Imagery is an often-used device in the writing of poetry. An image can be defined as any depiction that appeals to one of the senses. Imagery is often an important tool as it enlarges and intensifies our sense of the poem thus contributing to meaning. This is especially so in Anne Sexton's Consorting with Angels and Sylvia Plath's The Applicant. Sexton and Plath have both chosen to deal with gender stereotypes but Plath also makes comments on the stereotype of marriage. Although they have chosen different ways in the portrayal of them, imagery is used successfully in both poems to evoke the senses and to help the reader to identify and understand the poem more fully.

In Consorting with Angels and The Applicant, Sexton and Plath have attempted to redefine the stereotypical image of the woman. To do this, they have firstly presented the traditional image of a woman and have successfully done so through the use of vivid imagery and constant references to the constructs of femminity. The domestic role of a woman is vividly portrayed in Sexton's use of "spoons and pots" and Pla

Sexton's depiction of angels as "no two made in the same species/ one with a nose, one with a ear in it's hand, /one chewing a star ... each one like a poem obeying itself" is vastly different from the conventional view of them and this further emphasises her intent to redefine traditional stereotypes. The dramatically grotesque imagery created here shocks the reader and is particularly successful in accenting these differences. Plath also uses grotesque imagery to accentuate her point. In her poem, the persona asks if "the applicant" wears

th's depiction of "a living doll" that can "sew...cook...[and] talk". The reference to a "living doll" is also indicative of the traditional male attitude towards females as living dolls surrounded by "spoons and pots", who are able to sew, cook and talk, "naked as paper" for men to write their demands and expectations on. The subservient role of the woman is also clearly illustrated by the imagery of "a hand to fill it and willing to bring teacups and roll away the headaches". This simple imagery of filling teacups and massaging away headaches also clearly shows another expected role of the woman: that of a nurturer and healer who fixes a "poultice" if "you have a hole", contributing to Plath's intent of showing the stereotypical submissive role of the woman. Sexton vividly demonstrates this role in her description of "men who sat at my table, circled around the bowl I offered up" too. The sacrificial imagery brings home the point of women being sacrificed on the altar of matrimony to the service of men. The description of " the flies hovered in for the scent" brings to mind scavengers and pests as Sexton sardonically parallels men to be. The strong sexual imagery also seeks to verify men as sexual predators seeking women for their sacrifice. The imagery of the "livi

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Approximate Word count = 1226
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)