The Writing Style Of Sylvia Plath's Confessional Poetry

In the genre of poetry, poets use their poems as a method of reflecting upon their thoughts and conveying their opinions on experiences to the reader. Over time, sub-genres of poetry were 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. Confessional poetry is used to address personal experiences like depression, relationships or trauma, and have an autobiographical writing style. Sylvia Plath’s conformity to the confessional poetry writing style in “Daddy” creates a more intimate relationship with the reader through the use of autobiographical form and by addressing personal struggles, for the purpose of expressing her inner turmoil.

An autobiography is a self written account of a person’s life, according to the New Oxford American Dictionary. Commonly used in the style of confessional poetry, it increases the effectiveness of the message that is conveyed by the poet since it gives information about the poet’s life. “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath, which talks about Sylvia’s closure with her father, uses autobiographical accounts to give the reader additional information to support her central ideas. Plath uses an autobiographical perspective when writing about relationship with her ex-husband, Ted Hughes, when she says “ If I’ve killed one man, I’ve killed two— / The vampire who said he was you / And drank my blood for a year, / Seven years, if you want