Violence suffered by woman reflected in Sylvia Plath’s Poems

ABSTRACT

Patriarchy is a system whereby women kept subordinate in a number of ways. Violence suffered by woman is one of the focus that is discussed by the radical feminist in the term of patriarchy system. By feminist literary criticism and applying Galtung’s theory of violence, the researcher can analyze violence suffered by woman in the patriarchy system. Further, in this research I intend to analyze the violence suffered by woman under Galtung’s theory described in Sylvia Plath poems.

This study is aimed at finding the answer of the research question, that is according to Galtung theory, how is violence describe in Sylvia Plath poems (Daddy, Lady Lazarus, Marry’s Song, Elm, Morning Song, Fever 103º , and The Thin People, Mirror, Ariel, Death & Co).

The study is taking the data from the primary source of the Sylvia Plath’s collected poems. This study is literary criticism, focuses on the Galtung’s theory of violence.

Through the analysis of this study, the researcher found three kinds of violence in Plath poems.The direct violence found in Daddy, Morning Song, Fever 103º, and Death & Co, Morning Song, and Lady Lazarus. The cultural violence found in Death & Co, Ariel, and Marry Song that legitimate the woman’s role as housewife which is the woman should nurturing and follows the man rule. The structural violence found in Mirror and The Thin People. Thus, the violence suffered by woman reflected in Plath’s Poems depict clearly by classifying violence using Galtung’s theory of violence.