.

Sylvia Palth was born in Boston in 1932. Her father died when she was 8, which had a huge impact on her. She was a very talented writer, writing through her time in High School and winning two scholarships to attend university. She chose to study at Smith College, a women’s college in Massachusetts.
However, she was extremely insecure, and her failure to get a place on a writer’s course run by Frank O’Connor at Harvard in 1953 caused her to have a breakdown which resulted in her having psychiatric treatment. It was unsuccessful, leading to her attempting suicide. She was missing for three days before being found unconscious under her family home.
 
She married the poet Ted Hughes in 1956 and lived in Boston. Here, she suffered from writer’s block and depression. Although continuing to write until 1963, her depression and sense of isolation led to her committing suicide on Monday 11th February, 1963.

Here is some brief information about the poetry of Sylvia Plath that is on your course.

*

More detailed information can be found further down the page.

Black Rook In Rainy Weather.

A poem about poetic inspiration.

 The Times Are Tidy.

In this poem, Plath writes about how life nowadays is dull compared to the past.

 Morning Song.

This poem is about Plath’s daughter who was born in 1961.

 Finisterre.

This is about a place called “Finisterre” in Brittany in France. It details the things she sees there, the cliffs and the wild sea.

 Mirror.

This poem is about a mirror and how it shows exactly what is in front of it. It doesn’t hide anything or exaggerate.

Pheasant.

Plath is writing here about a pheasant that was to be killed but she doesn’t want this to happen. She admires the bird and wants it to be left alone.

Elm.

In this poem, an Elm tree talks about all the things that it sees and hears.

 Poppies In July.

This poem is about two things. It is about how vibrant and alive poppies seem when growing in the fields. It is also about how bad Plath feels too.

 The Arrival Of The Bee Box.

Plath bought some bees to keep and make honey. In this poem, she is looking at the box of bees after it has arrived. She is thinking about what is inside the box.

Child.

Plath here writes about how perfect her child seems to her. He is a year old.

She died exactly two weeks after writing this poem.