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Sylvia Plath Metaphors

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True Confessions
In Sylvia Plath’s poem “Metaphors” there are several references and comparisons that are made between various images and pregnancy. Plath’s life experiences and the perception of women’s roles of the 1950’s shaped her poems and was of particular importance in this poem. As the poem progresses, the reader can infer that her attitude towards her pregnancy is not static. Through her ironic use of various metaphors, Plath is able to convey her feelings of bearing a child, and how her perception and emotions of herself change over the course of her pregnancy.
Plath was born in 1932 the first child of Otto and Aurelia Plath in Boston, Massachusetts. Her parents “demanded superior academic performance” and this resulted in Plath …show more content…
By comparing her pregnancy to “red fruit, ivory [and] fine timbers” she is able to emphasize the pricelessness and extravagance of pregnancy (4). All three of these illustrations are appealing in the reader’s eye, and through their use Plath allows the reader to see how appealing the thought of the beginning phases of pregnancy initially was for her. There is a feeling of excitement and wonder and joy. She then continues to create this illustration of her initial feelings by comparing her pregnancy to “money new-minted in [a] fat purse” (6). By comparing to new-minted money she is able to show how her initial attitude towards her pregnancy was fresh and appealing and gave her a sense of …show more content…
This poem “with its artful control of metaphoric structure, successfully combines….private thoughts with public concerns” (Devi 4). The reader is left to ponder what the future holds for her. While from a distance pregnancy seems to be a glorious and enchanting thing after closer analyzation Plath realizes this is something that will dramatically change her life. The tone of this poem is more of a pessimistic one which is indicative of Plath’s mental state. This realization soon illuminates her conception that her pregnancy could take her down a completely different track in life than she may have first intended, and greatly influence her future. This forces her to accept that she will become a mother and her life will forever be

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