Sylvia Plath’s depiction of motherhood through poetic language

Abstract

This thesis explores how Sylvia Plath uses metaphors, similes and lexis in her poems that are about motherhood. More specifically, the thesis looks at themes about pregnancy and the relationship between the speaker and the child. The thesis analyses three poems: Morning Song, Metaphors and Nick and the Candlestick. The analysis is done through close reading to see the patterns in the poem through form and language use. The findings showcase that Plath’s poetry uses metaphors and similes to create distance between the speaker and the other characters that are mentioned in the poems. The three poems analysed all share the same motif of uneasiness towards the baby or pregnancy. Keywords: Sylvia Plath, motherhood, poetry analysis