For our poetry unit, we are going to be looking at “Ariel”, a book by Sylvia Plath.  Today we looked at two of her poems titled, “Morning Song”, and “You’re”.

Sylvia Plath is a poet who lived from 1932 to 1963, dying by suicide at age 30.  “Ariel” was published posthumously two years later.  “Ariel” is considered to be written during her creative frenzy between finding out about her husband’s Ted Hughes affair and her death.  She often wrote about topics in relation to herself, such as relationships, motherhood and trauma, particularly self-harm.  The two poems “Morning Song” and “You’re” that we looked at today were predominantly on the topic of motherhood, particularly pregnancy and what it means to be a new mother.

The first poem, “Morning Song”, looked at the apprehension faced with becoming a new mother, not being able to connect with the baby, and feeling burdened by the fact that she now has to care for another human being.  However, as the poem progresses the mother is able to form a connection with the baby, the “bald cry” becoming “The clear vowels rise like balloons”, the use of balloons to indicate a cry that is worth celebrating rather than emotionless crying in the beginning of the poem.

In “You’re”, the poem explores the feelings a mother has while being pregnant as if writing this poem to the unborn baby.  Plath uses many similes here to figuratively describe the actions of the unborn baby.  One significant example would be, “Vague as fog and looked for like mail.”, describing the inability to fully see the baby before it is born and to look for its heartbeat that would signify its life.  Another significant quote would be, “A clean slate, with your own face on.”, signifying the newness of this baby, and the possibility of having a better chance at life.  The tone throughout this poem is hopeful and affectionate, and each line is a continuation of the title, describing the unborn child.