How has your study of the poetry of Plath and Hughes deepened your understanding of the

complexity of human relationships?

Introduction
The conflicting perspectives between literary texts highlight the power of composer’s to
shape meaning within their personal experiences, providing responders with a deeper
understanding on the subjectivity of truth. This is revealed through the conversation
between Sylvia Plath’s confessional Anthology Ariel (1965) and Ted Hughes’ contemporary
response Birthday Letters (1998) through the dissonances in their contextual concerns,
underscoring the complex nature of human relationships. Written post World War II, Plath’s
Ariel transposes her sense of suffering under the oppressive male figures in her life to
provide an expansive commentary on the role of women in the Cold War nuclear family,
representing her desire to break through the restrictions enforced within her patriarchal
society. In contrast, Hughes’ Birthday Letters is more reductive, instead exploring his
personal concerns through his reaction to the ‘Plath myth’ and the critical backlash that
followed. When read in tandem, both Plath and Hughes offer conversations on their sinuous
relationship, focusing on the subjectivity of perspectives towards common values.

Body 1: ‘Daddy’ v ‘A Picture of Otto’ (Familial Relationships/Mental Illness)

The representations of Plath’s mental anguish highlights how controlling filial relationships
can undermine individual autonomy within human relationships. In ‘Daddy’, Plath reflects
on the influence of domineering male figures within 1950s America, whilst Hughes draws
upon Post-Modernism in his response ‘A Picture of Otto’ as he emphasises the impact of
subjectivity in shaping representations of the truth. This is seen through Plath’s reminiscent
tone to position herself as innocent and vulnerable “You stand at the blackboard daddy…
But no less a devil for that… black man who”, where the devil imagery reveals her anguish
and disappointment towards her father. Hughes parallels this resentment towards Otto
Plath, with the apostrophe in “‘You stand there at the blackboard: Lutheran Minister
manqué”, where the use of second person creates an accusatory tone, fuelling Plath’s
critique of her father’s continued role in her mental anguish and thus disassociating himself
from her suicide. However, Plath expands the representation of her mental dispossession by
emphasising the extent of her father’s psychological influence, drawing comparisons
between him and Hughes “I made a model of you, / A man in black with a Meinkampf
look”, where the allusion to Hitler highlights the climate of male oppression in her life, an
allegory implying that Hughes played a similar role to her father. Contrarily, Hughes
reframes Plath’s accusation as being the result of her father’s psychological possession over
her, ultimately leading to her inability to distinguish between him and her father “Your
ghost inseparable from my shadow… She could hardly tell us apart in the end”, where the
metaphor expresses his loss of autonomy within the relationship as a consequence of
Plath’s tainted views. Hence, both Plath and Hughes reveal the complex nature of human
relationships through representing their sense of personal entrapment under familial
authority.

Body 2: ‘Arrival of the Bee Box’ v ‘The Bee God’ (Oppression)

Plath transposes this perspective of filial victimisation to promote female autonomy,
whereas Hughes maintains his reductive response to the allegations against his reputation,
offering alternative insight into their relationship. This is seen through Plath’s commentary
on the paranoia and fear of the Cold War period, depicting her own mental strife in ‘Arrival
of the Bee Box’, whilst Hughes defends himself against Plath’s martyr status within 2nd wave
Feminism. Similarly, both poets use Otto Plath as a medium to voice their concerns, with
Plath’s recognition of her outward façade, masking her inner turmoil being represented by
the extended metaphor of the “clean wooden box”, where opening the box and freeing the
bees would be to expose her inner anxieties. Alternatively, Hughes’ concerns are solely
based on ‘freeing’ himself from the repercussion of Plath’s suicide through painting Plath as
the “Abbess / In the nunnery of the bees”, with the biblical allusion suggesting that her
devotion to her father was akin to the worship of God, thus insinuating that his presence in
her life had an insignificant impact on her psychological dispossession. Moreover, Plath
progressively moves away from the role of the victim through her embracement of her
inner turmoil, with the allusion to the slave trade in Africa “With the swarmy feeling of
African hands… Black on black, angrily clambering”, representing her fight against
authority, thus promoting personal autonomy and challenging social roles. Conversely, this
shift forced Hughes to further deflect the blame on Plath’s father, which is shown through
the repetition in “But you bowed over your bees / As you bowed over your daddy”, where
‘Daddy’ associates Plath with a childlike innocence, thereby connoting her psychological
turmoil as directly related to her childhood. Consequently, her deep-rooted issues can be
examined as an extension of the demands of her father that started as a young age, which
similar to ‘A Picture of Otto’, creates a sense of helplessness as if her psychological downfall
was predestined. As such, through Plath and Hughes’ differing contextual concerns,
responders are provided with a deeper understanding of the complexities of human
relationships.

Body 3: ‘Lady Lazarus’ v ‘Red’ (Social Expectations)

Through presenting the value of passion and its capacity to enable a rebirth of individual
identity, Plath challenges the social confines within her society, while Hughes reshapes this
value to depict the destructive consequences of an unbridled pursuit of passion and desire.
Plath portrays her restricted self through her expansive critique of the role of women within
a Cold War nuclear family in ‘Lady Lazarus’, whilst Hughes’ ‘Red’ responds to the critical
backlash against him from the ‘Plath myth’. This is affirmed through Plath’s association as a
Jew in “My face a featureless fine / Jew linen” where she undergoes a series of metaphors
such as “a walking miracle… a Nazi lampshade”, using her identity against male oppression.
Conversely, Hughes reframes Plath’s use of the colour red; “a bit of blood”, “my red hair”;
subverting the passionate context in which it was used to have connotations of violence and
aggression. This motif is established immediately “Red… was what you wrapped around
you”, with the colour red connoting the suffering that Plath, and in turn, Hughes lived with,
symbolising her impulsive and obsessive nature to be a burden on their relationship.
However, this idea of destruction is represented in ‘Lady Lazarus’ as death and rebirth,
allowing her to restore her individual identity “Out of the ash / I rise with my red hair / And
I eat men like air”, as the extended metaphor of a phoenix rising up from the ashes is used
by Plath to convey her newfound ability to finally oppose her oppressive male subjugators,
justifying her strong passion for death. Hence, Hughes’ subversion of Plath’s commentary on
the values of passion provide responders with a deeper understanding on how social
constructs influence differing perspectives within marital experiences, thus demonstrating
the complexity of human relationships.
Conclusion
Plath and Hughes’ conflicting perceptions of contextual values ultimately highlight the
differing power dynamics within human relationships. Hence, through their conversation of
their sinuous relationship, both composers reveal the subjectivity of truth, resultantly
providing responders with a deeper understanding of the complexities of human
relationships.