“What is most distinctive about Plath’s poetry is it’s startling and surprising imagery” How
far can you apply this statement to both Hughes and Plath
When looking at Plath’s poetry, there are often distinctive themes of things such as death and
decay, suffering and personal moments from within her life, however, it seems likely that it could be
argued to say that these themes are presented through her use of startling and surprising imagery.
Plath often uses taboo topics and makes reference to disturbing imagery in order to present her
points in poems such as Daddy, Birthday Present and Edge which may demonstrate that her most
distinctive feature is her use of imagery. Moreover, links can be made between Plath’s use of
disturbing imagery and the works of Hughes, who also focuses on more starling and on darker
topics, such as violence within nature and humanity. Therefore, it seems that through these
themes, Plath does prove the point that one of her most distinctive features is her imagery.
Firstly, one way in which Plath demonstrates her startling and surprising imagery is by linking it to
her ideas about death and decay. Plath struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and
is said to have used her poetry as a way of expressing her feelings and cope with her struggles,
thus often linking her startling thoughts to her poetry in a way that makes her distinctive from other
poets. However, perhaps this could lead to the argument by some that her most distinctive feature
is her connection to the human condition and psyche, rather than simply surprising imagery. On
the other hand, she demonstrates her ‘startling and surprising’ imagery quite explicit in the poem
‘Birthday Present’ in which she states things such as “I would have killed myself gladly”, the
declarative and simple statement not hiding the meaning of her words in any way. Critic Warren
stated that Plath “does not flinch from confronting feelings of nihilism” which seems relevant in this
poem as she is openly embracing ideas of death and suicide and almost seems to be celebrating
them, which would seem surprising to her audience. In the poem she says “Let us eat our last
supper”. This line could perhaps link to the religious idea of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion and
thus in using this religious imagery, she is linking her feelings of suicide to a Christian tradition
which is celebrated by the masses, and shows her excitement towards death. Furthermore,
through this poem she uses her imagery to criticise things such as the treatment of women. She
states that she is “adhering to rules, to rules, to rules”, the almost violent repetition showing the
suffocating and isolating reality of housewives during this time period. On a literal level, in this
poem, we see a housewife following a routine through Plath’s use of imagery, but on a
metaphorical level we see a woman suffering under the confines of domesticity. Plath herself hated
this feeling of being trapped within this lifestyle, writing in her diary “Spare me from cooking three
meals a day”. Therefore, through both shocking imagery and imagery of routine and daily life, Plath
creates a connection between the audience and the women of her poems, something which seems
to be distinctive in many of her poems as “many Plath poems are concerned at one level or
another with suffering” (Hobbs). Her connection of imagery to ideas of death are also shown in her
poem ‘Edge’ as she again seems to be celebrating, or even romanticising death, “The woman is
perfected. Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment”. These are only simple sentences
yet they carry enough weight to shock the reader but also to give some insight into the mind of
Plath during one of her toughest times, as this poem was written only a month before she
committed suicide. In talking about death in this way, Plath makes life seem like a challenge or a
weakness that needs to be overcome, which again may be startling to an audience. Plath also
creates a link between death and women in this poem, similar to that of Birthday Present, stating
that “she is used to this sort of thing” and making the notion of death seem like something common
for herself, or perhaps women in general. Therefore, through startling images of death and decay,
and by linking it to the plight of women, Plath successfully demonstrates that one of her most
distinctive features is her imagery, as it paints a mental picture that often the reader can really
personally identify with.
Startling and surprising imagery is also shown through Plath’s use of taboo topics to narrate her
own personal life, which is often the basis of her poetry. Her confessional poem ‘Daddy’ uses this
particularly dark and startling imagery to highlight her own personal struggles with the male figures
in her life, namely her father and then her husband, Hughes. Critic McClanahan said that “her
primitive honesty and emotionalism are her strength” which seems relevant in the case of this
poem, as she focuses her hatred and bitterness into her words, which many would argue is what
