Sylvia Plath’s Mad Girl’s Love Song: An Analysis of the Poem Plath’s poem Mad Girl’s Love Song is about a girl who has lost what seems to be the love her life, though it is ambiguous as to why he is not there with her. Was he killed in some war? Did he leave her for another? Or is there some untold circumstance that would call for his absence without return? At any rate, the fact that he is not with her has driven her to insanity and forced her to keep him alive in her mind to escape the pain of unfulfilled desire.
Regularly complaining of situations and the fact that his own body is deteriorating at a rate that’s faster than “other geniuses”. Mr Ramsay doesn’t react to this cruel fate however Mrs Ramsay notices the harsh reality of mortality however she chooses to cherish every moment she has left and the only character that manage to preserve this mortality is Lily through the form of art. This art is perhaps all that she can cling to and while mourning her mother’s death she reflects “nothing stays, all changes; but not words not paint”. I believe this is the true voice of Virginia Wolf shining through as she often does through Lily. This could relate to the sudden change in her family life, and her ability to express her life through art.
But, what holds them both back? One is just a bug and another is a human being, but sympathetically, which one has it worse? These two short essays brought me a lot of questions by looking from the other side of death from a different perspective. Virginia Woolf explains the life duration of a moth that is trapped. Going in grand detail of how this insects life should be lived, comparing a moth to a butterfly.
“The Fox” by Kenneth Patchen explores the idea of Death through the story of a pregnant fox that is shot by a hunter. Like “The Fly”, the necessity and tragedy of death is another theme. In contrast to the death of an unsuspecting fly, the death of an animal carrying young is considered tragic. The fox is killed before she has a chance to bring life into the world, evoking sympathy in the reader. The atmosphere of the “The Fox” is far sadder than that of “The Fly” because the author expresses more emotion rather than the analytical standpoint
This is used in the last line of the poem ‘Bide you with death and sin’; this symbolised her outrage at her sister and her hope that she will pay by going to hell after death. The word ‘Bide’ implies that she will have to live with what she has done, even after death. In contrast, Farmers Bride uses sibilance to emphasise that there are few good point about their relationship; ‘sweet as the wild violets, she, /To her wild self’ this symbolises his love and admiration for her, which is short lived as je cannot get near her. The word ‘wild’ has connotations of unspoilt freedom and rejection of people suggesting that she would rather be with nature than with another person, particularly a male. In sister Maude juxtaposition is used to show the emotion change from one stanza to the next.
“To be or not to be, that is the question; whether’ tis nobler in the mind to suffer...” (Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 1). This quotation proves Hamlet becomes inferior to others and the environment through his madness, causing him to express himself explicitly towards others. Hamlet’s madness not only causes his loved ones lives but it allows his “end” to come because he accepts every challenge from his opponent. Hamlet’s madness not only affects him but Ophelia, who is mentally torn apart by Hamlet. Ophelia was once flawless, but since her encounter with Hamlet she has fallen into the same madness and wants to kill herself.
These perceptions are presented in Tennessee Williams critically acclaimed play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (1947) and the award winning short story ‘Stolen Car’ by Archie Weller (1978). In ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (1947) the author Williams introduces the character Blanche Dubois and describes her as being ‘fragile like a moth’ this juxtaposes the character Stanley Kowalski who is described as ‘… pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens…’ The composer has constructed the play to have a fragile creature next to a rooster who would metaphorically eat it. Blanche is living in a world that doesn’t really exist anymore, and Williams positions us to feel sorry that her ideals are hopelessly out of date. It’s ironic that she urges her sister to move forward and progress with the world-rather than “hang back with the brutes”-when it is Blanche who is unable to move into the new world. The tension between these two main characters reaches the point when Stanley violates Blanche in a horrific way- by raping her.
She will not let this go so she regrettably hides in her dream world. Her fatal flaw will ultimately lead to her downfall when she becomes an alcoholic with nowhere to go to make the polka music go away. Therefore, characters take advantage of her and have sexual relations with her easily. Blanche is a tragic heroine because she has all the factors that make up a tragic hero. Other factors that make Blanche a tragic hero is those tragic heroes are responsible for his/her own fate.
Plath is able to strongly convey a central theme of suicide by relief of pain, and the result of abandonment and inactivity. Relief of pain through suicide is one of the most common themes used in Sylvia Plath’s poetry. In “Lady Lazarus”, Plath writes about her attempts at suicide. “And like the cat I have nine times to die. / This is number three (Plath 21-22).” In the poem she describes the two previous attempts at killing herself when she says “The first time it happened I was ten.
A curse that we didn’t see any value existence hold and only looked at is as a “never-ending spiral of life and death”. A curse, that we were engulfed with depression and emptiness that we often think that living is much harder than dying --- but sometimes, we would consider living as a blessing. A blessing, that we founded joy and contentment with the love of our friends and families. A blessing, that we achieved success through hard work and dedication and looked to the future bright. A blessing, that even when we felt all the negativity --- we rose to be strong and firm.