Identity in plath’s poetry: the APPLICANT

Identity in plath’s poetry In pairs, recap where we have seen ideas about identity in Plath’s ‘parenthood’ and ‘nature’ poems. As you have seen in ‘Ariel’ and ‘Poppies,’ Plath was interested in the ways in which women were objectified and subjugated in society. How does this link to the theme of identity?

synecdoche The applicant, p. 6 Unlike many of Plath’s poems, the speaker in this does not seem to be associated with her. Instead it seems to be an interviewer – or later, a salesman. In the poem, the interviewer/ salesman is first talking to a man, giving him ‘a hand’ and asking ‘will you marry it?’ He then brings out a woman ‘from the closet’ and presents her as ‘a living doll,’ asking the man ‘will you marry it, marry it, marry it?’

Don’t forget close analysis (using MISTS) Read the poem again and answer the following, making sure you analyse and make links to other poems you have studied What do you think the title suggests about marriage/ society? Are there any other quotations within the poems that support your ideas? In stanzas 1 and 2, we get a sense of what the speaker is looking for in an applicant. What is suggested? What do you think Plath’s intention is, here? In stanzas 2, 3 and 4, the speaker lists all of the attributes of the ‘living doll.’ How does he describe her and what does this suggest about women? What does the speaker suggest about marriage in stanzas 5 and 7. What are the implications here? In stanzas 4 and 6, the speaker suggests that the prospective couple is naked. Why do you think this is? In stanzas 6, 7 and 8 the woman is addressed, described and discussed. What impression is given of women?

Tone and intention The poem is a social satire. What is Plath satirising? How is a satirical tone created through the language and structure?

Gulliver What does the title suggest? How might this link to Plath’s ideas about identity? Can you see a similar idea in any of her other poems? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MokCKKqszP4

Annotate the poem, looking for: References to fairy stories or a fairy-tale tone Ideas about the small-mindedness of society The use of synecdoche A sense of not fitting in/ being different A sense of being trapped or held down A need for freedom Make sure you: Analyse your chosen quotations Consider where we have seen this before in the collection