C ROSSING THE WATER S YLVIA P LATH Emma, Atlanta and Steph
M EANING Crossing the Water is a poem that illustrates Plath's journey across the lake between American and Canadian water. An extended metaphor is used to compare life and crossing over, to a Black Lake. It is suggested that this black lake could be symbolic of the Lake Styx in Greek mythology as people believed that this lake must be crossed to gain access to after life.
K EY T HEMES Colour is a key theme used within the poem as Plath refers to things being black or dark creating a sinister tone. Flowers play a particularly important part in the poem as they are used as a lure and deceitful trick. Plath’s bipolarism represented through changing moods of stanzas S TRUCTURE Four stanzas, each composed of three lines (tercets) No rhyme or meter Every line finishes with punctuation
L ANGUAGE A NALYSIS Plath uses alliteration and colour to create a sinister tone. “Black lake, black boat, two black”, the utilisation of black highlights domination and connotes with evil and death. However although Plath creates a menacing tone initially she still depicts beautifully the surroundings. “A little light is filtering from the water flowers”. This is the only reference to light within the poem and illuminates the beauty of the flowers. The alliteration shown further reinforces that this is the only light passing through the darkness. As the flower “filters” the light it is removing the impurities i.e. the black and darkness to become light and beautiful.
L ANGUAGE ANALYSIS Plath consistently uses inclusive pronouns such as “us” and “they” to unify the poet and reader through direct address. Plath does not conform to the usual description of beauty connoted with flowers and life, but alternatively depicts them to be “full of dark advice” and suggests the fishes and trees have the “spirit of blackness” within them. This could illustrate her distorted and pessimistic view of life as she envisages the darkness within everything, and possibly implies that she is unable to shake the impending doom of death.
LANGUAGE ANALYSIS Plath continues the theme of death through her depiction of “a valedictory, pale hand”. The adjective utilised implies a farewell/final goodbye, and then when combined with the morbidity of the corpse-like description, the suggestion of death is reinforced and intensified. She includes a mythical reference when mentioning the “expressionless sirens” who were deadly women that lured and entrapped men through voice or song, however Plath goes on to describe the “silence of astounded souls”, implying the sirens are void of sound. This could be seen as a suggestion to how death is void of life. Although the term “sirens” could be interpreted more literally, meaning warning alarm, in hope to highlight the future laying ahead, death. “expressionless” also contributes to death imagery as it portrays the lack of emotion in a corpse’s face and possibly even goes as far as attempting to convey the fullness of life and the bareness of death.