Cut
By Sylvia Plath
The poem ‘Cut’ is about the events that take place when the writer, Sylvia Plath, cuts her finger while cooking. The poem is written in the first person from the perspective of Plath herself. As the poem begins, Plath describes the events as they happen, almost like a recount but as the poem progresses the description of events are replaced by description of her finger and her mood with excessive ,metaphors and similes, which make it clear to the reader that Plath is in fact, really quite strange.
Many techniques are used in the duration of the poem but more evident than the use of metaphors and similes. Metaphors such as “Out of a gap a million soldiers run, Redcoats, everyone” which is used to create an image of the blood surging out of the wound like a million British Redcoats soldiers. A simile used in the text is “Except for a sort of hinge, a flap like a hat.” This use of a simile gives the reader an image of the skin of the thumb.
The mood of this poem changes continuously throughout the duration. This manic-depression like changing of mood shows the reader how strange Plath is. “Clutching my bottle of pink fizz. A celebration this is.” This quote from the poem shows the mood of Plath at this point in time, she is excited by the whole event, and also celebration, and joyful, strange for a lady who has just sliced her thumb. “Dirty girl, thumb stump” is a very different mood, it has turned to a very aggressive and self-hate like mood which is the exact opposite of what has been said earlier in the poem.
The poem ‘Cut’ is a very interesting and unique poem with amazing imagery and use of metaphors and similes. Plath’s amazing vocabulary adds a very likeable feel to the poem.
By Oliver Fredrickson
By Sylvia Plath
The poem ‘Cut’ is about the events that take place when the writer, Sylvia Plath, cuts her finger while cooking. The poem is written in the first person from the perspective of Plath herself. As the poem begins, Plath describes the events as they happen, almost like a recount but as the poem progresses the description of events are replaced by description of her finger and her mood with excessive ,metaphors and similes, which make it clear to the reader that Plath is in fact, really quite strange.
Many techniques are used in the duration of the poem but more evident than the use of metaphors and similes. Metaphors such as “Out of a gap a million soldiers run, Redcoats, everyone” which is used to create an image of the blood surging out of the wound like a million British Redcoats soldiers. A simile used in the text is “Except for a sort of hinge, a flap like a hat.” This use of a simile gives the reader an image of the skin of the thumb.
The mood of this poem changes continuously throughout the duration. This manic-depression like changing of mood shows the reader how strange Plath is. “Clutching my bottle of pink fizz. A celebration this is.” This quote from the poem shows the mood of Plath at this point in time, she is excited by the whole event, and also celebration, and joyful, strange for a lady who has just sliced her thumb. “Dirty girl, thumb stump” is a very different mood, it has turned to a very aggressive and self-hate like mood which is the exact opposite of what has been said earlier in the poem.
The poem ‘Cut’ is a very interesting and unique poem with amazing imagery and use of metaphors and similes. Plath’s amazing vocabulary adds a very likeable feel to the poem.
By Oliver Fredrickson
