In poetry, imagery can be used to represent a variety of things and can be interpreted in many different ways. In the poems “Ariel”, “The Arrival of the Bee Box”, and “Daddy”, Sylvia Plath uses mythological imagery to portray women as heroines and men as villains.
The three poems show women heroically in a variety of ways. In “Ariel” women are shown heroically by referencing the story of Lady Godiva. Plath writes, “White / Godiva, I unpeel” (lines 19-20). Lady Godiva was a noblewoman of
The three poems also show men as villains. In Ariel, the same allusion to Godiva that proves women’s heroism also shows men negatively. In the story of Godiva, her husband was evil for heavily taxing his tenants. Another evil man was “Peeping Tom”, a citizen of the town who is said to have spied on Lady Godiva as she rode naked, although Godiva had asked and forewarned not to. Because of his offensive behavior, “Peeping Tom” was struck blind as punishment. In “the Arrival of the Bee Box” men are also shown disapprovingly. Plath writes, “It is like a Roman mob, / Small taken one by one, but my god, together!” (lines 54-56). These lines describe the impact of the jumbled noises that the bees make. By using a simile to compare their incoherent sounds to a Roman mob, Plath criticizes men and shows that they too become unbearable in groups. Their chaotic and destructive aspects make them comparable to villainous creatures, like the bees that sting people and cause them pain. In “Daddy”, Plath continues her criticism of men, by writing, “No less a devil for that, no not / Any less the black man who / bit my pretty red heart in two” (lines 54-56). In these lines, Plath refers to her father and her husband, the two most important people in her life, as devils—the root of all evil. The devil is the most immoral creature and a common enemy for all. By describing these men as devils, Plath depicts them negatively as villains, a pattern that all three poems share.
The poems “Ariel”, “The Arrival of the Bee Box”, and “Daddy” shows women as heroines and men as villains. The mythical images and the allusions to legendary beings develop this pattern and establish a common theme of feminism. By showing women positively and men negatively, the mythological imagery emphasizes the meaning of these poems and develops their significance.
2 comments:
1. convincing and detailed interpretation of the thoughts and feelings expressed in the works, excellent awareness and critical analysis; great insight! i applaud you for doing something on mythology and possibly having to do outside research, it was very interesting to read.
2. (a) One thing that I missed was an introduction paragraph, I looked for it and I found a thesis and a quick introduction sentence, but then you went straight into analysis and I lost it. Write a clearly defined introductory paragraph that guides the reader into what you are going to be arguing. Perhaps you could talk about mythology and its effect on society in general, past uses of mythology, Sylvia Plath and her poetry in relation to mythology, things like this. I dont want to write an entire paragraph of your essay for you, but there are some suggestions.
(b) In your first paragraph when you talk about Lady Godiva you spend too much time talking about the actual mythology and not enough time analyzing how Plath uses it to make women heroines. I suggest that you combine the two sentences "Lady Godiva...tenants." and "She took...strong will." into one sentence such as "Lady Godiva, a noblewoman, rode naked through town in opposition of her husband's heavy taxation, taking pity on the suffering populus." Any analytical elements that i cut out of those two sentences can be added to your analysis section in an additonal sentence or two about how she is a heroine.
(c) The example also about Lady Godiva to show men as villanous also seems to lack direct analysis, and rather states facts that may pass for it. If you condense the facts about "Peeping Tom" and such and add more about how he is characterized as villanous and evil you will have sufficient analysis. Like condense it by not talking about her husband, and adding the analysis : "Peeping Tom was catigated for his wrongdoing and made to look like a fool in the presence of such a heroic female, clearly demonstrating the contrast between the honorable woman and the villanous man."
1)First off, I'd like to say after reading your essay, that you had some great transitions. I've gone through two essays already, and they all start with just talking about the subject, not smoothing changing from one idea to the next. You had very good structure in your essay.
2)a. "In poetry, imagery can be used to represent a variety of things and can be interpreted in many different ways. In the poems “Ariel”, “The Arrival of the Bee Box”, and “Daddy”, Sylvia Plath uses mythological imagery to portray women as heroines and men as villains." This is your intro paragraph, and in my opinion, it's a tad short. I also didn't find myself really hooked when I saw your first sentence. Perhaps you can lengthen it and make it more interesting by adding an attention grabber. Maybe use a quote from the poem or a definition?
b. "Plath writes, “If I’ve killed one man I’ve killed two— / The vampire who said he was you / And drank my blood for a year” (lines 71-73). From this passage, it seems that Sylvia Plath is defeating the villainous men who threaten her safety and give her trouble." Depending on who the reader is, and I think it's Mrs. Poulsen, I think that this line explaining the quote is irrelevant. She already know's what the poem is about and we're just analyzing the lines. But don't take my word for it.
c."The poems “Ariel”, “The Arrival of the Bee Box”, and “Daddy” shows women as heroines and men as villains. The mythical images and the allusions to legendary beings develop this pattern and establish a common theme of feminism. " Here, in the first sentence of your conclusion paragraph, it seems like you're presenting the new idea of feminism. I do realize that women being portrayed as heroines do add to the feminine effect, but I'd suggest staying away from presenting new idea's this way the reader doesn't question what they just read, and prevents the reader from getting confused. =]
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