Metaphors

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Recommended: Themes and poetic style of Sylvia Plath

“I’m a riddle in nine syllables” (“Metaphors” 1). A riddle can be considered to be a trick question. It entails one to require ingenuity so that they may solve it and ascertain the answer. Straight off the bat, the speaker literally lets you know that this poem is a riddle. Likewise, it can be assumed, due to the title of the poem, that this riddle consists of metaphors to help one decipher it. “Metaphor” is written by Sylvia Plath who uses abundant of metaphors through the poem, identified as a riddle, to illustrate the pregnancy of a women. Consisting elements such as: setting, figurative language and key symbols to depict the deeper meaning this riddle centers on. Moreover, with the use of a vivid choice of words, phrases and structure of …show more content…

It uses words and phrases that are applied to a certain object or action but is not literal. Metaphors are used to enhance writing, and also to give the reader a picture for better understandings. The title of this poem is very literal, so when a reader first analyses the title, one can be influenced to believe that it consist of metaphors or that maybe even the poem itself is a metaphor. After reading the poem thoroughly, it can conclusively direct the readers view on the poem to show how the speaker felt about the pregnancy, with the constant use of metaphors. More accurately, the poem/riddle has a metaphor in every line, in which all describe her feelings towards the pregnancy. A good example would be when speaker says “I’m an elephant, a ponderous house” (“Metaphors” 2). Where she uses elephant referring to her size and weight from being pregnant, and house because she is sheltering the baby inside her, not that she is an actual elephant or a house. Also, the first and second line is what identifies to the reader, that the speaker is a pregnant women. Furthermore, the speaker gives the impression that she has uncertain feelings about being pregnant. With the choice of words such as: ponderous, ivory, timber, and certain phrases like “I've eaten a bag of green apples/boarded the train there's no getting off” (“Metaphors” 8-9). Demonstrating that she has both positive and negative emotions about having the

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