Often, however, he was more subtle in his effects. In "Sam," for instance, the stanzaic breaks give the text a clear structure, with the very short final stanza adding a definite bite to the poem. The longer first stanza tells the story of Plath on a runaway horse, this is then commented upon and analyzed, and finally Hughes draws a four-line comparison to the way he was treated by Plath: "you strangled me... flung yourself off and under my feet." The abrupt turn and end of this poem is used to elicit a specific response of shocked sympathy from the reader, which marks only one of Hughes attempts in Birthday Letters to exonerate himself for Plath's suicide. Neither of the two above-mentioned poems are entirely consistent in tone, however, and the length of their lines and/or stanzaic structure can of course be read in several ways. In "The Shot," however, there appears to be a deliberate conflict set up in both the form and the content of...
Lines of greatly differing length appear in sharp juxtaposition, as the speaker contemplates what could have been vs. what was:
Indeed, they are both supporter of Communism and here we are already talking about the mature period of Communist in its fight against the Imperialists (certainly, these are the same imperialists that would have paid Rivera for painting Rockefeller Centre) and the meeting between the couple and Trotsky is defining for the late phase of their relationship. Artistic practices and values Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath and Frida and Diego are
Hawk Roosting" and "Eagle" Alfred Lord Tennyson's "The Eagle" and Ted Hughes' "Hawk Roosting" both reflect on the relationship between birds of prey and the rest of the world due to their unique perspective, and although either poem is written from a slightly different perspective, they both nonetheless celebrate the view the bird of prey has of the world, and the serenity which seemingly stems from this. By examining the
This is justified by the argument that the original Homeric language was accessible to Homer's audience and as prose is more accessible to contemporary readers it is a better way to mimic the first reception of Greek audiences. Other classicists translate the works into a form of poetry which attempts to more accurately mimic Homeric verse. Some ancient texts are radically modernized in their language to make them seem
"Doctor Gordon twiddled a silver pencil. "Your mother tells me you are upset." I curled in the cavernous leather chair." (Plath, 1999, p.128) "A few more shock treatments, Mrs. Greenwood," I heard Doctor Gordon say, "and I think you'll notice a wonderful improvement." (Plath, 1999, p.145) Insulin therapies merely make her miserable and gain weight. Only her own bonding with the female psychiatrists on staff, and overcoming her sexual
Eventually, Esther sneaks into the cellar with a bottle of sleeping pills -- prescribed to her for the insomnia she was experiencing, without any other real attempts to understand or solve the underlying problems of her mental upset -- having left a note for her mother saying she was taking a long walk. Esther then swallows as many of the pills as she is able, and it appears to
therapy or who was in therapy or thinks that they should be in therapy. Having to seek professional help to come to terms with the psychological damage that has been inflicted on us by our natal families is assumed to be a hazard of modern life. But in the days before therapy was considered to be almost a requisite for living a well-examined life, people had to find other ways
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