Analyzing Plath’s ‘Ariel’ and Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’
Sylvia Plath’s ‘Ariel’ and James Baldwin’s ‘Giovanni’s Room’
Sylvia Plath’s Biography and Context
Biography: Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) was an American poet known for her confessional style, which delves deeply into personal experiences and psychological struggles. Plath’s life, marked by severe depression, ended in her suicide.
Historical and Literary Context: Ariel, published posthumously in 1965, is part of the confessional poetry movement of the mid-20th century. It is characterized by intense, personal themes and a raw emotional tone.
Overview of Ariel: The collection explores themes of death, rebirth, the female experience, and the tension between self and societal expectations. The poems are known for their vivid imagery and complex language.
James Baldwin’s Biography and Context
Biography: James Baldwin (1924-1987) was an African American writer and activist, noted for exploring race, sexuality, and identity. He moved to Paris in 1948 to escape the racism of the United States.
Historical and Literary Context: Published in 1956, Giovanni’s Room broke ground with its depiction of homosexuality and bisexuality in a time of societal taboo.
Overview of Giovanni’s Room: The novel follows David, an American in Paris, as he grapples with his sexual identity and his relationship with Giovanni, an Italian bartender. Themes include alienation, internal conflict, and societal expectations.
Analyzing Poetry (Using Ariel)
Identifying Themes
Identifying the Theme: Look for recurring motifs or subjects. In Ariel, themes include death, rebirth, identity, and feminism.
- Example: “Lady Lazarus” explores rebirth through the metaphor of resurrection.
Communicative Situation
Poetic Voice: Identify the speaker and tone. Often, the voice is deeply personal, reflecting Plath’s struggles.
- Example: The tone in “Lady Lazarus” is defiant.
Resources for Identifying Themes
- Imagery: Blends the natural with the surreal.
- Example: “Ariel” uses the image of a horse ride as a metaphor for transformation.
- Symbolism: Objects representing larger ideas.
- Example: The “bee” symbolizes productivity and danger.
- Diction: Stark and intense word choices.
Rhetorical Devices
- Metaphor: Direct comparison.
- Example: “Lady Lazarus” compares the speaker to a phoenix.
- Simile: Comparison using “like” or “as.”
- Example: “Ariel” compares dew to something suicidal.
- Personification: Giving human traits to nonhuman objects.
- Example: “Morning Song” personifies the morning.
- Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds.
- Assonance: Repetition of vowel sounds.
- Example: “The Moon and the Yew Tree” repeats the “o” sound.
- Enjambment: Continuation across a line break.
- Example: “Ariel” maintains momentum.
- Caesura: Deliberate pause within a line.
- Example: “Daddy” uses caesura for jarring effect.
- Hyperbole: Exaggeration.
- Example: “Lady Lazarus” exaggerates rebirth.
- Irony: Contrast between expectation and reality.
- Example: “Daddy” uses irony with the affectionate term.
- Imagery: Descriptive language appealing to the senses.
- Example: “Poppies in October” uses vivid, violent imagery.
- Symbolism: Use of symbols to represent ideas.
- Example: The “bee” in “Bee Poems.”
- Onomatopoeia: Imitating sounds.
- Example: “Ariel” uses “thump.”