Images of the Holocaust
The stanzas, “Not God but a swastika” and “A paperweight, / my face a featureless, fine / Jew linen,” are perfect examples of how Sylvia Plath brings to the reader’s attention the horrors of the holocaust. “Lady Lazarus” and “Daddy” are companion pieces in which the poet communicates her personal pain, suffering, and attempts at self-healing. Although Sylvia Plath’s poems “Daddy” and “Lady Lazarus” are about different subjects, through the use of imagery, allusion, metaphors, and similes the poet draws ones attention to the holocaust. The poem “Daddy” opens with a reference to the father’s black shoe, in which the daughter persona states, “In which I have lived like a foot / For thirty years, poor and white, / Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.,” which suggest feelings of submissiveness and entrapment.