Sheep In Fog

Sylvia Plath’s contribution to American poetry was immense, even though she only published one poetry collection, The Colossus, during her lifetime. Through the success of Ariel after her death, she helped to shape the Confessional mode of poetry many poets have embraced afterwards. After studying with the poet Robert Lowell and being influenced by Anne Sexton (two major Confessional poets) and Plath’s own husband Ted Hughes, Plath wrote a number of what are considered to be searing and honest poems, full of unflinching subjects that were not considered common or ladylike at the time. She did not shy away from rage or dark humor, and references to abuse and rage were put center stage in many of her works. The poems in Ariel also maintain a sense of transformation and hope as Plath confronted mental health. Plath was willing to write about her struggle with traditional expectations regarding femininity, as well as emotional suffering and suicidal tendencies. Aware of the political complexities of World War II, as well as social and cultural change in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Plath worked real-world references into her personal metaphors. While her life and mental health often dominate discussions of her as a poet, some critics urge us to also remember she was also a superb craftsperson.