Not All Death and Annihilation: The Unexpected Lightness of Sylvia Plath Anonymous 12th Grade

Throughout an examination of Plath’s poetry, a reader will witness prominent themes of inadequacy and mental anguish. The poet’s lack of self-belief is primarily evident in ‘Mirror’, as the poet struggles to overcome her insecurities. Furthermore, Plath combats her darkest thoughts during ‘Arrival of the Bee Box’ and ‘Poppies in July’ as she confronts her inner demons. But such examples of Plath's art should not be taken as representative of her entire body of work, which is in many ways distinguished by its lighter and more optimistic notes. While her poems are dominantly pessimistic and dark, they do not uniformly depict themes of death and destruction. In contrast to this assessment, poems such as ‘Child’ and ‘Morning Song’ celebrate the new life of her children rather than inevitability of death.

The first word of Morning Song is ‘love’. This sets the tone as the young mother responds to her new born infant’s cry, still unsure of her role. Deviating entirely from the subjects of decease and despair, 'Morning Song' is suffused with tenderness and love as the poem celebrates a new beginning, not just for the baby but for Plath as a mother. A common aspect of Plath’s poetry is feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty, which are...