Sylvia Plath

(1932-1963)
“Tulips” 18 March 1961
“Ariel” 27 October 1962

“Tulips” and “Ariel” seem to form two ends of a spectrum. In “Tulips,” the speaker seems downcast, hesitant to hope; in “Ariel,” the speaker is crazy with hope. A key idea between these two is that of agency. One of the best gifts given to men is a creative force, a desire and will to change things around us. We are agents of change, steadily shaping the things around our lives. In “Tulips,” the speaker seems to have lost her sense of agency. She needs someone to be in her life and help her regain that, to help the life and message of the tulips become her own.