While I definitely see the literary value of Invisible Man, it is nonetheless a very difficult book to get through. There are a lot of images to notice, and frankly, the plot moves relatively slowly. Thus, in the midst of attempting to index/annotate everything important while also attempting to stay awake, the reading process is slow. Although, I have discovered a process that really helps me get through the book quicker. If I sit down with the book and force myself not to annotate, only highlight words to index, and read for an hour, I get through the book much quicker. Then, for about 15 minutes, I go back and annotate the sections I read. This helps me read the book quicker while also covering the necessary material. It’s a good tip for anyone struggling with the same thing that I am.
On a side note with Invisible Man, it is interesting that the narrator introduces a lot of blood imagery and Biblical references. With these images, I cannot help but think that the narrator is, in a sense, a Christ figure and maybe even a tragic hero. Of course, I have not read enough of the story to speculate, but from the prologue, it appears that he sacrifices his personal freedom and desires in order to infiltrate white society, and basically destroy it from the inside-out. This is similar to the sacrifice Christ made on the cross. However, while many doubted Christ’s holiness, he was a well-known figure in his area, far from invisible. Thus, that slightly breaks his connection with the Invisible Man. Also, the man’s irrational act of violence during the prologue seems far from Christ-like, although he makes it sound like this loss of control is an anomaly, not a regularity.
Also, there is a lot of fruit imagery, connecting the story to Adam and Eve and the fall of man. This connection would make sense considering the book focuses on many of man’s faults including discriminatory attitudes.
As I have read the book, I have begun to question the purpose of the school the narrator attends. It appears, as the narrator seems to slowly discover, that the school is enslaving it’s students in yet another manner. It is forcing them to believe the white man’s views, thus enslaving the students in their minds. As a result, the students feel inferior to the white men and are thus emotionally enslaved.
With this idea, one must consider the purpose of the headmaster. He seems to have power, but puts on the appearance of inferiority when white guests come to visit. This seems similar to the narrator idea to infiltrate white society wearing a cloak of invisibility. Thus, is the headmaster the initial invisible man? Did he give the narrator the idea to live apart from society?
One other question I have is when does the narrator become invisible? It appears that, at the start of his life at college, that he is not invisible, but rather one of the favored students. What changes this?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Working on Poem Presentation
Today I worked on my poetry presentation for William Carlos Williams’s “This is Just to Say.”
I started by completely annihilating a tri-fold board in my living room. I tore both of the side pieces off so I could use the center as my platform. It’s kind of ironic that the poem is about the destruction of relationships/the fall of mankind, and in order to make the project, I had to destroy a board. I see a common theme here. Just a little AP Lit irony for you.
I then drew a leafless tree (to the best of my abilities) using a printed picture of a dead tree. Much to my surprise, the picture actually came out decently, which is good considering the tree is central to my entire project. The tree connects the poem to the Garden of Eden and the fall of man. Furthermore, the death of the tree references the death of relationships and the coolness referenced in the poem.
Then, much to my mother’s and the environment’s chagrin, I tore up a bunch of brown construction paper so I could color the tree with various shades of paper. The fragmentation of the tree further references the gap between the narrator and whomever he is referencing. The many different colors of construction paper come together to form a tree just as the narrator and the center of his interest, whom are very different according to the poem, come together in a relationship. Similarly, the tree then dies just as does their relationship.
Hanging from each branch is a torn heart that replaces the leaves that would normally hang from the tree’s branches. Again, the broken hearts correspond to the broken relationship. Moreover, the hearts replace the leaves, and thus the tree takes on an unnatural form, as it becomes adorned with a foreign substance. Similarly, the narrator alienates his lover/friend/relative by destroying their sense of communion (eating their plum) and continuing to demand (not ask for) forgiveness, demonstrating that they show little to no remorse for their actions.
I also picture a leaf falling to demonstrate the fall of man, and I have some leaves lining the bottom of the poster as another reminder of the replacement of leaves with hearts as well as of the death of the tree.
Although I have yet to add these features to the poster, I also want to depict a snake wrapped around the tree, referencing the form Satan took in the Garden of Eden and thus referencing the fall of man. Furthermore, as plums are the center of the original poem, I want to depict some rotting or eaten plums at the base of the tree with the leaves, although I do not know how I am going to do that yet. The eaten plums will demonstrate the many layers of a human being—one being sweet (like the meat of the plum) and the other very cold and heartless (like the pit of a plum).
On a really quick English language side note: Today, I was reading my history text book, and I noticed that the author used “till” instead of “until” numerous times. Also, one of my newspaper writers tried to get away with a similar feat. So sad. If texting lingo takes over this planet, I’m moving to Mars.
I started by completely annihilating a tri-fold board in my living room. I tore both of the side pieces off so I could use the center as my platform. It’s kind of ironic that the poem is about the destruction of relationships/the fall of mankind, and in order to make the project, I had to destroy a board. I see a common theme here. Just a little AP Lit irony for you.
I then drew a leafless tree (to the best of my abilities) using a printed picture of a dead tree. Much to my surprise, the picture actually came out decently, which is good considering the tree is central to my entire project. The tree connects the poem to the Garden of Eden and the fall of man. Furthermore, the death of the tree references the death of relationships and the coolness referenced in the poem.
Then, much to my mother’s and the environment’s chagrin, I tore up a bunch of brown construction paper so I could color the tree with various shades of paper. The fragmentation of the tree further references the gap between the narrator and whomever he is referencing. The many different colors of construction paper come together to form a tree just as the narrator and the center of his interest, whom are very different according to the poem, come together in a relationship. Similarly, the tree then dies just as does their relationship.
Hanging from each branch is a torn heart that replaces the leaves that would normally hang from the tree’s branches. Again, the broken hearts correspond to the broken relationship. Moreover, the hearts replace the leaves, and thus the tree takes on an unnatural form, as it becomes adorned with a foreign substance. Similarly, the narrator alienates his lover/friend/relative by destroying their sense of communion (eating their plum) and continuing to demand (not ask for) forgiveness, demonstrating that they show little to no remorse for their actions.
I also picture a leaf falling to demonstrate the fall of man, and I have some leaves lining the bottom of the poster as another reminder of the replacement of leaves with hearts as well as of the death of the tree.
Although I have yet to add these features to the poster, I also want to depict a snake wrapped around the tree, referencing the form Satan took in the Garden of Eden and thus referencing the fall of man. Furthermore, as plums are the center of the original poem, I want to depict some rotting or eaten plums at the base of the tree with the leaves, although I do not know how I am going to do that yet. The eaten plums will demonstrate the many layers of a human being—one being sweet (like the meat of the plum) and the other very cold and heartless (like the pit of a plum).
On a really quick English language side note: Today, I was reading my history text book, and I noticed that the author used “till” instead of “until” numerous times. Also, one of my newspaper writers tried to get away with a similar feat. So sad. If texting lingo takes over this planet, I’m moving to Mars.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Poem Presentation
I began planning my poem presentation last week for the poem, “This is just to say.” Although the poem only discusses the narrator eating someone else’s poem, various poetic and structural devises demonstrate that he is actually talking about the coldness and lack of communication in his relationship with the unnamed person. In order to communicate this coldness and pain, I decided to center my presentation around a leaf-less plum tree.
To begin with the tree will be bear. In the poem, the narrator discusses how the plum is both sweet and cold. The contrasting images demonstrate how his companion appears sweet and caring on the outside (like the tender meat of a plum) however actually has a cruel, cold soul (like the pit of a plum). Similarly, when a tree is covered in leaves, it appears beautiful and gentle. But it’s true, cold core appears when fall rolls around and all the leaves fall off. Thus, the bear tree demonstrates the same idea of a cold inner core as does the image of a plum.
Furthermore, the poem has a lot of references to the fall of man. By focusing the presentation around a tree, the presentation will indirectly reference this fall of man, as Eve ate from a fruit tree, as the story goes. To further draw this connection with the fall of man, I will have a snake slithering up the trunk of the tree, referencing the form the Devil took in order to trick Eve.
Burned, wilting love letters will be hanging from the bear tree limbs. The outdated, destroyed nature of these letters will demonstrate the loss of love and inability to communication in the narrator and his companion’s relationship. I also might hang a few divorce papers from the limbs of the tree, as divorce is obviously the epitome of a destroyed relationship. Although, in both of these cases, I will have to stress the fact that the narrator does not specify the type of relationship he is speaking of. While he may, very well, be referring to his lover, he could simply be referencing a friend or a family member. No evidence exists either way, and thus no assumptions should be made.
Dead leaves and squashed plums will be lying at the base of the tree. The dead leaves will symbolize the death of the relationship, or the death of the life of the relationship just as the leaves died. Furthermore, the fact that the leaves fell from the tree references the fall of man. On top of this, the leaves fell away from the tree as the narrator falls away from his companion. Thus, the fallen leaves demonstrate the destruction of the relationship. Similarly, the dead plums, or maybe I will do eaten plumbs, will represent the death of the relationship. If I do eaten plumbs, I can have the pits resting at the base of the tree, demonstrating that the narrator has seen through his companions fluffy exterior to her cold soul, thus the pit of the plum is exposed.
To begin with the tree will be bear. In the poem, the narrator discusses how the plum is both sweet and cold. The contrasting images demonstrate how his companion appears sweet and caring on the outside (like the tender meat of a plum) however actually has a cruel, cold soul (like the pit of a plum). Similarly, when a tree is covered in leaves, it appears beautiful and gentle. But it’s true, cold core appears when fall rolls around and all the leaves fall off. Thus, the bear tree demonstrates the same idea of a cold inner core as does the image of a plum.
Furthermore, the poem has a lot of references to the fall of man. By focusing the presentation around a tree, the presentation will indirectly reference this fall of man, as Eve ate from a fruit tree, as the story goes. To further draw this connection with the fall of man, I will have a snake slithering up the trunk of the tree, referencing the form the Devil took in order to trick Eve.
Burned, wilting love letters will be hanging from the bear tree limbs. The outdated, destroyed nature of these letters will demonstrate the loss of love and inability to communication in the narrator and his companion’s relationship. I also might hang a few divorce papers from the limbs of the tree, as divorce is obviously the epitome of a destroyed relationship. Although, in both of these cases, I will have to stress the fact that the narrator does not specify the type of relationship he is speaking of. While he may, very well, be referring to his lover, he could simply be referencing a friend or a family member. No evidence exists either way, and thus no assumptions should be made.
Dead leaves and squashed plums will be lying at the base of the tree. The dead leaves will symbolize the death of the relationship, or the death of the life of the relationship just as the leaves died. Furthermore, the fact that the leaves fell from the tree references the fall of man. On top of this, the leaves fell away from the tree as the narrator falls away from his companion. Thus, the fallen leaves demonstrate the destruction of the relationship. Similarly, the dead plums, or maybe I will do eaten plumbs, will represent the death of the relationship. If I do eaten plumbs, I can have the pits resting at the base of the tree, demonstrating that the narrator has seen through his companions fluffy exterior to her cold soul, thus the pit of the plum is exposed.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Women in Invisible Man
I have noticed a very interesting trend in Invisible Man involving women. I guess it started with the title, which, among other things, speaks of a man’s inability to be recognized by society, primarily because of his race. However, in the title, as elsewhere in the story, the fight for recognition and dignity does not involve women. The author generally depicts them as battered souls or distant entities, making their wants and desires appear both unimportant and unexpressed.
It all begins with the narrator’s dream (another interesting image!) in the prologue, where, while high on drugs, he meets a woman who fathered the children of her slave master who, as a result of these births, both hates and loves the man. Like the women introduced later in the novel, she is sexually abused by men. The female’s connection with sexual abuse in this novel is no coincidence. Although the author could be highlighting their plight, the fact that he gives them little voice in the novel, as of yet, evidences the women’s lower societal position during the time period.
Another sexually abused women is the stripping-dancer in chapter one, in whose eyes the narrator saw “terror and disgust.” Even as a white woman, she is victimized by the watching men, who chase her around until she runs from the room. This episode demonstrates that, during that time period, women were faced with sexual pressure and indecency, no matter their color. Again, the author seems to high light the problems in their life, but gives them little voice, in an effort to symbolize the fact that women had no say in the social or political world at that time. Their mouths were effectively taped shut.
The third female introduced, the beautiful daughter of the school’s founder, appears different than the other female characters; however, evidence exists that her father may have sexually abused her as well. He seems obsessed with her beauty and her memory, and when Trueblood explains how he rapes his daughter, the founder is engrossed and even excited about the story. He asks Trueblood if there is anything he can do for him, suggesting that the founder feels compassion and understanding for the rapist. This affinity could possibly arise from the founder’s undiscussed relationship with his daughter who, if this is the case, is as much a victim of the male-dominated world as the other female counterparts.
Possibly the two most victimized women are Trueblood’s wife and daughter, as evidenced by the fact that he impregnated his daughter. However, despite his horrific act, the white men protect Trueblood, and even send men to study him. Throughout this time, they take little care to ensure the safety of the victimized daughter and wife. Even when the founder comes to visit, he ignores the daughter, listening to only Trueblood’s side of the tale. This story is probably the best evidence of the victimization of women in Ellison’s society, which he symbolizes by giving the women no voice and a sad story in his novel.
It all begins with the narrator’s dream (another interesting image!) in the prologue, where, while high on drugs, he meets a woman who fathered the children of her slave master who, as a result of these births, both hates and loves the man. Like the women introduced later in the novel, she is sexually abused by men. The female’s connection with sexual abuse in this novel is no coincidence. Although the author could be highlighting their plight, the fact that he gives them little voice in the novel, as of yet, evidences the women’s lower societal position during the time period.
Another sexually abused women is the stripping-dancer in chapter one, in whose eyes the narrator saw “terror and disgust.” Even as a white woman, she is victimized by the watching men, who chase her around until she runs from the room. This episode demonstrates that, during that time period, women were faced with sexual pressure and indecency, no matter their color. Again, the author seems to high light the problems in their life, but gives them little voice, in an effort to symbolize the fact that women had no say in the social or political world at that time. Their mouths were effectively taped shut.
The third female introduced, the beautiful daughter of the school’s founder, appears different than the other female characters; however, evidence exists that her father may have sexually abused her as well. He seems obsessed with her beauty and her memory, and when Trueblood explains how he rapes his daughter, the founder is engrossed and even excited about the story. He asks Trueblood if there is anything he can do for him, suggesting that the founder feels compassion and understanding for the rapist. This affinity could possibly arise from the founder’s undiscussed relationship with his daughter who, if this is the case, is as much a victim of the male-dominated world as the other female counterparts.
Possibly the two most victimized women are Trueblood’s wife and daughter, as evidenced by the fact that he impregnated his daughter. However, despite his horrific act, the white men protect Trueblood, and even send men to study him. Throughout this time, they take little care to ensure the safety of the victimized daughter and wife. Even when the founder comes to visit, he ignores the daughter, listening to only Trueblood’s side of the tale. This story is probably the best evidence of the victimization of women in Ellison’s society, which he symbolizes by giving the women no voice and a sad story in his novel.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Patterns in Invisible Man
I began reading Invisible Man this past week, and I found that there are a lot of really interesting patterns. It kind of reminds me of Winesburg, Ohio in the way the author connects many different ideas throughout the novel.
One interesting pattern I noticed was the idea of dreams or nightmares. The first time the narrator discusses this is on page 4, when he talks about beating up a man who verbally attacked him. He says, “The man had not seen me, actually; that he, as far as he knew, was in the midst of a walking nightmare!” Later, on page 7, he discusses a nightmare that a beautiful girl kept having where “she lay in the center of a large dark room and felt her face expand until it filled the whole room, becoming a formless mass while her eyes ran in bilious jelly up the chimney.” Again, on page 9, the narrator descends into a dream or nightmare while listening to Louis Armstrong’s music, although this dream is drug-induced which might set it apart from the other dreams. Finally, on page 33, he dreams that he is with his grandfather and he receives a letter that reads, “Keep this nigga-boy running.”
Another pattern I noticed was the animal imagery throughout the novel. Often times, the narrator uses animals to describe human beings. He probably does this in order to highlight the worst, most primal qualities of mankind. On page 19 he describes the naked dancer as a “fair bird-girl,” and on the next page, he describes on of the white men as “an intoxicated panda.” He also compares the room full of white men to “a dark room filled with poisonous cottonmouths,” and the boxing ring full of blindfolded black men to “blind, cautious crabs” and “hypersensitive snails.” On page 26 his blood pools in the shape of a butterfly, an interesting comparison considering butterflies are usually gentle creatures and blood is a symbol of violence. Finally, one of the electrocuted boys is describes as “a circus seal,” on page 27.
Other than animals and dreams, the narrator consistently references eyes, especially as a window to the inner soul. The first page references the “inner eyes” which are “those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality.” Later, when describing the naked dancer again, he said that, while her face was fixed in a smile, “I saw the terror and disgust in her eyes.” Thus, her eyes give away her true emotions and feelings. Later again, when describing one of the fighters, he says, “his face was a black blank of a face, only his eyes her alive.” These two examples demonstrates mankind’s attempt to conceal their true feelings but their ultimate failure because their eyes give away so much. On page 28, he says the fighter was “looking at me with soberness dead in the eye,” again demonstrating the highly intimate nature of eyes. Finally, on page 33, he says his grandfather’s “eyes seemed to follow everywhere I went.”
Other patterns I noticed where darkness, juxtaposed opposites or oxymorons, boomerangs, dancing, and obviously invisibility.
One interesting pattern I noticed was the idea of dreams or nightmares. The first time the narrator discusses this is on page 4, when he talks about beating up a man who verbally attacked him. He says, “The man had not seen me, actually; that he, as far as he knew, was in the midst of a walking nightmare!” Later, on page 7, he discusses a nightmare that a beautiful girl kept having where “she lay in the center of a large dark room and felt her face expand until it filled the whole room, becoming a formless mass while her eyes ran in bilious jelly up the chimney.” Again, on page 9, the narrator descends into a dream or nightmare while listening to Louis Armstrong’s music, although this dream is drug-induced which might set it apart from the other dreams. Finally, on page 33, he dreams that he is with his grandfather and he receives a letter that reads, “Keep this nigga-boy running.”
Another pattern I noticed was the animal imagery throughout the novel. Often times, the narrator uses animals to describe human beings. He probably does this in order to highlight the worst, most primal qualities of mankind. On page 19 he describes the naked dancer as a “fair bird-girl,” and on the next page, he describes on of the white men as “an intoxicated panda.” He also compares the room full of white men to “a dark room filled with poisonous cottonmouths,” and the boxing ring full of blindfolded black men to “blind, cautious crabs” and “hypersensitive snails.” On page 26 his blood pools in the shape of a butterfly, an interesting comparison considering butterflies are usually gentle creatures and blood is a symbol of violence. Finally, one of the electrocuted boys is describes as “a circus seal,” on page 27.
Other than animals and dreams, the narrator consistently references eyes, especially as a window to the inner soul. The first page references the “inner eyes” which are “those eyes with which they look through their physical eyes upon reality.” Later, when describing the naked dancer again, he said that, while her face was fixed in a smile, “I saw the terror and disgust in her eyes.” Thus, her eyes give away her true emotions and feelings. Later again, when describing one of the fighters, he says, “his face was a black blank of a face, only his eyes her alive.” These two examples demonstrates mankind’s attempt to conceal their true feelings but their ultimate failure because their eyes give away so much. On page 28, he says the fighter was “looking at me with soberness dead in the eye,” again demonstrating the highly intimate nature of eyes. Finally, on page 33, he says his grandfather’s “eyes seemed to follow everywhere I went.”
Other patterns I noticed where darkness, juxtaposed opposites or oxymorons, boomerangs, dancing, and obviously invisibility.
Monday, January 24, 2011
A Divine Image
A Divine Image
By: William Blake
In his beautifully written poem, Blake pokes fun at the supposed “divine image of human beings.” According to the Bible, God made humans in his image. However, Blake calls the “human heart” cruel and “the human face” jealous. Furthermore, his ample use of fiery imagery suggests that humans appear more like the devil than God. This message is both an insult to God and to humans for their horrid qualities. The following are some literary devices I noticed in the poem.
Anaphora: In the second stanza, Blake begins each line with “The Human,” emphasizing the imperfect rather than “divine” qualities of humanity.
Antistrophe: Each line in the first stanza ends with a reference to “the Human” or “a Human” for a similar reason as above.
Personification: Cruelty, Jealousy, Terror, and Secrecy are all personified in the poem in order to underscore their domination of the human psyche and the problems with human nature.
Alliteration: The speaker references the “fiery Forge” and later uses alliteration by juxtaposing “Face” and “Furnace” as well as “Heart” and “Hungry.”
Homonyms: Many words throughout the poem have various meanings, many of which would fit in the context of the poem. Thus, there are a variety of ways to interpret the meaning of some lines, making areas of the poem very ambiguous. Some homonyms are forged, forge, and gorge.
Connotation: In order to understand Blake’s attack on human nature, people must contemplate the various connotations of “heart,” “Face,” “Form,” “Divine,” and “Dress.” For example, the heart symbolizes love, life, emotions morals, and the core of the human body while divine could reference the heavenly, celestial or the lovely and the excellent. Face could also refer to a façade, a physical appearance, or the five senses.
Irony: The title is ironic because it suggests that humans are in fact made in the image of God, while the body of the poem highlights human corruption. Thus, Blake uses verbal irony to say something he doesn’t truly mean.
Apocope: Blake emits the “e” in “seal’d” probably to reduce the length of the line.
Some notes on structure: The first and third line in the first stanza begin with a dactylic followed by three trochaics and finished by an elision of the unstressed vowel in the final trochaic. The second and the fourth line in the same stanza are similar except their lone, unstressed vowel occurs at the beginning, not the end of the line. All lines in the second stanza are iambic tetrameter, except for the first line which is iambic trimeter followed by a trochee.
Some structural questions:
1. Why would Blake offset the first line in the second stanza with structural oddities?
2. Why do the second and fourth lines of the second stanza rhyme whereas no other lines in the poem rhyme?
3. Why does Blake employ such a structured format? Does it illuminate his purpose in writing the poem?
These are some things I noticed while mapping the poem. If you notice anything else or can answer some of these questions, please say something.
By: William Blake
In his beautifully written poem, Blake pokes fun at the supposed “divine image of human beings.” According to the Bible, God made humans in his image. However, Blake calls the “human heart” cruel and “the human face” jealous. Furthermore, his ample use of fiery imagery suggests that humans appear more like the devil than God. This message is both an insult to God and to humans for their horrid qualities. The following are some literary devices I noticed in the poem.
Anaphora: In the second stanza, Blake begins each line with “The Human,” emphasizing the imperfect rather than “divine” qualities of humanity.
Antistrophe: Each line in the first stanza ends with a reference to “the Human” or “a Human” for a similar reason as above.
Personification: Cruelty, Jealousy, Terror, and Secrecy are all personified in the poem in order to underscore their domination of the human psyche and the problems with human nature.
Alliteration: The speaker references the “fiery Forge” and later uses alliteration by juxtaposing “Face” and “Furnace” as well as “Heart” and “Hungry.”
Homonyms: Many words throughout the poem have various meanings, many of which would fit in the context of the poem. Thus, there are a variety of ways to interpret the meaning of some lines, making areas of the poem very ambiguous. Some homonyms are forged, forge, and gorge.
Connotation: In order to understand Blake’s attack on human nature, people must contemplate the various connotations of “heart,” “Face,” “Form,” “Divine,” and “Dress.” For example, the heart symbolizes love, life, emotions morals, and the core of the human body while divine could reference the heavenly, celestial or the lovely and the excellent. Face could also refer to a façade, a physical appearance, or the five senses.
Irony: The title is ironic because it suggests that humans are in fact made in the image of God, while the body of the poem highlights human corruption. Thus, Blake uses verbal irony to say something he doesn’t truly mean.
Apocope: Blake emits the “e” in “seal’d” probably to reduce the length of the line.
Some notes on structure: The first and third line in the first stanza begin with a dactylic followed by three trochaics and finished by an elision of the unstressed vowel in the final trochaic. The second and the fourth line in the same stanza are similar except their lone, unstressed vowel occurs at the beginning, not the end of the line. All lines in the second stanza are iambic tetrameter, except for the first line which is iambic trimeter followed by a trochee.
Some structural questions:
1. Why would Blake offset the first line in the second stanza with structural oddities?
2. Why do the second and fourth lines of the second stanza rhyme whereas no other lines in the poem rhyme?
3. Why does Blake employ such a structured format? Does it illuminate his purpose in writing the poem?
These are some things I noticed while mapping the poem. If you notice anything else or can answer some of these questions, please say something.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sylvia Plath's Morning Song
I chose Sylvia Plath’s “Morning Song” for my first poem in the poetry journal. It is an incredibly interesting, seemingly simple, but actually highly complex poem that centers around the birth of an infant and the relationship between that infant and his mother.
The first stanza:
Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.
In this first stanza, Plath personifies life in order to depict the creation of this child. I think it is interesting that the creation of the child is compared to a “fat gold watch.” A gold watch is obviously very valuable, so it would appear that the creation of the child is a prized, memorable moment. At the same time, a watch is a simple, material object, thus how could it be compared to something so precious as a child’s birth? This discrepancy requires further analysis to sort out. Furthermore, the image of the watch similarly evokes the image of time. With time in the picture, it is almost as if, when the baby was born, the clock started clicking, and she started losing life immediately. In a less grim picture, you can view the image of time as a symbol of how much life the baby has yet to live.
Continuing into the second stanza:
Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.
In a drafty museum, your nakedness
Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.
This stanza attempts to depict human awe at the birth of the child; however, the imagery creates a very cold, unwelcoming mood. The baby is compared to a “new statue,” something to be put onto display and admired. Yet, when you think about it, statues have no human qualities. They are forced to be perfect, given no chance to experience mistakes, emotion, or change. They are also constantly on display for anyone to critique. It appears that Plath is insinuating that the baby will live his/her life under the critical eye of the world, constantly subject to nit-picking and insults. The idea that the baby’s new home is a “drafty museum,” furthers the idea that those around the statue baby are cold, heartless people. I have difficulty comprehending, “your nakedness/ shadows our safety.” Does shadow mean to cover-up or to mimic? Also, safety in what? Maybe safety in normalcy?
Stanza 3:
I'm no more your mother
Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind's hand.
This stanza continues to evoke a very distressing tone. Plath paints a very ephemeral image, a cloud being pushed away by the wind, as if the relationship between the mother and her child is constantly growing more distant.
Stanza 4/5:
All night your moth-breath
Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:
A far sea moves in my ear.
One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral
In my Victorian nightgown.
Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square
For me, the mood changes dramatically in these stanzas. The speaker, instead of feeling distant from the child, now appears to be connected with it. Although, the child’s cry, when compared to a “far sea,” does appear very distant. Plath depicts a mother, laden with milk in her breast (“cow-heavy”) caring for her distressed child in the early hours of the morning. Presumably, it is this child’s cry that is the morning song.
Stanza 6:
Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try
Your handful of notes;
The clear vowels rise like balloons.
It’s interesting that the only time Plath splits a sentence between two stanzas is between stanzas 5 and 6, although I am not sure the purpose of this enjambment. Here, Plath describes the sun awakening (“The window square/ Whitens and swallows its dull stars”). She describes the breaking of the dawn from the perspective of the child’s room, making the world seem incredibly small.
On a final note, I am still struggling with defining the purpose of the poem. What is Plath really trying to say? To me, it seems like a bitter-sweet message, for she describes some very sentimental moments between a mother and child, but at the same time, she sees a grim future for the child. It almost seems like a comparison between innocence and experience, as in Blake’s poetry.
The first stanza:
Love set you going like a fat gold watch.
The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry
Took its place among the elements.
In this first stanza, Plath personifies life in order to depict the creation of this child. I think it is interesting that the creation of the child is compared to a “fat gold watch.” A gold watch is obviously very valuable, so it would appear that the creation of the child is a prized, memorable moment. At the same time, a watch is a simple, material object, thus how could it be compared to something so precious as a child’s birth? This discrepancy requires further analysis to sort out. Furthermore, the image of the watch similarly evokes the image of time. With time in the picture, it is almost as if, when the baby was born, the clock started clicking, and she started losing life immediately. In a less grim picture, you can view the image of time as a symbol of how much life the baby has yet to live.
Continuing into the second stanza:
Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.
In a drafty museum, your nakedness
Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.
This stanza attempts to depict human awe at the birth of the child; however, the imagery creates a very cold, unwelcoming mood. The baby is compared to a “new statue,” something to be put onto display and admired. Yet, when you think about it, statues have no human qualities. They are forced to be perfect, given no chance to experience mistakes, emotion, or change. They are also constantly on display for anyone to critique. It appears that Plath is insinuating that the baby will live his/her life under the critical eye of the world, constantly subject to nit-picking and insults. The idea that the baby’s new home is a “drafty museum,” furthers the idea that those around the statue baby are cold, heartless people. I have difficulty comprehending, “your nakedness/ shadows our safety.” Does shadow mean to cover-up or to mimic? Also, safety in what? Maybe safety in normalcy?
Stanza 3:
I'm no more your mother
Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow
Effacement at the wind's hand.
This stanza continues to evoke a very distressing tone. Plath paints a very ephemeral image, a cloud being pushed away by the wind, as if the relationship between the mother and her child is constantly growing more distant.
Stanza 4/5:
All night your moth-breath
Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen:
A far sea moves in my ear.
One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral
In my Victorian nightgown.
Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square
For me, the mood changes dramatically in these stanzas. The speaker, instead of feeling distant from the child, now appears to be connected with it. Although, the child’s cry, when compared to a “far sea,” does appear very distant. Plath depicts a mother, laden with milk in her breast (“cow-heavy”) caring for her distressed child in the early hours of the morning. Presumably, it is this child’s cry that is the morning song.
Stanza 6:
Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try
Your handful of notes;
The clear vowels rise like balloons.
It’s interesting that the only time Plath splits a sentence between two stanzas is between stanzas 5 and 6, although I am not sure the purpose of this enjambment. Here, Plath describes the sun awakening (“The window square/ Whitens and swallows its dull stars”). She describes the breaking of the dawn from the perspective of the child’s room, making the world seem incredibly small.
On a final note, I am still struggling with defining the purpose of the poem. What is Plath really trying to say? To me, it seems like a bitter-sweet message, for she describes some very sentimental moments between a mother and child, but at the same time, she sees a grim future for the child. It almost seems like a comparison between innocence and experience, as in Blake’s poetry.
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