Ricardo C.

Alindayu II (2014-49379)
November 20, 2014
Eng 11 THR
Marella Therese Tiongson

Ms.

READaction: Daddy by Sylvia Plath

Daddy by Sylvia Plath is probably one of the most disturbing poems I have
read in my life, which makes it a very interesting addition to my mental library of
literature. Reading the poem alone in my room at night made be extremely
uncomfortable because of the striking mental images it creates. Each line and
stanza in the poem brings a barrage of strong emotion because of the word
selection and overall tone of the persona. Her use of figures of speech and imagery
both contribute to the intensity of feelings that she wants to convey to the readers.
Despite the disturbing and slightly macabre aura, I found the poem an excellent
outlet for the author to express her overflowing emotions.
Plath made use of several devices to help accentuate her emotions towards
the addressee, Otto Plath.
First, she was very particular with her use of imagery in the poem. Words,
things and places related to the Holocaust were frequently mentioned in her work
such as Aryan, swastika and Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen. Two lines written in
the German language were made as well namely Ach, du and Ich, ich, ich, ich,
which likely reference the role of the Germans in World War II. This kind of
imagery is probably what disturbed me the most in the poem because the events in
the Holocaust and World War II in general were very gruesome and graphic. Her
use of these kinds of images in the poem probably contributed to how she felt
towards the addressee because of the very intense nature of the Holocaust.
Despite the disturbing imagery, I found it very creative and effective in relaying
her feelings to the reader. It really gave me the intense and immense feeling that
the writer probably harbored.
Second, her figures of speech all contribute to the ill feeling she harbors.
Her simile which says In which I have lived like a foot made me think how
uncomfortable that would be, which is probably what she felt when she mentioned
that simile. Another figure of speech which is very important is when she relates
herself to a Jew and her father a German. It is very consistent with the Holocaust
imagery and tells a lot about the father-daughter relationship. Looking at the
historical reference, the Jews were constantly persecuted and classified as the
lower race by the Germans. Relating this to the figure of speech, the persona
probably felt inferior and receptive to her father, despite his death. I found the two
similes very unique and creative because I have never seen or encountered them
before. They arent clich nor overrated to be begin with, which is why I probably
wanted to highlight them in this paper.
Third, she had a feminist approach with the poem. Honestly, I did not notice
the feminist aspect in the poem at first because I was too busy deciphering the
meanings of the historical references. Luckily, this was clarified in class and I
figured it contributes to the strong emotion of the poem. This approach for me is
extremely important to the meaning of the poem because it provides a dimension
to the relationship between father and daughter. I could clearly see the oppression
felt by the author (after all, this poem is related to her life) when her father passed
away at an early age. I would probably feel angered and annoyed as well if my
father were to pass away early in my life as well. The feminism part was very
appealing to me as well because I saw

Overall, what I found in this poem is the intensity of emotions that Plath
wanted to relay to her readers. Every stanza in the poem used big and strong
words that evoke strong feelings as well to the reader. I felt extremely sad while
reading the poem because I figured how emotional Plaths life was. That was how
effective her poem was as an outlet of her feelings.
On a more personal note, I was very attracted to this poem simply because it
shows the exact opposite scenario when I relate it to my life. My father was
present in most, if not all of my endeavors in my life. Based from my own personal
experience and hearing out her emotions from the poem, I can say that I actually
have pity for Sylvia Plath when it comes to the fatherly presence aspect of her life.
I could feel how difficult it was for her by reading the lines of the poem because of
the strong words and well-crafted lines. I have been highlighting constantly that
the author carried immense feelings with the poem, and with this, I also carried
immense feelings as well. What once was fear because of the uncomfortable
language turned to pity and understanding. Daddy was a very deep and strong
poem that I am thankful for discussing in class because I learned to appreciate my
father for being there for me.