Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy" and the Journey to Emancipation
Sylvia Plath's poem "Daddy" is an example of how a person who lost her father at an early age can mature and become independent. The composition is divided into sixteen stanzas, each with five lines. The complex poetry, attributed to Sylvia Plath, expresses complex opposites that call for careful reading and interpretation to fully comprehend. This essay will evaluate the poem's meaning based on the words chosen, the symbolism contained therein, and the fundamental rhythms and patterns that make up the poem's overall meaning. The analysis of the poem will be a gradual analysis that will break down the poem into small parts that can be analyzed. The poem 'Daddy' has the meaning of a woman who struggles with Electra complex; and struggles to comprehend the male dominant figures in her life before ridding herself of the encumbrances they impose on her persona.
The First Stanza: A Childhood Experience
The first stanza consists of simple a simple rhyme through words such as 'do' and 'shoe' (Line 1 and 2) which set the tone as that of a childhood experience. The nursery like rhymes persist throughout the poem thereby creating a feeling that the speaker in the poem is in a state of growth and tries to come into terms with their life's history in order to become an independent adult. The words used to introduce the audience to the speaker's perception of her father show a larger than life view. The lines "Barely daring to breathe or Achoo" and "Marble-heavy, a bag full of God" (Line 5 and 8) show the manner in which the speaker is overwhelmed by the idea of her father thereby guiding or curbing her character. The use of the word 'God' in the description of the father connotes an all powerful, impactful man who controls the life of the speaker despite no longer being around. The speaker talks of her father having died in the early stages of her life (Line 7) thus she had no time to come to terms with the person who he was. She is therefore conflicted on who she really is and in the pursuit of developing her individuality, explores her father's possible persona in order to understand herself. The Electra complex is visible in her decision to understand herself through a look at her father as opposed to anyone else. When she subsequently speaks of a "Ghastly statue with one gray toe, big as a Frisco seal" she connotes the manner in which the idea of a father imposes a patriarchal dominance over her life despite his actual existence.
The Speaker's Attempts at Self-Discovery and Autonomy
The poem then proceeds to expound on the speaker's attempts to develop an identity through the exploration of her father's life and roots. She speaks of having prayed to recover her father after his death (Line 14). The need of a father in her life was meant to create order and an identity which in a patriarchal society, was derived from a father. The dominance or importance of a male figure in one's life is a theme explored in the poem thereby developing the meaning of the identity of a woman. Moreover, the influence of a male muse in poetry is explored through the patriarchal and Electra complex symbols and imagery. The poet is constrained by the male standards and definitions of poetry which she later sheds off. The simple rhymes in the poem persist through words such as 'blue' and 'you' (Lines 12 and 14).
Discovering Her Father's Roots and Breaking Free
The speaker visits her father's native home in Polack where she discovers his German roots (Lines 16 and 20). The gradual progress into self discovery and autonomy is evident through her attempts to shun her father's memory and information that pertains to him. She speaks of her father having been dictatorial and overbearing: "I never could talk to you" (Line 24). The dominance of the male figure in her life is exemplified through such words that connote the control that her father had on her life from childhood and which she attempts to shed off. "The tongue stuck in my jaw" (Line 25) shows that she wished she could speak up and give her own opinion albeit she was intimidated by the male presence in her life. In the next stanza, the persona uses the imagery of being stuck in a barb wire snare (Line 26). The phrase connotes the oppressive situation she was in when she could not independently speak out her thoughts. Repetition of the word "ich" (Line 27) is a reiteration of significance in unraveling the meaning of the poem. The word 'ich' means 'I'. The meaning produced is that even as she attempts to speak up and learn of her father's roots, all she keeps struggling with is the definition of herself. The speaker is overwhelmed by her quest for autonomy and self-identification.
Exploring Holocaust Imagery and Embracing Freedom
The poet thereafter delves into holocaust imagery which exemplifies the oppressive domination in life which she wishes to set aside. When she talks of an engine chaffing her off like a Jew and taking her to concentration camps such as Dachau and Belsen; she intends to engrave a picture of human oppression by dominant forces thereby enabling the writer to relate to her predicament (Lines 31-33). Although she does not delve deeply into the suffering experienced by the Jews, the reference to Germans and Jews is sufficient to draw parallels between her situation and the experience of the Jews when they were persecuted in Nazi Germany. The poet goes farther to declare that she thinks of herself as a Jew (Line 35). The imagery of describing herself as a Jew after describing her father as a German whose language was obscene portrays the suffering and dilemma of the speaker as she attempts to break her ties. The analogy draws to the mind the ideology behind the holocaust whereby Germans believed themselves a superior race which other human beings could aim to become but fail. The author's struggle with Electra complex is evident in her view of her father as the epitome of perfection which she struggles to achieve but fails miserably thereby opting to develop her own persona. The significance of the death of her father at a young age plays a role in the enhancement of the meaning of the poem because had the father been alive, he could have demystified her beliefs of his perfections which contrast with her own perceived imperfections.
Identity and Rebellion: Delineating Male Power and Embracing a Matrilineal Leaning
The poet alludes to being gypsy due to having a gypsy ancestress (Line 38). The importance of her assertion can be viewed in light of preceding lines wherein she begins to portray the imperfections she believes exist in her father's German roots. She begins to believe that her father's roots are not as pure and true as she originally believed when she referred to him as God (Line37). The words 'gypsy ancestress' are reflective of her delineation of male power over her life in favor of a matrilineal leaning. Plath was German and as such, she was from a patrilineal society. The fact that she would choose to describe her identity at this point in the poem through her understanding of a female ancestor connotes her attempts to break the dominant male power that controls her life. She also describes her 'Taroc pack' which she repetitively asserts before declaring herself a Jew (Lines 39-40). The symbolism behind the tarot cards which she refers to refers to mysticism and a renegade attitude wherein she embraces a forbidden culture and behavior. The mentality she espouses by using words aimed at portraying her as a renegade shows the mindset instilled in women by society. Women are driven to believe that differing from the set roles which are decided by men is wrong an anomaly. The fear she feels through her choice to be independent from the male power that controls her life is seen through subsequent lines that begin a character assassination of her father. She describes her fear of him (Line 41) and calls him a Panzer man (Line 45) thereby using imagery meant to link him with World War II armored units from Germany. Her physical description just before she refers to him as a Panzer man includes talking of his neat mustache (Line 43) and having bright blue eyes (Line 44).
Demystifying Male Superiority and Embracing Autonomy
The words are strategically placed in order to show the manner in which the men are deemed perfect although a critical analysis would prove their imperfections. The 'blue' referring to the eyes is also strategically placed in order to rhyme with his 'gobbledygoo' referring to nonsense. The meaning within the words is that the male dominance over women on the basis of their natural superiority is nonsense. The author describes more imperfections in the idea of men's superiority and perfection by using symbolisms such as devil and 'a man in black with a Meinkampf look' (49 and 60). The symbolism is meant to demystify the myth that men are better than women which view was used to exert power over women. The poet also uses sarcasm in her tone when she declares that every woman loves a Fascist (Line 48). The poet would not have intended the meaning of the line to be literal, since it is impossible for all women to have the same taste and especially an oppressive and totalitarian rule over their lives. The author speaks of the amount of time she has spent in the struggle for emancipation and autonomy from the control of her father (Lines 74). The imagery of a vampire that is equated as a father is meant to give the meaning that the life of the poem was consumed by the oppressive control of the male powers in her life, which deprived her of the ability to live her life as she chose to. The poet concludes by stating that she killed her father and put a stake in his 'black heart' (Lines 75 and 76). She, however, claims that there is celebration when she gets rid of him (Line 78). The line symbolizes her happiness when she feels that she has achieved autonomy and developed her own persona.
Conclusion
The poem concludes by stating that the speaker is through (Line 80). This signifies her freedom as she gets over the control and male dominance that was evident in her life. She feels free at last. Through the study of the rhymes used such as 'you' and 'through', the poet is able to draw particular attention to the two words, thereby enabling a correlation between them to be made in order to signify her autonomy from her father. The meaning of the poem 'Daddy' is, therefore, a journey of emancipation of a female from dominant male power that is in existence in her life. Although her father is dead, the speaker is still overwhelmed by the idea of him. The meaning of the poem is relevant in the modern day where despite feminism bringing about many changes that have been progressive for women, women in many parts of the world still feel oppressed and held back by some traditional patriarchal ideas that persist.
Works Cited
Plath, Sylvia. "Daddy." 1960. The Poetry Foundation. 30 November 2017 .
