Bethany Draeger

Death; Blessing or a curse?
“Dying / Is an art, like everything else, / I do it exceptionally well.” (Lady Lazarus 43-45).Sylvia Plath uses the imagery of death constantly throughout her poems. Two significant poems that show death in two different lights are “Daddy” and “Edge”. They both focus on death and the emotions that o with I, yet the emotions given off by the poem are completely different. Through her diverse motifs, colors and tones, Sylvia Plath portrays death in different forms.
To begin, in “Edge”, there is a very strong motif that is laced in, Greek culture. Based on our general knowledge of the Greeks, we associate them with gods and mythical tales. This is a very calming motif that, when added, makes death seem almost tranquil. Sylvia Plath writes, “The woman is perfected / Her dead / Body wears the smile of accomplishment. / The illusion of Greek necessity.” (Edge 1-4). Although this woman has passed on, the term ‘accomplishment’ paired with the Greek motif makes the passing of the woman bearable to the audience. In complete contrast, a common motif in “Daddy” is the reference to Nazis. Just the word Nazi instills hatred and pain in many hearts. When tied to it, death is given a violent, miserable image. “Chuffing me off like a Jew. / A Jew to Dachav, Auschwitz, Belsen.” (Daddy 32-33). Death is no longer welcomed with the feeling of the peace it will bring, but resented at the injustice of it’s premature appearance. With the support of meaningful motifs, the entire emitted feeling can be greatly altered.
Following Motifs is the importance of color. People relate to colors differently but there are some that, when used properly, can make and undeniable point. Sylvia Plath uses the color white repeatedly throughout “Edge”. She refers to it both directly, “Each dead child coiled, a white serpent,” (Edge 10), and indirectly. She uses images that most would relate with the color white; a toga, bare feet, milk. In the apreviously mentioned quote, Sylvia speaks of the horror of the death of a child, yet it does not seem as tragic as it should, which is due to the fact that it is surrounded by the color white. White is a very pure, innocent color that calms and relaxes the mind and soul. On the contrary, in “Daddy”, harsh, painful colors are used. Plath consistently refers to the colors black and blue. “There’s a stake in your fat black heart” (Daddy 76) and “your Aryan eyes bright and blue.” (Daddy 45) are just two examples of the blatant use of these colors. On their own, black and blue may not always have a negative connotation, but when combined, they cause one to think of bruises and injury. These colors of suffering add a painful element to the entirety of the poem.
The last significant aspect that effects how death is perceived is the tone in which death itself is mentioned. In “Daddy”, when death is brought up, it seems strained and desperate, as if it is not time yet. Plath writes, “I was ten when they buried you. / At twenty I tried to die / To get back, back, back to you.” (Daddy 57-59). It is as though the speaker is taking death into their own hands and using it to ease the pain and suffering in life. It is not the calming, reassuring image received in “Edge” when Sylvia writes, “We have come so far, it is over.” (Edge 8). From this statement, the speaker is showing that they have completed their purpose in life and is now ready to let go. Their death is not premature, it is not out of control, it is just as it should be, which inspires a feeling of content and acceptance in the reader.
Overall, Plath is able to inspire different feelings, both extremely strong, with the same image. Just with the change in tone, different complimentary motifs, and the use of meaningful colors, Sylvia creates and entirely different mood and feeling that pulses from her work. This ability, to create passionate emotions through strings of words, proves her exceptional talent with poetry. “I guess you could say [she has] a call.” (Lady Lazarus 48).