It is as if Plath is interviewing the reader for a job and asking all these strange questions. [12] Linda Wagner-Martin comments that Plath often criticised the hegemony to only see women as mothers and motherly beings rather than focussing on the work they produced and other qualities that would otherwise give them substance. Do you wear A glass eye, false teeth or a crutch, A brace or a hook, Rubber breasts or a rubber crotch, Stitches to show something's missing? "[8] This condemnation of the role of women is what Houston believes to be Plath's strongest quality in her writings, as she highlights the inequities in society with her own experiences of married life, noting that "Plath structured her metaphors and imagery in order to demonstrate her expectations and disillusionment with marriage. Here is a hand To fill it and willing To bring teacups and roll away headaches And do whatever you tell it. [4] Plath ridiculed the role of women in a conventional marriage, which is linked to her marriage to Ted Hughes. Then How can we give you a thing? No, no? In her poem "The Applicant," Plath takes a sarcastic and condescending approach to highlight the objectification of women in the modern day marriage structure. Born in Boston in the USA she was precociously intelligent, publishing her first poem at the age of eight. Poetry of Sylvia Plath'Miss Drake Proceeds to Supper' Miss Drake Proceeds to Supper. Open your hand. Empty. In the ensuing years her work attracted the attention... Stitches to show something's missing? Sylvia Plath Poems >> The Applicant. The poem is made up of eight quatrains and… This is a typical Plath construction. Now sir, while we don’t discriminate, we have very high standards. So, any suggestions? [10] However, unlike other critics, Helle notes that Plath uses "The Applicant" to place the males in the traditionally female role of the typical housewife, and "while Plath effects a change-about in the housewife's form, she alters the eligible man's gender. Do you wear. The title of the poem immediately suggests an interview-type setting where there is an interviewee, the applicant, and an interviewer, the speaker. By the time she took her life at the age of 30, Plath already had a following in the literary community. Here is a hand. However, the movie Butterfield 8 coincides with the period. Open your hand. The poem focuses on the role of women in a conventional marriage and Plath employs themes such as the conformity to gender norms. The Applicant Poem by Sylvia Plath - Poem Hunter Comments Page 1. All information has been reproduced here for educational and informational purposes to benefit site visitors, and is provided at no charge... 1/16/2021 6:17:57 PM # 1.0.0.396 Plath and, her then husband, Ted Hughes were married between 1956-1962 and had two children together. Plath’s ambivalence toward men, marriage, and motherhood in ["The Applicant"], and the guilt she surely felt help to explain the degree to which her poems are associated with suffering. ‘The Applicant’ is a poem from the collection Ariel written by Sylvia Plath that primarily focuses on marriage. No, no? In “The Applicant”, the author, Sylvia Plath expresses many different aspects of society such as economics, women, and even marriage. Not long after, Plath committed suicide by gas inhalation in her kitchen while her two children were sleeping.However, prior to writing 'The Applicant', Plath was notorious for her writings on a loss of identity and connection to the world in The Colossus, particularly in "The Stones" and "Medallion". Read More. Empty. 1 min read 0. The poem may first appear humorous but its underlining context of the objectification of women turns it bitter. A number of themes can be applied to this poem including gender roles, marriage and consumerism. Empty? The first theme as denoted by the title is that of a job interview. Through examining areas such as the concerns of the poet, the methods and the language used, "The Applicant's" true meanings and statements will become clear. This is evident in the title. Home; Poems; Poets; Member Area; Quotations; Poetry E-Books; Sylvia Plath #27 on top 500 poets. In 1962, Plath discovered that Hughes was having an affair and moved herself and her two children into a Yeats flat in London. "[7] Moreira also interprets the applicant as a comment on the body of a woman, more specifically, the missing body of the female as "the female body lives incarcerated to be released as an objectified body. This, is furthered as the personified “it” is presented as the solution. "The Applicant" is a poem written by American confessional poet Sylvia Plath on October 11, 1962. The poem “The Applicant”, by Sylvia Plath, consists of eight stanzas and has no formal rhyme scheme. Much of the content in Sylvia Plath's poem, "The Applicant," can be interpreted by the way it is written. The Applicant. This is a direct condemnation of the social hegemony that a woman was nothing more than a product to ‘fix’ a man. This poem explores the import of social pressures, gender stereotypes and marriage. As the poem progresses however, the woman who wishes to get married seems to be applying, if not desperately, to get married as well, so much so that she has the help of the speaker to “sell” herself. Sylvia Plath's poem "The Applicant" opens with lines akin to a job interview: "First, are you our sort of a person?" The first theme as denoted by the title is that of a job interview. The Applicant. It was published in 1965, two years after her death. The poem may first appear humorous but its underlining context of the objectification of women turns it bitter. That comes out to 49 poems. No, no? . Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) The Applicant (1962) Tone and form General understanding "Are you our sort of a person? Much of the content in Sylvia Plath’s poem, “The Applicant,” can be interpreted by the way it is written. How can we give you a thing? Before Ariel was published, Plath studied at Smith College, a liberal arts school in Massachusetts. Opportunity is what applicant needs in being a chance It’s not look me over in a distance glance To be honest, no Recruiter even understands the applicant page The agenda becomes the regular stage I am an applicant, and Recruiters would be amazed It seems the applicant is ***** into the volume like a vacuum cleaner Nothing could be meaner This poem is humorous and dark at the same time containing tones of satire and feminism. ‘The Applicant’ by Sylvia Plath is a poem centred on the idea that relationships between humans are only a regime to fill a physical need, and marriage is the only way to be free of a crippling lifestyle, and women are seen as being a set of appendages and functions, men as the consumer and worker, key to the success of the Marxist viewpoints ideal. She is by one of the most celebrated poets, one of the first women poets. RHYMINGS.COM QUOTATIONS. Best Love Quotes – 500 Deep & Meaningful Quotes About Love. Freeman has furthered this by noting that “will you marry it” is repeated three times throughout the poem, which “directly invokes the church banns, announced in the parish three times before a wedding to ask ‘if there is any just cause why these two should not be joined in holy matrimony. You can comment with them here or, preferably, you could email them to me (exceptindreamsATgmailDOTcom). When the speaker discovers that our (the applicant’s) hand is “Empty”, they offer us a hand to fill it, “to bring teacups and roll away headaches” — to “do whatever you tell it.” We are asked if we will marry it. Plath uses a unique structure to construct a poem that illustrates her ideals and emotions. In preparation for that, I have to choose all the poems in advance. Do you wear A glass eye, false teeth or a crutch, A brace or a hook, Rubber ***** or a rubber crotch, Stitches to show something's missing? [15]Linda Wagner-Martin states that ""Daddy" mixed the sexual with the familia, the physical with the emotional, the father with the husband in a rhythmic swirl of energised language" and it was this mixture of various opposites that exploited both the public and private spheres. Do you wear A glass eye, false teeth or a crutch, A brace or a hook, Rubber breasts or a rubber crotch, Stitches to show something’s missing? Then im studying Plath for my a- levels and me and my cass are debating about who the applicant is i think its the man but my teacher thinks ita a women can … She was an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. In this poetry lesson, students view crunched vocabulary from the poem and work together to find patterns and connections. Consequently, I’ve paraphrased the poem as a salesman would be talking to an "Applicant". First, are you our sort of a person? Enjoy! The Applicant is a poem in Ariel, one of the most notable works of Plath. Another important source for the poem was a painting by the Belgian surrealist artistRené François Ghislain Magritte (21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967). Empty? Plath later fell pregnant and gave birth to their son Nicholas Hughes in January of 1962. As the poem progresses, you, the reader will begin to feel as if you are that boy. [2], Margaret Freeman has interpreted "The Applicant" as an exploitation of the traditions of marriage; making a mockery of the sanctity of marriage through being structured with a "series of threes which invoke Anglican church banns, the language of the Anglican wedding ceremony, the institution of marriage, and, by extension, the biblical texts on which the idealised cultural model of Anglican marriage is based." by Sylvia Plath. Poems are the property of their respective owners. How a newly personal mode of writing popularized exploring the self. Then how can we give you a thing? First, are you our sort of a person? Talk:The Applicant (poem) Jump to navigation Jump to search. Poems, articles, podcasts, and blog posts that explore women’s history and women’s rights. A few of these include refrains, internal rhymes, caesuras, and imagery. To fill it and willing. A few of these include refrains, internal rhymes, caesuras, and imagery. No, no? [9] The dehumanisation of the female is a comment on society and Plath's unconventional way of voicing her discontent with society. The Applicant By Sylvia Plath. During this time she wrote "The Applicant" alongside other poems featured in Ariel, such as "Daddy", "Tulips" and "Lady Lazarus". This The Applicant: A Sylvia Plath Poem Lesson Plan is suitable for 9th - 12th Grade. "[8], Critic Linda Wagner-Martin comments that "The Applicant" shows Plath breaking away from the social expectations of poetry, in particular female poets, and alongside poems such as "Purdah" and "Lady Lazarus", "The Applicant" shows "the persona moving from her conventional state of social acceptance to the flourish of triumph, no matter how unconventional her behaviour has become. “The Applicant” In the poem “The Applicant” it seems as though the speaker is trying to interview somebody for a job. [6], Initially in “The Applicant”, Plath comments on the idea that women are something to fix a man, asking the applicant what is wrong with them and how can they be fixed. The Applicant is a poem that explores the meaning of marriage, gender stereotype and social pressures by using the framework of an interview, in which the speaker questions the applicant, a male. The poem is a satirical 'interview' that comments on the meaning of marriage, condemns gender stereotypes and details the loss of identity one feels when adhering to social expectations. First are you our sort of a personDo you wearA glass eye false teeth or a crutch. "[10] Helle continues this by commenting on how Plath "uses housewifery to normalise kitchen craziness"[10] and, alongside many other critics, notes that "The Applicant" mocks the sanctity of marriage and the gender stereotypes of a traditional marriage/household. In her poem "The Applicant," Plath takes a sarcastic and condescending approach to highlight the objectification of women in the modern day marriage structure. Plath uses a unique structure to construct a poem that illustrates her ideals and emotions. The effect of feminism/sexism on "the applicant" Connection between historical context and gender roles to the meaning of the poem Sexist standards + feminist movement = mocking of women roles in marriage in "The Applicant" Comments on the gender roles In Plath's poem, the literative devices that are used, such as… Plath and Hughes had their first child, Frieda Hughes, on April 1st, 1960 and six months later, Plath published The colossus, her first collection of poetry, in October. Sylvia Plath’s “The Applicant” analyzes gender roles in society, in particular the role each duel gender plays in marriage. When Plath wrote this poem in the early 1960s, debate on part played by women in marriage was seriously questioned. The speaker himself acts like an applicant because he is willing to make any claims to finally achieve his aim. [11] Gupta and Sharma, too, have commented that "The Applicant" makes a mockery of the private and public spheres of society. Sylvia Plath’s “The Applicant” ties together a few different themes making it unique. First, are you our sort of a person? Will you marry it, marry it, marry it” (Plath 39-40). The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath The Applicant. No, no? ‘The Applicant’ was written in October 1962 and was first published in the London Magazine on 17 th January 1963. It was first published on January 17, 1963 in The London Magazine and was later republished in 1965 in Ariel alongside poems such as "Daddy" and "Lady Lazarus" two years after her death.[1]. [2] Plath continues this metaphor throughout, emphasising that the woman is a powerless thing that is provided to the male with no choice in the matter, reflecting Plath’s isolation and feelings of being trapped in her relationship with Hughes. Stop crying. In the poem “The Applicant” describes the stereotypically role of the traditional housewife, “it can sew, it can cook”. Then How can we give you a thing? It works, there is nothing wrong with it. [9] that Plath uses to comment on the hegemony of society and how she uses this humour as an attempt to dismantle the social expectations of the time. Sylvia Plath's Poem "The Applicant", explores many issues, in particular it looks at the ideas of feminism and the role of women in a marriage. Empty? more to come!-Drew [9], Anita Plath Helle comments on Plath's ability to ridicule the private sphere of society as well as commenting on her direct condemnation of the stereotypes of the public sphere, "how far can one push the boundaries of personification, functionality, and gender roles in the postwar dream kitchen while maintaining its legibility? Interviewee is being given the chance to own something, namely a wife by Vegan Cinephile on July 19 2013. American confessional poet Sylvia Plath: a Sylvia Plath ’ s signature (! Uses a unique structure to construct a poem that illustrates her ideals emotions... 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