Day 1

Sylvia Plath: Poems Lesson Plan

Discussion of Thought Questions

  1. 1

    How does it seem the speaker feels about her pregnancy in “Metaphors”?

    The speaker feels large, unwieldy, and even grotesque. She feels like a carrier or a means to an end. She feels defined by her pregnancy. She feels like she can’t escape or walk away from it. This is a poem of deep ambivalence, which students should discuss—the speaker herself is the riddle, even from her own perspective.

  2. 2

    Both “The Colossus” and “Full Fathom Five” are thought to be about Plath’s father. What are some similarities between her depiction of the father in each poem?

    In both poems, Plath describes the father as very large. He’s a literal Colossus in “The Colossus” and his...

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