The poem “Sylvia’s Death” by Anne Sexton is devoted, as the title suggests, to the death of poet Sylvia Plath. Sexton writes in the first person as if addressing Sylvia directly. The poem itself is like a monologue or a short speech devoted to Sylvia and her death. The author was evidently a friend of Sylvia Plath because Sexton refers to the letter in which Plath wrote about “raising potatoes” and “keeping bees”.
The word “death” is mentioned many times but the main idea of the poem is hard to be located, identified or defined.
It appears that Sexton did not care about the format of her poem and simply wrote down her thoughts about the death of her friend.
The poem opens rather strangely. Saxton writes:
O Sylvia, Sylvia,
with a dead box of stones and spoons,
with two children, two meteors
wandering loose in a tiny playroom,
with your mouth into the sheet,
into the roofbeam, into the dumb prayer.
It is clear what a dead box is (the coffin) but it’s hard to catch the meaning of the word “spoons”.
The choice of the words in the next line is rather interesting. Sexton puts two incompatible concepts into one sentence: children “wandering loose in a tiny playroom”. It is impossible to wander loosely in a tiny room.
Similar patterns are used throughout the poem.
The poem tells a lot about the life of the author as well as Sylvia Plath. In particular, Sexton tells the story of how they drank martinis in Boston talking about the death. While the poem has a traceable structure with introduction, body, and conclusion, Sexton does not integrate the climax or the point when the events reach the most emotional intensiveness. In other words, the poem is flat. It does not evoke admiration and fails to win the attention of the audience.
Regarding conclusion, Sexton does not express her opinion on the death of her friend Sylvia Plath. Sexton concludes with the following lines:
O tiny mother,
you too!
O, funny duchess!
O blonde thing!
These lines conclude the poem devoted to the death of famous and talented poet Sylvia Plath while Sexton wants the readers of the poem to remember her as a “tiny mother”, a “funny duchess” and a “blonde thing”. Only at the beginning of the poem, Sexton makes a short reference to Sylvia as a poet through the phrase “mouth into the sheet”.
I personally disliked the poem because Sexton’s style of writing is not appealing. The death of her close friend Sylvia Plath is presented as an event they discussed having a drink together in Boston. The wording of the poem and weak structure undermines the interest of the audience. However, the poem “Sylvia’s Death” is read easily and the reader feels acquainted with Sylvia, her lifestyle, and even her family.
For example, the reader learns that Sylvia had two small children and lived in a village growing potatoes.
Nevertheless, the overall impression of the poem is negative. I expected more from the poem because Sexton writes about the death of her close friend.
In particular, I expected more emotions embedded into lines. Looking at the poem, it appears that Sexton put together her memories about the time spent with Sylvia at a bar in Boston.
References
Sexton, A. (1965). Sylvia’s death: For Sylvia Plath.