A Comparison - Sylvia Plath

Introduction to the text

This short essay published in 1962 uses vivid and visceral imagery to explore the differences between writing a novel and a poem.

A celebrated American poet, novelist and short story writer, Sylvia Plath was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1982, after her death.

A Comparison - Sylvia Plath 1962

Key features of a discursive essay
A thesis (main argument)
A personal and often conversational tone, with extended use of "I"
Comparative reasoning: ideas are presented in an alternating manner, suggesting the writer is still pondering the question even as they are writing
Concrete evidence (facts/quotes/statistics etc) to back up each of the alternating arguments
A counter-argument might be incorporated and refuted
Both high and low modality language

Structure

Structure refers to the way the ideas are revealed in a text. Are they chronological or non-linear? Are they conveyed using a unique sentence structure/syntax. Use the following questions to guide your exploration of Plath's 'A Comparison'.

1. What do you notice about the length of the paragraphs?

2. What do you notice about the lengths of the sentences?

3. How do these variations in length enable Plath to develop power and authority in her essay?

4. Plath's ideas can be tracked throughout the essay as follows:

a. Plath presents her initial argument

b. Plath shifts her argument

c. Plath provides a counter-argument

d. Plath refutes the counter-argument

e. Plath presents her final position

On your copy, locate and note the sections of the essay where these structural shifts take place.

5. Why do you think Plath includes the counter-argument (the other poets she might 'anger')?

6. Overall, do you think the essay's structure is effective? Provide reasons.

Metaphor

Plath incorporates a number of metaphors (both extended ones and singular). This adds creativity, originality and an elegance to the piece.
She often uses the following language to introduce a metaphor: "I think of a..."
Choose TWO significant metaphors Plath uses to aid in her construction of the argument. For each one explain:

1) What idea does this metaphor represent?

2) Does this metaphor enable Plath to convey the idea in a powerful and precise way? Why?

Extended metaphors

Extended metaphors take two (sometimes more) concepts and evaluate them over a series of sentences to create a more intricate picture of how one thing is like the other. Extended metaphors use complex logic such as the following to flesh out the argument:

Compare (how one is like the other)
Contrast (how one is unlike the other)
Juxtaposition (placing both ideas together)
Analogy (the relationship of one to the other)
Extrapolation (inferring or hypothesizing the unknown about one using the known of the other)

There are no particular parameters defined for how long or short an extended metaphor can be, but in typical use, an extended metaphor is more than one sentence that draws the comparison and can go as long as a whole paragraph, poem, story, novel, etc.

Writing extended metaphors

Write your own extended metaphor by following these steps:

1. Choose an abstract object, place or idea that interests you (e.g. fear). Write this down.

2. Next, think of a concrete object that could represent your abstract idea (e.g. thunder). Write this down.

3. Brainstorm all the features you can think of about the second, concrete object. E.g. thunder is....

4. Apply these features to your original object, place or idea from Question 1. E.g. fear is...

5. Write a descriptive paragraph about your abstract idea (fear) by implying throughout your paragraph how it feels/looks/sounds like your concrete object (thunder).

Task

Write a short discursive piece which begins with the following line

"I never thought I'd be saying this, but..."

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