Use Of Imagery In The Applicant And Consorting With Angels Essay, Research Paper

Discuss and compare the different ways in which imagery contributes to meaning in Anne Sexton s Consorting with Angels and Sylvia Plath s The Applicant.

Imagery is an often-used device in the writing of poetry. An image can be defined as any depiction that appeals to one of the senses. Imagery is often an important tool as it enlarges and intensifies our sense of the poem thus contributing to meaning. This is especially so in Anne Sexton s Consorting with Angels and Sylvia Plath s The Applicant. Sexton and Plath have both chosen to deal with gender stereotypes but Plath also makes comments on the stereotype of marriage. Although they have chosen different ways in the portrayal of them, imagery is used successfully in both poems to evoke the senses and to help the reader to identify and understand the poem more fully.

In Consorting with Angels and The Applicant, Sexton and Plath have attempted to redefine the stereotypical image of the woman. To do this, they have firstly presented the traditional image of a woman and have successfully done so through the use of vivid imagery and constant references to the constructs of femminity. The domestic role of a woman is vividly portrayed in Sexton s use of spoons and pots and Plath s depiction of a living doll that can sew cook [and] talk . The reference to a living doll is also indicative of the traditional male attitude towards females as living dolls surrounded by spoons and pots , who are able to sew, cook and talk, naked as paper for men to write their demands and expectations on. The subservient role of the woman is also clearly illustrated by the imagery of a hand to fill it and willing to bring teacups and roll away the headaches . This simple imagery of filling teacups and massaging away headaches also clearly shows another expected role of the woman: that of a nurturer and healer who fixes a poultice if you have a hole , contributing to Plath s intent of showing the stereotypical submissive role of the woman. Sexton vividly demonstrates this role in her description of men who sat at my table, circled around the bowl I offered up too. The sacrificial imagery brings home the point of women being sacrificed on the altar of matrimony to the service of men. The description of the flies hovered in for the scent brings to mind scavengers and pests as Sexton sardonically parallels men to be. The strong sexual imagery also seeks to verify men as sexual predators seeking women for their sacrifice. The imagery of the living doll in Plath is comparable to Sexton s imagery of cosmetics and the silks as both allude to a woman s looks and the image of femminity that women often have to live up to. Plath s description of a waterproof, shatterproof, proof against fire suit further emphasizes women as men s trophy and property, a decorative item to hang on their arm, one that can stoically withstand the ups and downs in a marriage.

Sexton and Plath have chosen different approaches to dealing with the presentation of a repositioning of stereotypes of men and women, and marriage. Sexton has chosen a dream imagery in presenting her desire for a genderless world.

Last night I had a dream

and I said to it

You are the answer.

The use of the dream imagery allows the persona to explore her dream world, a realm of fantasy, a transient world where Sexton is allowed to let her imagination take flight and indulge in her dream of a world where she can lose her common gender and final aspect . The use of the dream imagery also adds to the surreal quality of the poem by casting an illusory mist over it.

Her mention of her husband and father who are two unmistakable representatives of the male gender further emphasises her struggle to free herself from the gender stereotype. The imagery of Joan [who] was put to death in men s clothes further establishes gender neutrality for Joan of Arc, as a mortal female dressed up as male and a saint, rises above the gender stereotypes. The transcending of gender stereotypes is also evident in the use of the imagery of angels as they are also gender neutral, a people apart . The image of Adam on the left [of the persona] and Eve on the right also serves to further reposition the traditional hierarchy of men being above women as Sexton illustrates that they are all equal. Although Adam, the persona and Eve are all at the same level, it is interesting that Eve is placed on the right-hand side, maybe subtly suggesting that women are ranked slightly higher?

Sexton s depiction of angels as no two made in the same species/ one with a nose, one with a ear in it s hand, /one chewing a star each one like a poem obeying itself is vastly different from the conventional view of them and this further emphasises her intent to redefine traditional stereotypes. The dramatically grotesque imagery created here shocks the reader and is particularly successful in accenting these differences. Plath also uses grotesque imagery to accentuate her point. In her poem, the persona asks if the applicant wears

A glass eye, false teeth or a crutch

A brace or a hook,

Rubber breasts or a rubber crotch,

Stitches to show something s missing?

In Plath s poem, the bizarre imagery serves to illustrate how fake the social institution of marriage is. Like in Sexton s depiction of angels in her poem, Plath deliberately chooses to open her poems with these horrific mental pictures to shock the reader and to accentuate her point. The image of an empty hand is also another highly symbolic. That a hand is quickly offered after the discovering of the empty hand is a clear indication of how marriage is customarily viewed to be a completion of a person. The hand can also refer to the role of the helping hand (helper) to men especially in marriage.

While Plath is preoccupied with the chains of marriage, there is a shift in meaning to the imagery of chains in Sexton s Consorting with Angels. The persona s dream of a city made of chains reinforces the chains of mindsets and gender roles. Interestingly, the chain imagery develops and the persona finds the chains fastening around her until she lost [her] common gender and [her] final aspect. That she needs to be chained to prevent her from falling into the stereotypes and thus be freed is strangely ironic. The freedom the chains finally allow her is beautifully described in her description of how she wove [their] arms together and rode out under the sun . The reference to O daughters of Jerusalem, the king has brought me into her chamber has a triumphal tone that encompasses her elation at being opened and undressed with no arms or legs all one skin like a fish , a being without any gender stereotypes to restrict and chain her.

In conclusion, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath have used the poetic tool of imagery very successfully in their poems. Their usage of imagery has intensified and deepened our understanding of their poems and has allowed us to appreciate them more fully. Imagery s contribution to meaning in a poem has clearly been illustrated in Sexton s Consorting with Angels and Sylvia Plath s The Applicant.