The Legend Of Narcissus: An Analysis

Stories like “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “The Legend of Narcissus”, that dictate against the repercussions of being vain have been circulating for years and appear in almost every religion or culture. In fact, folklore, fairytales and other fictitious pieces that attempt to preach against having an obsession with one’s image have been passed down generation to generation. One would assume that such didactic material concerning vanity would have dhfjsdfhkd, the obsession with self-image has consumed humanity for ages. Such vain ideals can be traced through history by merely analyzing the various fads that come and go with each time period. From the ‘Empire Dress’ in the 1800s, to the present 21st century where cardigans and skinny jean …show more content…
“Drinking vinegar in tin cups”, was a method employed by the Nazi’s to weaken the Jewish Prisoners as vinegar has weight reducing properties. What seems like a cruel punishment when thought of in terms of the Holocaust is actually a popular form employed by people who are trying to lose weight. “They are always with us, the thin people” symbolizes both the memory of the victims of the holocaust as well as how we don’t notice the integration of these girls who look similar to starved victims that we come in contact with on a daily basis. Since these people aren’t victims of ‘famine’, they pass by ignored. Additionally, the Jewish people are consistently blamed by society for self-victimizing them in the Holocaust. Many historians argue that if the Jewish people united and fought against the Germans, they could have possibly stopped the Holocaust from occurring. This self-victimization applies to people who desperately try to fit into this perfect physique created by the media. “Empty of complaint, forever”, show cases this idea. ‘Empty of complaint”, shows how both parties refused to speak out against their repercussions. Girls who refuse to come clean with their binging and starving habits cannot complain …show more content…
She uses her diction to draw a parallel to the United States. “Grayness, blues, reddens” are essentially morbid forms of the basic “White, blue, red” of the American flag. She goes on to talk about “frieze of cabbage-roses and cornflower pales”, which is a famous line from Roosevelt’s speech. This American themed diction clearly shows how the audience this poem is built for is those who reside in America. Plath is deliberately trying to send a message to Americans so that they will regain their sense of self rather than easily giving up to Media’s never-ending attempts to brainwash society. Word choices such as ‘movies’ and ‘headlines’ show how media objectifies issues such as the Holocaust and war in general, creating a glamourized idea of war. Plath writes about how after these movies we talk about such ‘thin’ people are ‘unreal’ although we ourselves are ‘thin’ people since our personal opinion has been stripped from us and we are merely repeating what these blockbusters program the viewers to say. “The contracted country of the head” is Plath’s way of talking about the brain. She essentially is trying to convey the idea of us “’thinning’ in various forms is due to our mind and the subconscious messages drilled into us through media. Furthermore, the image of ‘the old woman in the mud hut’ created by the choice if diction shows how powerless we are. An ‘old woman’ is someone who is unable to fight