... truly is a beautiful thought to see a star fall from the sky and land in this beautiful woman's sparkling eyes. The last stanza describes that of a "phoenix [building] her spicy nest" (line 18) and eventually finding a home in the woman's "fragrant bosom [where it] dies" (line 20). The ... other objects of comparison, or it could be taken figuratively to mean a heart or fiery love and passion. In either case, the significance of the phoenix is that when it dies, it is born again from within its own ashes. This follows the theme of preserving nature's beauty and that all of ... this beau...

• Word Count: 1528
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... patriarchal constructs of society will soon be challenged. In the poem's final stanza, Plath again plays on a familiar allusion to explore the concept of individual liberation. In this case, like a phoenix, 'Out of the Ashes/ I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air.' This familiar metaphor shows the audience a challenge to society's constructs and an aggressive ambition to ... ...

• Word Count: 2183
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate