Sylvia Plath lived from 1932-1963. During those mere 31 years, she lived through some of the most tremendously devastating events that will be forever remembered in the history of time.

      Sylvia Plath had to deal with death at a very young age as her father died from cancer when she was only eight years old in 1940. It is no surprise that her poems frequently involve the aspect of death and struggles whether they involve psychological or physical debacles. I respect Sylvia Plath because she did not sugar coat her poems or her life. She was a very intelligent woman who suffered from a mental illness but was still aware of the travesties that were occurring around her.  Because the times in that era were so scary, and unpredictable, the entertainment and societal aspects of society focused on everything being unrealistically pleasant. We see this in shows such as “Leave it to Beaver” which was broadcasted while she was growing up and it portrays a polite, perfect family that has no real basis on what was actually happening during those times. It was far fetched but had good intentions because it was created as an avenue for people to escape reality into this ideal family life because people were being brutally murdered and the world was in constant turmoil. Sylvia Plath used her poetry as a way to deal with her feelings about what was going on around her and she was influenced tremedously by events such as the Holocaust and WWII.