American Literature / Unit 17 AML 1609 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"The Applicant" and the *Ariel* Voice
Captions available
The idea
In "The Applicant" the witness says Plath exposes the emptiness of the wife's role by reducing a woman to an inanimate it that can sew and cook and talk. The voice uses nursery-rhyme language, a brutal directness, and bold images taken from popular culture.
In practice
Nursery-rhyme language, used brutally.
Where people slip
The plainness of the diction is the weapon.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Unlocks
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