What are the recurrent themes in Sylvia Plath’s poetry?

Answer

What are the recurrent themes in Sylvia Plath’s poetry?

Or, Write a note on the themes of Sylvia Plath’s poetry.

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963) was one of the most powerful poets of the 20th century. Her poems are deeply personal and full of emotion. She often wrote about pain, sadness, fear, love, death, nature, and relationships. Many of her poems deal with darkness and suffering, but they also show her creative power as a poet. Here, I will discuss the recurrent themes in her poetry.

Motherhood as Mixed Feelings: In “Morning Song,” we find Plath’s personal feelings about motherhood. She wrote this poem in 1961, after the birth of her first child, Frieda. In this poem, she shows that a mother does not feel only happy and sweet. She also feels distant and confused as she tries to adjust to her baby. In the very first line, she compares her baby to a watch.

“Love set you going like a fat gold watch.”

Again, in line 4, she calls the baby a “new statue.” These images suggest the mother’s sense of detachment from the baby. She sees the baby as an object. It means she is still unable to connect with the baby emotionally.

She slowly begins to feel wonder and connection with her child. She wakes to listen to the baby’s breath. She compares the baby’s breath to the sound of “a far sea” in her ear, a calm and peaceful sound. When the baby cries, she quickly gets up and takes care of the baby. Plath presents motherhood as strange, real, and honest, not just sweet.

Darkness, Fear, Isolation: Plath’s life was full of depression. We find her deep inner struggle in many of her poems. In “Crossing the Water,” everything is dark: the lake, the boat, the trees, and even the people.

“Black lake, black boat, two black, cut-paper people.”

Plath repeats the word “black” four