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Ariel By Sylvia Plath - Term Papers

Ariel By Sylvia Plath

The Ariel-period poems of Sylvia Plath demonstrate her desire for rebirth, to escape the body that was "drummed into use" by men and society. I will illustrate the different types of rebirth with examples from the Ariel poems, including "Lady Lazarus," "Fever 103," "Getting There," and "Cut."
"Lady Lazarus," the last of the October poems, presents Plath as the victim with her aggression turned towards "her male victimizer (33)." Lady Lazarus arises from Herr Doktor's ovens as a new being, her own incarnation, "the victim taking on the powers of the victimizers and drumming herself into uses that are her own" (33). Linda Bundtzen also sees the poem as "an allegory about the woman artist's ...

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the poem is positive, "Plath turns on herself, identifying with her oppressor, and sadistically punishes her body in the process of
recreating it" (Bundtzen 237).

Plath did not see the rebirth process as a pleasant experience, but one that is expected of her "I guess you could say I've got a call" (Plath 245). She, however, sees the benefits that come from her suffering and continues the process again and again. “Fever 103" is also about a women releasing herself from a man, but in a different manner — she desires to have androgyny. She realizes she cannot enjoy sex because her body is being drummed into use by a will that is not its own. During the multiple orgasms of "Fever 103, " "the delirious woman sublimates a body sick with desire into an acetylene virgin flame and thereby rids herself of any need for men to complete herself sexually; " Thus, Plath freed herself from male dependency (Bundtzen 236).

Two Ariel poems "Cut" and "Getting There" do not exhibit a full ...

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Ariel By Sylvia Plath. (2007, July 5). Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Ariel-By-Sylvia-Plath/67518

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 7/5/2007 10:34:24 AM
Category: English
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1200
Pages: 5

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