Daddy Sylvia Plath

"Daddy" by Sylvia Plath is a powerful poem that explores themes of paternal oppression, trauma, and the struggle for identity. The speaker confronts a complex relationship with her father, blending feelings of love and hatred. Its raw emotion and vivid imagery make it a poignant reflection on personal and historical pain.

#Poetry #1962

Musically, it has been adapted in various forms, often incorporating haunting melodies that enhance its emotional depth. Its cultural impact lies in its candid exploration of mental health and feminism.

You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot
For thirty years, poor and white,
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.

Daddy, I have had to kill you.
You died before I had time--
Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,
Ghastly statue with one gray toe
Big as a Frisco seal

And a head in the freakish Atlantic
Where it pours bean green over blue
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.

In the German tongue, in the Polish town
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.
My Polack friend

Says there are a dozen or two.
So I never could tell where you
Put your foot, your root.
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.

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