"Cut" by Sylvia Plath

“Cut”, a poem written by Sylvia Plath is about her cutting the tip of her thumb off while chopping vegetables. The poem describes, through the use of various techniques, what the wound looks like and how she feels about it. However, the poem could contain a deeper meaning. From one perspective it could be about America with a series of important events happening in a chronological order. The poem is written in first person and the way it is written indicates that Plath may be a bit strange.

Plath uses a range of techniques and imagery to show the reader how she is feeling about and what is happening throughout the course of the poem. Metaphors are used a lot in the poem, for example, “Your turkey wattle”, is used to represent blood. Another technique that is used in the poem is a simile. “A flap like a hat”, is the only simile that is used in this poem and is used to create an image of what the thumb looks like. 

At the start of the poem, the mood is detached and excited. Plath appears to think that cutting her thumb was good and very interesting. We can tell this from the lines, “what a thrill”, and “clutching my bottle of pink fizz”. This indicates that she is having a party or a celebration. As the poem progresses, the mood changes from excited to sad. It becomes darker and the metaphors aren’t so cheerful. We can see this change in the words she uses, “Pulp of your heart”, and, “Mill of silence”. At the end of the poem, the mood changes to self-hatred. She addresses as, “Dirty girl”, which clearly shows how she is feeling about what she has done.

I think that “Cut” is a good albeit strange poem because it uses the techniques really well to describe what’s happening and how she is feeling. The change in the mood was also a well-used technique and helped make the poem interesting.

By Jake