Sylvia Plath vs Emily Dickinson

Disorder and Dysfunction – Plath vs. Dickinson

Emily Collier

AP English Literature

Mrs. Fuller

12/11/14

Outline

I. Emily Dickinson was influenced to write the works that she did by the people that she met, her own life influences, and other poets.

II. Dickinson’s relationships with others shaped her poetry.

A. Though she lived in isolation, her family was a large part of her life.

1. Her father was a strict man who worked in politics and controlled much of what Dickinson was allowed to read as a child, leading her to develop a rebellious streak.

2. Her brother and sister were intellectual contemporaries to Dickinson.

a. They both enjoyed literature and writing as well.

b. Dickinson’s sister, Lavinia, lived in isolation similarly to Dickinson.

c. Her brother, Austin, married a woman named Susan Gilbert, who became one of Dickinson’s closest friends.

3. Her mother’s long illness led Dickinson further into depression and isolation.

B. Her relationship with Charles Wadsworth, though possibly not romantic, inspired much heartbreak, which led to beautiful poetry.

III. Dickinson’s life experiences influenced her poetry.

A. Her life was lived mainly in isolation, allowing her creativity to flow freely.

B. Dickinson most likely suffered from several mental illnesses.

C. Many of her poems are affected by her distaste for the church and Christianity.

D. She was influenced greatly by the Metaphysical poets.

Sylvia Plath

“I write only because

There is a voice within me

That will not be still” (Stockton).

Sylvia Plath was only 30 when she died, but her legacy will live on forever. She wrote candidly about emotions and pain, which makes her poems a look into her mind. She struggled with a troubled marriage, mental disorders, and attempted suicide, and she wrote about it all in her poetry and books. The way her struggles were written out on paper influenced poetry and literature forever....