 1944 contributed to Sylvia Plath's pessimistic outlook on human
nature. Additionally, as she grew up and

Essay On Sylvia Plath
"Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so
it feels real. I guess you could say I've a call" (2603). Sylvia Plath was born October 27, 1932, in
Boston Massachusetts. She carried herself with a non–apologetic attitude and an obsession with
death, so much so that she tried to take her own life on more than one occasion. Her first attempt
happened during the summer of her junior year in college. After taking several sleeping pills, she
crawled under her mother's house and was not found until three days later. After some time in a
psychiatric hospital, she recovered fully and attained a Fulbright scholarship to Newnham College,
Cambridge ("Sylvia Plath," Famousauthors.org).
Her poetry was known as a confessional type, typically based on her innermost feelings and
thoughts, with a twist for the dramatic and sensationalism ("Sylvia Plath," Biography.com). She also
wrote one novel, The Bell Jar, a dark literary work said to parallel much of her own life. In a
forward to The Bell Jar, written by Frances McCullough, McCullough states "Although her illness
was never diagnosed, several researchers in the field have noted Plath's unerring description of
schizophrenic perception..." (xvi). Perhaps this condition had something to do with Plath's early
demise, for it was not long after publication of The Bell Jar, that Plath made the decision to take her
own life.
According to an article on the New World Encyclopedia's

Ariel, The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
Ariel, The Bell Jar, Daddy. Sylvia Plath had an extremely complicated lifestyle, and it very much
reflected in these books and poems she published. Each one represented a different hardship Plath
experienced, yet one in particular stood out above them all. 'The Bell Jar', a novel about a young
woman named Esther, living in New York City for a one month internship, who is lost and
depressed in her world, feeling like no one understands her. The book's writing techniques include
imitating personal events Plath went through. One example of this is in the quote, " "I hate her", I
said, and waited for the blow to fall.". That moment where Esther confided in her doctor this was a
symbol of Sylvia Plath's hatred of her mother, Aurelia Plath. Esther had a horrible relationship with
her mom, as did the troubled author in real life. Therefore, she included it in her novel. When young
Sylvia was only eight, her father, Otto, tragically passed away. Enraged, she believed her father left
her on purpose, and stopped believing God shortly after. It turned her whole life upside down, and it
is thought that being stuck with her strict mother all those years fueled the fire in their rocky
relationship. Eventually, she became obsessed with the hatred of Aurelia Plath, and based many
books on her. More than often, she portrayed her mother as the evil protagonist in them. Moreover,
her technique was displayed in the following, "[The Rosenbergs' execution] had nothing to do with

Sylvia Plath Accomplishments
Sylvia Plath the famous American writer from Boston, Massachusetts accomplished many great
poems and short stories in her short life. One of the greatest quotes and a personal favorite is"If you
expect nothing from anybody, you're never disappointed." By this quote she helped people rely
more on themselves than on others. Even though Plath life was tragically cut short due to suicide,
she made great accomplishments in todays life and her work is still used in everyday life. In many
classrooms throughout the world. Sylvia Plath was born on October twenty–seventh 1932 in Boston,
Massachusetts. She was raised in a middle class family. Plath started writing at a young age. She
published her first book at the age of eight. Once Sylvia graduated high school, she went to Smith
college in 1950. Her junior year of college, Plath got awarded ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
After Plath got released from the rehab she published a book called The Bell Jar in 1963 it took her
over two and a half years just to finish her story and to published the book. The Bell Jar was one of
her most famous works. The bell jar was in an inverted glass jar, generally used to display an object
of scientific curiosity, contain a certain kind of gas, or a maintain a vacuum(Sam Adam). For Esther,
the bell jar symbolized madness. When gripped by insanity, she feels as if she is inside an airless jar
that distorts her perspective on a world and prevents her from connecting with the people around her
(Adam). At the end of the novel, the bell jar has lifted, but she can sense's going to drop at any
moment and it described the relationships she had with other guys. The theme of the story is a
young woman coming of age but does not follow the usual trajectory development of childhood.
The style of the poem was a flashback with Esther's past and the relationship with Buddy

The Bell Jar : Literary Analysis
LeBouef 1
Breana LeBouef
Mrs. Smith
English III
9 November 2014
The Bell Jar: Literary Analysis With Author Biography
Sylvia Plath is a renowned poet and author. She fantasied the world with her
powerful writings. Beloved to the world, she truly changed women 's status. She wrote
distinctively from her own life experiences. This is cleared showed in her book, The Bell Jar.
This book offers a theme of rebirth and a theme of feminism.
The 27th of October in 1932, Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Her
father, Otto Plath, was a college professor at the time and a German immigrant (Werlock
1049). Aurelia Schober, her mother, also worked in an university like Otto and taught secretarial
studies (Werlock 1049). The family later moved to Winthrop. This is where Aurelia 's parents
lived and where Sylvia Plath would live throughout her childhood. According to Litz, "The Plath
household was a patriarchal one in the traditional, Old World sense" (Litz 527). This and the city
formed Sylvia Plath 's personality and her creativity (Litz 528). Also, during this time, Sylvia
Plath had a strong connection to her father. Otto Plath showed great pride in Sylvia Plath and she

began to idolize him (Litz 529). However, in November of 1940, Otto Plath died of diabetes
(Litz 529). She began to write to "Daddy" shortly after, which showed her contrasting
relationship with her father ("Sylvia Plath"). Also, after Otto Plath death, the family began to

An Analysis of Sylvia Plath's Poem, Daddy Essay
An Analysis of Sylvia Plath's Poem, Daddy
Sylvia Plath's famous poem "Daddy" seems to refer quite consistently to her deceased father (and
obliquely to her then estranged husband Ted Hughes) by use of many references that can clearly be
associated with the background of Otto Plath, emphasizing his German heritage. These include the
"Polish town" where Otto was born, the atrocities of the German Nazis in the Second World War
("Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen"), the "Luftwaffe," and even the professorial pose of Dr. Plath "at the
blackboard . . . / In the picture I have of you."
Yet in the midst of these references to Otto Plath's specifically German origins, lines at the
beginning of stanza eight mention distinctly Austrian details: ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
A personal association with Austria seems far more likely for Plath's inclusion of these lines, and
indeed a dose and profoundly significant one exists: Plath's mother, Aurelia Schober Plath, was of
Austrian descent, both of her parents having emigrated from that country (Wagner–Martin 18).
Sylvia Plath's complex, emotionally charged relationship with her mother suffuses many of her
poems, of course, and repeatedly in works such as "Medusa" and "The Disquieting Muses," and
throughout her novel The Bell Jar, Plath reveals her deep antipathy toward her mother––
simultaneous with writing effusive, warm, affectionate letters to her "Dear Mummy."
In "Daddy," Plath's use of Austrian references, in this otherwise so father–oriented poem, suggests
that an additional focus of her wrath in it––along with Otto Plath and Ted Hughes––was indeed
Aurelia. The anger that permeates the poem is so intense and comprehensive that it seems logical to
suppose that all the major figures in the poet's life––those who had betrayed her or failed her in
some way, father, husband, and mother––should be included in it. The otherwise puzzling,
seemingly gratuitous references to Austria suggest that, perhaps unconsciously, Plath made sure that
every focus of her rage was indeed present in it.
Reinforcing this contention is the fact that the Austrian references occur directly between two

Analysis Of The Opening Line Of The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
The Girl in the Bell Jar
"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn 't know
what I was doing in New York" (1; ch. 1), the opening line of The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath,
effectively sets the tone for both the life of Plath and the remainder of the novel. Plath 's depression
and cynical outlook on life fueled the creation of many of her poems and novels, and particularly
The Bell Jar in its autobiographical fictional genre. In this way, Sylvia Plath is able to more clearly
display the disillusionment of the Modernist era in The Bell Jar as she showcases the harshly
conforming expectations placed on women in the 1950s and their negative consequences on the
psyches of these women. Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, to
German immigrant, Otto Plath and American–born Aurelia Plath. Otto and Aurelia gave Sylvia
Plath an early start in her venture to become an author through their own natural literary gifts and
reverence for education (Critical Insights 13, 14). However, tragedy struck only nine days after
Sylvia Plath 's eighth birthday when her father died of an embolism of the lung, an event that greatly
affected Plath and is alluded to in several of Plath 's works, including The Bell Jar ("The Bell Jar"
23). After Otto Plath 's death, Sylvia Plath and her remaining family moved from the seaside inland
to Wellesley, heavily impacting her imagination for the worse, but providing her with a far

Sylvia Plath who is hailed as one of the most renowned and influential poets commit suicide on
Monday, February 11, 1963. Many theories arose as this atrocious deed shook the public in multiple
ways.
Poet Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. She is a daughter to
Otto Plath and Aurelia Plath, and an older sister to Warren Plath, who is three years younger than
Sylvia.
Aurelia Plath was an adviser at Boston University's College of Practical Arts and Letters. The
relationship between Aurelia and her daughter, Sylvia Plath, was ambiguous and problematic which
can be observed when scrutinized Sylvia's work.
Otto Emil Plath was a German American author, who specialized in biology and was an instructor
Boston University. Otto had also studied bees extensively. When the death of her father was
disclosed to innocent eight year old Sylvia, she proclaimed "I'll never speak to God again." In an
interview, Sylvia said, "When my father passed away, I felt very betrayed because I looked up to
him."
Plath had an affection towards writing and began writing at an early age. She published her first
poem when she was just eight years old and had her first official poem published at the age of
eighteen. Sylvia has achieved many accomplishments, one of being that she was elected as guest
editor of 'Mademoiselle' at the age of twenty. Due to stress related complications, at the age of 23
Sylvia Plath unsuccessfully attempted to commit suicide. According to some

Sylvia Plath Biography
Sylvia Plath, a renowned poet, was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her father,
Otto Plath was born in Germany and was a professor of biology at Boston University. Plath's
mother, a student of Otto Plath, was named Aurelia Schober Plath (Two Views on Plath's Life and
Career). Her father died on November 5, 1940 due to untreated diabetes and infection when Plath
was eight years old. This experience "haunt[ed] her for life and [lead] her to create most of her
poetry." Plath was brought up in a Christian home, but lost all faith after her father's passing (Sylvia
Plath Biography). As a child, one of Plath's poems was published in the Boston Herald's children's
section. By the age of eleven, she began to keep a journal and won multiple awards for her writings
and art. She was recognized in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards for her paintings in 1947 and
sold her first poem and short story while she was still attending high school. Plath earned a
scholarship from Smith College in 1951 and "enjoyed remarkable artistic, academic, and social
success" there (Sylvia Plath). During the summer after her third year of college, Plath won a fiction
writing contest and spent a summer in New York City working as an editor for the magazine
company, Mademoiselle. Many of her memories from this summer are reflected in her novel The
Bell Jar. Despite this success, Plath experienced a mental breakdown and cut her legs. She later hid
underneath her mother's house and

Sylvia Plath Controversy
That's Not How You Bake a Cake, Sylvia Sylvia Plath was an American Poet known for her
confessional style with brilliant wordplay. She had an interesting life filled with love and losses.
Sylvia Plath was and is still a major source of controversy. Sylvia had a troublesome childhood
plagued with death and depression. She was born on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts
(Biography1). Her parents were Otto Emil, a German professor and entomologist, and Aurelia
Schober, a teacher (Poetry29). Sylvia had a relatively privileged childhood, until her father died
when she was eight years old (Poetry29). That same year she wrote and published her first poem
Daddy, which is based on her father (Poetry29).
I think that Sylvia writing Daddy was her way of mourning her father. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Sylvia is best known for The Colossus, Ariel, and possibly her most controversial writing The Bell
Jar (Learner1&2). Sylvia was the first poet to be posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her
Collected Poems (Archive1). I want to believe that if Plath received this award when she was alive,
it would have dampened her depression and make her rethink suicide. Sylvia Plath had a major part
in the battle for feminism because she had such a difficult time conforming to the wife and mother
roles in her life (Learner1). I think that Sylvia did not want to be a part of the feminist movement,
but instead she was just handling her problems the only way she knew, through writing about them.
Numerous people speculate what sent Sylvia over the edge. Some possibilities are the feminist
movement using her as an icon, Hughes' infidelity, or her father dying when she was at such a young
age (Archive1). I think that Plath's suicide had something to do with her being the jump starter for a
movement and also not being able to please or satisfy her husband, which in her era was one of the
most important roles in women's

Examining The Life Of Sylvia Plath As Seen Within
Examining the Life of Sylvia Plath as Seen Within "Lady Lazarus" Sylvia Plath's poem, "Lady
Lazarus", was greatly about the author's life: the influence by her suicide attempts, years of troubled
mental health, and stressed relationships with her father and husband. The opening lines of "Lady
Lazarus" read "I have done it again. / One year in every ten" (Plath 1–2). These two lines
immediately reference Plath's suicide attempts, her first of three being in 1953 when she was just a
university student, where she took a bottle of sleeping pills, water, and a blanket down to her cellar
and proceeded to down sleeping pills until she became unconscious (Steinberg). Throughout Plath's
life, she seemed to have an interesting relationship with death, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
/ This is Number Three" (21–22) referring to her first two suicide attempts, the poem being written
only four months before her third and final suicide attempt (Herrman). However, strangely enough,
it is debated as to whether her suicide attempts were supposed to be just that, attempts, and not with
the final goal of ending her life. It is argued that Plath intended to be found, even leaving a note for
her neighbor, whom she knew would be home, listing her doctor's contact information, and hiring a
nanny to look after the children, further exemplifying her strange relationship with death
(Steinberg). However, the gas from the stove, which she used to kill herself, also seeped through the
floor, knocking out her neighbor below (Steinberg). This factor of her suicide attempt was not
planned for, and may have been what ultimately resulted in her death. Though theatrical, it is worth
noting that the women on her father's side had a history of mental health issues (Herrman). Plath
herself even calls out the theatrics: "[i]t's the theatrical // Comeback in broad day / To the same
place, the same face, the same brute / Amused shout: // 'A miracle!' / That knocks me out" (51–56).
Earlier in the poem, she even writes of spectators to these acts: "The peanut–crunching crowd /
Shoves in to see // Them unwrap me hand and foot– / The big strip tease" (26–29). She also talks of
being a large–scale work of

Analysis Of The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath
The Technique of Sylvia Plath: Give Her A Plath On The Back Ariel, The Bell Jar, Daddy. Sylvia
Plath had an extremely complicated lifestyle, and it very much reflected in these books and poems
she published. Each one represented a different hardship Plath experienced, yet one in particular
stood out above them all. 'The Bell Jar', a novel about a young woman named Esther, living in New
York City for a one month internship, who is lost and depressed in her world, feeling like no one
understands her. The book's writing techniques include imitating personal events Plath went
through. One example of this is in the quote, " "I hate her", I said, and waited for the blow to fall.".
That moment where Esther confided in her doctor this was a symbol of Sylvia Plath's hatred of her
mother, Aurelia Plath. Esther had a horrible relationship with her mom, as did the troubled author in
real life. Therefore, she included it in her novel. When young Sylvia was only eight, her father, Otto,
tragically passed away. Enraged, she believed her father left her on purpose, and stopped believing
God shortly after. It turned her whole life upside down, and it is thought that being stuck with her
strict mother all those years fueled the fire in their rocky relationship. Eventually, she became
obsessed with the hatred of Aurelia Plath, and based many books on her. More than often, she
portrayed her mother as the evil protagonist in them. Moreover, her technique was displayed in the
following, "[The Rosenbergs' execution] had nothing to do with me, but I couldn't help wondering
what it would be like, being burned alive along your nerves". Esther often had suicidal thoughts, and
believed that no one understood her, as if she was all alone in the huge city of New York.
Tremendously depressed, she decided to take her own life. However, after she derived help from Dr.
Nolan, she was able to procure a speedy recovery. Yet Esther's troubles were unmistakably inspired
by the author, as Plath, too, was diagnosed with depression at a very early age. In fact, the novel,
'The Bell Jar', was written in the midst of an especially difficult time in her life, when her husband
had an affair and left her, which forced Plath and

Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is said to be one the most prodigious, yet interesting, confessional poets of her time.
She was an extremely vital poet of the post–World War II time period and expressed her feelings
towards her father and husband through her poetry. Plath's mental illness had a dramatic influence
upon her work in which she demonstrated the hatred she had for her father specifically. The poem
"Daddy" is an easily applicable example. Within this piece of work, Plath uses direct references to
how she feels towards her father who was the greatest influence on her poetry. The bond, or lack of,
between Sylvia Plath and her "Daddy" is commonly associated with the purpose of her poetry. Her
father died when Plath was only ten years old and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Eileen M. Aird analyzes and comments, "The danger of such criticism lies in its assumption that the
poem is objectively 'true', that it bears a precise relationship to the facts of the poet's life." The direct
criticism Plath puts upon her father is very crucial, yet evidently true if one was research her life.
Sylvia Plath's autobiographical poetry can be easily connected to her life and the answers to the
many questions are easier to uncover than one may suspect. As her poetry developed, it became
more autobiographical and although through her teenage years she possessed what seemed to be a
rounded personality, the anguish and grief of her father's death was easily linked with her mental
instability that haunted her in the later years. Her time period is easily reflected in the poem with the
severity in her reference to Nazis, swastikas, barbed wire, fascists, brutes, devils, and vampires. In
"Daddy", Plath refers to herself as a Jew multiple times, "An engine, an engine 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."
The extremity Plath went to to emphasize these references during her time period were enough to
make any soul cringe. World War II's concentration camps are still enough over half a century later
to make one shudder in despair. The rage Plath has for her father is so easily conveyed to the reader
that an illiterate individual could pick up on it, let

Sylvia Plath 's Life And Life
American poet Sylvia Plath once stated "eternity bores me, I never wanted it." This quote, from her
poem, "Years," expressed that she did not want to live forever. It even suggested a foreshadowing of
her suicide in 1963. This quote is also from one of her many poems, which were greatly influenced
by her life. To learn how Plath's life affected her writing, researchers studied main topics on her life
and her works, including her early life, career, and literary works. To begin with, one of the topics
that researchers studied was Plath's early life and her family history, as events that occurred at an
early age had a huge impact on the rest of her life. Sylvia Plath was eight and a half pounds when
she was born on October 27, 1932 at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. After she was born, she
lived at 24 Prince Street in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts. Plath's parents were Aurelia
Schobert Plath and Otto Emile Plath. Aurelia Plath was an American with Austrian descent, while
Otto Plath was an immigrant from Grasbrow, Germany. Her father worked at the Boston University
as a biology and German professor with a specialty on bumblebees. When her parents met at a class
Aurelia attended, instructed by Otto, Plath's mother was twenty–one years younger than her father.
Plath's brother, Warren Plath, was born about two and a half years later on April 27, 1935. Then, in
1936, the family moved to 92 Johnson Avenue in Winthrop, Massachusetts. During the night of
November 5, 1940,

Sylvia Plath Research Paper
It is said that without melancholy there is no art, and there is no better embodiment of that than
beloved poet and author, Sylvia Plath. Often referred to as one of the most dynamic poets of the
1900's, Plath had no limits on her expression through poetry. Her poems ranged from flowing verses
on nature to unconventional commentary on the social restrictions placed on individuals. She is
most known for her poetic expression of her own mental anguish, never shying away from topics of
death and despair. Born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts in 1932, Plath was the daughter of Aurelia
Schober, high school teacher and student at Boston University , and Otto Plath, German immigrant
and Boston University professor. At the age of eight, Plath lost her father due to complications from
diabetes, which had a drastic affect on her emotionally. From the way she talks of her father in her
poems it is easy to tell that Otto Plath had been a strict father, and both his overbearing relationship
with his daughter and death heavily influenced her future relationships and her poetry. In one of her
more famous poems, "Daddy", Plath uses multiple ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
She began at the age of eleven until her death at the age of thirty writing journals filled with her
poetry as well as her more personal and morbid thoughts. For example, in this quote, "I am afraid. I
am not solid, but hollow. I feel behind my eyes a numb, paralyzed cavern, a pit of hell, a mimicking
nothingness. I never thought. I never wrote, I never suffered. I want to kill myself, to escape from
responsibility, to draw back abjectly into the womb. I do not know who I am, where I am going..."
(Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath), Plath discusses her feelings emotional
numbness, and of never wanting to have lived or suffered. After her death her journals were
published, by her husband, English poet Ted Hughes, along with many other poems she had not yet

The Life of Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath was a very dedicated author who lived from 1932–1963. She is best known for her
poetry. Plath started writing and was a published poet at a very young age. According to
Encyclopedia Britannica, Plath's first poem was published when she was eight years old. "Plath's
poems explore her own mental anguish, her troubled marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes, her
unresolved conflicts with her parents, and her own vision of herself"(Poetry Foundation). Plath was
a devoted English student in high school. She performed so well in English that she was awarded a
merit scholarship for Smith College where, eventually, she went on to pursue a degree in English.
She was often referred to as "The Golden Girl" by her professors and her peers. It is also a well–
known fact that she struggled immensely with depression. Some setbacks with her mental health
forced her to take a break from college and graduate a year late. She eventually graduated from
Smith College with highest honors in English. She took time off of school because she suffered
from a mental breakdown. She had disappeared for a few days and was found close to death. She
had attempted suicide and was hospitalized immediately. Several years and many attempts later,
Plath was successful in taking her own life at the young age of 30. Plath's constant struggle with
depression showed up in her poems time and time again. Her writing very clearly reflected off of
her life. Sylvia Plath lived a life

The Psychological Interpretation Of Sylvia Plath's The...
The first time I picked up The Bell Jar, I was sixteen and had finally found enough strength to leave
my abusive relationship. Struggling with my own psychological turmoil, I turned to Plath almost to
indulge in my own anger; not yet identifying my "bell jar" as depression and post–traumatic stress
disorder but solely as the boy who decided that asserting his superiority meant breaking bones and
bloodying faces. I remember reading the back of the fiftieth anniversary edition and feeling so
comforted by the description of an eye of a tornado "moving dully along in the middle of the
surrounding hullabaloo" because I connected with that feeling of stillness and emptiness. I
connected with the contradiction that was Esther Greenwood, a college student from Massachusetts
whose harrowing descent into mental illness existed as both chaotic and systematic at the same time.
When considering the "semi–autobiographical" classification of The Bell Jar, the similarities
between Plath and Esther support the argument that this novel may be the only existing account of
Sylvia's own troubling summer in New York, revealing a therapeutic significance of this work. I
believe that Plath's return to that summer, almost ten years later, to make sense of her own mental
state is directly related to how this novel is most impactful if its readers return to its pages at a later
point in their own life. My sophomore year of high school was a year that I often hope to forget but
know I never will. I

Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath's novel, The Bell Jar, shows that the mores of America contribute to the mental
deterioration of some of the most creative and introspective of people. The novel is basically an
autobiography–one which is a strange mix of mundanity, grotesqueness, barbarity, nature, and
glamour. Something dark and insidious perturbs the author's stand in protagonist, Esther
Greenwood, in both traumatizing and prosaic circumstances. The novel remains iconic in American
culture due to its resonance with feminists and mental health experts, as well as the shocking suicide
of its author. Plath was raised in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Her father, Otto Plath, was an apiologist
and professor. (Martin, Stevenson, Oxford Press University) Aurelia Plath,

Sylvia came into the world on October 27, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts. Sylvia Plath had been
writing since she was a child. She started writing by starting a journal. But when she was eight years
her father died. Sylvia and her father did not have the best relationship. She said that he was a
horrible father to her and compared him to the Nazis in her poem "Daddy". In this poem she talked
about hating her father and how she wanted him to die. She also wrote this poem to cope with the
grief and mixture of feelings she experiences when her father suddenly died of diabetes. Her mother,
Aurelia Plath, soon moved the family after his death and came to Wellesley, Massachusetts. Sylvia's
poems that she wrote in her teens were published in regional newspapers and articles. (Academy of
American Poets). Soon ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In college, Sylvia Plath worked for Mademoiselle magazine as a guest editor. Soon after, Plath went
into a depression because she missed the chance to meet her idol, Dylan Thomas, and she was
rejected from attending Harvard's summer program for writing. She tried to commit suicide by
hiding under her bed and taking her mother's pills but she was found before she died. She went to a
mental facility and eventually recovered from her depression. Plath returned to Smith and finished
her degree in 1955 (Biography).
Sylvia Plath received a scholarship after Smith to attend Newnham College in England. She met her
husband, Ted Hughes, there. Ted Hughes was not a very good husband and they went through a
tough relationship. In the end, he left her for another woman, eventually leading her to the
depression that ended her life. While studying at the university's Newnham College, she met Ted
Hughes. Plath published her first poetry collection, The Colossus in 1960, and during the same year,
she gave birth to her daughter, Frieda, and two years later gave birth to her son,

Sylvia Plath's Depression
Suicide, depression, death––when one hears the name "Sylvia Plath", these are the words that come
to mind. It seems that her death is all she is remembered for. However, Plath's writing is much more
than just a diary of her darkest thoughts and experiences. Plath's writing has much more depth; her
lifetime of achievements should not be reduced to the final hours of her life. Plath is able to discuss
her depression, while also addressing the hardships of the 1950's and the difficult times she had to
overcome throughout her life, which eventually lead to her depression and suicide. Sylvia Plath
expresses her dissatisfaction regarding her own losses in "Daddy", "Mirror", and "Ariel" with the
tumultuous times she was living in. Sylvia Plath

How Did Sylvia Plath Influence Her Works
Sylvia Plath once said, "It is as if my life were magically run by two electric currents: joyous
positive and despairing negative– whichever is running at the moment dominates my life, floods it,"
(Brainyquote). Sylvia Plath had her despairing negative moments, but she also had her joyous
positive moments. Plath was an extremely talented, unique, and creative writer and her work is still
remembered today. Plath influenced literature in a positive manner because she used her poetry to
stand up for woman, she was not afraid to speak the truth, and she threw herself into her work.
Plath's mother Aurelia Scholoer was a student at Boston University when she met Plath's father Otto
Plath who happened to be her professor (Poets). After Aurelia and Otto were married on October 27,
1932 they had ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In 1935, when Plath was three, she welcomed a baby brother, Warren. Shortly after, Plath's little
brother was born the family moved to Winthrop, Massachusetts (thefamouspeople). Sadly when
Plath was eight, her father died from complication of diabetes(Poets). After her father's death she
lost her faith in God and remained irresolute about her religion. During this time, she wrote the
poem "Electra on Azalea Plath", which was inspired by visits to her father's
grave(Thefamouspeople). Plath continued to make more poetry and earned a scholarship to Smith
College in 1950. However, Plath's junior year in college, she made her first suicide attempt by
overdosing on sleeping pills. After six month of intense shock therapy, Plath returned to Smith
College and later earned a Fulbright Scholarshp to Newhnham College in Cambridge.(Wagner–
Martin 1). While at Cambridge, Plath met another poet who she fell

American poet Sylvia Plath once said "eternity bores me, I never wanted it." This quote, from her
poem, "Years," expresses that she did not want to live forever. It might even suggest a
foreshadowing of her suicide in 1963. This quote is also from one of her many poems, which are
greatly influenced by her life. To learn how Plath's life affected her writing, researchers study main
topics on her life and her works, including her early life, career, and literary works. EARLY LIFE
AND FAMILY HISTORY To begin with, one of the topics that researchers study is Plath's early life
and her family history, as events occurring at an early age could have a huge impact on the rest of
her life. Sylvia Plath was 8 and ½ pounds when she came to life on October 27, 1932 at the
Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. After she was born, she lived at 24 Prince Street in Jamaica
Plain, Boston, Massachusetts. Plath's parents were her mother, Aurelia Schobert Plath, and her
father, Otto Emile Plath. Her mother was an American with Austrian descent, while her father was
an immigrant from Grasbrow, Germany. Her father worked as a biology and German professor at
Boston University with a specialty on bumblebees. Plath's mother was 21 years younger than her
father; her parents met when Aurelia attended a class instructed by Otto. Plath's brother, Warren
Plath, was born about 2 and ½ years later on April 27, 1935. Then in 1936, the family moved to 92
Johnson Avenue in Winthrop, Massachusetts near the sea.

Research Paper On Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath is one of the most controversial American poet during the 20th century. Majority of her
poems dealt with depression, anxiety and death. Plath has dealt with many life changing
encounterings at a young age, from her father's dead, attempted suicides, miscarriage, divorce, to
Plath actually killing herself. Which severely affected her well being and is what many people
characterizes her poetry to be intense and thought provoking. Based on Plath's biography and
analyzing her poetry she is portrayed to have an MBTI personality of INFP which stands for,
introverted, intuitive, feeling and perceiving. Overall, Plath's works is tremendously vigorous and
earnest, which influences American Literature and history in today's world. Some of the few reasons
why I chose Sylvia Plath is based on the few quotes that I've seen under her name. As I was
researching my top five poets, Plath was the only poet that Stood out. My goal was to find a poet
who is very eccentric and finding out she had killed herself in an oven was what sparked my
decision. As I researched Plath's history, I would clearly characterize her to have an MBTI
personality of INFP. People who have an INFP personality focuses on their primary goal which is
finding out their meaning in life and purpose, which shows a connection in Plath's attempted
suicidal thoughts through her poetry and reasons behind Plath killing herself. Sylvia Plath was born
during the Great depression,

The Bell Jar Thesis
Kyra Hengst
Ms. Metzler
English III CP, period 9
12 March 2018
The Bell Jar, an autobiographical novel
Thesis: In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath utilizes an autobiographical protagonist to express purity versus
impurity, as well as mind versus body in a world of double standards.
Biography
Depression
Attempted suicide multiple times
Pills
Hanging herself
Medications
Electroshock therapy
Commited suicide
Auxification
Ted Hughes
Husband to Plath
Had an affair
Two children with Plath
Frieda, Nicholas
Transition
The Bell Jar
Cultural alienation
Plath's only novel
Autobiographical
Plath
Preeminent American poet
Died shortly after publishing
Published in England
Eight years
January 1963
Harper & Row
Because the book presented "ungrateful caricatures"
Life

Occupation struggle
Fig tree
Depression
Electroshock therapy
Multiple doctors
Times
1960s
Sexual revolution
Decade of Plath's death
1950s
Women at home
Double standards
Decade the novel was written
Philosophy
Purity versus impurity
Vodka
Cleansing and purifying spirit
Two perspectives of world
Pure and impure
Double standards
Remain "pure" until marriage
Men can do as they please
Esther went against norms
Had sex with Irwin
Pure
Associated with virgin and clean
Sexual war
Hot baths
Spiritually cleansed
Mind versus body
Depression
Takes over mind
Effects body
Spiritual transcendence
Confinement
Body is an inanimate object
Esther's perspective
Realizes it is feeling flesh
Kyra Hengst
Ms. Metzler ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For example, Sylvia Plath formulated her experiences and time period into a plot to compose her
novel. As the book progresses, the protagonist provides insight on her journey and struggle to find
happiness. In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath utilizes an autobiographical protagonist to express purity
versus impurity, as well as mind versus body in a world of double

Sylvia Plath 's Life And Accomplishments
Sylvia Plath's work is marked with her trademark style, one full of enigmatic analogies and
ambiguous metaphors. Sadly though, the life of Sylvia Plath was indeed shorter than anyone
expected. Nevertheless, in the thirty years Plath meandered through the world, she left an
everlasting impact. Remembered as one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the twentieth
century, Plath cultivated a literary community unlike any predecessor. Additionally, since a sizable
portion of Plath's work was read posthumously, her suicide brought the much needed attention to
physiological illnesses. Unfortunately though, Sylvia Plath will never know the perennial impact she
left from her distinguished works that have touched numerous lives. Plath was born in Boston,
Massachusetts, on October 27th, 1932 ("Sylvia Plath" 1). She was an only child for just two years
when her brother Warren was born, and it was at this time, her family moved to Winthrop,
Massachusetts due to financial reasons. Winthrop is located on a peninsula and it was days spent on
the docks where Plath became infatuated by the sea, which is apparent in her novel, The Bell Jar
(Steinberg 1). Plath's parents were Otto Emil Plath and Aurelia Schober Plath. Otto taught Biology
and German at Boston University and was also a distinguished author. Unfortunately in 1940, he
suddenly died of cancer, which ultimately haunted Sylvia and scarred her for the rest of her life. Due
to the loss of income, Plath's mother, Aurelia, began

In 1963 on a cold winter day of February 11th, Sylvia Plath ended her life. She had plugged up her
kitchen, sealing up the cracks in doors and windows before she was found with her head inside of
her gas oven inhaling the dangerous fumes. She was only thirty years old, a young woman with two
small children and an estranged ex–husband. A tragic detail of her life is that this is the second time
she had tried to commit suicide. Plagued with mental illness her whole life, which is evident within
her poetry. She would write gripping, honest portrayals of mental illnesses. Especially within Ariel,
the last poetry book she wrote, right before she took her life. Although it's hard to find a proper
diagnosis for Sylvia Plath, it is almost definite that she at least had clinical depression with her
numerous suicide attempts and stays in mental hospitals undergoing electroshock therapy. Sylvia
Plath is now famously known for her writing and the more tragic parts of her life. Such as the
separation from her husband, Ted Hughes, mental illness, etc... Plath may not have intended for her
life and art to become inspiration to many people but that has become the end result. Sylvia Plath
writing shows symptoms of her suicidal thoughts. To study specific moments in Sylvia Plath's life, it
can be connected to certain writing's of her's, such as "Daddy", The Bell Jar, and "Lady Lazarus".
October 27th in 1932, Sylvia Plath was born, to parents Otto Plath and Aurelia Schober Plath. One
of the

Biography of Sylvia Plath
As one of the most multitalented writers of the twentieth century, Sylvia Plath was highly esteemed
by fans and fellow writers alike. Sylvia Plath's parents, Aurelia Schober and Otto Plath, had met
when Aurelia became Otto's student at Boston University. Otto was a biology professor with an
infatuation with bees; he had even published a book titled Bumblebees and their ways. Otto and
Aurelia married in January of 1932, and by October of the same year Aurelia gave birth in Jamaica
Plain, Massachusetts to a daughter, Sylvia.
Sylvia spent her childhood in Winthrop, but after Plath's father died of diabetes, her mother moved
her and her brother, Warren, to Wellesley, Massachusetts which was closer to Plath's grandmother.
Aurelia had acquired ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
During this time Plath had begun to search for lodging in London, she was working with the BBC
Plat found an apartment in London fairly quickly. Plath took the children with her to London, where
she balanced her career with her family. Plath would work on her Ariel poems before the children
would wake up in the morning. She continued to suffer from sickness, and during the day she would
have to deal with freezing temperatures, and nonfunctional electricity and heating. On top of no heat
and power, Plath had to wait for a telephone that never got installed (Ames 211–215).
Plath's only book, The Bell Jar, revolves around Esther Greenwood, a typical teenage girl aspiring to
be an English teacher. The plot, however, is atypical; instead of Greenwood coming of age with
normal, positive scenarios, Greenwood descends into madness and graduates not from college, but
from a mental institution. Greenwood reactions to daily life differ from normal girls her age. She
becomes obsessed with oddities like pickled fetuses, dead bodies, and the execution of the
Rosenburgs.
Greenwood scoffs at the notion of no premarital sex, viewing it as hypocritical of boys being able to
sleep around while girls are to remain virgins until marriage. This option is due in part by Buddy,
Greenwood's boyfriend, having sex with a coworker repeatedly over the summer while still dating
Greenwood.
Greenwood's subsequent actions cause her to be admitted to a mental institution after her

Sylvia Plath Analysis
Regarded as one of the most famous confessional poets of the 20th century, Sylvia Plath's romance
with death has captivated the attention of a multitude of readers, but unfortunately, like most
distinguished authors, the height of her fame occurred after her death. In The New York Review of
Books, Elizabeth Hardwick observes that much of Plath's success was due to the fact that "no one
went as far as she did" and no writer was ever as raw and destructive as Plath was. (Hardwick). Her
brutal and autobiographical works often explore her own mental instability, unresolved issues with
her parents, and her failed marriage to fellow poet, Ted Hughes. Despite the depression that is
rooted in the vast majority of her writing, Plath was a brilliant young woman who was determined to
master everything that life had to offer. However, perfectionism was soon proven to be her downfall.
Born to a German immigrant professor, Otto Plath, and one of his students, Aurelia Schober, Plath
lived a seemingly normal and happy childhood, until the death of her father. Some of her most
famous works, such as "Daddy," discuss the abandonment and betrayal she felt towards her
dictatorial father for leaving her and her family when they needed him the most (McQuade 8). Her
father's death forced her family to move from Boston to Wellesley, Massachusetts due to financial
issues. Even though these events left Plath emotionally traumatized, she continued to devote herself
to school, winning numerous awards

Sylvia Plath's Daddy Essay
Sylvia Plath's poem, "Daddy," is a confessional poem that addresses an unknown speaker's appalling
relationship with her father. Plath's unmistakable use of allusions enable her readers to have a clear
understanding of what life was, and is, like with the speaker's overbearing father. She describes him
as all powerful, Godlike, and the speaker soon reveals that she intends to kill him. However, before
she has the chance, he dies on his own. His death leaves the speaker with unresolved feelings
towards him that are later converted to her surrogate father, her husband, until she finds the courage
to free herself from his control. Throughout the poem, Plath reveals several representations that
were relevant to her own life that suggest her and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
She includes references to the Holocaust such as: "a barb wire snare...an engine, and engine/
Chuffing me off like a Jew...Dachau, Auschwitz, Belson" et cetera (Plath 291). Plath explained, "It
was her German and Austrian heritage...that led to the imagery of 'concentration camps and so on' in
her poetry" (Ferretter 112). According to Dunn, the references to such a severe occurrence in history
was enough to decode Plath's theme. "...the darkness of the Holocaust imagery suggest the
desperation of the speaker's situation and hint at the trauma she must undergo to free herself from it"
(1). Throughout "Daddy" the speaker utilizes her father's culture to compare their relationship to that
of two groups that will forever be remembered as the tyrant and the victim. The speaker identifies
herself with a Jew and her father with a tormenting Nazi. She goes on to describe her life by saying,
"I have lived like a foot/ For thirty years, poor and white/ Barely daring to breathe or Achoo" (Plath
290). Plath's inclusion of this detail informs the readers of how fragile the speaker has become over
the course of her life due to the ongoing oppression placed on her by her late father. "According to
Sander Gilman, the flat or 'weak' feet of Jews were seen as a sign of their badly formed, or 'weak'
characters" (Narbeshuber 200). The treatment she received from the memory of her

Audra Etcheson
3.27.15
ELA 3
Sylvia Plath
To become a successful writer, you have to have a lot of knowledge of the English writing. Usually,
it takes a lot of time to work on and become a famous American literature writer, but not for Sylvia
Plath. By the time that Plath took her life, she already had a following in the literary community.
Many of the readers that she attracted were because of her attempt to list despair, violent emotion,
and her obsession with death. Plath's poems explore her mental pain, her troubled marriage to poet
Ted Hughes, her unsolved conflicts with her parents, and how she saw herself. Whether Plath wrote
about nature or someone else, she excluded the polite surface. She tore apart the appearance of the
American ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Sylvia Plath was born October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Otto Plath who was a
professor at Boston University where he met his wife and fellow student, Aurelia Schober.
When Plath was only eight years old, her father died from complications of diabetes. He was a strict
father and both his attitude and death defined many of Plath's poems, including one of her best,
"Daddy" ("Sylvia Plath"). Sylvia Plath was always determined to succeed. She kept a journal from
the age eleven and published many stories and poems in regional magazines and newspapers. The
first poem that was published in a national magazine was in 1950 just after she graduated high
school. Plath was a gifted student who won many awards and published many stories and poems in
national magazines while still in her teens. She attended Smith College on scholarship and
continued to excel in her writing ("Sylvia Plath").
During her undergraduate years, she began to suffer from depression. She described her feelings as
positive and negative currents and whichever one is feeling the strongest, it takes over her body.
This was also described as bipolar disorder and in Plath's lifetime, there were no medications that
were available. In 1953, when Plath was only nineteen years old,

Sylvia Plath once said "Let me live, love, and say it in good sentences." Plath fulfilled this quote
because she did write many "good sentences", seen in her beautiful poetry and novels. Plath is a
very distinguished and well known writer because of those good sentences. And her life was indeed
filled with love, but also filled with tragedy and depression. Although Plath lived a short life, she
wrote prolifically and used the tragedy in her life as inspiration. In fact, Sylvia Plath's depression,
her relationship with Ted Hughes, and her German roots and culture are all reflected in her poetry.
One aspect of Plath's life reflected in her poetry is her depression. Plath became depressed in 1953
when she learned she had not been accepted into ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One source describes how Sylvia Plath's father, Otto Plath, emigrated to New York from Germany
and later taught German at Boston University. The source continues to say that Aurelia Schober,
Plath's mother, was a German from Austria who taught German at a high school (Bloom). Plath was
raised in a home with strong German influences and her father "ruled the household through the
German concept of Ordnung ("order")" (Meyers). In "Plath, Sylvia", Hobby describes how in 1940,
when Plath was eight, Otto died from untreated diabetes leading to gangrene (Hobby). Plath writes
about her sadness over her father's death in "Electra on Azalea Plath" and says "I brought my love to
bear, and then, you died. / It was the gangrene ate you to the bone / My mother said; you died like
any man." ("Electra on Azalea Plath, lines 38–40). After her father's death, Plath "felt his absence
intensely and remarked to her mother that she would never speak to God again" (Hobby). Plath
describes her anger towards her father for not seeking help in her poem "Daddy" and says "There's a
stake in your fat black heart / And the villagers never liked you. / They are dancing and stamping on
you. / They always knew it was you. / Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through." ("Daddy", lines 76–
80). Not only did Plath eventually try and separate herself from her father, but she grew up during
WWII where being German was looked down

The Indelible Self Possessed Poet: Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath once said, " The worst enemy to creativity is self doubt"(Good Reads). Ms. Sylvia Plath
was a novelist, poet, and a short–story writer (Monroe 2015). At the age of eight, she published her
first poem which appeared in The Boston Traveller (Orr, Morrish, Press, et.al). Plath a terrific artist,
which lead her to receiving the Scholastic Art & Writing award (Beckmann 2006). Sylvia Plath
influenced literature in a positive manner because of her feminist voice in her poems.
The smart and creative Sylvia Plath was born in the month of October the 27th of 1932 (Beckmann
2006). Plath was raised in Boston, Massachusetts (Monroe 2015). Aurelia and Otto Plath were her
loving parents (Monroe

A Female Athlete Victory Doesn 't Have The Same Bite
When you 're a female athlete victory doesn 't have the same bite ,there is a certain lackluster and
supressment in winning that many female athletes can attest to.Burton Nelson defines femininity as
"non competitive,non ruthless,not victorious",female athletes can not want to win with all their
"heart" and " souls".In her writing "I won.I'm Sorry",she accounts for not only the grievances that
she herself faced as a female in a gendered society but also ones that professional female athletes
have to go through.Burton Nelson starts of her narrative with an anecdote on Sylvia Plath,a well
known poet noted for committing suicide. Nelson makes use of Sylvia 's letter to her mother Aurelia
Platt,her tendency to cater to men and her spelling bee contest to help keep her argument composed
and clear.She uses these events to frame her ideas that women in sports aren 't' accepted in society
unless they have grace in defeat,society requiring women in sports to achieve in a emphasized
feminine manner and female athletes need to catering to their male counterparts ego.
Nelson uses the plact anecdote to structure her view that women in sports are expected to emphazise
thier femininity in order achieve or compete .Television advertisements tend to tell compelling
stories to frame their arguments on why audiences should buy there products.Burton Nelson follows
this same idea when she uses Sylvia 's letter to her mother.Burton Nelson quotes"I am so happy that
his book is accepted

"I have the choice of being constantly active and happy or introspectively passive and sad or I can
go mad by ricocheting in between." (Goodreads, 2013) This is a quote from Sylvia Plath, a poet who
faced many obstacles in her life including attempting suicide; getting divorced due to lies and
infidelity; and leaving her children behind. Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston
Massachusetts Plath's father Otto Plath author of a book on bees. (The Famous People Website,
2013; About.com, 2013). Her father taught at Boston University, where he met Aurelia Schober
Plath's mother who studied to get her master's degree in teaching. (Academy of American Poet,
2013; Sylvia Plath info, 1999).The two married in January 1932 before ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Sylvia Plath took interest in art and writing at a young age; she also started keeping a journal and
published some of her work. In 1950, Plath was rewarded a scholarship from Smith College.
(Academy of American poet, 2013; The Biography Channel, 2013). Plath attempted to commit
suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills in her third year of college (Smith College). She was later on
diagnosed with depression and treated in a mental health facility. In 1956 she graduated from Smith
College. (The Oxford Companion – 1994; The Biography Channel – 2013). In the same year, Plath
also, studied at University Newnham College in England, where she met her husband poet Ted
Hughes. April 1, 1960, Plath first collection of poetry "The colossus" was published in England.
Soon after, Plath and Hughes had their first child Frieda Rebecca; two years later their second child
was born named Nicholas. (A+E Television Networks, 2013; Sylvia Plath.info, 1999). In 1962,
Hughes had an affair which resulted in a separation. (Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine,
2003; the Poetry Foundation, 2013) and in 1963, Plath published a semi– autobiographical novel,
The Bell Jar, and February 11, 1963, Sylvia Plath sealed the rooms between her and her children and
committed suicide. Plath placed her head in a gas oven, she was found dead in her own kitchen.
(Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine – 2003 and Academy of American Poets – 2013). After
Plath's death Ted Hughes became her

Sylvia Plath Essay
Sylvia Plath was a gifted writer, poet and verbal artist whose personal anguish and torment visibly
manifested itself in her work. Much of her angst stems from her warped relationship with her father.
Other factors that influenced her works were her strained views of human sexuality, her sado–
masochistic tendencies, self–hatred and her traditional upbringing. She was labeled as a
confessional poet and biographical and historical material is absolutely necessary to understand her
work.
Syliva Plath was born on 27, 1963, in Boston, Massachusetts to Otto Emil Plath and Aurelia
Schober. Otto Plath was a professor of biology and German at Boston University. He was of
German descent and had emigrated from Grabow when he was fifteen. Her ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Plath consistently received good grades and earned recognition and publication as a writer, artist,
and editor. Her senior year, her story "And Summer Will Not Come Again" was accepted for
Seventeen magazine. She graduated from high school in 1950 at the top of her class. Her first
national publication of one of her poems was "Bitter Strawberries" which appeared in The Christian
Science Monitor just after graduation.
Plath attended Smith College in North Hampton, Massachusetts, where she continued building her
writing career. As stated in an article on Neurotic Poets website , "she began developing bouts of
depression, insomnia, and thoughts of suicide as evidenced in her journals.
"To annihilate the world by annihilation of one's self is the deluded height of desperate egoism. The
simple way out of all the little brick dead ends we scratch our nails against.... I want to kill myself,
to escape from responsibility, to crawl back abjectly into the womb."
In June 1953, she was diagnosed with depression and was prescribed electroshock therapy which
was thought to the best treatment for her. While undergoing treatment, she developed acute
insomnia where she did not sleep for three weeks and became immune to sleeping pills.
On August 24, 1953, Plath broke into the family lockbox to steal the sleeping pills that had been
taken away from her when she was left alone for the day. She left a note that she was going for a
long walk,

Poetry's Poem In The Modern Poetry Of Sylvia Plath
Poetry is a complex form of literature that also doubles as art and expresses feelings and ideas
through language. Poetry goes beyond a simple rhyme scheme that keeps us chained to a rhythm we
may not even recognize. Although using poetic meter can absolutely benefit a poet by contributing
to the poet's tone and setting up a reader's expectations for the poem, this device comes at a cost.
Using a harmonic rhyme scheme can also disadvantage one's poem because the reader can value the
rhyme and rhythm over the actual words and meaning. Because of this, the modernist movement
took place in poetry and other forms of art. Modernists are writers who break from traditional
literary style and revolutionize poetry by incorporating current events and new language. Sylvia
Plath was an American modernist poet who certainly expressed herself through her novels,
confessional style poetry, and "short stories". Plath's most famous poems include "Daddy", "Lady
Lazarus", "Tulips", and "Ariel". Sylvia Plath was born in 1932, meaning she was born several years
before WWII and lived through the last seven years of The Great Depression. Shortly after her
eighth birthday, Plath lost her father, an entomologist and biology professor at Boston University,
about a month after his foot amputation from diabetes was announced gangrene in 1940. From just
her early years of seven to thirteen, she had seen so much violence in her world environment and
endured so much emotional trauma. These facts have a

Sylvia Plath 's The Bell Jar
Many poets, writers, and artists suffer with the monsters of mental illness, however, Sylvia Plath
may be one of the most iconic. Many believe living with debilitating mental illness can aid in
creativity. Throughout Sylvia's short life, she produced brilliant yet immensely troubled writing.
Sylvia Plath's struggle with both Bipolar Disorder and Depression is communicated within her
writing through her use of creativity, visceral language, and emotional rawness. Her inner turmoil
can be interpreted in her brilliant and vehemence evoking poetry as well as her novel, The Bell Jar.
Although in Plath's time she was considered tortured, she is held in the highest esteem in today's
literary world. Linda Wagner–Martin, a professor of English at Michigan State University, wrote an
enticing bibliography on Sylvia Plath and has published many works among modern literature as
well as women's literature. In her book she covered Sylvia's life from her first breath, to her last.
Born in Boston Massachusetts on October 27, 1932 to Otto and Aurelia Schober Plath, Sylvia Plath
was weighing in at a healthy eight and a half pounds even though she was supposedly delivered
three weeks early. (Wagner–Martin 15). At a young age literature surrounded young Sylvia, or
"Sivvy" as her mother called her. Her mother, Aurelia spent her days making up stories for Sylvia
while her father began going to school at Northwestern majoring in classical languages. In the
spring of 1935 Aurelia gave birth to a

Contribution Of Sylvia Plath Poetry

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