
Introduction: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath first appeared in 1965 in her posthumously published collection, Ariel, is characterized by its raw, visceral language and stark imagery, delving into the complex and tormented relationship between the speaker and her deceased father. The poem employs a dark and often disturbing tone, utilizing disturbing metaphors and allusions to the Holocaust and Nazism to convey the speakerâs feelings of oppression and trauma. âDaddyâ is a powerful and unsettling exploration of grief, anger, and the lasting impact of parental figures.
Text: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
You do not do, you do not do  Â
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot  Â
For thirty years, poor and white,  Â
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.
Daddy, I have had to kill you.  Â
You died before I had timeââ
Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,  Â
Ghastly statue with one gray toe  Â
Big as a Frisco seal
And a head in the freakish Atlantic  Â
Where it pours bean green over blue  Â
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.  Â
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.
In the German tongue, in the Polish town  Â
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.  Â
My Polack friend
Says there are a dozen or two.  Â
So I never could tell where you  Â
Put your foot, your root,
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.
It stuck in a barb wire snare.  Â
Ich, ich, ich, ich,
I could hardly speak.
I thought every German was you.  Â
And the language obscene
An engine, an engine
Chuffing me off like a Jew.
A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.  Â
I began to talk like a Jew.
I think I may well be a Jew.
The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna  Â
Are not very pure or true.
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck  Â
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew.
I have always been scared of you,
With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.  Â
And your neat mustache
And your Aryan eye, bright blue.
Panzer-man, panzer-man, O Youââ
Not God but a swastika
So black no sky could squeak through.  Â
Every woman adores a Fascist,  Â
The boot in the face, the brute  Â
Brute heart of a brute like you.
You stand at the blackboard, daddy,  Â
In the picture I have of you,
A cleft in your chin instead of your foot  Â
But no less a devil for that, no not  Â
Any less the black man who
Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.  Â
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do.
But they pulled me out of the sack,  Â
And they stuck me together with glue.  Â
And then I knew what to do.
I made a model of you,
A man in black with a Meinkampf look
And a love of the rack and the screw.  Â
And I said I do, I do.
So daddy, Iâm finally through.
The black telephoneâs off at the root,  Â
The voices just canât worm through.
If Iâve killed one man, Iâve killed twoââ
The vampire who said he was you  Â
And drank my blood for a year,
Seven years, if you want to know.
Daddy, you can lie back now.
Thereâs a stake in your fat black heart  Â
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on you.  Â
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm through.
Annotations: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
Stanza | Annotation |
1 | The speaker describes her relationship with her father, comparing him to a black shoe sheâs been trapped in. |
2 | The speaker says sheâs had to âkillâ her father, who died before she could understand him. |
3 | The speaker recalls her fatherâs German heritage and her own conflicted feelings about it. |
4 | The speaker describes her inability to communicate with her father, even after his death. |
5 | The speaker identifies with the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, feeling a sense of shared suffering. |
6 | The speaker addresses her fatherâs Nazi past and her own fear of him. |
7 | The speaker recalls her fatherâs presence in her life, even after his death. |
8 | The speaker describes her attempts to reconnect with her father, even in death. |
9 | The speaker creates a new image of her father, one that allows her to break free from his influence. |
10 | The speaker declares her independence from her fatherâs legacy. |
11 | The speaker confronts her fatherâs dark past and her own complicity in it. |
12 | The speaker finds closure, declaring âDaddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm through.â |
Literary And Poetic Devices: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
Literary Device | Example | Explanation |
Alliteration | âBarely daring to breathe or Achoo.â | The repetition of the âbâ sound creates a rhythmic effect and emphasizes the struggle to breathe. |
Assonance | âIn which I have lived like a footâ | The repetition of the âiâ sound creates a musical quality, enhancing the poemâs tone. |
Metaphor | âMarble-heavy, a bag full of God,â | Compares the father to a marble-heavy, god-like statue, highlighting his oppressive and larger-than-life presence. |
Simile | âLived like a foot / For thirty yearsâ | Compares the speakerâs life to that of a foot inside a shoe, suggesting confinement and restriction. |
Imagery | âBean green over blue / In the waters off beautiful Nauset.â | Vivid description of the sea colors and location, creating a strong visual image for the reader. |
Hyperbole | âI have always been scared of you, / With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.â | Exaggerates the fatherâs attributes to emphasize the speakerâs fear and the fatherâs intimidating presence. |
Personification | âAn engine, an engine / Chuffing me off like a Jew.â | Gives the engine human-like qualities, emphasizing the mechanical and relentless nature of oppression. |
Allusion | âDachau, Auschwitz, Belsenâ | References to Holocaust concentration camps, invoking historical atrocities to deepen the poemâs impact. |
Irony | âEvery woman adores a Fascistâ | The statement is ironic because it contrasts the horrific nature of Fascism with the idea of adoration, highlighting the complexity of the speakerâs feelings. |
Anaphora | âIch, ich, ich, ichâ | The repetition of âichâ (I) at the beginning of successive lines emphasizes the speakerâs struggle with identity and expression. |
Consonance | âSo black no sky could squeak through.â | The repetition of the âkâ sound enhances the harshness and finality of the statement. |
Symbolism | âThe black telephoneâs off at the rootâ | The black telephone symbolizes the severed connection with the father, indicating finality and liberation. |
Tone | âDaddy, Iâm finally through.â | The tone here is resolute and triumphant, marking the speakerâs declaration of independence from her fatherâs influence. |
Juxtaposition | âPanzer-man, panzer-man, O Youââ / Not God but a swastikaâ | Juxtaposes the image of a powerful Panzer-man with the swastika, contrasting humanity and inhumanity. |
Oxymoron | âGhastly statueâ | Combines contradictory terms to describe the father, highlighting his haunting and imposing nature. |
Apostrophe | âDaddy, I have had to kill you.â | Directly addresses the father, despite his absence, creating an emotional and confrontational tone. |
Paradox | âI may be a bit of a Jew.â | The paradox lies in the speakerâs claim of being Jewish, despite not being Jewish by heritage, symbolizing her identification with victimhood. |
Enjambment | âI made a model of you, / A man in black with a Meinkampf lookâ | The continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line creates a sense of urgency and fluidity. |
Repetition | âAch, du.â | The repetition of âAch, duâ emphasizes the emotional intensity and frustration of the speaker. |
End Rhyme | âDaddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm through.â | The rhyme of âthroughâ with the earlier lines adds a sense of closure and finality to the poemâs conclusion. |
Themes: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
- Oppression and Power: âDaddyâ explores themes of oppression and the overpowering presence of the father figure in the speakerâs life. Plath uses vivid imagery and metaphors to depict the father as an authoritarian figure, comparing him to a âblack shoeâ in which she has âlived like a foot / For thirty years.â This metaphor suggests confinement and suffocation, reflecting the oppressive control the father exerted over her. The repeated references to Nazi imagery, such as âLuftwaffeâ and âswastika,â further emphasize the tyrannical power he held, likening his influence to the brutal and authoritarian regime of the Nazis.
- Identity and Self: The poem delves into the speakerâs struggle with her own identity, heavily influenced by her fatherâs domineering presence. Plath describes her inability to speak in his presence with lines like âThe tongue stuck in my jaw. / It stuck in a barb wire snare. / Ich, ich, ich, ich.â This stuttering represents her struggle to find her own voice and assert her identity in the shadow of her father. The confusion about her heritage and identity is further highlighted when she says, âI think I may well be a Jew,â indicating her internal conflict and the extent to which her fatherâs influence has distorted her sense of self.
- Death and Mourning: âDaddyâ is imbued with themes of death and mourning, reflecting the speakerâs complex feelings towards her deceased father. Plath expresses both a longing for and a rejection of her father, illustrating the ambivalence of her grief. She recalls her fatherâs death and her attempt to join him, saying, âAt twenty I tried to die / And get back, back, back to you.â This demonstrates the deep sense of loss and unresolved mourning that plagues the speaker. Yet, by the end of the poem, she asserts her liberation from his memory with the powerful declaration, âDaddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm through,â indicating a desire to move beyond her grief.
- Conflict and Resolution: The poem is a journey through the speakerâs internal conflict and ultimate resolution regarding her fatherâs memory and influence. The intense emotions range from fear and resentment to a final act of defiance. The line, âI have had to kill you. / You died before I had time,â underscores the unresolved conflict she feels towards her fatherâs premature death and the lasting impact on her life. The resolution comes as she metaphorically kills his overpowering influence by stating, âThereâs a stake in your fat black heart,â symbolizing her triumph over his oppressive memory. This resolution is a cathartic release, enabling her to declare, âDaddy, Iâm finally through,â signifying her emancipation from his control.
Literary Theories and âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
Literary Theory | Reference from the Poem | Analysis |
Psychoanalytic Theory | âDaddy, / You died before I had timeâââ (lines 2-3) | The speakerâs fixation on her fatherâs death and her feelings of abandonment and anger towards him reveal a classic Oedipal complex. |
Feminist Theory | âEvery woman adores a Fascist, / The boot in the face, the brute / Brute heart of a brute like you.â (lines 48-50) | The speaker critiques the patriarchal society that glorifies masculine power and dominance, and condemns her fatherâs fascist ideology. |
Postcolonial Theory | âI have always been scared of you, / With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.â (lines 33-34) | The speakerâs fear of her fatherâs German heritage and her own conflicted identity as a result of colonialism and war are evident in these lines. |
Critical Questions about âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
- How does Plath use imagery and language to portray her complex relationship with her father?
- Plath employs visceral and often disturbing imagery to depict her father as a domineering and oppressive figure. The metaphors of âblack shoeâ and âGhastly statue with one grey toeâ paint a picture of a cold, unfeeling presence that has confined and stifled her. The use of German words like âAch, duâ and references to the Holocaust further emphasizes the oppressive and destructive nature of this relationship, highlighting its lasting impact on the speakerâs psyche.
- What is the significance of the recurring motif of Nazism and the Holocaust in the poem?
- Plath uses the imagery of Nazism and the Holocaust to symbolize the power dynamics and trauma within her relationship with her father. The father is likened to a Nazi officer, while the speaker identifies with the Jewish victims, suggesting feelings of persecution and victimization. This comparison serves to magnify the intensity of the speakerâs emotions and her perception of the father as a tyrannical figure who has inflicted deep psychological wounds.
- How does the poem explore the themes of identity and self-discovery?
- Throughout the poem, the speaker grapples with her identity, questioning her heritage and sense of self due to the influence of her father. The repeated phrase âI think I may well be a Jewâ reflects this uncertainty and the internalization of her fatherâs oppressive identity. However, the act of writing and confronting her past through the poem can be seen as a step towards reclaiming her own voice and identity, separate from the shadow of her father.
- What is the significance of the final stanza and the declaration âDaddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm throughâ?
- This final declaration is a powerful assertion of independence and liberation from the fatherâs influence. The use of the derogatory term âbastardâ signifies a rejection of his authority and a refusal to be defined by his memory. The repetition of âDaddyâ emphasizes the speakerâs final break from the childish term of endearment, signifying a newfound maturity and self-assurance. The concluding line âIâm throughâ suggests a sense of closure and the end of a long and painful struggle with the past.
Literary Works Similar to âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
- âLady Lazarusâ by Sylvia Plath: Both poems explore themes of death, resurrection, and defiance against oppression. âLady Lazarusâ delves into the speakerâs repeated attempts at suicide and her subsequent rebirths, much like âDaddyâ deals with the speakerâs relationship with her deceased father and her struggle for liberation.
- âThe Colossusâ by Sylvia Plath: This poem also addresses the overwhelming presence of a father figure. In âThe Colossus,â Plath depicts her father as a monumental statue, symbolizing his imposing and dominating influence, similar to the authoritarian image portrayed in âDaddy.â
- âThe Applicantâ by Sylvia Plath: âThe Applicantâ critiques societal expectations and the dehumanizing effects of conforming to roles, paralleling the sense of entrapment and rebellion found in âDaddy.â Both poems highlight Plathâs critique of oppressive structures and her struggle for identity.
- âDo Not Go Gentle into That Good Nightâ by Dylan Thomas: This poem shares a thematic focus on death and defiance. While Thomas urges his father to resist death fiercely, âDaddyâ features a similar intensity of emotion as the speaker confronts and ultimately breaks free from her fatherâs overpowering legacy.
- âThose Winter Sundaysâ by Robert Hayden: Both poems explore complex father-child relationships marked by fear, reverence, and unspoken tensions. In âThose Winter Sundays,â Hayden reflects on his fatherâs sacrifices and the speakerâs delayed understanding, akin to the ambivalent feelings of love and resentment in âDaddy.
Suggested Readings: âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
Books:
- Axelrod, Steven Gould. Sylvia Plath: The Wound and the Cure of Words. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1990.
- Wagner-Martin, Linda. Sylvia Plath: A Biography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1987.
Weblinks:
- Poetry Foundation: Daddy: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48999/daddy-56d22aafa45b2
- Modern American Poetry: Sylvia Plath: https://modernamericanpoetry.org/index.php/daddy
Representative Quotations of âDaddyâ by Sylvia Plath
Quotation | Context | Theoretical Concept |
âYou died before I had timeâââ | Speakerâs fatherâs death | Psychoanalytic Theory: Oedipal complex, father fixation |
âEvery woman adores a Fascist, / The boot in the face, the brute / Brute heart of a brute like you.â | Critique of patriarchal society | Feminist Theory: critique of patriarchal power, gender dynamics |
âI have always been scared of you, / With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.â | Fear of fatherâs German heritage | Postcolonial Theory: colonialism, identity conflict |
âI thought every German was you. / And the language obsceneâ | Association of language with father | Lacanian Psychoanalysis: language as symbolic order, father as symbolic figure |
âDaddy, daddy, you bastard, Iâm through.â | Speakerâs declaration of independence | Feminist Theory: empowerment, breaking free from patriarchal constraints |