Questions and Answers for Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath
What are the most significant features of Sylvia Plath's "Mirror"?
The most significant features of Sylvia Plath’s “Mirror” are the personification of the mirror and, later, the metaphor in which that mirror compares itself to a lake, something that also reflects...
Sylvia Plath
What do you think the "'terrible fish" in the last line of Sylvia Plath's "Mirror" symbolizes?
The mirror does narrate this poem, and so it is personified in this way. However, when the mirror compares itself to a lake, saying, "I am a lake," this is example of metaphor. The mirror explains,...
Sylvia Plath
What is the central idea of Sylvia Path's poem "Mirror?"
Man’s tendency to dismiss the inevitable truth about his declining age and waning attractiveness is the central idea in the poem “Mirror.” The mirror reflects the true image of the woman to her,...
Sylvia Plath
What is the main theme depicted in Sylvia Plath's "Mirror"?
I believe that the central theme of this poem is about senescence. The beauty of this poem is that Plath uses personification through the mirror as a reflection of one's age. The mirror is...
Sylvia Plath
What are the figures of speech used in the poem "The Mirror" by Silvia Plath? In detail please!
A figure of speech in poetry is also known as literary devices or poetic devices. The main figure of speech used in the poem is one of personification. Personification according to the eNotes site...
Sylvia Plath
What is an example of personification in "Mirror"?
In the first stanza of Sylvia Plath's "Mirror," the mirror is given a voice as the first-person narrator of the poem. This is the first way in which Plath personifies the mirror. The mirror also...
Sylvia Plath
What kind of poem is "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath (poetic device)?
Plath uses an extended metaphor, meaning that throughout the poem she is comparing mushrooms to women without using the words "like" or "as." She also brings in assonance, which is when two words...
Sylvia Plath
Why is Sylvia Plath using images of Holocaust in her poems "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus"
Plath uses much sustained death imagery: both suicide and Holocaust imagery (comparing herself to a Jew and her father to a Nazi). She writes grim apostrophes to her executioners, her father in...
Sylvia Plath
Explain Sylvia Plath as a confessional poet.
The "confessional" poets were a school including Ann Sexton, John Berryman, Robert Lowell, and Sylvia Plath who were mid-twentieth century American poets who composed poems in free verse with...
Sylvia Plath
What is a line-by-line analysis to help understand the poem "Night Shift" by Sylvia Plath? 1 It was not a heart,...
The title of the poem "Night Shift" gives some indication of what the unknown sound may be before we start reading. However, Plath's negations in the first stanza—it is "not a heart beating," nor...
Sylvia Plath
Analyze the following poem, "Medallion" by Sylvia Plath.
Sylvia Plath's poem, "Medallion" is about a snake she finds dead, and the details of its body that she notices. Written in 1959, its form was strictly "controlled." Plath uses imagery, literary...
Sylvia Plath
What is the central idea of the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath?
“Mirror” is an objective perspective on time and mortality and particularly about beauty – or the ephemeral nature of beauty and the superficiality of beauty. Mirrors are unconscious, so they can’t...
Sylvia Plath
What is the analysis of "Bitter strawberries" by Sylvia Plath?
"Bitter Strawberries," by Sylvia Plath, describes a conversation that takes place among farm workers who are picking strawberries. The conversation is about "the Russians," who pose a threat to the...
Sylvia Plath
Describe postmodern elements in Sylvia Plath's poetry. selected poems of Sylvia Plath
Postmodernism can be viewed as both a reaction against modernism and, paradoxically, an extension of it. Sylvia Plath's poetry (as well as her prose writings) fits both of these definitions....
Sylvia Plath
In "The Mirror" in what ways in the mirror like and unlike a person in stanza 1? In what ways is it like a lake?
In this brilliant poem by Sylvia Plath, the theme of old age is explored. One of the key devices of the poem is the speaker or persona of the poem that Plath has chosen to explore this theme. The...
Sylvia Plath
What is the tone of the poem "Lady Lazarus"?
"Lady Lazarus" begins with a detached tone. The speaker (almost certainly Plath speaking as herself) remarks, with an off-handed and casual tone, "One year in every ten / I manage it—." The "it,"...
Sylvia Plath
Poem "You're": what do these lines mean?:- A common-sense / thumbs-down on the Dodo's mode- Trawling your dark as...
The poem is indeed a complex one, and there will be more interpretations out there, I'm sure. - A common-sense / thumbs-down on the Dodo's mode Here I think Plath is recognising the innate...
Sylvia Plath
What is the message of the poem "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath? a brief introduction please!!
Mushroomsis one of those poems that if you talked to five different people, you would probably end up with five different answers about what it means. Clearly, on the surface level, the poem is...
Sylvia Plath
What are the similes and metaphors found in Sylvia Plath's poem "You're"?
"You're" is rife with similes and metaphors as its purpose is to compare the titular character to all of the things which remind Plath of him/her. This poem is about an unborn child--a baby still...
Sylvia Plath
Describe "Death & Co." by Sylvia Plath.
This is a haunting and intriguing poem, written in free verse and describing, as the title suggests, the nature of death. Plath herself described the poem as being about the duality of death,...
Sylvia Plath
Analyze and summarize the poem "Poppies in October" by Sylvia Plath.
Sylvia Plath, a Pulitzer Prize winning American poet, produced some of the most intriguing poetry in literature. Like so many talented artists, Plath struggled emotionally and psychologically most...
Sylvia Plath
What is Sylvia Plath's poem "You're" about?
Sylvia Plath's poem "You're" is narrated by a speaker who is a mother meditating on her unborn child. The speaker's use of comparison, mostly through figurative language, captures the feeling of...
Sylvia Plath
Explain the poem "The Zoo-Keeper's Wife" by Sylvia Plath
A number of scholars, especially those working in the field of feminist literary criticism, have seen "The Zoo-Keeper's Wife" as a critique of traditional marriage. In particular, they point to the...
Sylvia Plath
In the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath, why does the poet compare the mirror to a "lake"?
Sylvia Plath led a complex existence, culminating in her suicide. Her poems contain depths that may escape the average reader but which contain her attempt to rationalize her being. Her seemingly...
Sylvia Plath
"Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath 1) Who, or what, are the mushrooms? Explain. 2) Identify FOUR poetic techniques used in...
I'll answer a few of the questions here. 1.The mushrooms are people who are kept down, oppressed in some way, the 'perfectly voiceless' ones who are slowly rising up to make their mark on the...
Sylvia Plath
Plath's poetry is intense, deeply personal, and quite disturbing. Do you agree? Plath's poetry is intense, deeply...
I agree completely with your statement. Besides the piece by piece analysis of her work that supports that assessment, remember that Plath's life writings are essentially a journal of mental...
Sylvia Plath
What are the themes of "Wintering" by Sylvia Plath?
The themes of "Wintering" by Sylvia Plath are renewal and regeneration and feminine identity and motherhood, all of which have personal meaning for Plath, who writes in self-analysis. The poet...
Sylvia Plath
What type of poem is "The Mirror" by Sylvia Plath? Is it a sonnet, metaphor poem, free verse...?
This poem is written in free verse; this means that its unit of rhythm is the line itself and the poet controls pacing not with a specific meter but with the length and punctuation of the lines....
Sylvia Plath
Look at the language of the poem "Child" by Sylvia Plath. How would you describe its tone and mood in the first nine...
Tone is the author’s attitude toward the subject, and mood is the reader’s emotional reaction to the piece. The tone of the first nine lines is hopeful, but then it turns dark in the last stanza....
Sylvia Plath
What are the themes and techniques that are in the poem the "Bitter Strawberries" by Sylvia Plath? Theme,...
The main themes are xenophobia (fear of foreigners or ‘Others’) and stubbornness with that prejudice and war mentality. This poem directly refers to the Cold War which was basically a game of...
Sylvia Plath
Please give some literary devices that are used in "I Am Vertical" by Sylvia Plath.
This poem is based around two central comparisons that the speaker of the poem makes between herself and then a tree and a flower. It is this sense of kinship--or the lack of it--that is explored...
Sylvia Plath
Analyze the following poem: "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath.
Plath's poem presents the reality of aging. The mirror is our narrator; it expresses its ultimate honesty, explaining that it cannot lie or be mistrusted--it is "silver and exact" with "no...
Sylvia Plath
Please help with a line-by-line analysis of the poem "Mushrooms" by Sylvia Plath. There's so many different views and...
Sylvia Plath's "Mushrooms" is a very straightforward poem. Literally, it can be seen to be about the process that mushrooms go through to emerge and grow. Figuratively, it can be seen as a metaphor...
Sylvia Plath
Summarize the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath.
In Plath's poem "Mirror," the speaker of the poem literally is a mirror on the bathroom wall. The mirror says that it has no opinions about what it reflects and that it simply gives images back to...
Sylvia Plath
How do the speakers in "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath act differently?
The first stanza speaks as if it is a mirror. The second speaks as if it is the water of a lake. Both speak about their power of reflection which means they tell the truth, report exactness, and...
Sylvia Plath
In the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath, what is an example of a paradox used?
[Please remember that analysis of a poem is subjective, and this answer is based upon what I perceive. Also note, however, that any interpretation of a piece of literature—to my mind—is valid as...
Sylvia Plath
The Philosophy of Human life in Sylvia Plath's poetry I want to know some thing about Plath's poetry: If you can...
Plath was a Confessionalist poet. Therefore, her work was one which spoke to how her life was and the conflicts she faced. Her work is typically seen as dark and depressing. Her philosophy was...
Sylvia Plath
How did Sylvia Plath treat the theme of Feminism in her poetry? quotations would be helpful
Sylvia Plath, an American author considered one of the most emotional writers of the post war period, was a deeply troubled individual who committed suicide at the age of 30. "A complicated...
Sylvia Plath
Comment on the last two lines of "Crossing the Water" of Sylvia Plath.
Poetry can be very difficult to analyze for often the poet is speaking so figuratively, based upon their personal perceptions, that it can be difficult to fully appreciate what the poet is trying...
Sylvia Plath
Which poet ranks as the most confessional of the confessional poets: Plath, Ginsberg, Bishop, or Lowell? Ginsberg:...
Although Sylvia Plath (often along with Anne Sexton) is most inexorably tied with the Confessional movement of poetry, Robert Lowell, the creator of the style, is probably the most confessional of...
Sylvia Plath
Please give an explanation of the poem "Mushrooms."
This is a great poem by Sylvia Plath that really forces us to reconsider mushrooms once again and to look at them in a new way, which is of course the sign of a great poem. In the poem, Plath...
Sylvia Plath
In the second paragraph of the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath, why has the mirror been compared to a lake?
Crucial to understanding this poem as a whole is realising that Sylvia Plath is examining ageing through a very interesting medium. By telling the poem through the persona of the mirror, she allows...
Sylvia Plath
How accurate is it to call Sylvia Plath as a feminist? Please present concrete examples to support your answer.
Plath's feminism is probably most visible in her novel The Bell Jar. The men she presents throughout the story are largely clueless and insensitive to women. In some cases, their behavior would be...
Sylvia Plath
What is the SOAPSIS for "Mushrooms," a poem by Sylvia Plath? SOAPSIS stands for speaker, occasion, audience,...
SPEAKER: On the literal level, this poem is spoken by mushrooms! They describe how they quietly grow through the "loam" (the soil) and eventually reach the air. Using "hammers" and "rams" they...
Sylvia Plath
How does Plath show ambivalence in her poem "Daddy"?
Sometimes when reading a poet, especially an author who writes in a confessional or autobiographical style, it is helpful to know a bit about his or her biography. There are some benefits to...
Sylvia Plath
What are some examples of personification in "Crossing the Water" by Sylvia Plath?
You have certainly picked a poem with a number of separate examples of personification in it. Let us remind ourselves of the definition of personfication. Personification is a figure of speech...
Sylvia Plath
RE: Sylvia Plath and Holocaust imagery. I'm coming across reviews that are critical of using Holocaust imagery in...
The Holocaust has long been considered sacred territory. Politicians, entertainers, and others who have cavalierly offered images from the Holocaust for metaphorical or comparative purposes have...
Sylvia Plath
How do you interpret line 8 in "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath?
Let us consider the poem as a whole before we move on to focus on the particular line that you have highlighted. This poem is used as a vehicle for Plath to express the mixed emotions she has at...
Sylvia Plath
What literary devices does Sylvia Plath employ in her poem of "I Am Vertical"? I want to know whether there are...
Plath uses a variety of devices in her poem "I Am Vertical." To begin, here is the second stanza of the poem: Tonight, in the infinitesimal light of the stars, The trees and flowers have been...
Sylvia Plath
Anne Sexton's "The Civil War" and Sylvia Plath's "In Plaster" speak to the multiple selves and identities that both...
In both Anne Sexton's "The Civil War" and Sylvia Plath's "In Plaster", the narrators talk about divided selves, with one self offering up a critique of the second self. The tone, themes, and...
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