Sylvia Plath poem critical appreciation "Poppies in october"

The Critical Appreciation of

   “Poppies in October”

“Poppies in October” is not simple. It is a combination of conflicting feelings of joy and pain.

This poem of Plath's is of the time when she used to write more about violence, but this poem is on enhancing and breathtaking beauty of poppy flowers. The bright light of the flower is threatened by the darting rays of the Sun.

The title “poppies in October” immediately raises the question as if the poetess is only talking about flowers or she used poppies flowers in a metaphorical meaning.

Poppies are the symbol of remembrance day, the day which is celebrated in the remembrance or memory of the soldiers who died in the World War 1.

This poem is the portrayal of Plath’s feelings towards nature. She shows the beautiful contrast of nature in this poem.

The poetess comes up with the beauty of poppies. She comes to a field of blossomed poppies. She is overwhelmed with the beauty, with the redness of flowers. She says that the sky and the clouds which makes morning beautiful have no match with this beauty. She portrays the beauty of poppies in the following words;

                                                                 

“Even the sun-clouds of

Morning cannot manage

Such a skirt”.

The phrase such skirts is referred to the skirts of puppies, an intriguing metaphor since poppies normally facing upwards into the sky rather than hanging down word toward the ground as skirts hang.

This also emphasizing an idea that skirts are down as her problems, she is keeping down but as a memory and the poppies facing upwards toward the sun is her happiness. But the center of the poppies is black which shows her sadness.

At the very start of the poem, there are images of clouds, redness and the beauty of flowers. The beauty of redness and the morning clouds and the beauty of women are equally charming but both are transient.

The theme of life and death is found everywhere in the Plath's poetry as in this poem the theme of death is found in the redness of flowers. But these red color flowers also Kindle the feeling of joy. Just like the Wordsworth had felt when he saw the Daffodils.

When she saw the redness of flowers her mood brighten up and she considers poppies as a gift.

“A gift , a lover gift     

Utterly unasked for”

She used the two images of flowers, the beauty of flowers and separating joy and attractive but in an ironical way. The puppies facing upward and they are under the grim horror of unkind sun rays. The unkind sun is on the verge to demolish their beauty. In Start, she Appreciates nature and now she is afraid of nature. She expresses her fear in these words;

“By a sky

 palely  and flamely

igniting carbon monoxide”

The terrifying sky is on the verge to destroy the beauty of flowers. Here the poppies symbolize the poetess herself and the sun rays emitting carbon mono oxide symbolizes the male dominating society.

Sylvia Plath is a confessional poet, she uses her own experiences and personal material in her poetry.

“Oh my God what I am”

The “ I “in her poems shows the experiences she has gone through. The poetess had considering herself unimportant because of the troubled family circumstances, she wonders at her survival and she amazed at being welcomed by such an extraordinary gloomy of poppy flowers.

She Used a vibrant imagery to express the beauty of flowers. In the last, the poetess uses the theme of death and immortality of the beauty of flowers.

“In a forest of Frost

In a dawn of cornflowers”

The forest symbolizes the death, the poppy brings sleep and death and cornflower bring healing and smoothness. The last stanza strengthens the gender roles. The men are cold, like frost, dispassionate, like the blue cornflowers. The cornflowers are also called the bachelor's button. And the love-hungry puppies shows the woman crying for love. Women want affection. Women are at her best when she is under the watchful eye of other.

There are different themes In this poem;

The theme of life and death is found everywhere in Plath's poetry, The redness of flowers shows the theme of death poppies are the symbol of remembrance day, the day which is celebrated in the memory of soldiers who died in the World War 1.

The theme of beauty is also presented in this poem when She symbolize the poppies with the beauty.

“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it”.

There is also a theme of nature, she uses the images of cloud, sun, sky ,red colour poppies flowers , and the forest.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better”.

 The theme of gender which is presented by the cornflowers. The men’s are cold like Frost dispassionate like the blue cornflowers.

The theme of pessimism is also found in this poem when she talks about the carbon mono oxide which is emitted from the Sun, is related to the toxin and difficulties of her personal life and with the society

“Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power”. 

There is also a theme of love which is seen in the red color, the red color is most frequent in this poem. The poppies are red, her hair is red. love is associated with red and so is a heart. Reds of lighter tone are usually connected with lust, anger rage and that Deep red with love, passion  and heart.

“Love is the beauty of the soul”

Conclusion;

Sylvia Plath abilities as a writer enable her to amalgamate so many elements;

Intellectual aspect of learning

Personal emotional experiences

And

General human experiences

All these she involved in her poetry. her poetry is an embodiment of gloomy and sad emotions.

When she speaks of God and crying in nature, we can say it is her creation that she is crying out for her creation, bountiful, pleasant and beautiful, she is asking almost for permission to speak and be in the company of beauty last line eco keat's idea of beauty:-

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.

People criticize Sylvia for her pessimistic poetry and due to her attitude towards life, But in my view, she deserves sympathy rather than criticism. In this patriarchal society through her pessimistic poetry she speaks for women rights, she cries for love. She loved her husband so much but he left her for someone else. She alone has to face the difficulties of this life she was alone to bring her children.                                                                    

 When man's love gets rid of it, he dies from the inside,  same in the case of Sylvia Plath she was alive but died from the inside. That's why she used to see only death in everything. The end of her husband's love had broken her heart, she considered herself unimportant. Those who criticize her should also see the difficulties in her life after feeling her troubles, I am sure people will not criticize her for her Pessimistic poetry.

Yes, I know that men should not dare, but sometimes the difficulties of human life and human behavior forced to commit suicide. People, who make others cause suicide do they have the right to live?

That's why she saw the scene of death in the red color of flower although the flowers are the symbol of love, her love had killed her, so how would she see love in the flowers?

She sees only the one way to get rid of her life problems and that is the death the suicide.

But in the end, I want to say that every difficulty in life definitely has a solution if men do not dare they will definitely get some solution to their problems.

“Nobody can beat a man until he loses himself”.
“Where there is a will, there is a solution”.