That is part of the beauty of all literature.

You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you're not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong. F. Scott Fitzgerald

Structure of the presentation

. $.

!oem for interpretation" #ady #azarus by Sylvia !lath #ady #azarus by Sylvia !lath, translated in %omanian by Iulian Tnase 'ssay" (n imagery path through Sylvia !lath *or+s ,ited .andout

&. ). -.

Lady Lazarus de Sylvia !lath

traducere de Iulian Tnase

)ul$imea ron$ind alune d!ndu-"i coate s le 'ad #ez'elindu-mi m!na "i piciorul 3arele striptease 4omnilor, doamnelor (cestea s1nt m1inile mele 5enunchii mei A" putea fi piele "i os, *r doar "i poate, eu s!nt aceea"i, femeie identic. +rima oar c!nd s-a !nt!mplat a'eam zece ani. ( fost un accident. A doua oar am 'rut s dureze p!n dincolo "i s nu m mai !ntorc. ) rsuceam !nc is-n mine

Am fcut-o din nou. /n an la fiecare zece l duc la capt Un fel de miracol umbltor, pielea mea Strlucitoare ca un abajur nazist, !iciorul meu drept /n prespapier, C ipul meu lipsit de !nsu"iri, p!nz fin de evreu. #ecoje"te-mi fa$a de mas 0, inamic al meu. Te !nspim!nt% &asul, orbitele oc ilor, to$i din$ii% Acra respira$ie se va evapora 1ntr2o zi. ,ur1nd, 1n cur1nd carnea Cripta morm!ntului se 'a sim$i acas peste mine (i eu o femeie sur!ztoare. (m doar treizeci de ani. (i precum pisica nou 'ie$i am de murit. Acesta este &umrul Trei ,e mizerie S distrugi fiecare deceniu. /n milion de fire.

Ca o scoic de mare. ,i trebuiau s stri-e "i s strige (i s culea- 'iermii de pe mine ca pe ni"te perle lipicioase. ( muri ,ste o art, ca orice altce'a. ,u o fac e.cep$ional de bine. / fac de sim$i iadul !n tine. / fac de sim$i c e ade'rat. 0nuiesc c ai putea spune c am un moti'. ,ste destul de simplu s o faci !ntr-o !ncpere.

,ste destul de simplu s o faci "i s rm!i acolo. ,ste teatral 1e'enirea !n plin zi 6/n miracol7 ,are m doboar. ,.ist un pre$ +entru a-mi pri'i cicatricele, e.ist un pre$ !entru a2mi asculta inima 8 )er-e, !ntr-ade'r. (i e.ist un pre$, un pre$ considerabil, !entru un cuv1nt sau o atingere Sau pentr2un strop de s1nge Sau pentr-un fir de pr sau pentru hainele mele. A"a, a"a, 3err #octor. A"a, 3err Inamic. ,u s!nt opera 'oastr, ,u s!nt a'erea 'oastr, *eti$a de aur pur Ce se tope"te !ntr-un $ipt. ) rsucesc, m p!rjolesc. &u ' -!ndi$i c ' subestimez marea !n-rijorare. Cenu", cenu" Tu scormone"ti "i tulburi. ,arne, os, nu e nimic aici 8 Un calup de spun, /n inel de cununie, / plomb de aur. .err 4umnezeu, .err #ucifer +zea +zea. #incolo de cenu"

!n acela"i loc, la acela"i c ip, la acela"i stri-t slbatic "i amuzat2

Cu prul meu ro"u la cer eu m ridic (i ca pe aer brbai 1nghit .

An imagery path through Sylvia Plath

Sylvia !lath, under the name of #ady #azarus, 9as one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the t9entieth century. :n the ;e9 Yor+ Times <oo+ %evie9, =oyce ,arol 0ates asserts about !lath as having been >one of the most celebrated and controversial of post9ar poets 9riting in 'nglish.> (nother former (merican !oet #aureate %obert !ins+y declared in the ;e9 Yor+ Times <oo+ %evie9, >Thrashing, hyperactive, perpetually accelerated, the poems of Sylvia !lath catch the feeling of a profligate, hurt imagination, thro9ing off images and phrases 9ith the energy of a runa9ay horse or a machine 9ith its throttle stuc+ 9ide open. (ll the violence in her 9or+ returns to that violence of imagination, a frenzied brilliance and conviction.> <orn on 0ctober $?, @&$, she lived in a !atriarchal society and a 9orld 9here man 9ere dominant. !erhaps the early death of her father, the affair her husband 9as having, her struggle for po9er as a 9oman in society, dragged her into depression. ,onseAuently, at the age of thirty she committed suicide, by means of inhaling gas fumes from her stove. >#ady #azarus> is a revolt against established social institutions and po9er politics.> :n #ady #azarus, Sylvia !lath sings a song of death and rebirth. :n a reading she gave for <<, radio, Sylvia !lath introduced this poem saying" The spea+er is a 9oman 9ho has the great and terrible gift of being reborn. The only trouble is, she had to die first. She is the !hoeniB, the libertarian spirit, 9hat you 9ill. She is also Cust a good plane very resourceful 9oman. *hen it comes to diversity and social imaginary, she represents eBtremely good an overvie9 of 9hat 9e can see through our main concepts, image, imagination, imagery. Starting 9ith the title, itself, is an allusion to the bible. #azarus, a biblical character, 9as a man 9hom =esus resurrected from the dead. The entire poem is rendered through a filter of images. :tDs an imaginary space 9here #ady #azarus doesn't tell us 9here she's spea+ing from, 9hat's around her, or even if she's in any place at all only

some vague references that may lead us to the .olocaust's concentration camps or the circus 9ith its >peanut2crunching cro9d>.

From committing the nameless act 0ne year in every ten, she, ( sort of 9al+ing miracle 9ith her s+in <right as a ;azi lampshade and her face as fine and featureless as a =e9 linen this #ady #azarus 9ill ultimately be able to die nine times, li+e a cat, and has Cust completed her third death. Through our previous concepts, images, imagery that the author uses in verses, 9e can say that they can sum up a fe9 particular themes li+e death, suffering or violence. :n the second part of the poem, the theme of death starts to reveals itself more" Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say Ive a call. 0ur #ady #azarus finds death as an art, she admits its reality, she manages to handle it, sheDs not afraid anymore, having done this for decades. For her death is not an end, in fact death is Cust a ne9 beginning. She seems to play 9ith it, and amused, she laughs in its nose claiming herself to be a miracle. She has been already through this, she +no9s that everything has its price, a charge, a very large charge and she still hopes someho9 .err 4o+tor 9ill come to treat her, to rescue her even though she +no9s her ability to manage through it. I am your opus, I am your valuable, he pure gold baby

This is one of the greatest points in her poetry in my vie9, is one of the climaB, she claims that she is endo9ed 9ith creative value, this is #ady #azarus, echoed by the 9ords 'opus', 'valuable', she is The pure gold baby. She possesses the substance to 'melt', and sensitivity to 'shrie+', 9hereas later on, she prevents and laughs in the face of death, as 9ell as in the faces of 5od and #ucifer by saying, >.err 5od, .err #ucifer, <e9are <e9are.> !ut of the ash I rise with my red hair "nd I eat men like air. (nother climaB is to be announced in the last stanza, 9here our poetess vie9ed herself as a !hoeniB, that could resurrect from death, rising through ashes, the brightest, 9ith her imagery red hair representing the red feathers of the !hoeniB, eating >men li+e air>. This metaphor prepares herself for the day 9hen she 9ill be able to come bac+ and over po9er the men in her life. 4espite the theme of death, violence and their reference 9ithin the poetry, it does not mean that she 9anted to be dead at that precise period in her life. She simply 9as inspired by everything that she eBperienced throughout her short life, from her father's occupation, her father's death, her mother, her children, and her life before and after her husband's affair. 'ven though her archaic poetry 9as not seen as very significant during the time that she 9as living, today she is 9ell +no9n for her uniAue style, diction, very vivid imagery and other figurative language. She has become a sort of idol for feminists every9here and her poetry 9ill never be forgotten.

Works Cited:
<assinett, Susan. Sylvia !lath" (n :ntroduction to the !oetry. $nd ed. ;e9 Yor+" 3acmillan, $EE-. <undtzen, #ynda F. !lath's :ncantations" *omen and the ,reative !rocess. 3ichigan" / of 3ichigan, @GG. Hoices and Hisions" Sylvia !lath. 4ir #a9rence !it+ethly. ;Y ,enter for Hisual .istory :nc, @GG. http"II999. $&helpme.comIvie9.aspJidK)E?@ http"II999.poetryfoundation.orgIbioIsylvia2plath http"II999.sylviaplathforum.comIll.html http"IIvoices.yahoo.comIanalyzing2lady2lazarus2sylvia2plath2$E-G?-G.html http"II999.openculture.comI$E &IE)IsylviaLplathsLpoetryLbecomesLeBperimentalLcinemaLinL @@ Lf ilmLiladyLlazarusi.html http"II999.english.illinois.eduImapsIpoetsImLrIplathIlazarus.htm http"II999.sAuidoo.comIpoetry2analysis2sylvia2plath2s2lady2lazarus http"II999.shmoop.comIlady2lazarusI http"II999.sylviaplath.de http"II999.studymode.comIcourse2notesI(nalysis20f2Sylvia2!lath2#ady2#azarus2 )& MG .html http"II999.morbidoutloo+.comInonfictionIarticlesI$EE&LEMLsylvia.html

http"II999.gradesaver.comIsylvia2plath2poemsIstudy2guideIsection?I http"II999.poets.orgIvie9media.phpIprm3:4I$E) @ http"II999.iuliantanase.roI$EE@IE@Isylvia2plath2lady2lazarus.html

Handout
.%ead the follo9ing eBcerpts and compare them"

: am your opus, : am your valuable, The pure gold baby That melts to a shrie+. : turn and burn. concern.

,u s!nt opera 'oastr, ,u s!nt a'erea 'oastr, *eti$a de aur pur Ce se tope"te !ntr-un $ipt. ) rsucesc, m p!rjolesc. !ngriCorare.

4o not thin+ : underestimate your great &u ' -!ndi$i c ' subestimez marea

$. *hen referring to our seminar theme of today, :3(5', :3(5:;(T:0; and :3(5'%Y 9hat do you thin+ the author tried to transmit through the follo9ing lyrics"

(sh, ash22 You po+e and stir. Flesh, bone, there is nothing there22

Cenu", cenu" Tu scormone"ti "i tulburi. ,arne, os, nu e nimic aici 8

( ca+e of soap, ( 9edding ring, ( gold filling.

Un calup de spun, /n inel de cununie, / plomb de aur.

#ady #azarus eBtends the .olocaust metaphor even further here. She imagines that in this, her third death, she has been burned alive in a concentration camp crematorium. She imagines a ;azi loo+ing through the crematorium after it has burned its victimsN there's only >ash, ash.> There is no flesh or bone. There are fe9 remnants of the human beings burned alive inside" Cust a 9edding ring and a gold filling. The ;azis used to turn 9hatever remains they could find into soap O9e can't help but eBperience revulsion over hereP, and #ady # imagines that the ;azi sees the future soap he 9ill ma+e out of these ashes and traces of human bodies. /gh. #ady #azarus's tone here starts to change. 'arlier in the poem, she seemed pretty po9erless. 'veryone 9as 9atching her, or so she imagined. <ut no9 that she's dead, she imagines herself in a position of po9er. :nstead of being 9atched by ;azis, she herself is 9atching the ;azis po+e around in the crematorium. She is the seer, not the obCect to be seen.