In Sylvia Plath's poem, "Tulips," the persona, who seems to be searching for peace and tranquility, finds everything she loathes instead, after receiving tulips as a present. The poem infers a universal perception that, abandonment of responsibility and isolation is followed by an undesirable shove back into reality. This perception is conveyed in a strong yet precise manner through the usage of stylistic devices such as personification, diction, metaphor, imagery, simile, and symbolism.

"Tulips," is about a woman in a hospital, who doesn't want to leave, because she feels free from her "baggage" there. This serene feeling is described through a simile that says, "My body is a pebble to them, they tend it as water/Tends to the pebbles it must run over, smoothing them gently." These lines imply that the persona is relaxed by the way that the nurses tend to her, gently soothing her over...