sylvia plath :: essays research papers

Price  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sylvia Plath, a complex poet, a complex mind. Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 and committed suicide on February 11, 1963. During this short thirty years, many works were provided that served as a window into one fragile mind. Years of mental stability acted as a catalyst for the production of many famous works. Although it is still difficult to analyze Plath’s mind, its products are still being cherished and praised. Plath published many works in her lifetime, yet her most famous works which include The Bell Jar, Ariel, â€Å"Crossing the Water†, Letters Home, & Johnny Panic, & The Bible of Dreams were are published after her death (Bloom 163-4). Plath’s work as well as her many memories continues long after her passing. In Plath’s work, death, conflict, & personal experience all play major roles. They serve as themes in the deep and realistic poetry that is Plath’s work. The poetry of Sylvia Plath contains various them es that stem from the author’s mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A large portion of Sylvia Plath’s work contains the theme of death. This theme is most present in her earlier poetry. Plath seems to be almost fascinated with death. Her elegant use of words makes the reader feels as if the icy breath of death is upon their neck (King 45). Yet death is not always welcomed as a theme in Plath’s work. In her early work shows a distinct tension between the allure of death and human’s nature to resist it (King 50). Often this â€Å"death† is accompanied by an overwhelming sense of doom (Fitzgerald 3). A distinct origin for this doom is not clear but nature is often a catalyst for it (King 46). Varying aspects of nature serve as agents of doom. Even the most innocent things such as grapes on a grapevine can manipulate themselves into inevitable doom (King 50-1). Plath’s poems also contain a â€Å"preoccupation with danger†. This danger does not come from external sources however but from inside the mind. This stems from Plath’s own internal battles and eventual suicide (King 51).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Price  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Page 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dying Is an art, Like everything else I do it exceptionally well (Fitzgerald 4) These words are from Ariel. They show Plath’s attitude toward death’s inevitability. Sometimes this attitude is resignation, fear, for decided resistance. Never the less, whichever attitude toward death is presented in Sylvia Plath’s work, it can certainly be seen that death is a major theme in her work (King 47).