An Analysis of Sylvia Plaths Poem, Daddy Essay - 793 Words

An Analysis of Sylvia Plaths Poem, Daddy Sylvia Plaths famous poem Daddy seems to refer quite consistently to her deceased father (and obliquely to her then estranged husband Ted Hughes) by use of many references that can clearly be associated with the background of Otto Plath, emphasizing his German heritage. These include the Polish town where Otto was born, the atrocities of the German Nazis in the Second World War (Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen), the Luftwaffe, and even the professorial pose of Dr. Plath at the blackboard . . . / In the picture I have of you. Yet in the midst of these references to Otto Plaths specifically German origins, lines at the beginning of stanza eight mention distinctly Austrian details:†¦show more content†¦A personal association with Austria seems far more likely for Plaths inclusion of these lines, and indeed a dose and profoundly significant one exists: Plaths mother, Aurelia Schober Plath, was of Austrian descent, both of her parents having emigrated from that country (Wagner-Martin 18). Sylvia Plaths complex, emotionally charged relationship with her mother suffuses many of her poems, of course, and repeatedly in works such as Medusa and The Disquieting Muses, and throughout her novel The Bell Jar, Plath reveals her deep antipathy toward her mother--simultaneous with writing effusive, warm, affectionate letters to her Dear Mummy. In Daddy, Plaths use of Austrian references, in this otherwise so father-oriented poem, suggests that an additional focus of her wrath in it--along with Otto Plath and Ted Hughes--was indeed Aurelia. The anger that permeates the poem is so intense and comprehensive that it seems logical to suppose that all the major figures in the poets life--those who had betrayed her or failed her in some way, father, husband, and mother--should be included in it. The otherwise puzzling, seemingly gratuitous references to Austria suggest that, perhaps unconsciously, Plath made sure that every focus of her rage was indeed present in it. Reinforcing this contention is the fact that the Austrian references occur directly between twoShow MoreRelatedEssay on A Womans Struggle 1373 Words   |  6 PagesA Woman’s struggle Analysis The plague of male dominancy and female oppression has spread throughout time and cultures like a pandemic infection, targeting women. 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