The Applicant

“Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath (1965)

One of Plath’s most famous poems, this powerful free-verse poem explores many themes Plath obsessed over in her poetry, including suicide, personal pain, and the Holocaust. In the poem, Plath discusses her many suicide attempts and connects herself to the biblical character Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. The poem features many of the same stylistic techniques Plath uses in “The Applicant,” including free verse with heavy emphasis on repetition and internal rhyme as well as irony.

“The Jailor” by Sylvia Plath (1962)

In this horror poem, Plath writes about the experience of marriage by focusing on things like domestic abuse and marital rape. The poem is extremely dark and graphic. It is another example of Plath’s Confessional style and her poetic technique, as she uses extended metaphor and wordplay to create moments of tense sarcasm and to present a dark and rundown tone. The poem, perhaps better than any historical article, presents Plath’s feelings about being married to Hughes.

“Mushrooms” by Sylvia Plath (1960)

In this metaphorical poem, Plath describes mushrooms. The mushrooms represent the undervalued, overlooked, and forgotten people of society, and for this reason, readers have interpreted it as a feminist poem.