The poem I have chosen to talk about is called ‘Daddy’ written by Plath is 1962, Just four months before her death. It was published as part of the collection of poems called Ariel.
In the poem we see Plath and her struggles with life. As well we see she goes deep into her troubles in life. We see her talk about her dad and how his death had a massive impact on her as she really looked up and loved her dad. We see her describe herself as a foot in a shoe. She might be trying to express to the reader that she feels trapped and has always felt trapped. The use of her saying she feels like a foot in a shoe is showing us she feels dull, without colour, and plain. This goes back to the way the world was and how woman were treated like nothing while the men were in charge and above women. This could have influenced why she missed her father so much, maybe she relied on that strong figure in hr life to guild her but instead she was left alone.
Another point of view about this poem came from this article, “The speaker creates a figurative image of her father, using many different metaphors to describe her relationship with him. He’s like a black shoe that she’s had to live in; like a statue that stretches across the United States; like God; like a Nazi; like a Swastika; and, finally, like a vampire. The speaker, faced with her father as a giant and evil Nazi, takes the part of a Jew and a victim.” (No name, 2021)
The poem is really about Plath and how she is trying to cope after the loss of her dad. She is always going back and forth on how she feels about him but in the end, she tells in to get back in his grave showing that she is done with him. She is trying to show us, the reader, how she is putting the past behind her. She could have been using this poem as almost a goodbye letter to her father, which links into my next point about the cathartic process
The cathartic process is used thought-out most of Plath’s work and it means “Cathartic writing is the act of simply letting your stream of consciousness spill onto paper. Writing while overwhelmed or after a challenging event can help release feelings and thoughts you don’t want to admit to yourself or others you trust.” (Gudenau,S, 2020)
This relates to cathartic process as she is expressing how she feels towards her dad and is showing us the pain in which she went through when her dad died when she was just nine years old. She is using the power of words to get over the constant pain with has filled the hole her father left behind.
below is my analysis of ‘Daddy’
Reference list:
- Gudenau,S (2020) Cathartic Writing Can Provide Emotional Release and Personal Insight. Available: https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/cathartic-writing/#:~:text=Cathartic%20writing Last accessed 12/01/2021
- No name (2021) Daddy summary. Available: https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/poetry/daddy-sylvia-plath/summary Last accessed 12/01/2021.
- No name (2021) ‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath Available: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-daddy-by-sylvia-plath-analysis-6341573 Last accessed 12/01/2021.
That haunted girl 