Metaphors Analysis in Sylvia Plath's Poem

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.

The number nine features a lot throughout the poem. For instance the

title, Metaphors, has nine letters in it; there are nine lines; there

are nine syllables in each line; there are nine months of pregnancy

and there are nine letters in pregnancy. Also, the poem is written in

1st person to express and explore the narrator’s feelings.

The narrator has a range of feelings such as positive because she is

going to have a baby e.g. “O red fruit”. This metaphor means that she

feels that the baby is precious. Also, all the metaphors about the

baby are positive. However, she is also negative because her body gets

a lot bigger e.g. “An elephant”. This metaphor means that she feels

she is enormous like an elephant. Also, all the metaphors about her

are negative.

The poem creates a lot of powerful imagery, for example in the second

line of Metaphors; the narrator portrays herself as a “Ponderous

house” this means she thinks that she is housing the baby until it is

born. Furthermore, her stomach is also a secure place for the baby to

stay until it is ready to be born.

The third line has also got good imagery because the narrator

illustrates herself as being “a melon strolling ...

... middle of paper ...

...“I’ve eaten a bag of green apples”

this shows that she has a craving like some pregnant women do. You can

tell this because people wouldn’t normally eat a whole bag of green

apples.

The last line is a very dramatic way to end a poem and it basically

sums up what it is like being pregnant. “Boarded the train there’s no

getting off” this is the ninth line and it represents the ninth month

when the baby is being born. Also, she is saying that she has gone too

far so there’s no going back. This is a negative line; however, it

could also be seen as being positive because she could be saying that

she is determined to care and love her baby for the rest of her life.

Overall, I think Sylvia Plath’s use of imagery to depict pregnancy is

brilliant because it gives the reader an effective image of the

narrator’s feelings.