Metaphors



-"nine syllables"--nine months of pregnancy -nine lines with nine syllables in each line -she begins to describe herself with visual imagery -uses images of things that are large and bulky, as she feels while she is pregnant - The fourth line begins the phase of the poem that describes her in metaphors of fertility. -Red fruit is a biblical allusion to "fruit of thy womb" and clearly relates to having a child. -Ivory and fine timbers are both housing metaphors, meaning she is her child's home for the time being. -The fifth line, the line about a rising loaf of dough, is an even more understandable metaphor, especially with the modern slang for being pregnant, having "a bun in the oven." -The first six lines seem to be a celebration and playful description of pregnancy, but the poem definitely seems to take a turn at line seven. -She describes herself as "a means, a stage, a cow", none of which seem to fit the bill for flattering or joyful in relation to pregnancy. -All three seem to show indifference by Plath herself, as though it is a process she has very little control over or to do with. -A means, as in she is just a way for a baby to be born, but does not feel very maternal. -A stage, as though she is just a platform for a performance. -And a cow in calf, where many cows are separated from their offspring and have little to do with the raising. - The bag of green apples could possibly be another biblical allusion, when Eve ate the apple with Adam and brought suffering on all women during childbirth. -The train Plath has boarded is the train of motherhood, which she clearly does not feel prepared for.