Freya Richardson-Fay
Explore the ways in which Plath presents con ict in 'Daddy'
‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath is a harrowing poem, that analyses the extent of con ict on the human
psyche, observing how the external in uences of society can shape and cause internal con ict,
whilst examining the effects of oppression.
Plath uses language and diction to contemplate the con ict between the speaker and her father,
and as a feminist reading; a woman shunning the oppression of a patriarchal society. This
power struggle is rst alluded to through the title of the poem being the personal noun ‘Daddy’.
This immediately forms the base of an extremely patriarchal relationship between the two, with
‘Daddy’ being adored, and revered almost, for his masculinity, and the speaker‘s femininity
being infantilised due to her being an adult, but still using a child’s vocabulary when referring to
her father. This paradox causes a discrepancy between the speaker’s true self, and the one that
has been formed within the con nes of the patriarchy, forming the question on whether the
speaker can ever truly distinguish herself from her trauma, or if it has been woven into her DNA.
This is signi cant as it demonstrates that despite the speaker growing older, the power dynamic
that she experienced when she was younger has smothered her development, with her feeling
sti ed and “Barely daring to breathe or Achoo”. Paradoxically, the speaker weaponises her once
infantilised femininity as a way to break herself out of the patriarchal circle that was rst
modelled by her father, through stating “Daddy, I have had to kill you.” Through pairing the
childlike personal noun ‘Daddy’ with the determined, monosyllabic language of “I have had to kill
you”, Plath creates a con icting dynamic within the speaker, as her once infantilised self
wrestles with the patriarch that oppressed her. This con icting dynamic acts as a metaphor for
how, to see change, one must become the change, and thus how, to drive a “stake” through the
heart of her relationship with her father, and as a feminist reading, the patriarchal society, the
speaker has completed a metamorphosis, shedding the con nement’s of her infantilised former
self, through weaponising it in the con ict against her oppressors.
The utilisation of Nazi imagery, with the speaker self-identifying with the Jewish people, further
solidi es this massive power imbalance, whilst also raising the question of if a woman can truly
escape the patriarchy, or if she is fated “like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen”. This
response to her father, despite it’s controversial nature, illuminates just how powerless the
speaker feels to him, despite him being just a memory, thus emphasising the brutality of his
presence. Furthermore the use of asyndetic listing “Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen” presents the
idea that although the speaker may attempt to change her metaphorical location, the oppression
will ultimately follow her, culminating in the same destiny. This relays back to the question on
whether trauma can ever be truly extracted from a person, or whether it’s shadow will always
linger. This Holocaust reference is one of the most harrowing from the poem, as it acts a a
demonstration of the speaker’s desperation to escape the grips of the con ict between her and
her father, and thus to detach from this gendered dynamic. The patriarchal society attempts to
normalise this oppression, with the speaker claiming that “Every woman adores a Fascist, the
boot in the face,”. The pairing of Nazi imagery with hyperbolic language in “adore” aids in
elucidating just how far the patriarch must go to in order to convince it’s victims that their abuse
is to be expected, and thus diminishing the passion to revolt against the society that created it.
Through the utilisation of Nazi imagery, Plath underlines the illusion that society creates when it
accepts male authority, as it connotes how the “relationship” is fated to oppress her. The visual
imagery provided by “The boot in the face” depicts just how brazen the brutality is, while also
acting as a physical manifestation of the patriarchy, as the speaker is held underneath the
power and in uence of her father.
The speaker’s internal con ict is a direct result of her external circumstances in childhood, as
symbolised through the choice of rhyme in the poem. Despite not having a set rhyme scheme
the poem deploys a plethora of full rhymes such as “do…shoe…achoo” in the rst stanza.. The
use of full rhyme acts as a way of regulating the poem, and thus the speaker, as if containing
and herding their true self and intentions. This is interesting to note as it draws a parallel to how
fl fi
fifl fi fl fl fi fl fl flfl fi fl fl fi fi fl
Explore the ways in which Plath presents con ict in 'Daddy'
‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath is a harrowing poem, that analyses the extent of con ict on the human
psyche, observing how the external in uences of society can shape and cause internal con ict,
whilst examining the effects of oppression.
Plath uses language and diction to contemplate the con ict between the speaker and her father,
and as a feminist reading; a woman shunning the oppression of a patriarchal society. This
power struggle is rst alluded to through the title of the poem being the personal noun ‘Daddy’.
This immediately forms the base of an extremely patriarchal relationship between the two, with
‘Daddy’ being adored, and revered almost, for his masculinity, and the speaker‘s femininity
being infantilised due to her being an adult, but still using a child’s vocabulary when referring to
her father. This paradox causes a discrepancy between the speaker’s true self, and the one that
has been formed within the con nes of the patriarchy, forming the question on whether the
speaker can ever truly distinguish herself from her trauma, or if it has been woven into her DNA.
This is signi cant as it demonstrates that despite the speaker growing older, the power dynamic
that she experienced when she was younger has smothered her development, with her feeling
sti ed and “Barely daring to breathe or Achoo”. Paradoxically, the speaker weaponises her once
infantilised femininity as a way to break herself out of the patriarchal circle that was rst
modelled by her father, through stating “Daddy, I have had to kill you.” Through pairing the
childlike personal noun ‘Daddy’ with the determined, monosyllabic language of “I have had to kill
you”, Plath creates a con icting dynamic within the speaker, as her once infantilised self
wrestles with the patriarch that oppressed her. This con icting dynamic acts as a metaphor for
how, to see change, one must become the change, and thus how, to drive a “stake” through the
heart of her relationship with her father, and as a feminist reading, the patriarchal society, the
speaker has completed a metamorphosis, shedding the con nement’s of her infantilised former
self, through weaponising it in the con ict against her oppressors.
The utilisation of Nazi imagery, with the speaker self-identifying with the Jewish people, further
solidi es this massive power imbalance, whilst also raising the question of if a woman can truly
escape the patriarchy, or if she is fated “like a Jew. A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen”. This
response to her father, despite it’s controversial nature, illuminates just how powerless the
speaker feels to him, despite him being just a memory, thus emphasising the brutality of his
presence. Furthermore the use of asyndetic listing “Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen” presents the
idea that although the speaker may attempt to change her metaphorical location, the oppression
will ultimately follow her, culminating in the same destiny. This relays back to the question on
whether trauma can ever be truly extracted from a person, or whether it’s shadow will always
linger. This Holocaust reference is one of the most harrowing from the poem, as it acts a a
demonstration of the speaker’s desperation to escape the grips of the con ict between her and
her father, and thus to detach from this gendered dynamic. The patriarchal society attempts to
normalise this oppression, with the speaker claiming that “Every woman adores a Fascist, the
boot in the face,”. The pairing of Nazi imagery with hyperbolic language in “adore” aids in
elucidating just how far the patriarch must go to in order to convince it’s victims that their abuse
is to be expected, and thus diminishing the passion to revolt against the society that created it.
Through the utilisation of Nazi imagery, Plath underlines the illusion that society creates when it
accepts male authority, as it connotes how the “relationship” is fated to oppress her. The visual
imagery provided by “The boot in the face” depicts just how brazen the brutality is, while also
acting as a physical manifestation of the patriarchy, as the speaker is held underneath the
power and in uence of her father.
The speaker’s internal con ict is a direct result of her external circumstances in childhood, as
symbolised through the choice of rhyme in the poem. Despite not having a set rhyme scheme
the poem deploys a plethora of full rhymes such as “do…shoe…achoo” in the rst stanza.. The
use of full rhyme acts as a way of regulating the poem, and thus the speaker, as if containing
and herding their true self and intentions. This is interesting to note as it draws a parallel to how
fl fi
fifl fi fl fl fi fl fl flfl fi fl fl fi fi fl
