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Poet: Sylvia Plath (Sylvia Plath Art)
Poem: Metaphors
Volume: The Collected Poems
Year: Published/Written in 1959
Poem of the Day:
Aug 6 2004
Comment 44 of 44, added on November 23rd, 2009 at 7:41 AM.
Analysis of Metaphor
(1)"I'm a riddle in nine syllables"
means the period of pregnancy. for detailing,
nine syllables means 9 months which is the period of pregancy.
(2) "An elephant, a ponderous house"
'elephant' is speaker's body because she has baby.
'ponderous house' has two meanings.
- ponderous is same as elephant.
- house is baby's house. In other words, Women's womb
(3)A melon strolling on two tendrils.
A melon strolling means speaker's swollen belly.
two tendrils means speaker's thin two legs.
so this sentense shows fat of belly as compared with two legs
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
Eileen Kim from Korea, South
Comment 43 of 44, added on November 18th, 2009 at 3:44 PM.
mood
to me this is an irritable poem. She's irritated by the stupid metaphors and the pregnancy and almost recites them dismissively. The nine syllables per line (one for each month) in nine lines truck along without resolution. As a male this captures the grumpiness of women in their third trimester when pregnancy is at its most annoying. To me its not unhappy its more pissed off.
peter king from New Zealand
Comment 42 of 44, added on April 14th, 2009 at 4:32 PM.
“I've eaten a bag of green apples, (8) /Boarded the train there's no getting off (9).” The apples symbolize another biblical allusion, not only are green apples more sour but they symbolize Eve brining suffering upon women with birth. In reference to the train Plath has obviously boarded a train that she has no idea how to get off, because she knows little of how to be a happy, normal, pregnant woman. She feels as if her pregnancy is more plague than promising experience, as later evident when Plath kills herself in the house with her children present.
Aly from United States
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Comments
(1)"I'm a riddle in nine syllables"
means the period of pregnancy. for detailing,
nine syllables means 9 months which is the period of pregancy.
(2) "An elephant, a ponderous house"
'elephant' is speaker's body because she has baby.
'ponderous house' has two meanings.
- ponderous is same as elephant.
- house is baby's house. In other words, Women's womb
(3)A melon strolling on two tendrils.
A melon strolling means speaker's swollen belly.
two tendrils means speaker's thin two legs.
so this sentense shows fat of belly as compared with two legs
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
Eileen Kim from Korea, South