Sylvia Plath Confessional Poetry Analysis

In the genre of poetry, poets use their poems as a method of reflecting upon thoughts and conveying their opinions on experiences to the reader. Over time, sub-genres of poetry have been established, each containing different purposes and writing style. An example would be the poems of Sylvia Plath, which tend to be in the writing style of confessional poetry. The main trends in the conventions of confessional poetry include: the addressing of personal experiences like depression, relationships or trauma, and the autobiographical writing style. The reason poets use confessional poetry is to better communicate with the reader in a genuine and personal method that allows them to better understand the personal experiences that are addressed. It

The poem displays Sylvia Plath’s inner turmoil with herself after realizing that her father was not of the high expectations she put up for him. The shattering of the wall that she had constructed to hide the reality of the identity of her father is established when she says “Daddy, I have had to kill you. / You died before I had time—/ Marble-heavy, a bag full of God” (Plath line 6-8). In the excerpt, Plath talks about metaphorically “killing” the high pedestal upon which her standards were set of him. She talks about her father’s passing away when she was too young to realize that he was not the father she thought he was when she says “You died before I had time”. Additionally, she compares him to “a bag full of God” which gives the reader an idea of the worshipping and idolization that she gave her father. The purpose of her personal experience in this poem is to give the reader a better grasp of the past and present relationship with her father, and how later on, she has come to the realization of the realities of him after the idolization stopped. She refers to her father as a God-like figure who she had to “kill” her idolization for, after realizing that she set high expectations for him because she was too young to figure out the realities of him. This shows her inner turmoil as she is conflicted with the breaking of the symbol of who she thought he was, compared to the man he actually