To what extent do you agree that a feminist reading of the first seven stanzas of “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath can reveal a previously unseen meaning? Answer briefly.

“Daddy” takes the reader on a journey through the author's personal experiences of paternal death, failed relationships and suicide attempts, leading to her eventual transformation from victim to woman. It often seen as one of her best works, and one of the best examples of a 'confessional' poem. Applying a feminist reading allows us to see the relationship between Plath and her father as microcosmic representation of the relationship between males and females in a patriarchal society. Plath uses strong imagery from the start, describing her father as a "black shoe, in which I have lived...barely daring to breath or Achoo". The image of the black shoe bares connotes fascism and power, as well as suggesting that Plath has had to live within her father's shadow, and within the boundaries set by him all her life. The fact that she barely dares to breath also adds to the theme of suffocation and voicelessness which is continued throughout the poem. If, within the poem, the narrator represents femininity (described as "Poor and white", the opposite of Daddy's "black"), and 'Daddy' represents masculinity, then this can be seen to be equating masculinity with the notions of power, imprisonment and oppression. Throughout history, males have been dominant over women, politically, economically and sexually, and so the issues Plath raises against her father, such as feeling trapped by him and unable to communicate, are issues that woman have almost always had with men. Next Daddy is described as "a bag full of God...Big as a Frisco seal And a head in the freakish Atlantic". He is seen as a colossus, an omnipotent Godlike figure whose presence is so huge it stretches all the way across America. Plath could be emphasising her father's physical size here, which is often viewed in society as an important component of masculinity. The idea of a giant figure is physically imposing and threatening, whilst in comparison we ourselves are reminded of how vulnerable and insignificant we seem. Again, power imbalances are revealed, and again, the male is in the position of power whilst the female is submissive. At the end of the third stanza, German is used ("Ach, du"), a device used recurrently throughout the poem. This, of course, is a reference to her father's German heritage, but simultaneously it reminds us of the barrier created by language. It can be difficult for people who do not share a common language to communicate, in the same way it has often been difficult throughout history for women to communicate with men, due to power imbalances. Germany continues to be mentioned in the next few stanzas where Plath talks about having difficulty finding which town her father was from - "But the name of the town is common". Her inability to identify her father's birthplace suggests separation and loss, an idea furthered in the next stanza; "I could never tell where you put your foot....I could never talk to you". This poem was written not too long after the end of WWII, so references to Germany ("scraped flat by the roller Of wars, wars, wars") often prompt images of war and conflict. Plath uses this to further the image of her father as domineering and cruel - "I thought every German was you". This sudden pervading presence of her father, within every German, again establishes his importance and almost God-like role in this poem.