Sylvia Plath's Poem Elm Analysis

Elm Poem Analysis

• The poem "Elm" was written by Sylvia Plath and is dedicated to her fellow American poet Ruth Fainlight, who was the same age as Plath.
• The poem explores the themes of depression, mental health, anxiety, and the importance of communication through an imagined conversation between a girl and an elm tree.

Imagery and Style

• The poem employs personification of the elm tree, which speaks to the girl throughout the poem.
• The style includes an imagined, psychic landscape, sound effects (particularly sibilance), repetition, and provocative imagery (visual, kinesthetic, and auditory).
• Imagery from the natural world (elm, moon, sea, wind) is used to convey emotions and ideas.

Key Quotes and Analysis

• "I know the bottom, she says. I know it with my great tap root: It is what you fear. I do not fear it: I have been there."
  • The elm tree's voice, suggesting it understands suffering and "the bottom" right to its core.
• "Is it the sea you hear in me, Its dissatisfactions? Or the voice of nothing, that was your madness?"
  • Aural imagery with assonance and sibilance creates an uncomfortable atmosphere, hinting at deep-rooted fears.
• "Love is a shadow. How you lie and cry after it. Listen: these are its hooves: it has gone off, like a horse."
  • A simile comparing lost love to a horse that has abandoned the girl, symbolizing the destructive power of love.
• "All night I shall gallop thus, impetuously, Till your head is a stone, your pillow a little turf, Echoing, echoing."
  • The elm tree's voice continues to torment the girl, describing how innermost thoughts and fears can consume and destroy.

Mental Health and Nature

• The poem uses nature imagery to explore depression and mental health, highlighting the contrast between the soothing, natural world and the darkness of the human mind.
• The elm tree, connected to the underworld, symbolizes both constructive and destructive power, mirroring the fragility of the human mind.

Personification and Symbolism

• The moon is personified as "merciless" and "barren," suggesting an emptiness that can hurt.
• The wind is likened to depression, which cannot be seen but can be felt through its effects.
• The repetition of "I let her go" emphasizes the struggle between the tree and the moon, mirroring internal conflict.

Inner Turmoil and Cry

• "I am inhabited by a cry. Nightly it flaps out Looking, with its hooks, for something to love."
  • The tree's cry symbolizes an aspect of depression, and the hooks evoke a sense of desperation.
• "I am terrified by this dark thing That sleeps in me; All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity."
  • The tactile image portrays mental suffering, where even "soft" and "feathery" feelings can be malignant.

Conclusion

• The poem's final stanzas merge the voices, blurring the distinction between the girl and the tree.
• The repetition of "that kill, that kill, that kill" reminds us of the tree's warning, emphasizing the destructive power of depression on the psyche.

Explore the themes and literary devices in Sylvia Plath's poem Elm, including depression, mental health, and communication. Learn about the personification and style of the poem.