"Sylvia Plath was just a month and a half older than I, and when she committed suicide I was only 30 - and very shocked and sorry. I never knew her personally"
- Anne Stevenson
About this Quote
Anne Stevenson's quote shows the sadness and shock she felt upon knowing of Sylvia Plath's suicide. Plath was just a month and a half older than Stevenson, and when Plath passed away, Stevenson was only 30. This recommends that the 2 women were of a comparable age which Stevenson felt a connection to Plath, despite the fact that she never ever knew her personally. The quote likewise suggests that Stevenson was deeply affected by Plath's death, as she reveals her sadness and shock. This suggests that Stevenson was a fan of Plath's work and was influenced by her writing. The quote is a testament to the effect Plath had on Stevenson, even though they never fulfilled. It is a reminder of the power of art and how it can connect people, even when they are not in the exact same physical space.
"I think suicide is sort of like cancer was 50 years ago. People don't want to talk about it, they don't want to know about it. People are frightened of it, and they don't understand, when actually these issues are medically treatable"
"I think about death a lot, like I think we all do. I don't think of suicide as an option, but as fun. It's an interesting idea that you can control how you go. It's this thing that's looming, and you can control it"
"As history since Hiroshima shows, the best, perhaps the only, way to curb war is to deter it with such overwhelming force as to turn it from a struggle into suicide"
