Sylvia Plath 1932 - 1963

1
Sylvia Plath 1932 - 1963
Child

• In this poem Plath expresses her love for her
  child while also revealing her inner torment.
• The poem presents the beauty and innocence of the
  child.
• It also presents the dark depression Plath
  regularly struggled with.
• It reveals a young mother caught between love and
  despair

2
Stanzas 1 3 express Plaths desires for her
child

• The poem opens with Plath addressing her child,
  Your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful
  thing. This implies that everything else in her
  life is tarnished, which in turn hints at the
  poets troubled mind.
• As a loving mother, Plath wants to give her child
  only beautiful experiences. She expresses this
  beautifully in the phrases colour and ducks,
  and the zoo of the new.
• The imagery here evokes the childs innocence and
  sense of wonder.

• The spring flower imagery suggests a number of
  things
• The fresh fragile beauty of the child.
• The child, like the spring, represents new life
  and hope.
• Little stalk without wrinkle may suggest the
  childs potential to grow and blossom.

• Plath longs for her childs eye (pool) to take
  in only what is good, wonderful, beautiful
  inages that are grand and classical.

3
Final stanza 2 dominiant images revealing
Plaths condition.

• What is it then, that the child actually sees,
  according to Plath?
• A depressed, hopeless mother. Unable to provide
  the beautiful experiences shed like. Emotionally
  distressed. Full of angst.
• This is captured in the disturbing image of the
  troublous wringing of hands. A gesture full of
  anxiety and tension and inner suffering.
• Plaths world is a dark ceiling without a star.
  Not a sky, but a ceiling. This suggests
  claustrophobia, being hemmed in.etc.
• Note also, the symbolism of the star. A star
  provides guidance, light, comfort, direction.
  The absence of the star suggests the absence of
  these things from her life.
• In her depression, Plath feels like a failure for
  being unable to provide colour, joy and
  excitement for her child. Instead she offers only
  the image of her own suffering and pain.

4
Points to note

• This is a beautifully crafted poem. It captures
• the childs innocence,
• the mothers love and also
• the mothers anguish.
• The eye is a reflective image which later
  becomes apool. Seeing, in this poem is a
  metaphor for experienceing. The images (8)
  refer to experiences.
• Note the poets lack of confidence in her ability
  as a mother.
• 1 3 details the experiences she wants for her
  child.
• 4 details her condition therefore the actual
  experience of the child
• Flower imagery suggests innocence and the newnes
  / hope of spring.
• troublous (10) captures to bleak mood at this
  point.

5
Mechanics

• There are 4 unrhymed stanzas. 3 lines each. No
  obvious rythmic structure.
• Beautifully crafted, e.g.,
• colour and ducks ducks is completely
  unexpected. It takes one by surprisemirroring
  the surprise and excitement of childhood
  discoveries.
• The careful placing of particular words for
  maximum effect
• Little, stands alone, emphasising the childs
  smallness and innocence.
• troublous, also alone (10), highlighting the
  poets anxiety.
• dark likewise isolated at the end of line 11.
  Evoking the poets inner darkness and loss of
  direction in life.
• The definitive Not at the beginning of line 10
  heightens the contrast shes about to make.

• Use of metaphors the eye / the flowers / the
  pool / dark ceiling without a star.
• Assonance - the u sounds in absolutely
  beautiful / colourducks / zoonew.