Confessional poetry & the artifice of honesty.

The article focuses on confessional poetry, with emphasis on the English poet Ted Hughes' poem "Birthday Letters," which revealed the tragic literary love story of his life with his wife, fellow poet Sylvia Plath. A definition of confessional poetry is offered, and Hughes' observations on Plath's obsession with divinity are presented. References to William DeWitt Snodgrass' poem "Heart's Needle," about his strained relationship between himself and his daughter, are also touched on.