Anne Sexton's Wanting To Die

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In Anne Sexton’s “Wanting to Die,” Sexton openly expresses her thoughts on death and her obsession with suicide. While one may have a hard time understanding how someone can choose to commit suicide, Sexton helps her readers understand how to a suicidal mind death is a sanctuary because life is everything but simple. “Wanting to Die” was initially an addendum attached to a letter written to one of Sexton’s friends when asked why Sexton was attracted to suicide, in which Sexton then addressed the question in conversational and poetic form. Her poem is free verse and written in first-person, hinting at how the author herself, was suicidal, making this poem confessional poetry.
In the beginning of the poem Sexton directly addresses her friend’s

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