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The Poetry of Sylvia Plath
Morning
Song
Mental
Anguish +
Femininity
Mother and Child Relationship
Images of Nature
•Inadequacy/Mortality
“I’m no more your
mother / than the
cloud that distils a
mirror...”
•Humour
“cow-heavy”
“Victorian nightgown”
Detachment Connection
“Fat gold watch”, “New
statue”, “blankly as walls”
“moth breath”, “clear
vowels rise like balloons”
•Harsh
“Slapped your footsoles”
“Bald cry”
•Comforting
“handful of notes”
“balloons”
Nature
Mirror
Mental
Anguish
Femininity
Natural Images -Water
Describes an inanimate
object
•Personification
“I am silver and exact”
“I am not cruel only
truthful”
•Uneasy relationship between
woman and mirror
“Turns to those liars”
“I am important to her”
Inadequacy/Ideas of beauty
“In me she has drowned a
young girl, and in me an
old woman rises”
“Searching my reaches for
what she really is”
“She rewards me with
tears and an agitation of
hands”
The Arrival
of the Bee
Box
Mental
Anguish
Nature
Literal
•Dangerous
“The box is locked, it is
dangerous”
“It is dark, dark”
•Beautiful
“labernum”
“petticoats of the cherry”
Assonance- “angrily clambering” - emphasis
Sibilance- “box of maniacs” -creates sound of the bees
Isolated last line- “The box is only temporary” – emphasis
-Is it optimistic or pessimistic?
•Inadequacy – Powerless
“I am no Caesar”
Symbolises her dark thoughts
“I have to live with it overnight”
“I can’t keep away from it”
“It is dark, dark”
“Small, taken one by one, but my
god, together!”
Metaphorical
Style
Decides what to do with her fear inside
1.”They can be sent back” 1. Don’t think about them
2.”They can die” 2. Starve the thoughts
3.Undo the locks 3. Face the thoughts
Poppies in
July
Mental
Anguish
Violence
Poppies
•Yearns for pain
“Do you do no harm?”
“A mouth just bloodied”
“If my mouth could marry a
hurt like that”
•Feminine
“Little bloody skirts”
•Fire
•“I put my hand among the
flames” •Constructed in couplets and choppy rhythm
– suggest an agitated state of mind
•Lots of repeated words and images
e.g. flicker, flames, blood, colourless
Escape from Mental Anguish
“If I could bleed, or sleep!”
Numb
“It exhausts me”
“Dulling and stilling”
“But colourless. Colourless”
Poppy Seeds
Style
Sleep/
Death
Nature destroys or causes mental
anguish and can be linked to the
annihilation of nuclear war
Sea/Horses/Rain/Sunsets/Wind/
Moon/Bird/Snake
Elm
Mental
Anguish
The Elm and
The Woman
The Elm taunts the woman
“It is what you fear”
“How you lie and cry after it”
The Elm describes the
torment it has endured
“The rain...like arsenic”
“atrocity of sunsets”
“a wind of such violence
“the moon, also, is merciless”
•The poem concerns a dialogue between the voice
of the Elm and the voice of “Plath” – these become
mingled towards the end of the poem
Femininity
Style
Women as weak
The woman endures torment
The elm is depicted as female
and also suffers
Nature
Need for love linked with weakness
The bird is looking “for something to
love”
He own failings will end up killing her
It “petrifies” her and these are the
thoughts “that kill, that kill, that kill”.
Inadequacy
Child
Mental
Anguish
Plath cherishes her son
“Your clear eye is the one
absolutely beautiful thing”.
She views the child as innocent
“Stalk without wrinkle”
She wants the child to
experience good things in life
“I want to fill it with colour and
ducks”
“the zoo of the new”
Style
Femininity
and
Motherhood
Inadequacy
Plath feels she is letting herself
down as a mother
Images “should be grand and
classical”
She is worried that her mental
anguish will affect her son
“Not this troublous
Wringing of hands, this dark
Ceiling without a star”.
Like a lot of Plath’s poetry, she starts with pleasant imagery
and ends up in darker territory towards the end. This has
the effect of easing us into the poem and therefore the
darker thoughts are more surprising towards the end.

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Summaries of Sylvia Plath's Poetry

  • 1. The Poetry of Sylvia Plath
  • 2. Morning Song Mental Anguish + Femininity Mother and Child Relationship Images of Nature •Inadequacy/Mortality “I’m no more your mother / than the cloud that distils a mirror...” •Humour “cow-heavy” “Victorian nightgown” Detachment Connection “Fat gold watch”, “New statue”, “blankly as walls” “moth breath”, “clear vowels rise like balloons” •Harsh “Slapped your footsoles” “Bald cry” •Comforting “handful of notes” “balloons” Nature
  • 3. Mirror Mental Anguish Femininity Natural Images -Water Describes an inanimate object •Personification “I am silver and exact” “I am not cruel only truthful” •Uneasy relationship between woman and mirror “Turns to those liars” “I am important to her” Inadequacy/Ideas of beauty “In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman rises” “Searching my reaches for what she really is” “She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands”
  • 4. The Arrival of the Bee Box Mental Anguish Nature Literal •Dangerous “The box is locked, it is dangerous” “It is dark, dark” •Beautiful “labernum” “petticoats of the cherry” Assonance- “angrily clambering” - emphasis Sibilance- “box of maniacs” -creates sound of the bees Isolated last line- “The box is only temporary” – emphasis -Is it optimistic or pessimistic? •Inadequacy – Powerless “I am no Caesar” Symbolises her dark thoughts “I have to live with it overnight” “I can’t keep away from it” “It is dark, dark” “Small, taken one by one, but my god, together!” Metaphorical Style Decides what to do with her fear inside 1.”They can be sent back” 1. Don’t think about them 2.”They can die” 2. Starve the thoughts 3.Undo the locks 3. Face the thoughts
  • 5. Poppies in July Mental Anguish Violence Poppies •Yearns for pain “Do you do no harm?” “A mouth just bloodied” “If my mouth could marry a hurt like that” •Feminine “Little bloody skirts” •Fire •“I put my hand among the flames” •Constructed in couplets and choppy rhythm – suggest an agitated state of mind •Lots of repeated words and images e.g. flicker, flames, blood, colourless Escape from Mental Anguish “If I could bleed, or sleep!” Numb “It exhausts me” “Dulling and stilling” “But colourless. Colourless” Poppy Seeds Style Sleep/ Death
  • 6. Nature destroys or causes mental anguish and can be linked to the annihilation of nuclear war Sea/Horses/Rain/Sunsets/Wind/ Moon/Bird/Snake Elm Mental Anguish The Elm and The Woman The Elm taunts the woman “It is what you fear” “How you lie and cry after it” The Elm describes the torment it has endured “The rain...like arsenic” “atrocity of sunsets” “a wind of such violence “the moon, also, is merciless” •The poem concerns a dialogue between the voice of the Elm and the voice of “Plath” – these become mingled towards the end of the poem Femininity Style Women as weak The woman endures torment The elm is depicted as female and also suffers Nature Need for love linked with weakness The bird is looking “for something to love” He own failings will end up killing her It “petrifies” her and these are the thoughts “that kill, that kill, that kill”. Inadequacy
  • 7. Child Mental Anguish Plath cherishes her son “Your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful thing”. She views the child as innocent “Stalk without wrinkle” She wants the child to experience good things in life “I want to fill it with colour and ducks” “the zoo of the new” Style Femininity and Motherhood Inadequacy Plath feels she is letting herself down as a mother Images “should be grand and classical” She is worried that her mental anguish will affect her son “Not this troublous Wringing of hands, this dark Ceiling without a star”. Like a lot of Plath’s poetry, she starts with pleasant imagery and ends up in darker territory towards the end. This has the effect of easing us into the poem and therefore the darker thoughts are more surprising towards the end.