Plath Poetry Revision

The poetry of Sylvia Plath displays a desire for order amid chaos. Discuss.

Sylvia Plath.

Review of Poetry

Exploring the Unconscious.

"Mirror"

Plath was keenly aware that such an inner journey was a dangerous business and involved encountering all kinds of inner demons, dark thoughts, traumas and negative emotions that are usually kept hidden in the minds deepest recesses. The "terrible fish" may not only represent old age, but also these demons.

Plath felt that in order to be a true poet one had to explore one's unconscious mind, delving into the darkest depths of the psyche.

"The Arrival of the Bee Box."

The bee box can be taken to represent hidden aspects of the mind, the dark and mysterious parts the true poet must explore. Like the bee box our unconscious mind is almost completely sealed: we cannot know what it contains until we begin to explore it.

Just as the speaker is terrified and disgusted by the bee box, so Plath was nervous about exploring her unconscious mind and horrified by the demons that might lurk there. By opening up her unconscious she will unleash her inner demons, just as the speaker will release the bees.

"The Arrival of the Bee Box"

"Mirror"

The woman in the poem is gripped by a fit of loneliness or despair, examining herself in the mirror as she cries and wrings her hands.

We get the sense that much of the woman's turmoil stems from the fact that she has lost her way in life, and feels she has lost her identity.

Feelings of Inadequacy

Some of Plath's poems explore the feelings of inadequacy that she felt as a mother.

"Morning Song"

The poet describes how she struggled to feel a bond with her child when it was born.

"Child"

Feelings of inadequacy as a mother are also present in this poem. Plath describes her anguish at being unable to offer her child the kind of joyful experience it needs.

The sight and sound of the locked box fills Plath with dread. She is terrified and intrigued at the same time and finds herself drawn to that which frightens her.

This poem also features a note of hope. The speaker can overcome her fear of the bees by releasing them. At present she is controlled by her terror of the bees. By releasing them, she will conquer her fear and empower herself. She will go from being powerless, "no Caesar" to being powerful "sweet God."

"Mirror"

Feelings of inadequacy are also explored here. She looks at her reflection with "tears and an agitation of hands." She turns away to the soft glow of the candles and the moon, as if she does not like what she sees in the mirror.

Self Destructive Thoughts.

There are several instances where Plath expresses what can be described as self-destructive thoughts or desires.

"The Arrival of the Bee Box."

The speaker imagines herself wearing the protective garments of a beekeeper. She describes the face covering as a "funeral veil." There is a sense here that she is anticipating her own demise.

Mental Anguish

"Poppies in July."

A desire to be erased from human consciousness is clearly present in this poem. The speaker sees only two ways out of her numbing depression: experiencing intense physical pain or slipping into a blissful, self-induced coma.

She looks at the poppies and thinks they resemble "bloody mouths." This makes her long for her mouth to feel "a hurt like that." If she cannot experience such pain she wishes to lapse into a coma-like existence where she will feel or experience nothing at all.

The "liquors" will dull and still her until total oblivion is reached.

A Fear of Total Neutrality.

In "Morning Song" Plath describes how she struggled with feelings of neutrality when her child was born. The poem also depicts the poet and her husband standing around "blankly as walls" suggesting they are somewhat numb and feel no strong emotion about the arrival of their child.

"Mirror" also touches on Plath's anxiety about neutrality. It depicts the situation where the front of the perfect housewife is in danger of choking the artist within. The speaker may be in danger of forgetting about the artist she really is in an effort to conform to society's expectations of her. She gazes into the mirror's depths in a desperate attempt to reconnect with her own creativity.

Inner Turmoil

Nature.

"The Arrival of the Bee Box" is concerned with the power that humans sometimes wield over the natural world.

The poet entertains the possibility of allowing the bees in her possession to die. Yet, she cannot be so cruel.

Many of Plath's poems express feelings of inner turmoil, describing a speaker who is haunted by raging storms of emotion.

"Poppies in July"

The description of the field of poppies corresponds with and illustrates the neutrality and numbness the poet is experiencing.

Psychic Landscapes.

Plath often uses a scene from nature or an element of the natural world in order to convey an inner state of mind.

"The Arrival of the Bee Box."

The bee box serves as a metaphor for Plath's turmoil filled mind. The box seethes with furious black bees "angrily clambering" over one another in a chaotic fashion. Similarly, her mind seethes with dark, angry and negative emotions.