"Tulips" by Sylvia Plath

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at 'Tulips', the poem written by Sylvia Plath. According to the paper, this poem is set in a hospital with a patient who becomes obsessed with the red tulips that somebody has sent her. The paper discusses how the poem reflects feelings of loss and pain.

From the Paper:

"In the next two verses, this theme continues as the poet describes the nurses. She describes herself watching them pass and says that her body "is a pebble to them, they tend it as water / Tends to the pebbles it must run over, smoothing them gently" (15-16). This image of herself as a pebble emphasizes that she is passive. She is not shaping herself, but is lying still and having others shape her. Richard Grey sees this image as more significant and refers to it as representing immersion in water and also says that it represents the fetal state. As immersion in water, there is a suggestion of cleansing. This shows that the poet's escape from reality is not just about hiding from reality, but might also be about having the opportunity to escape obligations so she can cleanse herself of past experiences she has not dealt with. This is where the subject of her past miscarriage enters the poem. The fetal state refers to a situation where one is passive. However, it also refers to a situation where a person is formed. This suggests that while the poet is free from her life, she is able to grow and develop. This is then highlighted in the third verse where she refers to her real life as baggage and says that she is sick of baggage. This shows that her responsibilities are a weight she has to carry and a burden."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Dobbs, J. "Viciousness in the Kitchen: Sylvia Plath's Domestic Poetry." Modern Language Studies, 7.2 (1977): 11-25.
• Grey, R. American Poetry of the Twentieth Century. London: Longman, 1990.
• Plath, S. "Tulips." Ariel. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 10-12.
• Uroff, M.D. "Sylvia Plath and Confessional Poetry: A Reconsideration." Iowa Review, 8.1 (1977): 104-115.

More papers on "Tulips" by Sylvia Plath:

• Poem Review # 135436 : "Tulips in Sylvia Plath's "Tulips"
• Analytical Essay # 59125 : "The Colossus" by Sylvia Plath"
• Analytical Essay # 28194 : "Daddy" by Sylvia Plath"

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