“CHILD”“CHILD” By Sylvia Plath Pg. 196

“Child” Read the text General class discussion – first impressions. Content of poem Language Themes

Pre-reading: Context: This poem was written in 1962 after the birth of Sylvia’s second child, Nicholas. Unfortunately the birth of this child coincided with a very painful time for Plath, during which her marriage broke up. Ted, moved to London with his lover, leaving a bitter Plath with two children in Devon.

On top of Plath’s own mental anguish [over marriage breakdown] it seems that her depression could also be classed as postpartum. [Symptoms include sadness, fatigue, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, reduced libido, crying episodes, anxiety, and irritability. ]

Postpartum depression may lead mothers to be inconsistent with childcare. Women diagnosed with postpartum depression often focus more on the negative events of childcare. Plath in this poem begins in a positive light in Verse One, however, relapses as the lyrics unfold.

CONTENT OF THE POEM: The poem begins with the speaker (Plath) celebrating the beauty of her child’s eyes. In the beginning, she is hopeful to fill these eyes with “color and ducks” – to stimulate her child’s imagination [nurturing]

Nature/Natural references - Flowers: white, innocent, delicate, youthful “without wrinkle”. Pool: naturally reflecting positive, exuberant images of the child’s fulfilled life.

Verse four sees a shift in mood: colours fade to “dark...without a star” The image of “troublous wringing of hands” highlights the Plath’s frustration and disenchantment with her mother-role

The Title Why is this poem entitled “Child”? Entitled “Child”, it is a poem about a nameless child who has been brought into a dark, uncertain yet beautiful world. However, because of the relationship this child shares with his mother [who is depressed] his existence also becomes dark and colourless. Nameless  unattached to her newborn child

Plath’s journal entry… “I felt very proud of Nicholas, and fond. It had taken a night to be sure I liked him...” In 2009, aged 47, Nicholas, himself, commited suicide. Did he ever have a chance in life?

Language Opening stanza uses joyful and optimistic language – a rarity in the selection we [I] have studied. Her poetry is decorated, again, with colour. Colour, for Plath in this poem, represents living, vitality and positivity: “color and ducks”. Colourless (“dark”) represents depression.

The metaphor of “The zoo of the new” is so rich with meaning; a world of variety, learning and newness. She uses a playful, childlike language in the life she envisages for her child. Image of the child: “April snowdrop, Indian pipe” – flowers. What do they represent in this poem? [in comparison to “Poppies?”

Alliteration “w” in stanza three – “without wrinkle” captures the smoothness and clarity of newborn skin and juxtaposes the lone “wringing of hands” in the final stanza which captures the poet’s sense of bewilderment. Assonance [repetition of vowels]: ‘colour and ducks, the zoo of the new’. Note the ‘u’ sound repeated four times here: the ‘ou’ in ‘colour’, the ‘u’ in ‘ducks’, the ‘oo’ in ‘zoo’ and the ‘ew’ of ‘new’. This musical touch gestures towards a nursery rhyme effect/ the cooing of a baby.

Return of the broad vowel sounds in the final stanza: “troublous”, “dark”, “without”, “star” Tercets (3 line stanzas) are linked together by a series of run-on lines. This use of enjambment allows Plath to create a soothing, gentle and almost “rockabye” momentum.