Bring on the tough stuff - there’s not just one right answer.
- Why is our speaker is so sick of baggage? Do you think she loves her family, despite the fact that they feel like a burden to her, or do you think she just straight-up hates them? And what about you: do you think you can be truly free and also have a family and possessions and a job and all those other things?
- What do you think about the speaker's idea of peacefulness? What's your idea of peacefulness? What makes you feel completely relaxed and safe?
- What's your favorite image in the poem? Why is it your favorite? Why do you think it stands out from the rest?
- What do you think has happened to our speaker? What was her surgery? Plath had a miscarriage the same year she wrote this poem: do you think this is why she's in the hospital? If so, how does that affect your reading of the poem?
- Why do you think this poem is about tulips, and not some other flower, like daisies or roses or lilies?