Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Compare and contrast this poem to another by Plath, like "Daddy." What similarities and differences do you see in style and theme?
- Some critics have interpreted the "father" in the poem as Plath's creative muse rather than her literal father. What do you think? Does the language lend itself to that interpretation?
- Other critics have said that the father in the poem is all men, and that the poem is about the speaker's struggle to establish her femininity in a patriarchal world. What do you think about this idea? Does it seem like an accurate interpretation of the poem? Why or why not?
- What is the effect of the free verse style of the poem? How does it help the poet get across her ideas?
- Compare and contrast this poem to another that seems to deal with the loss of a loved one, like "my father moved through dooms of love" by E. E. Cummings. How do the poems deal similarly and differently with similar themes?