Friday, January 23, 2015
Metaphors
When I first read this poem, I will admit that it went completely over my head. Until we discussed it thoroughly in class, I had no idea that it was about pregnancy, and Plath's negative outlook. After analyzing, I am in awe over this poem, and I think it's brilliant. Plath's use of language, and obviously her metaphors, make this poem so fantastic. Her 9 lines, and 9 syllables per line is genius, as it possibly relates to the nine months of pregnancy a woman endures. If we think about it, there are numerous metaphors Plath could have used instead of "a melon strolling on two tendrils" (line 3), or "I'm a means, a stage" (line 7). Her choice of metaphors show her negativity towards pregnancy, however, and it is ultimately sad to read this fantastic poem knowing how troubled Plath was.
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I agree with you, Paige, in that it took me several readings to really understand the impact of "Metaphors." At first glance, I found the poem to be darkly funny, and almost heavy-handed because of how overtly its employs metaphors. I found I was distracted by the language, and wasn't making meaning of the expressions until class today. I also found her choice of metaphors to be negative, sort of, but in a very decisive, nontraditional way. The best way I could describe her use of metaphors is "tragicomic."
ReplyDeleteLike you, Paige, I did not fully understand what "Metaphors" was about until we discussed it in class today. I will be honest when I say that I was not all that fond of the poem, but I think a lot of that comes from the fact that this was the first time I was introduced to Sylvia Plath and her poetry. I found that learning a bit of background knowledge about Plath helped me connect to her poetry a bit more, and it was inspiring to see that some of me fellow peers really enjoyed "Metaphors" and were able to read it in a way I was not.
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