Metonymy, A Word I Had to Look Up You have heard of short-hand, when you write something in a shorter way or use a word like it to mean the same thing, well metonymy is the type of language used in poetry. Metonymy: a figure of speech that consists of the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related, or of which it is a part, as “scepter” for “sovereignty,” or “elephant” for “house” (Merriam-Webster) . Learning the definition of this word makes it easier to decode Sylvia Plath’s poem “Metaphors” a true trickery of words. The poem consists of nine lines each containing nine syllables and, as it turns out, is more a riddle than a poem. Through visualization and metaphors, Plath introduces her state of being for what it is, pregnancy. The poem’s expressive yet simple title, “Metaphors,” is naturally fitting, being that is exactly what each line is a metaphor (in this case for a pregnancy). From the beginning, Plath makes it known that this is a riddle a revelation that is put out there from the beginning. Clues begin to form what the riddle is about within the second line as Plath defines herself with visual metaphors. “Elephants” and “ponderous houses” both invoke images large and bulky things, as a pregnancy will do to a person’s body (2). She is starting to believe that being pregnant is making her look awkward, gigantic and ridiculous and that does not sound so good anymore. It is simple to visualize a pregnant woman’s
Through the use of extended metaphor, Mary Oliver is allowed to express both the mentality and physicality when writing a poem, which is able to show the differences and similarities by comparison. The extended metaphor works to compare the process of writing poetry to that of building a house,
The figurative language in the poem “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath can be used to discover a deeper significant of the poem. By using figurative language throughout the poem such as symbolism, imagery, and wordplay, Plath reveals hidden messages about her relationship with her father. Plath uses symbols of Nazis, vampires, size, and communication to help reveal a message about her dad.
In the short story “Initiation” by Sylvia Plath, Millicent Arnold is a narcissistic teenager undergoing her initiation into the most prestige social group at Lansing High. Despite being aware of the risk at losing her best friend, Tracy, Millicent eagerly seeks the opportunity to be part of a close-knit group and as a result, she is mistreated and forced to conform to the group’s narrow standards. Plath explains how being part of a social group does not necessarily help one grow individually, but rather assimilates them into what is portrayed as esteemed social status. As Millicent goes through the downgrading initiation process, she discovers the value of friendship and realizes that being associated with a certain group will not help her achieve confidence in her true self.
Poets, Judith Wright, Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickenson all express their views on life and death, however, do so in varying manners. Through imagery, Wright and Plath both consider life’s beginnings, however, Wright considers it to be a beautiful gift, whereas Plath views birth as an empty burden. Subsequently, through structure Dickenson and Wright each acknowledge life, expressing how in some cases it is difficult, yet in other circumstances it is celebrated. Finally, through tone, Dickenson and Plath convey their views on death, yet differ in that Plath believes it is purifying and holds a sick fascination with it, while Dickenson instead holds a unique curiosity about it. Therefore, whilst each poet recognises the journey of birth,
These lines are frightening, but unfortunately real. Plath tells us that she has married someone exactly like her father, a man who has a “my struggle” look, a German look. The third line above seems to mean that her husband, who was poet Ted Hughes, cheated on her, in turn abandoning her. But she still said “I do” and agreed to be with him.
Sylvia Plath was a troubled writer to say the least, not only did she endure the loss of her father a young age but she later on “attempted suicide at her home and was hospitalized, where she underwent psychiatric treatment” for her depression (Dunn). Writing primarily as a poet, she only ever wrote a single novel, The Bell Jar. This fictional autobiography “[chronicles] the circumstances of her mental collapse and subsequent suicide attempt” but from the viewpoint of the fictional protagonist, Esther Greenwood, who suffers the same loss and challenges as Plath (Allen 890). Due to the novel’s strong resemblance to Plath’s own history it was published under the pseudonym “Victoria Lucas”. In The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath expresses the
In poetry, there is often the use of many words that may seem a bit strange to the average reader. These words are often more complex than what is actually meant, but are used to enhance the reading and make it more enjoyable to the reader. Other words would make the poem less smooth, and that is why such complexity arises. These words shape a type of metaphor, which is referred to as a kenning.
Metaphors by Sylvia Plath The poem 'metaphors' by Sylvia Plath deals with strong issues of pregnancy. The poem was written when she was pregnant. She wrote about her mixed feelings and emotions. The poem itself is a metaphor.
Metaphors Analysis in Sylvia Plath's Poem In Sylvia Plath’s poem, Metaphors, she uses striking imagery to explore her ambivalent attitudes about pregnancy. For example, she uses a negative metaphor saying she is an elephant, meaning she thinks that she has become very fat since she got pregnant. On the other hand, she uses a positive metaphor saying the baby is precious, meaning although pregnancy has its down sides it has got a few good sides like the baby.
Plath uses this as a metaphor for depression because the narrator feels trapped by her melancholy mood. The quote above gives the reader the image of the narrator sitting under a bell jar, which tells the reader that her condition makes her feel like she is alone sitting in the vessel, and because the jar is glass everyone can see her but cannot see that she is trapped by her depressed thoughts and feelings. This is an important distinction for mental conditions because there symptoms are internal and for some readers unrelatble. After the narrator has been treated and is released from the mental hospital Plath writes, “The bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn’t descend again?” (Plath 241).
mirror. Who are almost getting in the way so to speak of its life and
Pregnancy is most commonly a happy occasion. Although, in some cases, there is nothing further from that truth. It is a very unhappy occasion in “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath because of the speaker, who has a pessimistic attitude towards her pregnancy. She only sees the negatives involved in the situation, rather than the positives as well. First, as her pregnancy develops, and she starts to get bigger, she does not think of her new life ahead of her.
Written task 2 Sylvia Plath is not your average poet. Plath is a poet from the Confessional era who also suffered from depression. She uses a lot of similes, metaphors, and allusions in her poems, mainly Greek mythology. She uses mythological allusions including stories like Midas’ Touch and Narcissus as well as historical allusions using Jews and concentration camps to add more depth and meaning.
Metaphors While reading the poem, “Metaphors”, by Sylvia Plath, I found that there were many devices used. A few that were noticeable would be, line and stanza length, point of view, imagery, and obviously metaphors. The line and stanza length really stood out to me. The first line of the poem said “I’m a riddle in nine syllables” This repeats itself, as every line is nine syllables. I also noticed that the length of the poem was nine lines.
Sylvia Plath was influenced to write poems early on in her life. One of the biggest influences within her writing include her father, Otto Plath. Otto Plath had died from an illness caused by diabetes in 1940. After this traumatizing event, Plath had written very vivid poems explaining her problematic relationship with her father, and her feelings after he had died. She wrote a poem named Daddy (“Sylvia Plath” Poetry). Daddy is a poem including a characteristic person representing Plath’s father in real life. Her father in the poem is a dark person that Sylvia Plath has to “kill” (Ardagh, Emily). Plath was very upset about this sudden death of her father, so she thought the perfect idea was to write a poem about him. Another important person