Point of View

“Cut” is told in the first-person point of view from the perspective of someone who has just, accidentally or intentionally, cut open their thumb. While the gender and identity of the speaker isn’t specified, the poem is based on a real lived experience and so that speaker can be read as an interpretation of the poet Sylvia Plath herself. The speaker addresses the thumb directly as if it were another character, though in fleeting moments it seems as though they address their own internal nature. Although the speaker themself does not vary, the perspective fluctuates between the external and internal environments.

Language and Meaning

Initially, the language of this poem is straightforward and descriptive. The speaker describes what they see in front of them, examining the minute details of their injury. As the poem progresses, however, it becomes more metaphorical and obscure. The speaker...