True believer...
from where does your faith come? Is it true revelation? Or stupidity, pain and fear? Come now my silly one.
You know who you really are.
Just a dirty little whore, Always waiting for your next turn.
As we begin to read "The Addict" one might begin to ask what is the real function and purpose of poetry.
Some people may argue it is to entertain.
Other people may say it is to educate.
And still others may argue that it is to edify.
In "The Addict" we find raw human emotion that may even border upon hate.
But who were the words written for? And why did they occur? If we look at modern poetry we find numerous examples of poets who speak with a provocative tongue.
Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton for example were two fine poets who did not mince their words.
Their language is often coarse, open and rough.
Yet it is human, genuine and real.
Their real emotion provides us with an opportunity from which we can learn.
In the 1960's, Plath published " The Bell Jar".
It is a short novel that describes the poet's descent into mental illness.
It is largely auto-biographical.
It highlights the trials and tribulations of a young woman who struggles for fame as a writer amidst a chaotic life that is marked by pronounced identity confusion.
A month after the publication of the novel Plath committed suicide.
In comparison Anne Sexton's life shares many parallels with Sylvia Plath's.
Sexton also suffered from mental illness.
Her poetry was often laced with intense anger that is often considered the hallmark of her work.
Her poems contain references to masturbation, casual sex and the subjugation of her female identity.
After achieving a degree of success Sexton also took her life.