sylvia Plath’s “Metaphors” is about a woman feeling insignificant in the midst of a pregnancy.
The first line gives an opening introduction to the poem that gives a clue to the overall
meaning to the poem. The poem begins by stating to the reader that it is a riddle to be solved.
A riddle is not easily figured out and it needs to be carefully considered to find its meaning. The nine
syllables and nine lines of the poem signify the nine months of pregnancy. The poem proceeds to use
rich metaphors to compare the narrator and different objects in order to make the reader see and feel
the point more clearly.
In line two, the narrator states that she is an elephant and a ponderous house. This line
expresses how the narrator feels about her pregnant body. Like the second line, a comical undertone
underlays the third line. A melon walking around on its skinny tendrils puts a humorous image in
one’s mind. When looking at a pregnant woman, it is easy to see the resemblance. It seems that she is
poking fun of the way she looks. However, “Beneath the humor of Plath’s imagery, we discover very
little real pleasure; […] Indeed, in the last two lines even the humor vanishes, displaced by anxious
awareness of remorseless fate” (Axelrod 145). Though the elephant, house, and melon seem to only
signify the largeness of a pregnant woman, they have a much deeper meaning.
The narrator looks back in the fourth line, surveys her previous thoughts and summarizes
them. The red fruit in line four returns the idea of a melon. A fruit is the result of reproduction and is
the desired part of a plant. In farming, the plant is merely used to produce a fruit harvest. The plant’s
worth is in its fruit. By comparing herself to the plant, the narrator shows she is feeling deprived of
worth; as if the baby inside is the true value, not the carrier. The next part of line four is the ivory.
The ivory is directly connected with the notion of an elephant. An elephant is a prized for its
beautiful ivory tusks. Ivory is very much valued and esteemed. It is used for many worthy causes
including art, the keys of pianos that make beautiful music, and various treasured ornaments. The
poor elephant, however, is not so fortunate. It is killed and not used for any higher purposes such as
art, music, or decoration. In fact the elephants killed for ivory they carry and are disgraced by being
almost forced to extinction. This is a very strong metaphor. The narrator compares herself to the
elephant because she is the carrier of the precious and prized ivory. She feels her fate (under
appreciation) is like death. The third part of line four is the fine timbers which directly relates to the
house mentioned in line two. The purpose of a house again fortifies this idea. It is the people
dwelling within that are the value. The house merely protects and shelters them, just like a pregnant
mother does for her unborn child
sylvia Plath’s “Metaphors” is about a woman feeling insignificant in the midst of a pregnancy.
The first line gives an opening introduction to the poem that gives a clue to the overall
meaning to the poem. The poem begins by stating to the reader that it is a riddle to be solved.
A riddle is not easily figured out and it needs to be carefully considered to find its meaning. The nine
syllables and nine lines of the poem signify the nine months of pregnancy. The poem proceeds to use
rich metaphors to compare the narrator and different objects in order to make the reader see and feel
the point more clearly.
In line two, the narrator states that she is an elephant and a ponderous house. This line
expresses how the narrator feels about her pregnant body. Like the second line, a comical undertone
underlays the third line. A melon walking around on its skinny tendrils puts a humorous image in
one’s mind. When looking at a pregnant woman, it is easy to see the resemblance. It seems that she is
poking fun of the way she looks. However, “Beneath the humor of Plath’s imagery, we discover very
little real pleasure; […] Indeed, in the last two lines even the humor vanishes, displaced by anxious
awareness of remorseless fate” (Axelrod 145). Though the elephant, house, and melon seem to only
signify the largeness of a pregnant woman, they have a much deeper meaning.
The narrator looks back in the fourth line, surveys her previous thoughts and summarizes
them. The red fruit in line four returns the idea of a melon. A fruit is the result of reproduction and is
the desired part of a plant. In farming, the plant is merely used to produce a fruit harvest. The plant’s
worth is in its fruit. By comparing herself to the plant, the narrator shows she is feeling deprived of
worth; as if the baby inside is the true value, not the carrier. The next part of line four is the ivory.
The ivory is directly connected with the notion of an elephant. An elephant is a prized for its
beautiful ivory tusks. Ivory is very much valued and esteemed. It is used for many worthy causes
including art, the keys of pianos that make beautiful music, and various treasured ornaments. The
poor elephant, however, is not so fortunate. It is killed and not used for any higher purposes such as
art, music, or decoration. In fact the elephants killed for ivory they carry and are disgraced by being
almost forced to extinction. This is a very strong metaphor. The narrator compares herself to the
elephant because she is the carrier of the precious and prized ivory. She feels her fate (under
appreciation) is like death. The third part of line four is the fine timbers which directly relates to the
house mentioned in line two. The purpose of a house again fortifies this idea. It is the people
dwelling within that are the value. The house merely protects and shelters them, just like a pregnant
mother does for her unborn child
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