The use of holocaust image to reflect the muteness caused by the patriarchal authority, especially from the language aspect in the poem ‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath.

The persona in the poem ‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath uses a collected metaphor of herself as a Jewish victim to reflect her struggle as a female figure against patriarchal authority. She resembles what her father did to her to what Germans did to the Jews. The holocaust image is used to illustrate how women, and Plath herself, are imprisoned and silenced by the dominance of male authority. Although critics think that resembling the father and daughter relationship to an important universal issue is belittling its importance; in my opinion, it is such a smart and outstanding way to express herself for Plath in that years. Plath uses language in various functions to reflect that tone of her muteness and imprisonment.

The rhyme scheme resembles a sort of nursery rhyme and hard sounds, short lines, repeated words; in addition, the word choice ‘Daddy’ for the title reflects persona’s status as a childish figure. However, the tone is vitriolic. Especially, the use of German language creates an uncomfortable reading experience to make reader think. On the other hand, this use of language expresses her desire for communication. The persona is eager to talk but is not able to complete her sentences; for example, in the verse ‘ich ich ich’.  To give a different aspect, this repetitive language creates the image in the mind of the sound produced by the engines which transfer the Jews to concentration camps. It creates an uncomfortable tone.

In addition to creating an uncomfortable tone, the use of nursery rhyme and the German language serve an ironic function. The nursery rhyme is normally  used in lullabies to put babies into sleep; but in this poem, it illustrates how women are silenced, put into sleep metaphorically, under the patriarchal authority. Therefore, that gives an athmosphere of a ‘horror movie’. The german language reflects the persona’s lose sense of identity as she cannot express herself thoroughly. Here, we are confronted with the issued of the inability to speak, the muteness; the patriarchal authority that silences the little girl.

To conclude, Plath resembles herself to a Jew or Gypsy, who are outcasts in the society, to reflect how the male authorities silence and imprison the female in both family and marriage life by using the language effectively in every aspect. The line ‘Every woman adores adores a Fascist’, in my opinion, summarizes the poem; because this line shows how Plath cannot or deliberately express herself openly or clearly, but ironically.