Daddy

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1964

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“Lady Lazarus“ by Sylvia Plath (1965)

“Lady Lazarus” is published in the same collection as “Daddy,” Ariel, and, like “Daddy,” includes allusions to Nazi Germany and her Jewish ancestry to show oppression and the devil, in this case Lucifer, and God to show contrast in life and death. In this confessional poem, Plath addresses her personal experiences with death, either accidental or by choice. At the end of the poem, the simile “And I eat men like air” (Line 84) suggests her defiance against the men in her life, this time her doctors and her husband.

“Mary’s Song“ by Sylvia Plath (1965)

“Mary’s Song” is part of the Ariel collection and along with “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus” is part of a trio of “Holocaust” poems alluding to Germany and Jews, as described by Kirsten Fermaglich in American Dreams and Nazi Nightmares: Early Holocaust Consciousness and Liberal America, 1957-1965. Like the structure of “Daddy,” this poem starts with an idea that becomes more and more complex with visual imagery, metaphors, and similes, ultimately tackling contrasts between destruction/death and rebirth/life, God and humankind, and domesticity and the expansive world.

“Sylvia’s Death“ by Anne Sexton (1963)

A friend of Plath’s and a contemporary in confessional poetry, Sexton penned this three-page elegy, first published in TriQuarterly magazine and then in her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poems Live or Die in 1966. Sexton directly addresses Plath throughout the poem, writing of their shared desire for death while living in the domesticity meant for mothers and wives of the time. Like “Daddy,” repetition is significant here, particularly on the word “death,” emphasizing a theme that is prominent in both poems.

Further Literary Resources

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (1967)

The Bell Jar is Sylvia Plath’s only novel. Its main character Esther Greenwood is based on Plath’s own experiences as a college student working in New York City for Mademoiselle who becomes hospitalized after a mental breakdown. The book was first published under the pen name “Victoria Lucas” in 1963 while Plath was still living and then republished after her death with her real name. Along with addressing mental health and coming of age challenges, the novel also addresses the theme of 1950s American feminism and domestic obligations vs. personal ambition, which Plath reflected in her poetry.

The Journals of Sylvia Plath by Sylvia Plath (1982)

At age 11 Plath began keeping a journal, which she referred to as “Sargasso,” a name that conjures images of the Sargasso Sea, uniquely known for its lack of land boundaries. This collection of entries, with a foreword by Ted Hughes, begins in 1950 during her time at Smith College and continues until 1962, almost the end of her life. This collection gives a fragmentary but honest look at Plath’s expansive feelings, dreams, and worries, providing the context and the early seeds for her creative work.

The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm (1995)

In this book, journalist Janet Malcolm examines the various biographies of Plath already in existence, questioning their motives and, ultimately, questioning the art of a biography. In doing so, she provides a different perspective on Plath’s life, her challenging marriage to Ted Hughes, suicide, and the emotional effect on future readers and fans of her poetry.