Sylvia Plath Essay

Dr. Seuss once asked: “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?”, a question still relevant today. Why should we conform to society’s expectations when we were born to escape them? In The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood suffered from depression but suppressed how she really felt in hopes of fitting in, which caused her to sink into a further depression. Only when Esther grew out of her desire to fit in was she able to find a way out of her depression. This brought on a valuable…

A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. Contrarily to the previews statement, Junot Diaz as well as Sylvia Plath have proven through their works that this is not always correct. Both parents in the stories instead of building have mentally destroyed their children. “Fiesta 1980” by Junot Diaz and “Daddy” by Silvia Plath are similar in the way both narrators present their fathers as tyrants and oppressors, but different in the way the main characters tend to…

Idea: Grief is soul destroying Poems: Sylvia Plath's Mirror and W. H Auden's Stop all the Clocks Although the poems 'Mirror' by Sylvia Plath and 'Stop all the Clocks' by W. H Auden reflect different experiences of grief, they both convey that its repercussions are devastating. Plath's extended metaphor focuses on the pain of aging, whereas Auden's elegy explores the grief of the physical loss of a loved one. The idea of overwhelming grief is evident in the beginning stanza of Stop all the…

of anxiety and even depression throughout their life. One of factor that made Esther vulnerable to depression is the high expectation from her mother. Thus, her mother also encouraged Esther in many directions that overwhelmed her. In the novel, Plath reserves major part for the Character of Mrs. Greenwoods. Even the word “motherly” breath of suburb horrified her. Esther’s anger toward her mother is one of the key for her psychoses due to increase demands with her work. "the worst. She never…

Death is a frequently explored theme in poetry. Despite the prevalence of this theme, each poet has their own distinct viewpoint about it and portray it in such a way that reflects their beliefs. These differences are both in attitude towards death as well as the point of view of the speaker. Some authors take on an optimistic portrayal of death whereas others use a pessimistic perspective. Point of view can be either through the eyes of someone who has died or someone who has lost a loved one.…

Sylvia Plath’s satire on marriage, The Applicant, explores the pitfalls and double-standards often associated with marriage. Stanza seven begins with the allusion to anniversary milestones, “in 25 years she’ll be silver, in 50, gold”, with a constant reference to wealth, tarnishing, and a worthless indication of achievement. Plath also describes the woman as ‘a living doll’, an encumbrance, a statement that strips…

In the book “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath, Esther Greenwood has changed into a new person. At the beginning, Esther started off as a wild girl. Also, she was not that social with her family and did not have a bond with them. Additionally, Esther would always get herself in trouble. She would go hang out with boys and drink. First of all, Esther at the beginning was very strict, prima donna, and a very jealous person. Esther was the one who would drink a lot. “ ‘I’ll have a vodka, I said’ ” (11)…

instead sticking with some throughout their entire adulthood, leaving those to choose to act upon it, some through writing. The Bell Jar and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest are two novels written with the theme of madness. The Bell Jar is written by Sylvia Plath, a woman with a female protagonist. Ken Kesey, a man, wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, with…

society’s opinions can also be deemed unstable. Sylvia Plath comments on this relationship in her novel, The Bell Jar. By telling the relatable story of a protagonist, Esther, who faces society-induced depression, the author highlights the idea that words tend to make an impression on people. Esther cares what people think, being a breath of fresh air compared to many novels in which the hero is already very confident in his or her own skin. Plath manages to create a…

“In a society that tries to standardize thinking, individuality is not highly prized” - Alex Grey, American visionary artist and author. Written in 1963 by Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar is a stunningly intricate novel that tells the story of Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old woman who has just been awarded an internship at Ladies Day Magazine in New York city. Although her life seems beautiful and full of opportunities, Esther comes to despise it as she slowly loses her mind upon returning from New…