Style
There is no consistent rhyme in the poem. However, Plath does use several other devices such as metaphors and imagery to enhance the meaning of the poem. She starts of the poem by dedicating it to a Susan O´neill Roe, and then she writes “what a thrill, My thumb instead of an onion”, this is very ironic because she compares cutting her thumb to a thrill. “Dead white and then a Red plush” , she uses imagery to compare the snow white that is her skin before she cuts it and then “red plush” is the actual blood gushing out. The third stanza refers to American history - Indians, Pilgrims and Turkeys; Little pilgrim,
The Indian's axed your scalp.
Your turkey wattle
Carpet rolls
The carpet is her actual blood, so she steps on the carpet which in her is used at a metaphor of her stepping on all the blood that she has bled out. The next line says “straight from the heart” which is all the blood that is being pumped and flowing through her body. Plath uses the term “Homunculus” which mean a small human being, this actually refers to her thumb and it is shown in stanza 8. She says that she has taken a “pill to kill”, this could be anything, an anti - depressant maybe. There is imagery used when she describes her blood as “a million soldiers run/Red coats everyone”. The “ thin papery feeling that she is describing could be one of how useless she feels and that is why the “saboteur” and “ kamikaze man” want to kill her. In the next stanza she talks about a certain “stain on her gauze”, the same gauze that is wrapped around her cut thumb. The members of the Ku Klux Klan dressed in white and were involved in much bloodshed, she compares her thumb to a member because it is dressed in white gauze and blood seeps through it. Plath continues the poem with more allusions to bloodshed such as “babushka” which is also known as the cold war. She continues the line with saying “"Darkens and tarnishes when/ The balled/Pulp of your heart", the blood has dried up and left a stain. The last stanza of this poem is a continuation of the first stanza, “how you jump---”. Like any other person, Plath would have jumped when she hurt her thumb. The last two lines show self criticism like and “thumb stump” sounds short and painful.
Theme
- Death: There is a prevailing theme of death in Plath´s poems. There is a prevalent tone of gloominess and sadness throughout the poem which reminds the reader of death because of the metaphors that she puts forth us. An example of this is when she compared the gauze on her thumb to the Ku Klux Klan. This theme is also related to the gloominess and sadness that Plath portrays in this poem with phrases like, “thin, papery feeling” and “i have taken a pill to kill”. Plath also uses vivid imagery of death such as “carpet rolls” which she is describing as her bleeding out because if a cut thumb and making references to the Cold War by using words like “babushka”. She also mentions “dead white” which makes the reader think of a corpse.
- People 'using methods' to fill the emptiness in their lives : This poem not only expresses Plath´s state but also the societies. She develops this tone throughout the poem by describing several types of motives, feelings and essence of self mutilation. She also challenges the stereotypical idea that cutting yourself is painful and pointless by creating a non - miserable atmosphere and then explores that how one simple cut on the thumb can relieve her from emptiness. The main discourses that are evident throughout this poem are escapism, depression and perhaps insanity.
Personal Statement
Cut by Sylvia Plath is a very strong poem that evokes several emotion within the readers mind. It takes more then 2 reads to fully understand the complexity of her feelings and the true meaning behind this poem. She is obviously very depressed and the fact that she turned a small cut on her thumb into something related to the Cold War and Ku Klux Klan shows the intense feelings that she has. Not only is this poem showing her true feelings but also what she thinks of her Kid´s Babysitter. Another thought that I take away from Cut is the bloodiness. Blood is the representation of force, genetics and history, she describes blood as “ a million soldiers run, Redcoats, everyone” like it is a war. The use of the word “soldiers” and “run” show that she is in a battle with herself and she is losing. But more then anything, I think Cut is an excellent reflection of her intensity and her ability to imbue the banal and mundane with great significance not only in her poetry but also within her life. Seeing it as an accidental cut does not diminish it at all, instead it shows her unique and intense vision. Many people cut their thumbs while cutting onions but not all of them decide to write a poem about it.