Morning Song Motherhood

In the poems “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath and “The Mother” by Gwendolyn both deal with motherhood and its challenges. “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath deals with the arrival of a new born baby now the mother feels separated from the baby. In “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks, the mother get multiple abortions and later regret getting the abortions. Motherhood involves a lot of responsibilities which can lead to being emotional or even slightly regretful. Being a mother allow them to have mixed emotions about their motherhood in the poems, “Morning Song” and “The Mother” they both deal with being fearful, being shocked, and showing tenderness through their motherhood experience. “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath and “The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks

The mother in “Morning Song” is shocked when she states “our voices, echo magnifying your arrival. New statue” (4). Which indicates the excitement of the new born baby’s arrival as well as the baby being the center of attention. However, it takes a shockingly ironic turn in the next few lines “In a drafty museum, your nakedness. Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls. I’m no more your mother” (5-6). This indicates the shocking reality of the mother actually being a mother. Now the mother feels lost after giving birth to her child. The shocking moment that occurs in “Morning Song” is when she states, “Though why should I whine, Whine that the crime was other than mine? Since anyhow you are dead or rather, or instead you were never made. But that too, I am afraid.” (24-29) These lines indicate how she is shocked about the actions that she has made and she is shocked that she is feeling guilty and regretful about the decisions of getting many abortions. Which leaves the readers asking the shocking question how many abortions did she have after she states, “Believe me, I loved you all” and “Believe me, I knew you, though faintly and I loved, I loved you all” (33-35). Both poems express how shocking the reality of mother can be from the parent’s actual feelings and mindset to the decisions and responsibilities that comes with being a

In “Morning Song” the mother shows tenderness by admiring the baby’s arrival and catering to the baby needs. The mother caters to the baby’s need by getting up late nights to feed the baby. As she states, “all night your moth-breath flickers among the flat pink roses I wake to listen: a far sea moves in my ear” (10-12) and lastly “One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral in my Victorian nightgown your mouth opens clean as a cat” (13-15) indicates how the mother loves her child and will do anything to take care of her child even if it is a struggle for her. In “The Mother” tenderness is shown when the mother begins to feel guilty about getting the abortion and then states, “Believe me I loved you all.” (33) A mother will love their child no matter