Blackberrying By Sylvia Plath Meaning

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In an interview with Peter Orr, Sylvia Plath was asked if she had any regrets about becoming a writer. She answered, "I much prefer doctors, midwives, lawyers, anything but writers. I think that writers and artists are the most narcissistic people. I think if I had done anything else I would have been a doctor" (Orr 3-4). Interesting for Plath to say, considering how she would eventually become such a prominent figure in the world of poetry. During a time when women didn't have many rights or received much recognition, Sylvia Plath was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts on Oct. 27, 1932 (Rosenberg 10). Her parents would've never expected their daughter would one day become such a success in a male dominated profession of writing. At an early But after reading it a few more times, I started to pick up the subtleties that lay within the poem. The way she makes you have to read between the lines to get the true meaning behind the poem is what really struck out at me. I was used to the usual universally known forms of symbolism that many other poets I have read used, such as a how a rose symbolizes love, black symbolizes death. Though, Plath took it a step further. It made me really have to think about what the blackberries and the sea might have represented, due to them not being a universal symbol. Overall, I really enjoyed "Blackberrying" and finding out how it connected to Plath's life. I was in awe about how much emotion Plath conveyed in such a short poem. The poem was truly about Plath's awakening experience, the transition of having to go into the real world. I can relate to this, not in the same terms as Plath but rather, due to me going to college soon. I'm realizing that soon I'll have to go out into the real world by myself and won't have someone to hold my hand the entire time. I thought that the sheep path that leads down to the ocean really represents that transition, you don't know what is around the bend and the path is crowded because everyone is on it. After extensive research on the poem, I've gotten a really good basis for what "Blackberrying" is really about. There are four main symbols that Plath really focuses on in the poem. The first main symbol is the blackberries and how they're personified (Plath 1). They bleed the same blood as her, yet she seems appalled by that fact. It's as if she's appalled to be associated with mankind. They also easily conform to the bottle, possibly representing conforming to society's standards and how easily people can be easily manipulated. The second main symbol is the crows.

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