Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts on October  27, 1932 and died in , London, England on February 11, 1963. She published her first poem when she was eight years old. But it was also the year that her father died. Her father’s death became one of the main causes of her mental problems. She was admitted by Smith College on scholarship. During her college life, she started to feel depressed. And she even tried to swallow lots of sleeping pills to kill herself at the age of 19. After her first suicide failed, she then continued her degree and earned a chance to study at Cambridge University in England. She met poet Ted Hughes there and married him in 1956; however this marriage came to an end in 1962 due to the man cheated on her. During that time, they had their first kid Frieda, on April 1st, 1960. But she miscarried her second child. According to her therapist, Hughes physically abused her even when she was pregnant. In 1962, her son Nicholas was born. In 1963, she published a novel called “ The Bell Jar” which describes her mental illness while she was in college in 1953. After that, she killed herself by inhaling gas from a kitchen oven.
Citations:
- “Sylvia Plath.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/sylvia-plath.
- Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Sylvia Plath.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 12 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Sylvia-Plath.
- “The Tragic Relationship of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.” Literary Ladies Guide, www.literaryladiesguide.com/literary-musings/relationship-sylvia-plath-ted-hughes/.
Sylvia Plath is was (unfortunately) the most interesting poet to choose from for this assignment given her unique story. It is good to see that her art was still able to shine through the end. With how much of her personal life was influenced by her writing, it sorta leaves one to think that if her life didn’t involve so much darkness would her poetry be as successful as it is now? With there possibly being an obvious answer to that question, I just hope that everyone going through inconsolable times (not assuming she didn’t have emotional support) not only has someone that does their best to support the individual but also be right there with them to remind the individual the infinite possibilities that the tomorrow can grow into and the influence he/she has on others.
I like the way you organize your information. You make it seem like we are looking at a timeline. The sentences are very clear and are straight to the point. You do a really great job summarizing Sylvia Plath’s life and not adding excess details that are not needed. Though I would like you to talk more about her poems and her other books. I feel that you may not have explained them enough. For example, you could talk more about how many of her poems and books would talk and revolve around her feelings, thoughts, and emotions, like suffering, but overall, your summary is great and it is very easy to understand.