Silvia Plath’s “Metaphors” is read through the words of a pregnant woman, who finds herself in an unideal situation. A Metaphor is defined as “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison” which is what “Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath is unsurprisingly composed of. The overarching metaphor is subtle, but the meaning and significance is clear. “Metaphors” exemplifies the expression “beating around the bush” as it is understood that the speaker of this Plath poem is a pregnant woman, without explicitly stating that she is. The speaker of the poem “Metaphors” is a woman with an unwanted pregnancy, and throughout the poem she struggles to decipher
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The speaker states that she “Boarded the train there’s no getting off” (9) which signifies how there truly is nothing she can do about her pregnancy but accept her course and make the best of her situation. She cannot get off “the train” as the train continues to pick up steam as her pregnancy progresses. The speaker’s presence on this train was not her choice, but her journey through the poem leads to introspection and having to address her own self-worth. As in most poems, a shift conveys meaning and importance. In Mark Irwin’s “Three Notions of Truth in Poetry” he alludes to this in his analysis of another poem where the tonal shift is a clear marker of change and importance. He states, “The imaginary quest (at times more real than life) collapses in the reality of a ‘Cold Puddle,’ a tonal shift from ecstasy to tragedy only rivaled by Keat’s ‘Cold pastoral.’” (Irwin 49). The tonal shift is an essential part of dissecting the meaning behind a poem and “Metaphors” is no different. As identifying the point at which the tone shifts gives insight into the speaker’s position. The tonal shift from negative to acceptance and looking towards the future shows the relative growth that the speaker has emulated throughout the poem and her corresponding
The speaker states that she “Boarded the train there’s no getting off” (9) which signifies how there truly is nothing she can do about her pregnancy but accept her course and make the best of her situation. She cannot get off “the train” as the train continues to pick up steam as her pregnancy progresses. The speaker’s presence on this train was not her choice, but her journey through the poem leads to introspection and having to address her own self-worth. As in most poems, a shift conveys meaning and importance. In Mark Irwin’s “Three Notions of Truth in Poetry” he alludes to this in his analysis of another poem where the tonal shift is a clear marker of change and importance. He states, “The imaginary quest (at times more real than life) collapses in the reality of a ‘Cold Puddle,’ a tonal shift from ecstasy to tragedy only rivaled by Keat’s ‘Cold pastoral.’” (Irwin 49). The tonal shift is an essential part of dissecting the meaning behind a poem and “Metaphors” is no different. As identifying the point at which the tone shifts gives insight into the speaker’s position. The tonal shift from negative to acceptance and looking towards the future shows the relative growth that the speaker has emulated throughout the poem and her corresponding