Critical appreciation of the poem “Morning Songs’

Answer

Write a critical appreciation of the poem “Morning Songs”.

Sylvia Plath (1932-1963) is an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry. She is best known for her two collections of poetry, “The Colossus and Other Poems and Ariel.” “Morning Song” is the first poem of “Ariel” in which she is not so critical and obscure in case of situation analysis like her many other poems.

Concerned and Optimistic Motherhood: Concerned and optimistic motherhood is the poem “Morning Song” theme. It opens with a delightful image.

“Love set you going like a fat gold watch.”

While expressing love for her newborn baby, Sylvia’s optimistic concept in this poem astonishes her readers. In those days, she was happy. The first reason was Ted Hughes’ endless commitment of love to her.

Second, her first child, Frieda Rebecca Hughes, who was born,, increased her happiness boundlessly. The poem reveals the personal life story of the poet and her relationship with her infant. It also presents her thinking about the social problems which will have to be faced by her daughter.

Congestion in Motherhood: The poem starts with a beautiful mother-and-child relationship. The poet talks about the security of the child. She compares her to a golden watch, which is a symbol of her child’s worth.

She knows the importance of a child in a mother’s life. The poem’s opening lines illustrate the ultimate joy of a mother about the birth of a baby. Whether the baby is a boy or a girl, it does not matter since a child always brings happiness to the mother and completes a family.

Throughout the poem, the poet’s attitude and mood remain happy, but in the end, she becomes depressed while thinking about upcoming worries of life. Nevertheless, her child is her life, so she sings a song.

The Immaculate Pleasure of Motherhood: The second stanza is an enhanced version of protection. She again addresses her child and uses the word “you.” Of course, the child could not understand what she was saying, but her words were very important.

In this stanza, she is translating her happiness into words. When the child wept and came into the world, it gave her joy. This joy is delightful not only for her but also for other people around her.

“Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue.”

The word “our” suggests that the poet is not the only person happy about Frieda’s birth. Someone else is also there. Perhaps the poet refers to her husband, who shares this joyful moment with her.

Paradigm of Practical Motherhood: In the next stanza, she expresses her wish to take retirement from her duties. Perhaps, according to the poet, the time of her duties has ended. However, whatever the case, she wants to eliminate her motherly duties.

 “I’m no more your mother.”

This line is ironic, though she wants her child to face life’s difficulties with her powers. The poet shows her concern about her child’s weaknesses, too. “In a drafty museum, your nakedness” means the child is unsafe. Thus, Sylvia suggests the mothers of the world be practical, although a mother’s emotion is measureless for her child.

The Real Nature of this Materialistic World: Sylvia Plath’s Motherhood focuses on the real nature of this world, which is inevitable for all human beings. In the last part of the poem, it seems that the poet’s mind is filled with deep thoughts about her child’s future. She says that when she listens to her child, she sees a new world, a world that is full of wonders, a mysterious world, a world that is informative and terrifying.

Traditional Ambiguity: Tradition ambiguity is inherent in Sylvia Plath. The poem’s last lines are traditional since the poem closes with a dark attitude of the poet. The poet knows that the journey of life is much more difficult. She knows her child will suffer the same as her entire life. “dull stars” refers to the upcoming gloomy situation in a child’s life.

To conclude, “Morning Song” is an autobiographical poem that successfully reflects the experience of philosophic motherhood with bonafide joy and happiness.