DECODING CONFESSIONAL POETRY: AN ANALYSIS OF THE SELECTED POEMS OF SYLVIA PLATH AND KAMALA DAS

Abstract

The twentieth century was marked by a significant increase in creative expression in literature, particularly in the voices of marginalized communities through various literary forms. Female authors have played a major role in portraying the challenges and difficulties they have faced throughout their existence with remarkable prominence. One of the emerging avenues for expressing suppressed emotions was confessional poetry, characterized by intimate themes, first-person narratives, an autobiographical tone, and skilled craftsmanship. The present research aims to examine selected confessional poems of two highly acclaimed poets, Sylvia Plath from America and Kamala Das from India, who share a common narrative conveyed through their confessional verses. The poems extensively explore themes of subjugation, mental anguish, and the spirit of rebellion against prevailing dominations. The paper is divided into four distinctive sections, which include an introductory overview of the selected poets, a comprehensive scrutiny of confessional poems, an application of the analysis to the chosen poems, and a conclusive summary. An observation made throughout this study is the prevalent exploitation of women in both Western and Eastern societies.  Sylvia Plath's "Daddy" reveals her fraught relationship with her father, while Kamala Das' "Sunshine Cat" delves into her sense of suffocation in a male-dominated society.