Compare and contrast two poems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Compare and contrast two poems - Essay Example pen rests; as snug as a gun.† (Bloom, 1986) Heaney begins his poem by describing the ‘pen’ which symbolizes the essential instrument for writers. Further the pen is compared to a gun. A gun represents power; so does the pen which enables expression of emotions and thoughts. It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword. A gun is associated with the idea of destruction and suffering. The media in the present world can either make you or break you which prove that the pen can annihilate like the gun, but, the pen can also elevate and one can soar to great heights. ‘Digging’ enhances the idea of the ‘self’ wherein the narrative voice is first person narration as portrayed in the line, â€Å"between my finger and my thumb’. (Bloom, 1986) Plath on the hand begins on a negative note that portrays doubt and depression, â€Å"You do not do, you do not do, Any more, black shoe, In which I have lived like a foot, For thirty years, poor and white, Barely daring to breathe or Achoo†. A total sense of anxiety and bereavement sets the mood and tone of the poem. Further the title ‘Daddy’ reveals the fact that Plath’s emotional stability was stunted and this has lead to her feeling like an abandoned child. Further, words such as ‘black shoe’, ‘Achoo’, exhibit the frightened mental state of the child thus portraying dependence on the father figure she wanted but could never have. Plath is seeking self-realization and control from the aftermath of her father’s death. (Jean, 1984) The similarity between Plath and Heaney is that in the second stanza the father figure is established and explored. As witnessed in Heaney â€Å"Under my window a clean rasping sound, When the spade sinks into gravelly ground: My father, digging. I look down† and in Plath â€Å"Daddy, I have had to kill you. You died before I had time--- Marble-heavy, a bag full of God, Ghastly statue with one grey toe Big as a Frisco seal† the contrast found here is that Heaney portrays