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jasontsa
jasontsa
Student

What is the use of sound in the poem "Daddy", and how does Plath convey mood and tone?

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Posted by jasontsa on Thursday September 4, 2008 at 3:13 AM and tagged with daddy, mood, technique, tone.

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  1. reidalot
    reidalot Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Plath uses German words to emphasize the brutality of the Germans and their strength over the Jews as she likens herself to a Jew. In the first stanza she states, "Achoo," a take on the sound of a sneeze. She ends the third stanza with "Ach, du," again reinforcing the motif of German strength. In the sixth stanza it becomes the repetition of "Ich, ich, ich, ich." In stanza nine, "Luftwaffe," and in stanza thirteen "Meinkampf." The use of these images reinforce her mood of helplessness in the face of Daddy, who she likens to a German, and allow her to establish a harsh, brutal tone.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/plath-daddy

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    Posted by reidalot on Thursday September 4, 2008 at 12:20 PM