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Post by Professor Garfinkel on Sept 24, 2015 1:40:23 GMT
Please read the poem below, and then respond to one of the three questions in approximately 100 words (half a typewritten page):
Metaphors
by Sylvia Plath
I'm a riddle in nine syllables.
An elephant, a ponderous house,
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.
1. What is the answer to the poem's "riddle"?
2. How does the speaker feel about her condition? How do you know this? How is this an atypical reaction to her situation?
3. How can this poem be read from a feminist perspective? Psychoanalytic/Psychological?
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Post by emileepet29 on Sept 28, 2015 17:53:21 GMT
In Sylvia Plaths Riddle she is talking about her being pregnant. The context of the riddle show that she has an unpleased feeling about motherhood. The narrator feels by involving her self to the duty of motherhood she is losing , her own individuality. Plath also shows she is discouraged by her physical appearance. She feels large and unwieldy, comparing herself to an elephant, a "cow in calf," and a "ponderous house." She expresses no joy with her increasing size. Instead, she is too well-aware of how she has lost control of her body. She sees this stage of life as this is happening for someone else not for her self. At the end of the riddle you can tell the desperation of the situation is becoming definite when she says “boarded the train and there no getting off.” This line implies that her feeling for the child means nothing and she has no choice in the matter. I think this reaction is atypical because the realization of your life is going to change because of this one event really hits people hard and makes them realize now they are responsible for another human. |
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berk
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Post by berk on Sept 30, 2015 17:46:48 GMT
The answer to this riddle is pregnancy. She seems to go between feeling entirely large, to something dainty carrying something large. I know this because she talks about being an elephant and a heavy house, to comparing herself to two tendrils walking, carrying a large melon. While I do believe these thoughts to not be uncommon, the typical connotation with pregnancy is one of joy and happiness. From a feminist perspective, this poem can be interpreted as reminding the reader that though this is her body, she has no say in what comes next for her since she “boarded a train there’s no getting off”. Psychologically, she seems to have different perceptions on her body image as noted before going from feeling quite large, to petite with a protruding belly.
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Post by jzetlin90 on Oct 6, 2015 22:39:40 GMT
The answer to the poem’s riddle is that the woman speaking is describing her pregnancy. I believe the 9 lines stand for the 9 months of pregnancy. She also said she herself is a riddle, in 9 syllables, meaning the 9 months of pregnancy. As the poem goes on, she compares herself to being large with a big belly when she says she’s an elephant, ponderous house, and a melon. The melon stands for her belly and the fine tendrils I believe are her legs keeping her upright. When she exclaims, “Boarded the train there’s no getting off.” I believe she is looking back at the decision she made to get pregnant…there is no turning back once you have a baby in your belly.
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Post by jordan450 on Oct 7, 2015 4:16:17 GMT
This poem is eluding to and describing her pregnancy. She is describing the emotions and the cravings that go along with pregnancy as well. I believe that she does not like being pregnant because she compares herself to an elephant and a melon, which quite obviously means she is uncomfortable with her weight and her appearance. I believe that this is generally not an atypical response because with all the hormones running through one's body during pregnancy, it is very normal to believe one is not attractive during pregnancy. Along with weight gain, increased hunger and sweating it is quite difficult to look your best at all times.
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Post by hadarozery on Oct 8, 2015 0:01:53 GMT
The woman is describing how she feels during her pregnancy. She feels bigger than a human being, more like an animal. She is is also describing how a loaf is big because of all of the yeast inside of it. That seems like a metaphor for her and her baby inside of her belly. This is an atypical reaction to her situation because it seems to be that most pregnant women feel bigger, heftier and larger than other people. They usually feel that all of their pregnancy weight gain is making them enormous. I think this poem can be seen through a feminist perspective by showing that although she feels heavier she still keeps looking forward. She is also stating that she is on a train and there is no getting off as though it is a journey that ends with a new baby she has to take care of and she can't just undo her pregnancy when she feels like she wants to get off of the train.
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Post by Noa Eshman on Oct 12, 2015 3:11:59 GMT
What I am understanding about this Poem by Ms. Sylvia Plath is that she was pregnant. I am also understanding that she is not thrilled about being pregnant. Stating that "I have boarded a train and there's no getting off" make's me feel that she wanted to get off, she wanted to run away but now she is in a position where she really is stuck and until 9 months hits she can not be free of what she calls "the green apples" inside her belly. Sylvia is such a beautiful poet but to me she conveys such sadness and misery with being pregnant. This poets daunting view of pregnancy is so sad but this view rings true for many woman today.
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Post by kislev21 on Oct 12, 2015 3:50:02 GMT
The writer is describing her experience with pregnancy through the use of metaphors. In the first line, the nine syllables represents the nine months of pregnancy. As her stomach begins to get bigger without signs of ceasing, she compares herself to giant objects. She describes the concept of stretching, like a purse making room for a newly formed commodity. Generally, many tend to react to pregnancy with positive thoughts. In this case, the writer chooses to complain about what it is doing to her body. During pregnancy, a woman's body changes for the worst to accommodate for a growing baby. Not only can a woman's outer appearance be altered, but a woman's emotional state can also hang in the balance. Psychologically, pregnancies can take a negative toll on women and can bring about depression.
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Post by Jenna Papa on Oct 12, 2015 4:20:00 GMT
The answer to the poem's riddle could be that she could be going towards something she's really anxious and excited for. It could be that's she's leaving home for the first time and is scared. Maybe her parents aren't around or willing to help her, maybe she's all alone. And once she's boarded the train, then she's gone, and there's no turning back. The speaker is very nervous and very scared for the future. And although this is all true, she could also be looking forward to something great and is excited about it at the same time. She's got her money and she's got her one way ticket, she's going to take advantage of it and not turn away. Though it is sad and a mystery as to what she could really mean, the poem is beautifully written. It could mean that she went through something and just needed to get out of the situation and away from whatever it was she felt was holding her back. She's depressed and upset and maybe suffering but flashbacks, but she's able to move on. It may have taken her some time, but she feels that she's finally ready. She's afraid and alone, but she knows that somehow, she'll get through it and be fine in the end.
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Post by Ted TALKS on Oct 12, 2015 4:41:07 GMT
In a world filled with false notions, this read held true to it's words. To go off of the feminist perspective, it is important to understand that there is a large correlation between the riddle that modern feminism is today. To start off, the term "elephant" definitely drew my attention in.
When described as "an elephant in a ponderous house" one could go so far as to understand a few key characteristics. One being, a woman's ever changing definition in the modern home. The elephant signifying the many times crucial and ever strengthened place a woman has in a home. The "ponderous" house leaves us to wonder, where we are pondering to as a society.
To solidify my claim, "money's new minted in this fat purse" shows us something very important. The financial independence of a modern woman not only defines our generation but also frees us of negative connotations. Financial independence is a way of freedom, an ever present way out for women who were otherwise scrutinized by over controlling husbands, holding money over their heads.
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Post by lihishaty on Oct 12, 2015 6:19:42 GMT
When I first read the poem I didn't think pregnancy. I initially took it as someone who is overweight and is struggling with body image. There are lots of different comparisons she makes that can give someone the idea of this woman trying to overcome her own self distructiveness. After rereading the poem a few times, I can see how the rest of the students understood it as pregnancy. I still have a gut feeling this might be about body image but either way she feels huge and is not wanting to feel this way anymore. The way she is describing what she's feeling gave me the idea of body image problems. She uses words/phrases like "elephant", "fat purse", and "a melon strolling on two tendrils". I don't know many people who talk about themselves that way, especially if they are pregnant. It threw me off to think someone could be so hurtful to themselves, even though I feel a connection to her words. I think this this more "feminist" because men don't typically voice their concerns of body image or anything of the sort. Woman are always complaining about how "fat they look" or how they "need to lose 10 pounds" ect. Men aren't really known for expressing such feelings.
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Post by Ben B on Oct 12, 2015 6:42:55 GMT
Sylvia Plath takes an untraditional stance on her pregnancy. Unlike the regular view on pregnancy, Plath isn't excited or proud, or complaining or pained. Instead she seems to have a very factual outlook on pregnancy. She describes the physical traits of herself and the baby instead of the emotions she connects to it. The only real sense of her emotions is one of resolve. It is as though having a baby is something that just needs to be done like sweeping the floor or doing homework. "Boarded the train there's no getting off."
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