Tulips by Sylvia Plath

In my university’s photography studio, I created a photo series inspired by Sylvia Plath’s poem Tulips. The poem reflects the loss of peace the writer felt while in the hospital after an appendectomy. Plath examines her surroundings, noting how the calm, white environment contrasts with her physical pain. She compares herself to a pupil, pebble, and cargo boat to highlight this contrast with the lively tulips. Instead of celebrating the joy of receiving flowers, she makes them seem almost mocking of her situation. In the hospital, she must “give up” her name, clothes, medical history, and body.

My aim was to capture the intense imagery of the tulips overwhelming Plath’s senses in my photography book, showing how the flowers seem to gain strength as the poem unfolds. I wanted to illustrate the conflict between the flowers, which represent joy and hope, and the darkness that comes from a desire for non-existence.