Negotiating semantics and figurative language in four poems by Sylvia Plath

Abstract

Functional grammar and cognitive linguistics are used in interpreting Sylvia Plath's “Words”, “The Rabbit Catcher”, “Event”, “Winter Trees”. Thematic structure, mood and transitivity, lexis, metaphor formation, and imagery are examined. Analyzed with equal rigour is the usage of the word ring appearing in all four works. Its strikingly divergent effects are scrutinized. The poetic meanings that emerge provide a sharper understanding of Plath's works and a renewed endorsement of linguistics as a tool for literary criticism.