Metaphors Analysis in Sylvia Plath's Poem Essay

Within Plath’s first poem “Metaphors” she uses the metaphor “I am a riddle in nine syllables” (1) and describes her changing body during her pregnancy. This poem describes how she is a pregnant mother struggling

“Metaphors,” written by Sylvia Plath, is a riddle poem. Throughout the poem, Plath uses figures of speech, alliteration, and other literary devices to reveal her central theme. Like a riddle, the reader must use Plath’s literary devices to unveil the answer to the riddle. While “Metaphors” does not use a traditional form or meter, its unusual structure also points to the main idea Plath presents. Plath’s “Metaphors” is a riddle poem whose solution, pregnancy, is solved using literary devices and other clues within the poem.

Some parts of the poem isn’t understandable, but with the similes and metaphors you can image what it looks like if it gets compared to something you know well. Here are some examples of similes and metaphors in the story. “The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor. “ If you don’t understand they compare the road to ribbon, which means the road was like a ribbon thin,little and has rolling hills with swamps. Here is another example of similes and metaphors in the poem. “His eyes were hollows of madness, his hair like moldy hay.” Most people know what moldy and hay means which means you can picture his hair gross and nasty and his eyes frightening or scary. It gives you better pictures of imagery too. If they wouldn’t have put moldy or madness then it would have been just hair and no emotion. Which is boring and that’s no fun. One more example “His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jeweled sky.” You think of jewels as sparkling, shining objects, and pretty. So you can think of that when you do imagery. So a very pretty, shining, and sparkling sky shining above him and his sword. You can see there are millions of similes and metaphors and they have lots of description in them. Its very easy to compare the words in the similes and metaphors to words you know, so you can image what it looks like so you can understand

Sylvia’s Plath’s “Metaphors” is about a woman feeling insignificant during the midst of her pregnancy. Striking imagery is used to explore the narrator’s attitudes about having a child. Plath uses metaphors in every line, including the title itself, making the poem a collection of clues. The reader is teasingly challenged to figure out these clues, realising that the metaphors have

5. There are many poetic devices and figurative language used in both poems. In the innocence poem the Nurse’s song we see a metaphor when the nurse says, “My heart is at rest within my breast”, meaning that the nurse is content and filled with peace and joy while watching the children at play. Imagery and symbolism is used in both poems with the color green which associates with growth, fertility and spring. (Represent places of play and freedom) Also, in the Innocence poem, imagery is used when said, “Besides in the sky, the little birds fly and the hills are all covered with sheep”. These creatures are gentle just like the children are and the birds in particular are symbolic of freedom. In the experience poem the word “night”, metaphorically represents danger and sadness. (completely opposite of the innocence where light was used to positively portray the children). In the experience poem the Nanny makes a metaphor when she says, “My face turns green and pale”, the notes on the back of the book explain how this means that the Nurse is a sex starved spinster. Meaning that she is a woman who did not experience a happy youth, and who is sick for the longings of experience, and who is maybe jealous of the children. The poetic devices and figurative language impact the whole meaning of the poem completely, because without the multiple metaphors and imagery used I would of never of guessed that the Nurses green and pale face meant what it meant. (made the poems come together

Throughout the poem, Plath playfully uses different metaphors to hint to the reader the answer of the riddle. The speaker employs metaphors such as “elephant,” “melon,” and “ponderous house” that could be used to describe a pregnant woman once she is in the later months of her pregnancy. There is some comedy in the use of these specific words, especially line three “a melon strolling on two tendrils.” Plath gives the reader a vision of a watermelon walking around on its tendrils. This light-hearted tone in

Sylvia Plath 's poem, "Metaphor 's", is about a woman who is significantly distressed about her pregnancy. The poet playfully pieces together nine metaphors that are vastly unrelated, but she tones the poem so that a sense of depression and emptiness creep over the reader to tie together the theme. The very first line of the poem begins by opening the meaning directly to the reader. “I’m a riddle in nine syllables,”. (Line 1) It shows the reader it is a nine line riddle to be solved. It is to be carefully analyzed and considered. The poet uses different objects throughout the poem to help the reader understand how she feels and what she is seeing. The poem is about pregnancy, which is typically a heartwarming period of a woman 's life; however, Sylvia explains that period of her life with bluntness and shows no admiration for this time in her life or what is to come. Sylvia 's Plath 's attitude in this poem conveys that she feels her individuality is slipping away, if not already gone, her physical appearance is disturbingly humorous, and she is experiencing no affection for this upcoming, inevitable event.

Another example of metaphor used in this poem is found in the second quatrain; ‘fading mansion’ which is used the represent our body. This metaphor explains that our souls are slowly dying and becoming very dull and fading as we do not live our lives like we are suppose to, according to the poet.

Symbolism is used throughout the poem to describe experiences. For instance, the speaker’s walks are metaphors for depression, using rain and the late night to carry this theme. In the

Metaphor was used in line 1 when the poet says : (Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?) The poem starts with a metaphor The poet is comparing his lover to a summer’s day . One way poet crates a strong imagery is by applying figurative language in this poem.

In Sylvia Plath’s poem,”Lady Lazarus”, she utilizes symbols to highlight the major themes that can be observed in the story, the different sufferings and deaths that humans have to go through in life. She connects the symbols such as the holocaust to the theme through description and explanation; she uses symbolism with a cat, as well.

Poetry is a beautiful form of art. It can be written in many different fashions. The author of the poem can choose to take it towards any direction they want to. The types of themes and phrases used in the poem are the backbone of it. One of my favorite literary devices used in poetry is metaphors. Metaphors are one of the best literary devices to be put into a poem. Many poetry writers use metaphors. Modern poets have an interested in the relationship of mind and matter so they use metaphors in their writings to help fill in the gap between them (Getz). The famous poet John Donne is known for using them throughout his writings. He used them so often I think he tries to break his previous record of how many metaphors can I pack into one poem every time he wrote a new one. If that is not the case then he must have had some sort of bet going on. Half of the words that come out of my mouth construct a metaphor but there is no way I could keep up with Donne’s talent of turning almost into a metaphor

Imagery runs its course throughout the entire pieces as she uses it to describe the mirror. “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” (1) is the first description described in the poem; revealing the exact features of the mirror, not only does it give physical descriptions but it also gives an insight to the “mind” of the mirror. Meaning that we able to image the ideal that the mirror has no forethoughts or own personal opinions about the onlookers but simply reflects the truth of what is presented or whoever walks in its path. Plath uses imagery to be able to tell the poem from the perspective of the mirror reflecting on the truth and how it is exactly what it sees. “Now I am a lake. A women bends over me. Searching my reaches for what she really is.” (10-11) this insight allows us to visualize and sympathize with how the individual is searching for something that she doesn’t find in the end, therefore leading to frustrations and heartbreak. The imagery used by Plath helps to reader to understand the truth in what the mirror and the lake conveys on a more sentimental level and allows the reader to sympathize because it is more relatable.

In Plath's “Mary Song” she uses metaphors to portray a deeper message to the reader. There are three main metaphors all overlapping within Plath’s poetry. This is the goal of figurative language within the text. It is not supposed to be taken for its

When a child grows up throughout its whole life a mother will carry round a smile of joy and pride on her face, however this child does not have the opportunity to grow into the adult he is meant to be. Similarly in the poem ‘Prayer before birth’ in the third stanza the poet asserts “Think me” and “Live me” this emphasises the fact that the unborn child is going to be used by society for evil purposes. Normally a child dreams about the life ahead of itself and can chose the life it wants to live. In spite of this poem the child is not even born and its future is already planned out. The child’s innocence is reinforced when the narrator asserts “I am not yet born” The child shows innocence through child like language as “blood sucking bats” and “club footed ghouls” these are fears of a child the narrator brings forward, fears that normally a child would be to frightened of to even think about let alone discuss. The baby becomes more and more desperate, illustrated in the growing stanza length throughout the poem. as the world becomes more corrupted.the baby’s final wish is to die if he wont be able to live a life with freedom when he asserts