Sylvia Plath - Daddy

     I really enjoyed reading the poem ‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath.  The poem is an emotional text which reveals the nature of the relationship with her father as well as the impact that her  father’s death has had on her.  This seems to be a confessional poem about Plath herself.  I believe that the purpose of this poem was for Plath to express her emotions as she feels abandoned by her father after his death.  The title of the poem gives away the fact that her emotional growth has been stunted and that she feels like an abandoned child.  She uses this poem to state her strong emotions towards her father’s life and death and her devastating relationship with her husband.  The speaker in the poem is Sylvia who lost her father at the age of ten and she still adored him entirely.  She slowly realizes the hounding dominance of her father.  She compares her father to a Nazi, a devil, and a vampire.  This same conflict continues with her husband which led to a very short and painful marriage.  Sylvia clarifies her feelings of anger and hatred towards her father and husband.  Most of her life is troubled through poetic devices of graphic metaphors, imagery, rhyme, tone, and simile.  Throughout this poem strong metaphors are conveyed.  Shoes and feet are a frequent image in this poem.  They take on different degrees of meaning as the poem advances.  She compares herself to a foot that “lives” in a shoe, the shoe is her father.  The use of the adjective “black” suggests the idea of death and since the shoe fits tightly around the foot one may think of a corpse in a coffin.  Plath feels protected and smothered by her father at the same time.  The image of the poem helps the reader to relate to Plath’s harsh life.  This poem is a negative, dark poem.  At the end of the poem it is clear to see that Plath was able to resolve her conflicts.  She evoked a great amount of power within the poem to the readers.  The last line of the poem shows that she has finally reached freedom.      

Benosa, Raizsa D. "Poetry Analysis: Daddy, by Sylvia Plath - Poets & Poetry - Helium." Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. 20 Oct. 2009. Web. 12 Apr. 2011.