The Death of Marilyn Monroe

1381 Words3 Pages

The Death of Marilyn Monroe

In the world today, we, the public, spend so much time admiring stars

from Hollywood and many of us want to be like them. Yet, there is so

much pressure placed on them, and some times this becomes all too much

for them to cope with and they end up taking away their live. This is

the unpleasant and tragic side of being famous as we are all made to

believe that fame will make you happy. Edwin Morgan brings this theme

into focus in the poem 'The Death of Marilyn Monroe'. He looks at how

such a beautiful and worldwide icons such as Marilyn Monroe felt that

to get rid of all the pressure that is associated with fame, she

needed to commit suicide, which is the unpleasant truth, we the reader

have to face while reading this poem. Edwin Morgan looks at this

through the exceptional use of personification, symbolism and imagery.

This was put to good use as it help me to create an image in my mind

about how fame isn't all that it is hyped up to be and that it allows

the reader to see the darker side of fame.

Marilyn Monroe was the biggest film star in the late 50's. She was

portrayed as being a sex symbol on the silver screen. She was a

massive icon worldwide and was admired by everyone. Even today people

still admire her, 42 years after her death, as she has her image on

bags and calendars. Monroe, wasn't your average sex symbol, she wasn't

sleazy as she had this child like innocence that so many people

admired her for, including women. Edwin Morgan conveys this idea of

Monroe being a sex symbol, yet, also being child like, by using a

series of rhetorical questions.

"What innocence? Whose guilt? What ey...

... middle of paper ...

... people

worldwide as they were 'shaken'. They felt that Monroe was part of

their family and that the film industry will never be the same without

her.

Marilyn Monroe had the whole world at her feet, as she was rich and

famous. Yet, fame has a darker side. Which makes you depressed and

isolated. Fame is like a curse for many famous people and many people

end up taking their lives such as Monroe. This gives the reader an

insight of what fame is really like and what it gives you. Not money,

but isolation and depression. In the end, being rich and famous only

makes you unhappy, unlike what the American Dream tells us. Edwin

Morgan is showing the reader the darker, more real side of fame. What

we are told it is, but that is could end up taking your live away.

Which is the price of being famous, that no one should pay.

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