How does Sylvia Plath use colour to convey emotion in her poems?

It is evident in Sylvia Plath's poetry that colour is a dominant theme, which she weaves into her poems to help convey certain emotions and other themes. The colours she uses each symbolise something different and occasionally groups of colours to further reiterate these said themes. An example of colour use is in 'Tulips', where the colour white is uses to describe how the speaker feels in the hospital bed. Traditionally, the colour white is used to convey purity, however in 'Tulips', Plath uses it to convey the speaker's current state; the speaker has been stripped of everything that defines her and all that's left is the white colour of the hospital walls, as this is now what defines her.

EN
Answered by Elizabeth N. English Literature tutor

6934 Views

See similar English Literature IB tutors

Related English Literature IB answers

All answers ▸

How would you structure an essay for a Paper 2 comparative question on two or more texts?


How do I write a critical analysis of two or more texts? (example a compare and contrast)


What's the best way to structure an IB paper one essay?


Compare and contrast the following two poems


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning