Sylvia Plath's "Daddy": Analyzing Themes and Structure

Sylvia Plath's "Daddy": Context and Themes

Introduction:

Sylvia Plath experienced poor relationships with both her parents, particularly her father, Otto Plath. Otto Plath was German-born, a school teacher and, apparently in his daughter’s eyes, a cold father. Plath also believed her father to be a Nazi, or at least her poetry suggests that is the case. As a reaction against him, she often expressed sympathy and identification with Jews and their suffering during the Holocaust.

It is also noteworthy that her mother was Jewish.

Poetic Structure and Rhythm

The poem comprises sixteen five-lined stanzas, known as quintains. It has no regular rhyme scheme, although double ‘oo’ vowels (as in ‘you’, ‘through’, ‘Jew’) appear frequently at the end of many lines. This creates an almost childish, nursery-rhyme repetition.

Just like rhyme plays a significant part in this poem without having a specific scheme, rhythm is important here even though it doesn't fit into a specific pattern. There is a lot of iambic verse present.

The Significance of the Title "Daddy"

The title "Daddy" sets this up as an address to the speaker's father. Even though the word "daddy" is only used six other times in this 80-line poem, the title immediately establishes who the "you" is in the poem.

It is crucial that the poem is titled "Daddy" and not "Father" or even "Dad." "Daddy" is an affectionate name, one that a child would use when being cute or when wanting something (like ice cream, soda, or a pony). Little girls who are their fathers' favorites are often referred to as "Daddy's little girl." Therefore, it is highly ironic that the speaker uses the word "Daddy" to address the father whom she has characterized as a Nazi, a devil, and a vampire.

Thesis Statement

One’s distance from his or her family creates a feeling of self-inflicted sorrow.

Analysis of Key Lines and Imagery

• "The tongue stuck in my jaw" (Hyperbole)

  This phrase signifies an inability to speak or a loss of words. The narrator extends her thoughts on her relationship with her father and realizes that there is a large disconnect between herself and someone whom she was supposed to love and miss so much. The narrator expresses a somewhat guilty conscience.

• “I have always been scared of you,” (Syntax: End Stop)

  Emphasis is drawn towards "you," implying that the narrator is attempting to assign her father as the reason for her sorrow. Following the end stop, the narrator attributes her father with everything negative occurring in her life.

• “The black telephone's off at the root” (Metaphor)

  The black telephone symbolizes negative communications; the father was poor at expression. The narrator hasn’t seen her father in so long, causing her to change how she interprets the importance of the relations that she has always held. She thus feels a sudden compulsion to cut off the memory of her father “at the root.”