Lady Lazarus: The Self- Identity of Sylvia Plath
While reading the poem "Lady Lazarus," by Sylvia Plath, one would assume the narrator is simply suicidal. But, if one looks more closely they would find a deeper and more symbolic meaning to almost every word printed. Written as a lyrical poem, Plath uses symbols such as the Phoenix bird and a Nazi lampshade to show her personal identity. Although she uses many other symbolic elements, the Phoenix is the most significant. In the first stanzas of "Lady Lazarus," the reader's attention should be focused on what "it" could be. Plath uses this word twice in the first stanza and mentions it multiple times throughout the poem. "I have done it again, one year in every ten, I manage it." The use of the word comes across subtly, but when the reader reaches line forty-five, it becomes clear what Plath means. "I do it so it feels like hell. I do it
This is yet another example of the physical torment she put herself through with her many attempts at suicide. One last symbol used is the Phoenix. Instead of being blunt and saying, "I have tried committing suicide again," Sylvia uses "it" to be more subtle, and creates a more chilling effect. " Plath seems to almost mock the Germans when she says, "So, so Herr Doktor, so Herr Enemy. But, by analyzing how she uses these phrases shows that she is Jewish herself, and is making a reference to the struggle her people made. Her heritage was symbolized by Nazis and the German language. Another good use of words is when Plath talks of death as an art. The remarks of Nazi lampshades and the use of German language suggest that she comes from a Jewish heritage. One cannot help but think of the old saying, "Practice makes perfect," when she says, "Dying, like everything else, is an art.
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Acceptance Essays
