Analysis Of Morning Song By Sylvia Plath

[answer Q title here], reading Plath 's poetry was quite disturbing. The best poems to explain this experience are “Child”, “Morning Song”, “Mirror”, “The Arrival of the Bee Box”, and of course, “Poppies in July”. There are poems that aren’t quite as depressing, such as “Pheasant”, but certainly an unsettled atmosphere pervades throughout Plath’s work.

In contrast to the emptiness and despair of many of Plath’s poems, “Morning Song” is suffused with tenderness and love. The poem focuses on a woman’s feelings of apprehension and awe upon the birth of her child. The first word of “Morning Song” is “love”. This sets the tone as the young mother responds to her newborn infant’s cry, still unsure of her role. The opening line of the poem, “love set you going like a fat gold watch”, suggests how her new baby is something precious. However, the image of the watch also suggests how the child has entered the world of time, a world which neither she nor her mother can control. An equally surprising image is that of the new baby, “new statue in a drafty museum”. While this highlights the child’s beauty and uniqueness, it also exhorts the harshness of the world into which she has been born.

Feelings of inadequacy and uncertainty are explored as the poet describes “staring blankly at walls”. She is unsure and confused by the world of motherhood. She worries about her relationship with her daughter and fears that over time they will become distanced and alienated from each other. This