Castellanos 1

Enrique Castellanos  

Professor Tubbs  

Engl 1302 

04/28/2020 

Research Essay  

     Freedom of expression is one of the best liberties that any free person is able to experience.

Expressionism can come in the form of poetry, songwriting, dancing, art, etc. Although it

is important, and even necessary for mental health at times, it is indispensable to keep in mind

who the audience is so that we are considerate of them. Silvia Plath's talents

shone particularly when it came to her use of metaphors, for they displayed great imagery to her

audience. Upon reading any of her poetry, I felt the pains of her life, imagined the adversities she

faced, and even sympathized with her on many occasions. However, my opinion is

that her uses of imagery concerning the atrocities of the

Nazi renaissance are inappropriate and negligent to the feelings of her audience.  

     Let me begin by saying that audience is not the only factor to consider when expressing once

self, especially if you know that you have a big fan base. Timing, as well

as an adequate understanding of social norms, are important factors that Sylvia

Plath specifically ignored in her poem Lady Lazarus that was written in 1965. World War II had

ended approximately twenty years before the release of Plath’s poem, and many people were still

understandably sore from the results of the war. She used phrases such as “Jew linen” and “Nazi

lampshade” to emphasize her own realities in a way that is insensitive to WWII victims. The

icing on the cake was that Plath’s father was of German descent, which makes her real uses
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of imagery an even bigger slap to the face. Even though she did not have the same beliefs as her

father, it is imperative as a professional to understand your surrounding and background when

constructing such literature.  

     I do understand that comedians, authors, and even musicians use obscene language to

express themselves at times, but their audience expects nothing less of them. In a sense, they set

a bar for themselves as Plath set a higher stander for herself. Sylvia was a professional, and she

knew it. In an established society, individuals are expected to act a certain way to keep up

their reputation, which implies being restricted at times. These uses of antisemitic

imagery was not the problem here, but the problem was the insensitive use by a professional that

makes her works of literature sub-par.       

     Robert Boyers says it best when he explains that “The poetry of Sylvia Plath […] is a poetry

of surrender, surrender to an imagination that destroys life rather than enhancing it”

(Boyers, p.383). Although Boyers perception is rather critical and straight forward,

it is respected given his repertoire as a defined poetry critic. His thorough examination of

Sylvia Plath's poetry helps define what should be labeled good or mediocre

poetry. Another interesting statement that Boyers makes in the Volume 1. of

Poetry  Criticisms  was that “Plath is always aware of herself as a spectacle” (Boyers, p.385).

With this understanding, and while holding the position as a professional, she still made the

conscious decisions to objectify Jewish individuals for her distasteful use of imagery. It is at this

point that I would like to remind the reader again that I am not against freedom of

speech or creativity, but when it comes to professionalism, there are clear boundaries that should

be studied and understood.  
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     It would be nice if people could truly distinguish the differences between their professional

and personal life, but as   Buddhists monks say there must be an alignment of the mind, body,

and our actions in order to live a good life. When these criteria are not met, you see a leak from

one to another. This is what Plath struggled with when she stifled the severity of the

Jewish genocide. Her personal life, which was crippled by depression, leaked into

her professional life, and that shows when she neglects the feeling of that oppressed group. It

was Plath's heavy depression that weighed down her literary works, as many critics have come to

realize.  

     In Jeffery Meyer's article regarding Lady Lazarus, he dissects Plath's poem to again call

out the effects that her mental status played in her works of literature. Meyers says, “In the

notorious, contentious and yet convicting "Lady Lazarus," the Gentile Plath identifies with the

Jewish victims of the Nazis and equates her suffering with theirs” (Meyers, 2012). If we step

back and take a look into the life of Sylvia Plath, we can understand, although she did

face certain devastations in her life, it was nothing compared to what a

concentration camp victim was forced to endure. His interpretation made me ponder if

her intense uses of imagery was a plead for help, or was it all just an against the grain action to

draw a bigger audience.  

     Yet again, we see another poetry critic that exposes the motive of Sylvia Plath’s

literature, although it is not hard to discover. In the journal article Fueling the Phoenix Fire: The

Manuscripts of Sylvia Plath’s “Lady  Lazarus," Susan Van Dyne deduces that “The poem

it means to give offense, it makes outrageous claims.” (Dyne, p.396) This acknowledgment,

which can be overlooked, is a symbol that the maturity of Ms.

Plath was well underdeveloped. This, along with Plath’s constant self-irony,

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is the debilitating factor that makes her poetry of poor taste. Not because she challenges her

authority but because she ignores the impact that her literature had

on recovering Nazi victims. Dyne also states that “we begin to know what images freed

her genius or what material demanded to be rehearsed in order to free her” (Dyne. 399). But my

question to you is at what cost, her popularity or her recognition? Plath was undeniably talented

when it came to crafting poetry. If it were not for her poorly executed timing and understanding

of the subject, she so exploited she would not have been so ridiculed, and I would not

have written this paper.  

    At the end of the day, the topic of Sylvia Plath’s choice of imagery is subjective

to each individual. Whether you approve of her poetry or not, you can not help but acknowledge

that this poem defines our core morality by showing what we deem appropriate and how well we

understand each subject. Even when I make comedic jokes, I aim to understand my audience and

firmly grasp the topic in which I choose to objectify. However, I do not yet hold a position that

requires me to stifle myself as a professional would.  

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Works Cited

Boyers, Robert. "Sylvia Plath: The Trepanned Veteran." Poetry Criticism, edited by Robyn V. Young, vol.

1, Gale, 1991. Gale Literature Criticism, https://link-gale-

com.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/KQOBMK586019060/LCO?

u=txshracd2904&sid=LCO&xid=38a6d6d5. Accessed 21 Apr. 2020. Originally published in The

Centennial Review, vol. 13, no. 2, Spring 1969, pp. 138-153. 

Meyers, Jeffrey. "Plath's 'Lady Lazarus'." Notes on Contemporary Literature, vol. 42, no. 3, 2012. Gale

Academic OneFile, https://link-gale-com.aclibproxy.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A293545314/AONE?

u=txshracd2904&sid=AONE&xid=782dfdd8. Accessed 22 Apr. 2020. 

Van Dyne, Susan. “Fueling the Phoenix Fire: The Manuscripts of Sylvia Plath's ‘Lady Lazarus.’” The

Massachusetts Review, vol. 24, no. 2, 1983, pp. 395–410. JSTOR,

www.jstor.org/stable/25089435. Accessed 22 Apr. 2020.