Sylvia Plath- Ariel

Sylvia Plath is one of the most famous female poets and authors ever. Following a long battle with depression and marital issues she committed suicide in 1963, aged 30. Plath's anthology entitled 'Ariel' was published in 1965, 2 years after her death, and includes the self titled poem I have studied. Ariel was the name of the horse Plath enjoyed riding during the time she spent in the countryside with her Poet Laureate husband Ted Hughes.

The poem consists of 10 stanzas with 3 lines each.The first stanza starts with the image of "Stasis in darkness" and the second stanza with "God's lioness." Plath may have used sibilance and the 's' sound in her poem because it provokes an ominous feeling; the hissing sound is accosiated with snakes which are often viewed as scary creatures. The image of "Stasis in darkness" reflects this scary feeling because it portrays Plath confused mental state; she is in the dark and unsure of where to go.

After being diagnosed with mental health disorder Plath was treated with electroshock therapy and this strongly influenced her work. For example in her autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, Plath gives a description of the treatment: "Whee-ee-ee-ee-ee, it shrilled, through an air crackling with blue light." The symbolism of colour and light is a prominent theme in Plath's poetry. An example of this would be in the last line of 'Ariel' where Plath talks about going "Into the red eye, the cauldron of morning." The metaphor of the "red eye" as the sun is one of many examples of Plath using natural imagery, such as the description of "God's lioness" that I touched on earlier.

I think the abstract image of the "cauldron of morning " could be related to the poems similarity to a witches spell. Plath's work often has mythical themes and the poem often lists possible ingredients, such as the 4th stanza which says "Nigger-eye/ Berries cast dark/ Hooks-" Other mythical references in the poem include that of "Godiva" in stanza 7 who, according to legend, rode through the streets of Coventry naked to protest against taxes.

Plath's work is often very surreal and uses a lot of imagery and symbolism to reflect her personal mental state; the identity of a poet who suffers with a mental health disorder and is able to represent this through her writing. The aspect of femininity and the struggle to be accepted as a female writer is also important.