‘Daddy’ by Sylvia Plath uses emotional, and sometimes, painful metaphors to depict the poet’s opinion of her father and other men in her life.
This poem is often cited as a prime example of confessional poetry, a genre characterized by its raw and deeply personal subject matter. The poem's autobiographical elements and its frank portrayal of the speaker's emotions and experiences make it a prime example of this genre.
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,
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92/100
‘Rowing’ by Anne Sexton is a moving and unforgettable poem about depression. It was written two years before Sexton took her life in 1974.
This is a confessional poem. Its stylistic elements include an intimate tone and how it reveals personal struggles, such as the speaker's desire to get rid of the "gnawing pestilential rat" inside her. Sexton's confessional style often addressed her struggles with mental illness and suicide, and this poem is no exception.
A story, a story!
(Let it go. Let it come.)
I was stamped out like a Plymouth fender
into this world.
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90/100
‘An Introduction’ by Kamala Das passionately outlines her views on marriage, sexuality, language, modern India and more.
Das' relationship to the confessional movement is fascinating because her poetry clearly aligns with many of the key facets of the movement, even though she was never in the geographical center of the movement. This poem is a brilliant example of the confessional style. If you're interested in learning more about Das and confessionalism, check out the episode of Beyond the Verse on Das wherever you get your podcasts.
I don't know politics but I know the names
Of those in power, and can repeat them like
Days of week, or names of months, beginning with Nehru.
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90/100
This poem delves into death, rebirth, and the endurance of suffering, drawing parallels to the biblical figure of Lazarus.
Plath is considered one of the key figures in the development of confessional poetry, a genre characterized by its personal and autobiographical subject matter. In 'Lady Lazarus,' Plath draws heavily on her own experiences to create a powerful and intimate portrait of her struggles with mental illness, suicide, and the pressure to perform for an audience.
I have done it again.
One year in every ten
I manage it——
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90/100
Lowell’s ‘Night Sweat’ portrays his struggle with writer’s block and profound distress, finding solace in his wife’s comforting presence.
‘Night Sweat’ is a confessional poem that is written from a subjective point of view. Lowell uses the first-person narration technique to describe his episodes of night sweats. Though Lowell wrote a number of personal poems that are mostly confessional in tone, some critics argue that Lowell’s poems do not wholly conform to the confessional school of poetry.
Work-table, litter, books and standing lamp,
plain things, my stalled equipment, the old broom---
but I am living in a tidied room,
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88/100
‘Anorexic’ by Eavan Boland presents a woman determined to destroy her physical body through starvation while alluding to the original sin.
Eavan Boland uses a confessional scheme throughout to depict the mindset of a speaker suffering from anorexia. The poem is written from the first-person perspective which gives a personal touch to the poem. It is not clear what may have caused the speaker's ailment. But, the poet uncovers how she suffers and fails to ease the tension between her mind and body.
Flesh is heretic.
My body is a witch.
I am burning it.
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87/100
Sylvia Plath’s ‘Letter in November’ poignantly explores solitude and introspection against a backdrop of seasonal change.
This poem exemplifies the confessional style with its raw emotional intensity and intimate exploration of the speaker's inner turmoil. Plath's use of vivid imagery and personal reflection invites readers into the depths of her psyche, making it a powerful representation of confessional poetry.
Love, the world
Suddenly turns, turns color. The streetlight
Splits through the rat's tail
Pods of the laburnum at nine in the morning.
It is the Arctic,
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86/100
‘Getting There’ depicts Plath’s journey through suffering, leading to her revival from a troubled past. This revival, however, is rooted in oblivion.
This is a prime example of confessional poetry where the speaker and the poet are one. Sylvia Plath, in an unhinged manner, bares her emotions and thoughts into her verse.
How far is it?
How far is it now?
The gigantic gorilla interior
Of the wheels move, they appall me —
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82/100
‘The Snowman on the Moor’ explores the turbulent and abusive relationship between the speaker (presumably Plath herself) and her male spouse.
Plath has not only popularized but objectively introduced the genre of confessional poetry into the world of literary arts. Her discussion of emotional experiences best fits the confessional genre, connecting her to the reader. This poem is a fantastic example of confessional poetry and its interest in sharing first-person, very personal experiences and feelings.
Stalemated their armies stood, with tottering banners:
She flung from a room
Still ringing with bruit of insults and dishonors
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80/100
Whitman’s ‘As I Ebb’d with the Ocean of Life’ portrays self-reflection, uses the ocean’s vastness to symbolize life’s complexities.
This poem is a great example of a confessional poem. Whitman is opening up about his personal thoughts, fears, and doubts. It’s like he’s having an honest conversation with himself and the world around him. He admits he doesn’t have all the answers and questions who he really is. That kind of raw honesty and self-reflection is what makes it feel so deeply personal and confessional in tone.
As I ebb’d with the ocean of life,
As I wended the shores I know,
As I walk’d where the ripples continually wash you Paumanok,
Where they rustle up hoarse and sibilant,
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80/100
‘In Celebration of My Uterus’ by Anne Sexton is an uplifting poem about the meaning of womanhood. The poem explores Sexton’s perspective on feminine identity.
Anne Sexton remains one of the female pioneers of the genre of confessional poetry, and this is one of the better examples of her verse. Sexton persisted and even encouraged other women to write in this specific genre, even though most writers at her time were male. Today, she is recognized as one of the best confessional poets the world has ever known.
Sweet weight,
in celebration of the woman I am
and of the soul of the woman I am
and of the central creature and its delight
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80/100
‘Next Day’ by Randall Jarrell is a confessional poem with a conversational tone that articulates the complex emotions of aging and change.
'Next Day' is an excellent example of confessional poetry. This poem reveals the innermost thoughts of an older woman who laments her old age. However, her thoughts are very jumbled and unfocused as she shifts perspectives, avoiding the idea at the poem's core. Still, eventually, the speaker touches on her true concerns, revealing that she is afraid of death.
Moving from Cheer to Joy, from Joy to All,
I take a box
And add it to my wild rice, my Cornish game hens.
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80/100
‘Rubble’ by Jackie Kay is a dramatic monologue that was included in her collection, Darling: New & Selected Poems. It conveys an individual’s cluttered and chaotic mind.
It is not clear whether the narrator is aware of their confession, or if they merely feel they are relaying events and thoughts to them self. Regardless, the poem's confessional tone is stark and moving due to its honesty.
What was the thought that I just had in my head?
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78/100
‘The Munich Mannequins’ by Sylvia Plath examines the dehumanizing effects of unattainable beauty standards through the imagery of lifeless mannequins in Munich, exploring themes of alienation and objectification.
This genre is marked by its use of personal experience as poetic material, often delving into topics that are intensely emotional and psychologically complex. Plath, as a key figure in the Confessional Poetry movement, uses the poem to explore deeply personal themes of identity, societal expectations, and the objectification of women, making it a quintessential example of confessional poetry.
Perfection is terrible, it cannot have children.
Cold as snow breath, it tamps the womb
Where the yew trees blow like hydras
The tree of life and the tree of life
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74/100
‘Duplex: Cento’ explores the cyclical nature of love, conflict, and inherited emotional patterns. It touches on how past relationships, particularly with family, shape the way we love, argue, and deal with pain.
The poem’s raw, personal tone reveals the speaker’s inner struggles, a hallmark of the Confessional genre. It openly shares complex emotions, making the reader feel like a confidant. By exploring personal experiences with love, identity, and pain, the poem invites vulnerability, offering a glimpse into the speaker’s world—often uncomfortable but ultimately relatable, creating a powerful connection with its audience.
My last love drove a burgundy car,
Color of a rash, a symptom of sickness.
We were the symptoms, the road our sickness:
None of our fights ended where they began.
