Sylvia Plath: The Modernist Poet's Tragic Life and Timeless Works

3. CONTENT • BIOGRAPHY OFSYLVIA PLATH • HER WORKS • THE PERIOD • Modernism • Historical, Social, & Cultural Highlights of the Modern Era • Characteristics of Modernism in Literature • Four Literary "isms" Inside Modernism • Comparison of Modernism & PostModernism in Literature • CONFESSIONAL POETRY • ANALYSIS OF THE POEM (Stanza by stanza) • FORM OF THE POEM • FIGURES OF SPEECH

4. SYLVIA PLATH • Born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1932. • An intelligent child who had her first poem published when she was only eight. • Sensitive and looked for perfection in all that she did. • Her mother ,Otto Emile Plath, an immigrant from Grabow, Germany and was approximately twenty-one years younger than her husband.

5. Her father, a collegeprofessorand an expert on bees, died of an illnesswhenSylviawasstillyoung. • He apparentlythought it wascancer but in reality it was a curable form of diabetes. • His untimelydeatheffectedandscarredtheyoungchild'ssensitivemind. This later influenced her poem “Daddy” in which she expresses her anger and ill feeling about the father that she lost. • SheenteredSmithCollege on a scholarship in 1950 and, whilethere, wrotesome 400 poems.

6. During her first year at the college, however, she attempted suicide through an overdose of sleeping pills and submitted to electroshock therapy treatment at McLean Hospital. • Graduated from Smith College summa cum laude in 1955 and there won a Fulbright scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England. • While there, she married the English poet, Ted Hughes. • Their marriage, however, would last a ten years before Sylvia found herself divorced.The reason was that Ted had an affair with another lady called Assia Wevill who was more beautiful than Sylvia.

7. She was alone once more, but now in a small London flat, poor and with two children to look after (Freida and Nicholas Hughes, in 1960 and 1962). • This was a foreign existence for her who had always been accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life. • The winter of 1962-3 was one of the coldest, during which time the poet was continually ill with flu. • Thus, she learnt much about the harshness of life.

8. She nevertheless worked furiously in the very early mornings while the children slept, producing a poem virtually every day. • Towards the end of that winter, in February 1963, she committed suicide by gassing herself in her kitchen. • She was then only 30 years of age. • She had not yet won the recognition she so richly deserved as a poet. • Like so many great artists, fame would follow only after her death. • In 1981 The Collected Poems of Sylvia Plath was published, edited by Hughes; it won a PulitzerPrize in 1982.

9. Just six months before her death she wrote offeeling: "outcast on a cold star, unable to feel anything but an awful helpless numbness. I look down into the warm, earthy world. Into a nest of lovers' beds, baby cribs, meal tables, all the solid commerce of life in this earth, and feel apart, enclosed in a wall of glass."

10. POETRY • The Colossus and Other Poems (1960) • Ariel (1965) • Three Women: A monologue for three voices (1968) • Crossing the Water (1971) • Winter Trees (1972) • The Collected Poems (1981) • Selected Poems (1985) • Plath: Poems (1998)

11. PROSE • The Bell Jar (1963) under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" • Letters Home (1975) • Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams (1977) • The Journals of Sylvia Plath (1982) • The Magic Mirror (1989), Plath's Smith College senior thesis • The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath, edited by Karen V. Kukil (2000)

12. CHILDREN’S BOOKS • The Bed Book (1976) • The It-Doesn't-Matter-Suit (1996) • Collected Children's Stories (UK, 2001) • Mrs. Cherry's Kitchen (2001)

13. The Period (1932-1962) Modernism is a cultural movement that generally includes the progressive art and architecture, music, literature and design. It was a movement of artists and designers who rebelled against late 19th century academic and historicist traditions, and embraced the new economic, social and political aspects of the emerging modern world.

14. Modernism describes an array of cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The term covers a series of reforming movements in art, architecture, music, literature and the applied arts which emerged during this period. • It is a trend of thought that affirms the power of human beings to create, improve, and reshape their environment, with the aid of scientific knowledge, technology or practical experimentation. • Modernism encouraged the re-examination of every aspect of existence, from commerce to philosophy, with the goal of finding that which was 'holding back' progress, and replacing it with new, progressive and therefore better, ways of reaching the same end.

15. Historical, Social, & Cultural Highlights of the Modern Era • Two devastating almost-global wars: World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1941-1945). • Huge changes in industry and technology as compared to the 19th century. An era characterized by industrialization, rapid social change, advances in science. • The rise in power and influence of international corporations. • Interconnectedness across the globe: Cultural exchanges, transportation, communication, mass (or popular) culture from the West (with "West" being considered Europe and North America).

16. The "Westernization" of many formerly traditional societies and nations and a resulting change in their values. • These "modern" values include : • a belief in the desirability of industrialization • individual political rights • democracy • mass literacy and education • private ownership of the means of production • the scientific method • public institutions like those in the West • middle class Western value systems, a disbelief in—or at least a questioning of—the existence of God, and (sometimes) the emancipation of women.

17. Characteristics of Modernism in Literature • uses images ("word pictures") and symbols as typical and frequent literary techniques. • uses colloquial language rather than formal language(the use of informal expressions appropriate to everyday speech such as "ain't nothin'" "y'all", "gonna“). • uses language in a very self-conscious way, seeing language as a technique for crafting the piece of literature just as an artist crafts a piece of art like a sculpture or a painting.

18. Form, style, and technique thus become important than content or substance. • The intention of writers in the Modern period is to change the way readers see the world and to change our understanding of what language is and does.

19. Four Literary "isms" Inside Modernism • Whereas Realism attempted to portray external objects and events as the common or middle class man sees them in everyday life, impressionismtries to portray the psychological impressions these objects and events make on characters, emphasizing the role of individual perception and exploring the nature of the conscious and unconscious mind. • Whereas Realism tried to focus on these external objects and events, expressionismtried to express the inner vision, the inner emotion, or the inner spiritual reality that seem more important than the external realities of objects and events. Modern era: impressionism, expressionism, surrealism, and nihilism.

20. Whereas Realism focused on external objects and events, surrealismtried to liberate the subconscious, to see connections overlooked by the logical mind, to deny the supreme authority of rationality and so portray objects and events as they seem rather than as they are. • Whereas Realism tried to show the supreme importance of rationalness and reason, absurdismtried to duplicate in literature the absurd conditions of contemporary life: nameless millions dying in wars, commonplace horrors such as the Holocaust, a world in which "God is dead" cast mankind afloat in a chartless and unknowable world void of a spiritual center, the ultimate absurd circumstances in which contemporary humankind found itself. Modernism shares with Realism • a focus on the psychology of the individual • sees the work of art as a coherent whole worthy of study.

21. Comparison of Modernism & PostModernism in Literature • Whereas Modernism places faith in the ideas, values, beliefs, culture, and norms of the West, Postmodernism rejects Western values and beliefs as only a small part of the human experience and often rejects such ideas, beliefs, culture, and norms. • Whereas Modernism attempts to reveal profound truths of experience and life, Postmodernism is suspicious of being "profound" because such ideas are based on one particular Western value systems.

22. Whereas Modernism attempts to find depth and interior meaning beneath the surface of objects and events, Postmodernism prefers to dwell on the exterior image and avoids drawing conclusions or suggesting underlying meanings associated with the interior of objects and events. • Whereas Modernism focused on central themes and a united vision in a particular piece of literature, Postmodernism sees human experience as unstable, internally contradictory, ambiguous, inconclusive, indeterminate, unfinished, fragmented, discontinuous, "jagged," with no one specific reality possible.  Therefore, it focuses on a vision of a contradictory, fragmented, ambiguous, indeterminate, unfinished, "jagged" world.

23. Whereas Modern authors guide and control the reader’s response to their work, the Postmodern writer creates an "open" work in which the reader must supply his own connections, work out alternative meanings, and provide his own (unguided) interpretation.

24. CONFESSIONAL POETRY • It is a form of poetrythat is autobiographicaland is based on theintimatedetails of poet’sown life experiences. • Privateexperiencesaboutdeath, trauma, depression, andrelationshipswereaddressed in thistype of poetry. • It is thepoetry of thepersonalor "I." Thisstyle of writingemerged in thelate 1950s andearly 1960s and is associatedwithpoetssuch as Robert Lowell, SylviaPlath, Anne Sexton, John Berrymanand W.D. Snodgrass. • Thereasonbehindwritingconfessionalpoetry is in relationtotheneed of revealingoneself. Anne Sextonfamouslysaid, "Poetryledmebythehandout of madness."

25. ANALYSIS OF THE POEM(TheTitle of ThePoem) • “LadyLazarus” referstoPlathherself as this is an example of confessionalpoetry. The “Lazarus” is a biblicalallusionto a man (theMaryandMartha'sbrother) whodiedandwasresurrectedbyJesus.

26. The poem implies rebirth--she was metaphorically reborn, like Lazarus. Further Information About Lazarus Lazarus, whose name means “helped by God” lived in Bethany, a small town about two miles from Jerusalem on the eastern edge of the Mount of Olives. Mary, Martha and Lazarus’ home was Jesus’ home and he (Jesus) stayed there often, especially when travelling to and from Jerusalem. The Bible tells us that these three were his friends and Lazarus was one “whom Jesus loved”.

27. STANZA 1 • Inthefirststanza, shedeclaresthatshetriestocommitsuicideevery ten years. Itintroducesthe idea of suicideanddeath. "I have done it again" could be translated as "I havetriedtokillmyselfagain.“

28. STANZA 2 • Inthesecondstanza, sherefersto "a Nazi lampshade" whichwererumoredto be madeout of the skin of peoplewhoweremurdered in theconcentrationcamps. Thiswas put in thepoemtoshowthat her internalandmentalsufferingwas as great as that of thephysicalsuffering of thepeople in concentrationcamps. WhenPlathwas 'resurrected' fromthedead, shereferstoherself as "A sort of walkingmiracle”. Shethenusesthepowerfulcomparison "Bright as a Nazi lampshade" todescribe her skin contrastingthisimagewiththesoftermetaphor in thefollowingstanza, "a featureless, fine / Jewlinen," todepict her face, which is thevictim in a state of deteriorationandweakness.

29. STANZA 3 • She is twodifferentpersonas in thispoem: theNazisandtheJews, thestrongandtheweak. Betweenthesecomparisons, therearethesubtleverses, "Myrightfoot / A paperweight," whichareratherambiguous. Theymightmeanthatshecannotescapethesearchetypesthatlive in her giventhatshefeels as ifshewerenailedtotheground, tooheavytomoveoractagainstthese.

30. STANZA 4, 5 • Fourthandfifthstanzas mark thebeginning of thesarcasmtheauthorusesthroughoutthepoem. Plathdares her enemyto "Peeloffthenapkin." Althoughshe is speakingtoonedistinctperson in thepoem, this is an invitationtoeveryonewhowantstoobserve her. Totheenemyandtothosewhoarewillingtowatch, sheaskstherhetoricalquestion, "Do I terrify?" Theanswer is yes. Becausemost of us areterrifiedbysuch a sight, bysuicide.

31. Shewants us tolook at her faceespecially, whichshe had characterized as thevictimearlier: "Thenose, theeyepits, thefull set of teeth? Thespeaker’sappearance is evidenceto her condition; deathemanatesfrom her faceandbears a certainwalkingdeadquality. Although her face is drained, she is not beaten yet. Inthelasttwoverses, shereassures us thatshe can getoverthatwithin a day, restoring her originalbeauty, strengthandhealthystate of mind.

32. STANZA 6 • "Thegravecave" signifiesdeath, orPlathmayalso be referringtotheearth-bottomedcrevice in thecellar of her housewheresheattemptedsuicide at twentywithsleepingpills.

33. STANZA 7 • Previous stanza and this one is a continuation of the idea of therestoration of her original self, "a smilingwoman." She states her agewiththepride of someonewho has a lifetimeahead of themandmakes a wittycomparisonwiththecatandherself, whobothhave "nine timestodie.“

34. STANZA 8 • Instanzaeight, shedeclaresthat "This is NumberThree. Thecapitalization of "NumberThree" is interesting as iftheact of committingsuicidewere a bigandexcitingoccasion. her self-disgustmanifestsitself in "What a trash / Toannihilateeachdecade." Theseversesalsoconfirmthefactthatshenearlydied at ten in a drowningaccident, thatshetriedtokillherself at twentywiththesleepingpillincident, andthatshewill be tryingagain at thirty, allthesebeing at equalintervals, themarkers of eachdecade.

35. STANZA 9 • Inthestanza nine, These "millionfilaments" could be a physicalrepresentation of her guilt. It is a continuation of the self-disgustexpressed in thepreviousstanza. Thepeanut-crunchingcrowd" indicateseveryone , includingthedoctors, Plath’sfamily, andthereader. Her self-exaggerratedgesturesinviteattention, and yet we, as thereaders, areto be ashamed of ourselvesifweaccepttheinvitation.

36. STANZA 10 • In the stanza ten, The crowd is aggressive as it "shoves in to see," and its interest is lascivious as they undress her, "unwrap" her; it is "The big strip tease." This crowd also seeks an illicit source of arousal, if not from her naked body, then from her naked psyche. She offers herself to the crowd like a vulgar piece of meat. She feels herself as an object to be despised, to be treated unjustly, as if she were a “strip-tease” dancer.The usage of "Gentlemen, ladies" here is purely satirical and is meant to mock the audience.

37. STANZA 11 • Inthestanzaeleven, Plathacts as a guide at thisparticularpoint as shedemonstrates her features: "Thesearemyhands / Myknees." Sheemphasizesthefactthatshe has beenreducedto "skin and bone[s]”

38. STANZA 12 • Shereassures us thatshe is "thesame, identicalwoman" in spite of her alteredphysicalappearance; she has not changed. Then, as anygoodguidewould do, shesupplies a historicalrecord of pastevents. Shementionstheswimmingincidentthatnearlycost her life whenshewas ten. Thiswasthefirst time sheskimmeddeath. Itwaspurelyaccidental.

39. STANZA 13, 14 • Naturally, Plathdoesn’tforgettospeak of thesecond time shenearlydied, at twenty, whenshetriedtokillherselfwithsleepingpills. She had "rockshut // As a seashell" in theearth-bottomedcrevice in thecellar of her house. Shewasterriblywellhiddenlikethesecond verse of thesecondstanzasuggests. Her motherandbrotherfound her onlythreedayslater, practicallydead, withearthwormscrawlingover her, as mentioned in thelast verse.

40. STANZA 15, 16 • Plathconsidersdyinglike an exploit of sorts, andbragsaboutthefactthatshe is talented in doingso as in anything else: "Dying / Is an art, likeeverything else, / I do it exceptionallywell." This is whereweareshown her perfectionistandmasochisticselvessurfacingandintertwining as shemakes sure thatshe is realabout it: "I do it so it feelslikehell. / I do it so it feelsreal." It has become an obsessionfor her at thispoint, like "a call" orsomethingrelatedtofate.

41. STANZA 17, 18 • Plathprovides an insight on howeasyshefinds it is tocommitsuicide: "It’seasyenoughto do it in a cell. / It’seasyenoughto do it andstay put." In her case, onecouldnearly say it accomplishesitself on itsown as Plathsummonsdeathuponherselfsofervently. Next, shedescribesthedisappointmentshefeelswhensherealizesshe is still in thisworld, as it is only "thetheatrical // Comeback in broadday / Tothesameplace, thesameface, thesamebrute / Amusedshout." It is anotheractforthesameannoyingaudiencetoattendandobserve.

42. STANZA 19, 20 • As she is resurrected, thecrowd is in aweandentertained but completelyindifferenttothefactthatshe is alivestill. They'rewatching a magictrickbeingperformed: 'A miracle!' Theyareamusedbythefactthatdeathnearlytook her fromthem. She is a martyr, unattainableandexpensive as sheneedstochargethem "Forthehearing of [her] heart" or her nakedpsyche. Thiskind of business "reallygoes," saystheauthor. Plath, here, makes a connectiontothefactthattheholocaustbusiness has become a highlyprofitableentertainmentindustryovertheyears.

43. STANZA 21, 22 • Plathportraysherself as a parodywhilethepeopletreat her as ifshewere a martyr, likeJesusorsuchpersonages. Thisunseriousdepiction is found in thefollowingsardonicverses: "Andthere is a charge, a verylargecharge / For a wordor a touch / Or a bit of blood // Or a piece of myhairormyclothes." Theyverycrudelyridiculethecommercialization of Jesus, religiousentitiesandeventheholocaust. Subsequently, thereareotherholocaust-relatedelements, such as theusage of Germanterms, "Herr" and "Doktor," whichmean 'mister' and 'doctor' respectively.

44. Sheturnsawayfromtheaudiencetoaddress a singleperson, the 'Nazi Doktor,' whichturnsoutto be theenemyfromthebeginning of thepoem. Shetauntsandpokesfun at himusingmockmovie talk. Theenemy, thus far unspecified, is either a Germanmalefigure of authority, a scholarlikeOttoPlath, her father, whothinks of thespeaker as his "puregoldbaby" orshemaysimply be referringtodoctors in general whokeepreviving her aftereachfruitlessattempt.

45. STANZA 23, 24 • Stilladdressingherselftothe 'Doktor,' she is definingwhatsherepresentsforhim. OttoPlathmay be whomshe’stalkingto, as shesaysshe is his "valuable, / Thepuregoldbaby." Or yet still, thetypicaldoctormaysee her as an opportunitytoreceivegratitude, tobecomelocallyfamous, orto do a gooddeed in bringing her backto life. In her ironicallypretentiousway, theimagePlathcreates of herself is overblown (pretentious) as usual.

46. Whethershe is thedaughterorthepatient, she is eitherone’smasterpiece, an "opus," a "puregoldbaby," andthisexhausts her to a pointwhereshe "meltsto a shriek," "turn[s] andburn[s]." Finally, withmorediplomacy, shereassureshimthatsheknowshe’stryingto do what he thinks is bestfor her: "Do not think I underestimateyourgreatconcern." However, thispoliteimpressionfailswhenwetakeintoconsiderationthesarcastictonebehind it. Inreality, shedoes not wantanyonetosave her ortohavepity on her.

47. STANZA 25, 26 • She is growingvengeful as her tonebecomesgrittier. Plath is revoltedby her owndehumanizationandshewouldlovetotriumphovertheenemyaftershedies. She has burntandreducedherselftoashesandnothingness. Thismayalludetotheuse of an ovenperhaps, as thiswouldhinttothemethodbywhichshewouldtrytokillherself in thefuture. Althoughnothingmuchremains of her at thispoint, sheknowstheenemywill be profitingfrom her death.

48. Sheexpressesthis as ifsheweregoingto be madeintomerchandise, whichonceagainreferstotheNazis, whomanufacturedtheirvictims’ hair, skin, bones, ringsandfillings. Historiansare not certainthatNazismadecakes of soapwiththem, but theydid, however, makeweddingringsandgoldfillings.

49. STANZA 27, 28 • In an access of anger and grandiosity, she warns the great powers from above and below: "Herr God, Herr Lucifer (is a name given to Satan before being cast out of heaven in Judeo-Christian belief) / Beware / Beware." Additionally, she acknowledges no power greater than herself, as Plath accomplishes her own resurrection, unlike the biblical miracle of Lazarus of Bethany.

50. We can clearlyseehowshegrowsstrongerbytheend of thepoem as sherises "Out of theash" like a phoenixwith "redhair." Finally, with her concludingandblatantlyfeministic verse, "I eat men likeair," shedeclaresthatshe has defeatedall her enemies, allthe men in her life: thedoctorswhokeptreviving her, thebusinessmenwhosold her body tothecrowd, andperhaps her father.