Morning Song : Summary
Morning Song is a notable literary work by Sylvia Plath. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Morning Song.
Summary
Summary
“Morning Song” is about a mother’s feelings after the birth of her child. Sylvia Plath describes the strangeness, confusion, and wonder of this new experience.
Stanza 1
The baby is born. The poet says love started the baby’s life just like a watch starts ticking. The midwife slaps the baby’s feet to make it cry. Then the cry becomes a part of the natural world, like wind, rain, or other sounds.
Stanza 2
The parents’ voices echo loudly because of the excitement of the baby’s arrival. The baby looks like a new statue. It means the baby is beautiful and naked. The baby’s naked body feels cold and fragile (নড়বড়ে), like an object in a museum. The parents stand around. They feel awkward because they do not know what to do.
Stanza 3
The speaker (mother) feels a little distant from her child. She says she doesn’t fully feel like the baby’s mother. She compares herself to a cloud that only produces a reflection in a mirror. The cloud then slowly moves away in the wind. The feeling of being a mother is totally new to the speaker. She cannot fully understand this feeling. She feels confused and distant from her baby.
Stanza 4
At night, the baby breathes softly. She calls it “moth-breath.” The breath is slow like the weak flicker of a moth. The baby’s breath mixes with the pink roses on the wallpaper. The mother lies awake, listening. To her, the sound of the baby’s breath is like the faraway sound of the sea in her ears. It is a calm and continuous sound.
Stanza 5
When the baby cries, the mother gets out of bed quickly. She feels clumsy and heavy as she is wearing her old-fashioned nightgown. She goes to the baby. The baby opens its mouth clean and fresh, like a cat.
Stanza 6
Morning comes. The window turns white with daylight, and the stars fade. The baby begins to make its “handful of notes.” It means the baby is crying and making sounds. These small cries are compared to balloons rising in the air. It shows the baby starting to use its voice. The mother imagines the baby is trying to talk to her.
The poem shows a new mother’s mixed emotions. She feels strange, distant, wonder, love, and amazement at her newborn child. The mother does not feel only happy and sweet. She also feels strange and confused as she tries to adjust to her baby.