It is said that poets’ sensitivity to their surroundings is heightened beyond average. With it, poets perceive and interpret the world unlike others can. This certain quality seemed to be especially prominent in the poet Sylvia Plath; her choices in topic, material, and writing style all serve to convey to readers the ways in which she deeply and completely experienced life, especially in its lesser-discussed, personal moments. Ariel, Plath’s final poetry collection, most clearly represents the poet’s vision of the world.

Sylvia Plath, an American poet born in 1932, had a short but notable literary career. Plath is well-known for her semi-autobiographical novel The Bell Jar, but she is first and foremost considered a poet. In the span of her short 30-year life, she left behind the poetry collections The Colossus and Ariel, the latter of which was published posthumously to her suicide. Ariel was first edited and published in 1965 by her husband and fellow poet Ted Hughes, who edited the manuscript to exclude and include certain poems. In 2004, a restored version of Ariel was published with Plath’s original poem selection and arrangement.

That the collection was compiled near her death contributes to the common evaluation of Ariel as dark. To illustrate, “Lady Lazarus” is commonly interpreted as being about Plath’s suicidal thoughts and attempts. In the work, the speaker, presumed to be Lady Lazarus, takes after her namesake and undergoes death and resurrection several times. Contrary to assumption, however, the speaker’s comeback to life is unwanted.

Nonetheless, labeling Ariel as simply “dark” may be a hasty move. In truth, Ariel includes all parts of Plath’s life that she deemed worth writing about, much of which was personal. In “Morning Song,” Plath reflects upon herself and depicts a new mother who has yet to feel overwhelming affection towards her baby. In this case, she refuses the often-sanctified idea of motherhood for an honest portrayal of her experience of it, regardless of how cold it may be viewed. Hence, it may be more accurate to read Ariel with a focus on the writer’s frank and sensitive perspective on life, no matter the topic, than to declare them all a single tone.

Another characteristic of Ariel is that it utilizes everyday experiences. The titular poem “Ariel” depicts the speaker’s psychological experience while riding a horse. Such an experience would have been quite ordinary at the time; nonetheless, Plath draws philosophical symbolism about death and rebirth from the short moment. Overall, sensitive reaction to and contemplation of mundane stimuli, combined with an almost brutally frank assessment, result in Ariel's unique voice.

In Ariel’s foreword, Plath’s daughter comments that its interpretation was “taken over by strangers, possessed and reshaped by them.” As such, appraisal of the collection was dominated by its backstory and others’ allusions. Thus, an initial read of the collection without preconceptions from existing reviews may provide readers an original outlook, one which could especially benefit the literary discourse surrounding Ariel. It will just be a first-time read for them — but it may be for Ariel a fresh, new introduction to the world.

Book Information

Title: Ariel: The Restored Edition

Author: Sylvia Plath

Publisher: Harper

Publication Year: 2004

Pages: 240