Response to a Poem

Of the different poems, the most striking to me was Lady Lazarus by Sylvia Plath. This poem kept me in a sort of suspense and mystery. I was playing CLUE trying to figure who was the speaker and how the descriptions could possibly fit. First, the title threw me for a loop as well as the beginning stanzas. In particular, the second stanza stated, “A sort of walking miracle, my skin   bright as a Nazi lampshade, my right foot” (Plath). I thought this might be about some women who has gone through a lot in her years and felt as if she has died many times and yet is still alive. The third stanza only made me think I was on the right train of thought by adding, “A paperweight, my face a featureless, fine Jew linen” (Plath).  

Only until I read on further did I realize this poem was about gold. The speaker was “gold” and her refining process and what she goes through. It was amazing all the imagery. I had to read through this poem more than twice to fully take in all its meaning. This was very intriguing to me as I have looked into the refining process of gold and I would have never angled a poem in this fashion. The only way I could figure this mystery out was when it the speaker revealed herself in the 23^rd stanza which states, “I am your opus, I am your valuable, the pure gold baby” (Plath). Wow. Ok, I finally could understand the speaker. As the poem came to an end, it began to come together like a masterpiece.

I truly was attracted to this poem because I had no idea who the speaker was. The speaker was wearing a mask and disguised only in her own life. I can’t think quite the same about the refining process after a good read as this poem. Only truth was said toward the end that, “And I eat men like air” (Plath). Gold is a form of monetary and yes it devours men because of its intense pull at the heart, soul and mind.

Link source: http://www.sylviaplath.de/
Visual source: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/11