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Conflicting Perspectives

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Perspectives denote ways in which individuals view their world, and, when foregrounded by composers in a unique and evocative manner, significantly influences the way in which readers are positioned with regards to events, individuals and situations. The exploration of conflicting perspectives arising due to subjective human experiences results in alternative perceptions of truth. In Ted Hughes’ anthology of “birthday letters”, poetry is utilised as an emotive textual form to express the temporary nature of perspectives by reflecting on his turbulent relationship with Sylvia Plath. A study of both authors reveals how the interplay between memory and hindsight rarely tessellate with the truth. The exploration of the poetry of Ted Hughes and …show more content…

“Daddy” by Sylvia Plath is a confessional and highly emotional poem, in which Plath reveals a love-hate relationship with both her father and Ted Hughes, her husband. Plath cannot escape from him and the apparent hatred she feels for him, yet she cannot accept the love and attraction she feels for him either. For instance, the title “Daddy” has positive connotations associated with love, warmth and security, however, is sharply contrasted with the first line “You do not do, you do not do”. The tone can be interpreted as accusatory because of the repetition of the word “not”. Additionally, “Daddy” deals with Plath’s deep attachment to the memory of her father and the despondency it caused in her life, expressing sinister and depressing thoughts that are hidden through her word choice. This is illustrated in the first stanza when Plath writes, “black shoe in which I have lived like a foot”. Plath utilises a metaphor comparing Plath’s father to a shoe in which she lives, to reveal how trapped she feels by the memories of her father. Also in the following quotes, “You stand at the blackboard, daddy, / But no less a devil for that, / Bit my pretty red heart in two”, Plath takes the innocence of words and uses them to describe the obscurity and distress in her. She goes from using words such as daddy, and achoo to vampire and blood. Thus, the struggle she suffered from feeling cornered has affected the ways in which particular events are

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