Student Question
How does Plath use sound to convey mood and tone in the poem "Daddy"?
Quick answer:
Plath uses sound in "Daddy" to convey a mood of helplessness and a harsh, brutal tone. She incorporates German words and sounds, such as "Achoo," "Ach, du," and "Ich, ich, ich, ich," to emphasize the strength and brutality associated with Germans, paralleling her own feelings of oppression. These auditory elements, along with references like "Luftwaffe" and "Meinkampf," highlight her emotional struggle and the overpowering presence of her father.
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.
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