Sylvia Plath

SYLVIA PLATH

ABOUT THE POET:

  * Married to a man named Ted Huges.
  * Two children ~ Frieda + Nicholas.
  * Problems in their marriage(he had an affair)
  * They divorced.
  * She suffered from depression.
  * Most of her poems were published after her death (suicide).
THEMES OF HER POEMS:

  1) Her depression.
  2) Her love for her children.
  3) Motherhood.
  4) Nature.
  5) Death.
  6) Aging

MORNING SONG
  * MOTHERHOOD AND LOVE.
This poem is about the love and relationship between mother and child.
“moth breath flickers”
She is using great imagery to describe her child breathing.
“floral Victorian nightgown”
She is describing what she is wearing. Its realistic as it is what a new mother would be wearing at that time.
“fat, gold watch”
Fat is a realistic adjective to use when describing a baby. The birth of a child is precious, like gold. The watch symbolises time in the childs life. Life is precious.
“a drafty museum”
Describing the world. A cold , dangerous, troublesome place .
“cow heavy”
It’s a realistic way to describe how she looks after having a baby .
“swallows its dull stars”
Stars are disappearing as the child is growing up . life is getting more dangerous, not as simple as it was when it was a baby.

MIRROR
  * FEAR OF GROWING OLD AND AGING.
Mirrors are truthful, they do not lie or hide anything .
The word “I” is used throughout the poem a lot which shows that it is a very personal poem

“unmisted by love or dislike”
The mirror shows things as they are, whether its reflecting good things or bad, it will hide nothing.
“whatever I see I swallow immediately”
It takes things and reflects them back to the viewer. Does not hide anything or forget anything.   Nothing can hide from it .everything is seen.
“like a terrible fish”
She knows that she is going to grow old, loose her beauty and become old, smelly , scales and unattractive , just like a fish.
“flickers”
not always clear. You can...