Morning Song : Themes
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.
Themes
Themes
Motherhood and Mixed Emotions: In “Morning Song,” Sylvia Plath explores the theme of motherhood. The poem shows that becoming a mother is not only about joy and love, but also about confusion, distance, and amazement. The speaker feels both close to and distant from her newborn baby. She feels shock at her new role and disconnection from her baby. She compares herself to a cloud that disappears. She slowly begins to feel wonder and connection with her child. She admires the baby’s small breaths and cries. She has maternal instincts, and she takes care of her baby. The poem presents motherhood as strange, real, and honest, not just sweet. Motherhood is a totally new experience for a mother.
Form, Meter, Rhyme Scheme
The poem has six stanzas of three lines each. The three-line stanzas are called tercets. This neat form contrasts with the mother’s confused feelings. It gives us a feeling that the mother is trying to bring order to her new experience with short and neat stanzas.
The poem is written in free verse, so there is no fixed rhythm scheme or meter. Some lines are long and slow, while others are short and quick. This matches the mother’s changing emotions.
We find only a small internal rhyme in line 4: “New statue.” However, the poem uses sound effects like assonance and consonance to create music [more about this in Figures of Speech].