Sylvia Plath's Poem 'Child'
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Questions and Answers

What does the enjambment linking the second and third stanza portray?

  • The child's imperfections
  • The mother's anxiety about the child's future
  • The child's flawless growth (correct)
  • The mother's overwhelming joy

    • What does Plath want to fill her son's eyes with?

  • Wonderful and classical things (correct)
  • Her own anxiety and fears
  • Her own depression and pain
  • The troubles of the world

    • What is the contrast between the child and Plath's pain?

  • Peaceful
  • Harrowing (correct)
  • Harmonious
  • Serene

    • What is the significance of the 'Ceiling without a star'?

    <p>A reflection of Plath's own depression and pain</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the poem ultimately suggest about Plath's life?

    <p>Not even the beauty of the world could save her from her depression</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a significant aspect of the title of the poem 'Child'?

    <p>It is a reflection of the poet's detachment from her son</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the effect of the juxtaposition of the flowers and the poet's attraction to death?

    <p>It creates a sense of irony and contrast</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Overview of the Poem "Child"

    • The poem "Child" is one of Sylvia Plath's most powerful works, written just before her suicide in 1963.
    • The poem is addressed to her son Nicholas, and it takes a dark and depressing turn towards the end.

    Themes and Ideas

    • The innocence of children
    • The beauty of her son
    • Love
    • Motherhood
    • Depression
    • Suicidal thoughts

    Style

    • Imagery from the natural world
    • Personal tone: directly speaking to Nicholas
    • Rhyme
    • Enjambment
    • Figurative language, including a powerful metaphor at the end

    Analysis of Key Quotes

    • "Your clear eye is the one absolutely beautiful thing. I want to fill it with color and ducks, / the zoo of the new."

      • Plath speaks directly to Nicholas, expressing her love and desire to fill his vision with joyful things.
      • The use of words like "color" and "ducks" creates a sense of childhood and innocence.
      • The internal rhyme in "zoo of the new" adds to the euphony of the poem.

    • "Whose names you meditate – / April snowdrop, Indian pipe, / Little / Stalk without wrinkle, / Pool in which images / Should be grand and classical"

      • Nicholas is imagined reciting the names of plants and flowers he learns, which sound appealing due to their 'p' sounds.
      • The seemingly innocent flowers are juxtaposed with Plath's attraction to death.
      • The enjambment linking the second and third stanzas portrays Nicholas as a flawless and growing stalk.
      • Plath thinks that her son's eyes should be like a pool, reflecting only grand and classical things.

    • "Not this troublous / Wringing of hands, this dark / Ceiling without a star."

      • Plath is suddenly brought back to her own reality, filled with depression and pain.
      • The juxtaposition of the joy of the child and Plath's own pain and anguish is harrowing for the reader.
      • The poem ultimately reveals that even the "one absolutely beautiful" sight in the world could not have saved Plath from her depression.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the themes, ideas, and style of Sylvia Plath's poem 'Child', written just before her suicide in 1963. Explore the poet's use of imagery and themes of love, motherhood, and depression.

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