Biography of Sylvia Plath - 942 Words

As one of the most multitalented writers of the twentieth century, Sylvia Plath was highly esteemed by fans and fellow writers alike. Sylvia Plath’s parents, Aurelia Schober and Otto Plath, had met when Aurelia became Otto’s student at Boston University. Otto was a biology professor with an infatuation with bees; he had even published a book titled Bumblebees and their ways. Otto and Aurelia married in January of 1932, and by October of the same year Aurelia gave birth in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts to a daughter, Sylvia. Sylvia spent her childhood in Winthrop, but after Plath’s father died of diabetes, her mother moved her and her brother, Warren, to Wellesley, Massachusetts which was closer to Plath’s grandmother. Aurelia had acquired†¦show more content†¦During this time Plath had begun to search for lodging in London, she was working with the BBC Plat found an apartment in London fairly quickly. Plath took the children with her to London, where she balanced her career with her family. Plath would work on her Ariel poems before the children would wake up in the morning. She continued to suffer from sickness, and during the day she would have to deal with freezing temperatures, and nonfunctional electricity and heating. On top of no heat and power, Plath had to wait for a telephone that never got installed (Ames 211-215). Plath’s only book, The Bell Jar, revolves around Esther Greenwood, a typical teenage girl aspiring to be an English teacher. The plot, however, is atypical; instead of Greenwood coming of age with normal, positive scenarios, Greenwood descends into madness and graduates not from college, but from a mental institution. Greenwood reactions to daily life differ from normal girls her age. She becomes obsessed with oddities like pickled fetuses, dead bodies, and the execution of the Rosenburgs. Greenwood scoffs at the notion of no premarital sex, viewing it as hypocritical of boys being able to sleep around while girls are to remain virgins until marriage. This option is due in part by Buddy, Greenwood’s boyfriend, having sex with a coworker repeatedly over the summer while still dating Greenwood. Greenwood‘s subsequent actions cause her to be admitted to a mental institution after herShow MoreRelatedBiography of Sylvia Plath1452 Words   |  6 PagesCritical Analysis Sylvia Plath, a great American author, focuses mostly on actual experiences. Plath’s poetry displays feelings and emotions. Plath had the ability to transform everyday happenings into poems or diary entries. Plath had a passion for poetry and her work was valued. She was inspired by novelists and her own skills. Her poetry was also very important to readers and critics. Sylvia Plath’s work shows change throughout her lifetime, relates to feelings and emotions, and focuses on dayRead MoreA Biography on the Life of Sylvia Plath Essay528 Words   |  3 PagesSylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents were Otto and Aurelia Plath. Plaths father, Otto, immigrated to America from Germany when he was just sixteen years old. He wanted to study ministry at the Northwestern College, which was a small Lutheran school. According to his wife, Aurelia, Otto changed his ambitions because he didnt feel a true calling for the ministry. He received a master of the arts from Washington University, and the doctor of science fromRead MorePeople s Love At First Sight By Sylvia Plath1567 Words   |  7 Pages People dream of falling in love at first sight. Sylvia Plath, an American writer, experienced the desirable moment the first time she saw Ted Hughes, an English poet (Middlebrook). The romantic relationship between Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath grew instantly. They both shared a love of writing, but yet their relationship began to go downhill five years after their marriage (Popova). The marriage between Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath was destructive because of Sylvia’s unstable mental health and Ted’sRead MoreSylvia Plath s Life And Life1425 Words   |  6 Pagesor introspectively passive and sad or I can go mad by ricocheting in between.† (Goodreads, 2013) This is a quote from Sylvia Plath, a poet who faced many obstacles in her life including attempting suicide; getting divorced due to lies and infidelity; and leaving her children behind. Sylvia Plath was born on October 27, 1932 in Boston Massachusetts Plath’s father Otto Plath author of a book on bees. (The Famous People Website, 2013; About.com, 2013). Her father taught at Boston University, whereRead MoreSylvia Plath s Life And Accomplishments974 Words   |  4 PagesSylvia Plath’s work is marked with her trademark style, one full of enigmatic analogies and ambiguous metaphors. Sadly though, the life of Sylvia Plath was indeed shorter than anyone expected. Nevertheless, in the thirty years Plath meandered through the world, she left an everlasting impact. Remembered as one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the twentieth century, Plath cultivated a literary community unlike any predecessor. Additionally, since a sizable portion of Plath’s work was readRead MoreSylvia Plath’s Life1219 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Winder’s Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953 illuminates different aspects of Sylvia Plath’s life. However, Winder depicts Plath not as the mythologized martyr of a collapsed marriage or the tragic woman poet with a debilitating illness but rather as a young girl wanting to immerse herself in the rich, material culture of her time. Winder’s biography gives insight to the life of an intelligent young woman amidst the gender constraints of mid-century America, a themeRead MoreThe Collection Biographical Connections By Sylvia Plath1422 Words   |  6 PagesConnections 1. Sylvia Plath worked as a guest editor during the summer of 1953 in New York for the magazine Mademoiselle. Shortly after her stint as a guest editor, she attempted suicide by taking sleeping pills (Sylvia Plath Biography†). 2. Plath recovered after she received treatment at a mental health facility (Sylvia Plath Biography†). 3. Sylvia Plath and poet Ted Hughes married in 1956. They later divorced in 1962 when Hughes left Plath for another woman (Sylvia Plath Biography†). 4. FollowingRead MoreSylvia Plath836 Words   |  4 Pages Sylvia Plath is said to be one the most prodigious, yet interesting, confessional poets of her time. She was an extremely vital poet of the post-World War II time period and expressed her feelings towards her father and husband through her poetry. Plath’s mental illness had a dramatic influence upon her work in which she demonstrated the hatred she had for her father specifically. The poem â€Å"Daddy† is an easily applicable example. Within this piece of work, Plath uses direct references to howRead MoreAnalysis Of `` Daddy `` By Sylvia Plath1210 Words   |  5 PagesSylvia Plath had turbulent and unstable life leading up to her suicide. Her father died when she was very young, although he held considerable weight in her poetry. Sylvia even dedicated an entire poem, titled â€Å"Daddy†, to her thoughts and feelings about her deceased father. Ted Hughes, her husband, also proved to be a large influe nce in much of her work, and also helped shape her ideas of feminism and motherhood. He was also referenced in the poem â€Å"Daddy†, along with many other poems. DepressionRead MoreThe Poetry Of An Author962 Words   |  4 Pageseven the way they were ordered poems. In the case that concerns us Sylvia Plath I could not shake that biographism; What s more, thanks to him I met the poetry of this woman who, otherwise, would never have aroused my curiosity. So, biographical circumstance for some critics is almost like a curse. It has been the key element that led me to the poetry of this woman. My first approach to Sylvia Plath came after seeing the film Sylvia (a biopic, to increase my biographer fault) starring Gwyneth Paltrow