Initiation Sylvia Plath Essay - 902 Words

Chantal Chau Analysis of a Key Passage, Initiation by Sylvia Plath In Initiation by Sylvia Plath, the author suggests that conformity and having friends is a wonderful idea, yet the idea of having an individual identity and being an individual is stronger. In the excerpt, Millicent is slowly realizing that conforming and being a part of a sorority is not as exciting as it sounds, and being an individual offers more opportunities to become a unique person. Millicent is an average girl who no one really notices, when one day, a sorority group decides to allow her to join, but she must past their initiation test first. At first, Millicent is ecstatic, and proud that she can finally be a part of society, but slowing, and in the beginning†¦show more content†¦In Millicent’s mind, freedom and originality is described as â€Å"swooping carefree heather birds, they would go singing and cooing out across the great spaces of air, dipping and darting, strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime loneliness†. Heather birds are a mythological animal, meaning freedom has no defined description that originality does not exist in a solid form. They are described to be â€Å"swooping, carefree†, meaning there is no worry of being judged, and â€Å"dipping and darting, strong in their freedom† describes the happiness of a worry free life, where style and opinions are not judged or withheld, unlike the  "chirping†, trapped, restrained sparrows which symbolize the sorority. Heather birds were â€Å"singing and cooing out across the great spaces of air†, showing that they could express their ideas and opinions without worry, though loneliness was a consequence. In the excerpt, it was stated that the heather birds were â€Å"strong and proud in their freedom and their sometime loneliness†, meaning that there will always be unique people in the world Millicent can relate to, though at times the individuality will stand out, and she will be alone. Through this mental debate, Millicent learns discovers that she could enter her imaginary great hall through â€Å"her coronation as a princess labelling her conclusively as one of the select flock†, or use â€Å"other ways of getting into the great hall, blazing with lights, of people andShow MoreRelatedSummary Of Sylvia Piviahs Initiation, By Sylvia Plath1248 Words   |  5 Pages 1. Summary of Sylvia Plath’s Initiation: At the start of the new school year, Millicent Arnold, a typical teenage girl, receives an invitation to join the elite and exclusive girls’ sorority at Lansing High School. Before she becomes an official member however, Millicent must demonstrate she is fit to join the sorority by finishing the initiation process: a series of ridiculous and rigorous tasks that pushes her to her limits. During a mission, Millicent discovers the nasty truth and reality ofRead MoreDeath Represenataion in Sylvia Plaths Selected Poems2941 Words   |  12 PagesDeath Representation in Sylvia Plaths Selected Poems Mohamed Fleih Hassan Instructor English Dept./ Abstract Death is one of the significant and recurrent themes in the poetry of Sylvia Plath. This paper aims at showing the poets attitudes towards death. Certain poems are selected to show the poets different attitudes to death: death as a rebirth or renewal, and death as an end. Most obvious factors shaped her attitudes towards death were the early death of her father that left her unsecuredRead MoreEssay about Symbolism Within the Bell Jar Novel1672 Words   |  7 PagesSylvia Plath’s novel, â€Å"The Bell Jar†, tells a story of a young woman’s descent into mental illness. Esther Greenwood, a 19 year old girl, struggles to find meaning within her life as she sees a distorted version of the world. In Plath’s novel, different elements and themes of symbolism are used to explain the mental downfall of the book’s main character and narrator such as cutting her off from others, forcing her to delve further into her own mind, and casting an air of negativity around her. PlathRead More Sylvia Plaths Poetry Essay2870 Words   |  12 PagesSylvia Plaths Poetry Wrapped in gaseous mystique, Sylvia Plath’s poetry has haunted enthusiastic readers since immediately after her death in February, 1963. Like her eyes, her words are sharp, apt tools which brand her message on the brains and hearts of her readers. With each reading, she initiates them forever into the shrouded, vestal clan of her own mind. How is the reader to interpret those singeing, singing words? Her work may be read as a lone monument, with no ties to the worldRead More Conflict between Individuality and Conformity in The Bell Jar2060 Words   |  9 PagesConflict between Individuality and Conformity in The Bell Jar    In Sylvia Plaths novel The Bell Jar, Esther Greenwood seems incapable of healthy relationships with other women. She is trapped in a patriarchal society with rigid expectations of womanhood. The cost of transgressing social norms is isolation, institutionalization and a lost identity as woman. The struggle for an individual identity under this regime is enough to drive a person to the verge of suicide. Given the oppressive systemRead More Comparing Female Sexuality in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Wome2661 Words   |  11 PagesComparing Female Sexuality in Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women In Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar and Alice Munro’s Lives of Girls and Women, Esther and Del try to take control of their sexuality and their sexual lives. These two female protagonists attempt to gain sexual confidence by quietly rejecting the societal images of women. They are able to seduce men and pilot their own sexual lives. These women are also able to ignore the popular beliefsRead MoreAnalysis Of Sylvia Plaths Initiation931 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story â€Å"Initiation† by Sylvia Plath, the protagonist Millicent, a girl at Lansing High School is being tried as a member of an elite sorority. The girls must go through a week of being an older sister’s servant to be then tried on Friday at Rat Court. Only the most popular girls are accepted into the sorority. These popular girls are also the ones who get the most, popular boyfriends. Everything seems like a dream to Millicent except for the fact that her best friend Tracy wasnâ €™t evenRead More##dike, Sylvia Plath And Alice Walkers A P726 Words   |  3 Pagesa victory, and then comes home changed or transformed. Many authors, such as John Updike, Sylvia Plath, and Alice Walker, show this ideal through some of their literary works. Although they may seem different, they all have a hero trying to settle a conflict in order to reach their main goal. In each of these stories, we are able to see a change in character by the protagonist. Authors such as Updike, Plath, and Walker, use literary devices such as imagery, setting, and allusion in their storiesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Poem The Stone Boy 1954 Words   |  8 Pagescause one s shift from childhood into adulthood.Within the four short stories â€Å"Initiation†( Plath, Sylvia.) by Sylvia Plath, â€Å"Araby†(Joyce, James.) by James Joyce, â€Å" Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been† (Oates, Carol Joyce.) by Joyce Carol Oates, and â€Å"The Stone boy† (Berriault, Gin a.) by Gina Berriault, each of the authors conveyed the theme of coming of age to shed light on the varying forces that evoke one’s initiation into adulthood. These different forces lead one to change from who they onceRead MorePlaths Effective Use of Characterization in The Initiation530 Words   |  2 Pagesstory, whether it was internal or external. Conflict was necessary, because it helps develop the characterization of Millicent and other characters in the story. Characterization is necessary, because it portrays Millicent’s feelings toward the initiation and the character plot of other characters. Millicent is faced with a decision in the short story, whether to be initiated or not. The use of character plot and theme play a role in the final decision that Millicent makes. The author uses characterization