Plath makes effective u s e o f provocative i m a g e r y t o h i g h l i g h t t h e
i n t e n s e emotions i n h e r poetry.
Pl a t h’s imagery s er v es t o highlight th e intense emotio ns in her
poetry. Her poems c h a l l e n g e th e r e a d e r by presenting us with a n insight
into a dark a n d t r ou b le d m i n d ; a m i n d where nothing, not even th e joy
of c h i l d b i r t h , is free from despair. In orde r t o d o t h i s, Pl at h employ s a
se r ie s o f c o m p l e x a n d provocative images.
In “ Morning Song ” a n d
“ Child” s h e r e l i e s o n a s er i es of interesting a u r a l images to c o n v e y her
intense joy. In “ Arrival o f t he Beebox" , Pl at h employs images t hat
personify th e s in is t er quality of th e bees, which in tu rn r e f l e c t t he
intense a n x i e t y o f t he s pe aker. Whereas in “ E l m ” , “ F i n i s t e r r e" a n d
“ Mirror ” , P la th r e l i e s o n m e t a p h o r s a n d su rreal a s s o c i a t i o n s to help us
sh a re in th e intensely disturbing a n d despondent emoti ons th at sh e is
attempting to convey.
Pl a t h has a m a s t e r f u l poetic st yle. In particular, sh e frequently
r e l i e s o n a u r a l imagery in or d e r to highlight th e emotio nal intensity in
her poems. T his a u r a l quality of Pl at h’s poetry c a n be both m e s m e r i s i n g
a n d unsettling. In ‘Morning Song ’, on e of th e m o s t uplifting Pl at h poems
on o ur c o u r s e , P la th m a k e s use of a series of a u r a l images in ord e r t o
c o n v e y a joyful m e s s a g e . T h e jaunty r h y t h m of ‘Lov e set you going like a
fat gold watch ’ gives way t o a n a w e s t r u c k , r e v e r e n t i a l to ne when Pl a th
likens her baby t o a ‘New s t at ue | In a drafty m u s e u m’. T h e s e two si m i l e s
c a p t u r e th e intense joy a n d a w e th at Pl at h is experiencin g. T h i s imagery
is further s t r en gt he ne d by her use of a s s o n a n c e . T h e broad vo we l s
c o n t a i n e d in ‘a h’ a n d ‘o o h’ m i m i c th e baby -talk of th e new parents a n d
a l l o w t h e r e a d e r t o s ha r e in th e joy th at Pl at h is experienci ng .
F u r t h e r m o r e , t he delicate s ou nd c r e a t e d by th e on omatop oeia in lines
su ch a s : ‘your m o t h-breath | F l i c k e r s’, helps us to a p p r e c i a t e m o r e fully
t h e te n d e r nature o f a n image th at seeks to highlight just how intense
t h e m o t h e r’s c o n c e r n is.
However, t he imagery in Pl at h’s poetry c a n be a s disturbing a s it is
beautiful. In ‘Child’, for ex am ple, th e poet uses a number a images t hat
r e l y o n a s s o n a n c e t o c a p t u r e th e so und of a c h i l d’s sp eec h:
I want t o fill it with c o l o r a n d ducks,
T h e zoo of th e new
However, in t he final s t an za of th is poem, Pl at h uses a s s o n a n c e t o
provoke m u c h darker em o ti o ns . T h e r e p e t i t i o n of broad vo wel so un ds ,
c o n t a i n e d in t he image o f t he “ dark c e i l i n g without a st ar , ” c r e a t e s a n
intensely brooding, gloomy a t m o s p h e r e th at highlights th e depr esse d
e m ot i on s exp er i en ce d by t he sp eaker. A si mi lar eff ect c a n be seen in
‘P op p i e s in J u l y’. Here, t he image of th e poppies is enhanc ed by a
number of language t ec hn i ques th at provoke intense emotio ns . T h e first
line of th e poem is en e r gi se d by th e r e p e t iti ve st acc at o of th e sho r t,
disyllabic words c o n t a i n e d in th e image of th e ‘Lit tle poppies ’. However,
Pl a t h
contrasts
t he
central
image
of
th e
poem
with
th e
broad
m o n o s y l l a b i c s o un ds o f t he s e con d line’s question, ‘Do you do no harm? ’,
in or d er t o provoke a feeling of intense lethargy a n d m e n t a l a g i t a t i o n .
T h e s ta r k c o n t r a s t in t o ne between th es e two lines is a deeply unsettling
c o m b i n a t i o n , a n d a perfect illustration of how Pl at h expertly empl oys
her imagery in a n en t r a nc in g a n d disturbing m a n n e r th at, to m y m i n d ,
is highly provocative . It is provocative because it …
F r e q u e n t l y , P la th e xplores su rreal sc enes a n d employs su rr e a l
image r y in o r de r t o heighten ou r a p p r e c i a t i o n of th e sp eaker ’s disturbed
st a t e of m i n d . I was particularly unsettled by th e ima ges th at Pl a th
e m p l oy s in “ T h e Arrival Of T h e Bee Bo x” . Her description of th e hive a s
‘t h e c o f f i n o f a m i d g e t | Or a sq uare baby ‘ is provocative because it is
bizarre, disturbing a n d s t ra ngely c o m i c a l . Similarly, images su ch a s
‘African hands ’ ‘Black o n black, a n g r i l y c l a m b e r i n g’ a r e intensely
m e n a c i n g a n d c l a u s t r o p h o b i c . It is th is dark undercurrent in th e imagery
t h a t P la t h em p lo ys t ha t m a k e s her poetry so distinctive a n d highly
c o m p e l l i n g . Here, t he
ext e nsive use of personification a n d st artl i ng
figur a t i v e language c o n t a i n e d in th es e images c o n v e y a n d intensify t he
e x p e r i e n ce :
T h e unintelligible sy llables.
It is like a R o m a n m o b ,
I lay m y ear to furious latin
T h e s e personifications help us to experience th e m a n i c , disturbing
e n e r g y of t he bees. And t hi s in tu rn c a u s e s us to a p p r e c i a t e fully t he
c o n f u s e d st a te o f m i n d o f t he sp eaker.
While with Pl at h it is oft e n
impossible t o s ay exa c t ly just what emotio ns sh e is experienci ng, she
nearly a l w a y s m a k e s us feel a s if we a r e living th e disturbing, underlying
force noticeable in s o m u c h o f her poetry. F o r examp le, a dark negative
e n e r g y permeates t he poem “ Mirror ” . And on ce a g a i n , while it is difficult
to
s ta t e
preci s el y
what
em otio n
Pl at h
is
try ing
to
provoke,
we
instinctively r e a l i s e t ha t it is a dark on e. Here th e extens ive use of
personification c o m b i n e d with st artlin g figurative language c r e a t e a n
e m ot i on al ly intense exp e r ien ce. When th e m i r r o r feels r e w a r d e d by t he
woman ’s t ea r s a n d by t he ‘a g i t a t i o n of [ h e r ] hands ’ we feel uneasy. And
when o ld a g e is portrayed a s a m e n a c e th at ‘R i s e s to ward her day a f t e r
da y” , in t he form o f a “ t erribl e fish’ we feel th e intense despair
e x p e r i e n ce d by t hi s woman because th e ima ge is a t on ce r e c o g n i s a b l e
a n d s u rr e a l .
Pl a t h’s use o f imagery does not just sh ed a n interesting light on t he
e x t e rn a l world; it a l s o highlights, in a n intense fashion, th e deeply
disturbed inner landscape o f th e poet ’s tro ubled so ul. T h i s is perhaps
best e x e m pl ifie d by her poem “ E l m ” which is with c r o w d e d with desolate,
disturbing imagery. As with “ Morning Song” a n d “ Po ppi es in J u l y” , Pl a th
m a k e s particular use o f a u r a l imagery in th is poem to c o n v e y t he
intensity of her feelings o f despair a n d uneasy despondency. T h e
on om a top oe ic
eff ec t
of
th e
word
‘dissatisfactions ’
not
o nl y
a p p r o x i m a t e s t he s o un d o f th e leaves r u s t l i n g , but a l s o c r e a t e s a n
uneasy, r e s t l e s s s ou n d. T h i s eff ect is echo ed in th e fifth st anza by
a n o t h e r a ural image in t he form of th e r a i n , which falls in a ‘big hush’.
This
is
another
restless
s ou nd
th at
conveys
sp eaker ’s
intensely
disturbed st a te . In t he s ixt h st anza, th e vo ice of tree informs us th a t it
has:
[ . . . ] s uffe r ed th e a t r o c i t y of su nsets .
Scor c h e d to th e r o o t
My r e d filaments burn a n d st and, a hand of wires.
T h e s e powerful images, which ob viou sly form a n a l l u s i o n to E l e c t r oc o n v u l s i v e s ho c k, t he r ap y c o n v e y a deeply disturbed psychic st ate.T h e
image of a “ s un s et” s ug g es t s a n end, not a beginning. F u r t h e r m o r e , t hi s
su n se t is not natural: it is o v er -bright a n d worryingly intense. In t he
se co n d half o f ‘E l m ’, t he s e feelings of a g i t a t e d despair a r e further
r e i n f o r c e d by s t ra ng e a n d unsettling imagery. T h e m o o n is likened t o a
c o l d , barren vi s ion o f m u t i l a t e d femininity:
T h e m o o n , a l s o , is m e r c i l e s s : sh e would drag m e
Cruelly, being barren.
Her r a d i a n c e sc athes m e [ . . . ]
D im in is hed a n d flat, a s a f t e r r a d i c a l su rgery.
F o r m e , th es e disturbing images c a p t u r e th e poet ’s unique but tro ubl e d
v ie w of herself. In t he final s t anzas of th e poem, death a p p e a r s to c l o s e
in a s th e s pe a ke r ’s fears t ur ns to numbness. T h e poem ’s final images
a r e s u rr e al a n d intense. P la th sp eaks of th e “ sn aky a c i d’s kiss ” t hat
“ petrifies t he wil l. ” F o r t he s peaker, th es e a r e th e “ iso late, sl ow faults
T h a t kill, th at kill, t ha t kill. ” T h i s is a dark poem th at of fers us a n intense
v is i on of th e vi ol en t , uneasy a n d ultimately tragic m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n of
t h e poet. A m e n t a l c o n d i t i o n dominated by e m o t i o n s of despair a n d
agitated confusion.
In ‘F i n i s t e r r e’, P la th r e l i e s on ce a g a i n on provocative imagery t o
highlight a n interesting vi ew of th e world. T h e poem op en s with a
depiction of a fragile c l i f f ed g e th at is su rround ed by ‘tref oils , st ars a n d
bells ’.
And while t he poem lacks th e emotio nal intensity of “ E l m ” , t he
dark e m ot io n s o f despair a n d despondency th at we a s s o c i a t e with Pl a th
a r e never far from “ F i n i s t e r r e” . T h e image of c l i f f , which initially is
a p p e a l i n g , t ake s o n a s in is te r a s p e c t whe n Pl at h describes th e flora a s
having been em b r oi de r ed by ‘fingers [ … ] c l o s e to death ’. T h e r e is a n
undercurrent o f vi o len c e present in th e poet ’s description of th e r o c k s
hiding ‘th ei r grudges under t he water ’. T h i s seasc ape is likened to t he
hand of a r heu m at o id a r t h r i t i s su ff erer. It is ‘knuckled a n d [ . . . ] |
Cramped on nothing ’. T h i s ex treme image is juxtaposed by what seem s
t o be a bottomless s ea . In a disturbing m o m e n t , th e water a p p e a r s a s if
it has been “ Whitened by t he faces of th e drowned ” . And in th e poet ’s
dark v i ew o f t he world, t he dull a n d omin ous r o c k s a r e th e ‘Left o v er
so l d i e r s from o ld , m e s s y wars ’. F o r m e , th es e si nist er images provide
r e a l insight into P la th’s intense a n d deeply emotio nal a n x i e t y because
t h e y help us s ee just how disturbed Pl at h’s vis ion of th e vis ion of t he
world is. T h e r e is no hope in this poem a n d c o m m o n l y a c c e p t e d images
of c o m f o r t s uc h a s “ Our La dy” a r e su bverted by Pl at h in ord er to c o n v e y
her bleak perspective. F o r P lath Our Lady of th e Shipwrecked:
does not hear what the sailor or the peasant is saying—
because:
She is in love with the beautiful formlessness of the sea.
This final image of the sea is as unsettling as it is captivating; because, it shows us the
intense nature of Plath’s disturbed psychic state and it’s ability to yield unforgettable
moments of dark and intense beauty.
Sylvia Pl a t h’s provocative imagery serves to highlight th e intense
e m ot i on s in her poetry, because it helps th e r e a d e r to become m o r e
fully involved in t he lat en t a n d brooding darkness a n d brief glimpses of
joy
present
in
her
poetry.
In
particular
Pl at h
makes
use
of
personification, bizarre a n d unusual a s s o c i a t i o n s a n d su rreal images t o
highlight t he intense em o ti o ns of despair, joy a n d of c o u r s e a n x i e t y
presen t in s o m u c h o f her poetry.
Sylvia P la t h has written a va s t body of extraordi nary poetry. I love her
poetry for t he beauty o f its language a n d th e c a p t i v a t i n g nature of t he
imagery e m pl oy ed by t he poet. I was m e s m e r i s e d by th e latent, brooding
v io le nce th a t underpins s o m u c h of her work. R e a d i n g Pl at h provides
insight into t he o ft en dark m i n d s e t of th e poet. I so met imes find it
uncomfortable t o r e a d Sylvia Pl at h’s poetry, but I love it nonetheless.