Blizzard Sylvia Plath Analysis

Clarisse is a mirror for Montag. “How like a mirror, too, her face. Impossible; for how many people did you know who refracted your own light to you? People were more often- he searched for a smile, found one in his work- torches, blazing away until they whiffed out. How rarely did people's face take off you and throw back you your own expression, your own innermost trembling thought? (11). Explanation of quote. “‘Are you happy?’” (10). Explanation of the meaning of the question and what it does. Conclusion.

In “Initiation,” Sylvia Plath tells the story of a girl, Millicent, and her search for acceptance in the wrong place, and her eventual discovery regarding the importance of individuality. To accomplish this, Plath uses bird imagery, which chronicles Millicent’s transformation into one who values individuality as opposed to conformity. She uses “flock” to describe the sorority and club mentality portrayed in the piece, and “heather birds” to symbolize an individual. However, while these piece is grounded in a young girl’s search for acceptance, as evident in the words “Millicent had waited for acceptance, longer than most,” the piece can also be viewed as a microcosm of society. This is true as, similar to the sorority within the piece, the “select flock”, or the group in which most desire to be within larger-scale society, looks down on those who are “a bit too different,” a phrase which a member of the sorority uses to describe a girl who had not been chosen to join the

The short story “What Happened During the Ice Storm” utilizes two major literary elements; one of which expresses a current social issue. The author, Jim Heynen, employes allegory and imagery to represent charity and self-sacrifice. Imagery is often used in this short story to create a somber tone, for instance “most animals were safe…But not the pheasants” and ”The boys stood still in the icy rain. Their breath came out in slow puffs of steam.” The boys and the pheasants are allegorical representations: The pheasants represent someone who is in need, and consequently, the boys using their coats to warm the pheasants represents the choice self-sacrifice over self-preservation. The purpose of the short story is to make the reader ask themselves

In “Popular Mechanics”, a story written by Raymond Carver, we as a reader find out about the pain of separation and the breakage of family. Carver uses two stylistic elements, diction and syntax, to further develop a tone within “Popular Mechanics”. Diction is the word choice and use of words in speech or writing. The syntax of a story is the arrangement of words and phrases used in order to create strong sentences in a language. These two elements together can help develop tone, which is the general character or attitude of a piece of writing.

Isolation is when one is set apart from others and is virtually alone. In Laurie Anderson’s Speak, the protagonist, Melinda, isolates herself and is further isolated from others. Isolation can be seen through three symbols: lips, mirrors and a closet. Melinda thinks no one cares about what she has to say, resulting in silence. After the incident in the summer, Melinda cannot bare to look at herself. A space where Melinda can physically be alone is what she needed to even more so build a wall between her and others, thus being why the closet is an important aspect and symbol. Isolation is what helped Melinda cope with her pain, this is what makes it the major theme in the novel.

Every type of person struggles with a thing we call, identity. Personal identity come from multiple factors from our race to our own personal beliefs. Some people say we have the choice to choose our own identity, but is that always true? No, in fact other people can affect how we look and essentially identity our self’s. In the article called. “Gawking, Gaping, staring” this article is written by Eli Clare from Tim Marrows telling. In this article it is about a transgender individual who throughout their whole lives have been ridiculed by this one characteristic. The person in the story tells you about many years before today these people such as drag queens or transgender were normally put on display and called freaks, they were starred at and ridiculed. The person who is telling the story on how now we might not have “Freak Shows” we do still stare, and judge without realizing the affects that it can have on the ones being targeted. We do not know how bad our words hurt but some time they can cause

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath is a semi-autobiographical novel in which Plath relays her own experiences through protagonist Esther Greenwood by highlighting the struggles she faced in navigating societal expectations, depression, and her own desires. Having spent time in college and later in multiple mental health institutions, Plath tells her story through Esther in a way that blends fiction and reality. Through Esther, we see Plath’s own interpretations of her triumphs, failures, values, and the slow but seemingly inevitable diminishment of her mental health.

“Billy turned to see and caught his ghostly reflection in a mirror by the table at the same moment as did Thomas. Billy screamed and cried. Thomas was so startled, he nearly dropped.” (p.37) At first this doesn’t appear to say anything, but then one is left to wonder why Virginia made the mirror have so much commotion attached. Later this point is emphasized again when Mrs. Small beholds the mirror. “Now they saw a grand, gilded mirror, on either side of which were two familiar end tables. ‘Why that looks beautiful!’ said Mrs. Small. ‘Those are my tables, but whose mirror is it?’ ‘That mirror was there the first time I saw the place,’ Mr. Small said.” (p.38) The mirror is singled out especially here and praised too. The fact that it was a part of the house before they bought it indicates that it also holds a secret of the house. This is an example of how you can begin to understand the story more fully with

Mirrors are capable of showing an individual’s outer appearance, but nothing beyond that. Not even a mirror the size of a door can reveal a person’s intentions, perspectives, or values. Only actions, words, experiences, and ideas could possibly represent and contribute to one’s personal beliefs. Every individual has a different opinion regarding what is considered right or wrong. For example, one individual may believe that stealing medicine in order to help save a sick person’s life is morally right, while the other may strongly disagree and believe that the shoplifter should be incarcerated. Famous Southern gothic writer, Flannery O’Connor, is confident that religion determines whether a person

From the age of eight until her death, Sylvia Plath struggled with mental illness. Along with frequent therapy visits, she wrote poetry to reflect the many events in her life. She wrote about everything, from the things that brought her great joy to the things that drove her to attempt suicide. One recurring topic of her poems is her father, Otto Plath, who she adored until he died of undiagnosed diabetes when she was eight. This event sparked a lifetime of depression and anger towards her father. It inspired her to write some of her most famous poems, one being called “Daddy.” She describes it as “an awful little allegory, in which the speaker of the poem felt compelled to act out” (Brown and Taylor 1). His death plants a fear of abandonment

While reading The Bell Jar, a semi-autobiographical novel written by Sylvia Plath, interpretations towards the main character, Esther, were made. Although Esther is diagnosed with depression, she does not seek help. Esther does not want a normal life. The life Esther lives is controlled by her mind, and her mind refuses to believe that there is happiness in the world. Esther does not renege on her beliefs and continues to believe that there is no good left in the world without any will to change that Everything seemed upsetting in Esther’s eyes. Esther had not seeked any help alone, which proves that she never wanted a normal life, but she needed one to survive instead. Death was beautiful

In “Daddy”, poet Sylvia Plath uses imagery and allusion to show her bad relationship she had with her father, how her life was miserable while she was writing the poem, and blaming her father for her status by comparing her depression to the holocaust during World War 2, thereby suggesting that her pain is greater than a world catastrophe.

“What the Mirror Said” has a distinct sound that makes the message come across as straight-forward. Clifton uses language like, “you a wonder, you a city of a women...” that makes the poem sound very direct and clear of what it is trying to say. “Mirrors” by KHL also has a distinct sound; through the use of her line breaks, the poem sounds uneasy and difficult to communicate which supports the theme because the top is something that many women are affected by. Both of the poems have a direct, simple word choice which supports the message. The word choice supports the meaning because it helps to show that women seeing themselves in the mirror should not be a complex, difficult thing, it should be simple and comfortable. Also, each poem uses metaphors to communicate important messages that support their themes. Clifton uses a metaphor in line eight: “somebody need a map to understand you. somebody need directions to move around you.” This metaphor describes how a woman is an individual that is unique and gorgeous in their own way. KHL uses a metaphor as the very last line of her poem. She writes, “but until we have those mirrors or train ourselves to love what we see we have each other as mirrors.” This line supports her whole theme, that society needs to help a woman see her own beauty. Both of the poems by Clifton and KHL use the craft of their pieces to

The final ending of the world is in question to many individuals. In the short poem, “Fire and Ice”, by Robert Frost, he outlines a familiar topic, the fate of the world’s destruction. In nine lines, Frost conveys the contradiction of the two choices for the world’s end. Frost uses symbolism to convey the meaning of fire and ice as symbols for human behavior and emotion.

This analyse will be about Under the Skin and this will be analysed with Lacan’s Mirror Stage. Before I start the analyse of Under the Skin, I will explain what “Mirror Stage” means. Mirror Stage is a "psychoanalysis" theory first introduced by the French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan at the 14th International Congress of Psychoanalysis in 1936. The theory says the psychological development processes during the first 6-18 months of life. The child, prior to this period, is the total of needs and requests that who is not yet able to reach the level of perception that himself or herself is a separate being from the surrounding objects and individuals. In this process the baby is aware of its existence with the help of discrete senses and feelings;