I think most folks think one goes to poetry for flowers, puppies, warm hugs, and you know all things sweet and nice.
Personally, my favorite poetry is spiritual in nature, the search for Divine Love and the Soul's wisdom, but many of the more noted poets have led dark and sometimes dirty lives, steeped in anger, hatred, and just plain deception. Thus, the issue of controversy in poetry rears it ugly head and forces us to look at the good, bad, and the ugly.
Sylvia Plath, who committed suicide by placing her head in a gas oven at age 30 with her young children in the next room, is one such poet, and her poem "Daddy" is one such poem. The poem is widely believed to be a result of Plath's hatred of her father. But Katie Roiphe has a different idea: she offers the suggestion with an abundance of evidence that the real target of "Daddy" is Mommy.
In her article,
"Daddy" is Mommy, Roiphe presents a compelling case for the claim, although she also qualities it with her subtitle, "Is Sylvia Plath's famous poem really about her mother?"
Well, no one can answer that question definitively, but we can have a grand old time speculating about it. I think Roiphe has a useful argument to offer to the debate. What do you think?
Let's talk poetry!
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