Questions and Answers
What does the 'box of bees' symbolize in the poem, and how does Plath view herself in relation to it?
The box of bees represents Plath's thoughts and feelings that she cannot escape or control, and she views herself as the coloniser, a potentially cruel captor and slave-owner.
What does the final line 'Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free' suggest about Plath's perspective on her thoughts and feelings?
The final line suggests that Plath is determined to break free from her thoughts and feelings, and to find a sense of liberation and peace.
What effect does the use of enjambment in the poem create, and how does it relate to Plath's emotions?
The use of enjambment creates a sense of rush and intensity, mirroring Plath's growing anxiety and fascination with the bees.
Study Notes
Themes and Ideas
- Mental Health: The poem explores the poet's struggle with mental health and intrusive thoughts
- Depression: The poem is written during a time when the poet was struggling with depression
- Control: The concept of control is explored through the hobby of beekeeping
- Intrusive Thoughts: The bees are symbolic of the poet's intrusive thoughts and feelings
Style
- Repetition: The poem uses repetition, including anaphora (repetition of the same word at the start of consecutive sentences)
- Figurative Language: The poem uses figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and imagery taken from the natural world
- Enjambment: The poem uses enjambment to create a sense of rush and intensity
Key Quotes and Analysis
- "I ordered this, this clean wood box / Square as a chair and almost too heavy to lift": The poet describes the box of bees, using an original simile to create a visual image
- "I would say it was the coffin of a midget / Or a square baby": The poet likens the box to a coffin, creating a twisted and odd visual image
- "Were there not such a din in it": The last line of the first stanza is highly cacophonous, creating a jarring sound that allows the reader to imagine the din of the bees
- "The box is locked, it is dangerous": The box is likened to a weapon that could harm the poet
- "I put my eye to the grid / It is dark, dark": The poet creates an ominous atmosphere, as if she is alone, grappling in the dark
- "With the swarmy feeling of African hands / Minute and shrunk for export": The poet uses synecdoche to create an image of slavery and oppression
- "Black on black, angrily clambering": The bees are likened to slaves, getting angrier and angrier, trying to revolt
- "How can I let them out?": The poet is appalled by the noise of the bees, which is likened to unintelligible syllables
- "It is like a Roman mob": The bees are likened to a Roman mob, small but mighty
- "I am not a Caesar": The poet reveals she does not truly want to capture or control others
- "I have simply ordered a box of maniacs": The poet juxtaposes the ordinary act of ordering a box with the extraordinary act of ordering "a box of maniacs"
- "I will set them free": The poet decides to free the bees, showing a kinder, more merciful side
- "The box is only temporary": The final line suggests that the box, and by extension, the poet's life, is temporary
Themes and Ideas
- Mental Health: The poem explores the poet's struggle with mental health and intrusive thoughts
- Depression: The poem is written during a time when the poet was struggling with depression
- Control: The concept of control is explored through the hobby of beekeeping
- Intrusive Thoughts: The bees are symbolic of the poet's intrusive thoughts and feelings
Style
- Repetition: The poem uses repetition, including anaphora (repetition of the same word at the start of consecutive sentences)
- Figurative Language: The poem uses figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and imagery taken from the natural world
- Enjambment: The poem uses enjambment to create a sense of rush and intensity
Key Quotes and Analysis
- "I ordered this, this clean wood box / Square as a chair and almost too heavy to lift": The poet describes the box of bees, using an original simile to create a visual image
- "I would say it was the coffin of a midget / Or a square baby": The poet likens the box to a coffin, creating a twisted and odd visual image
- "Were there not such a din in it": The last line of the first stanza is highly cacophonous, creating a jarring sound that allows the reader to imagine the din of the bees
- "The box is locked, it is dangerous": The box is likened to a weapon that could harm the poet
- "I put my eye to the grid / It is dark, dark": The poet creates an ominous atmosphere, as if she is alone, grappling in the dark
- "With the swarmy feeling of African hands / Minute and shrunk for export": The poet uses synecdoche to create an image of slavery and oppression
- "Black on black, angrily clambering": The bees are likened to slaves, getting angrier and angrier, trying to revolt
- "How can I let them out?": The poet is appalled by the noise of the bees, which is likened to unintelligible syllables
- "It is like a Roman mob": The bees are likened to a Roman mob, small but mighty
- "I am not a Caesar": The poet reveals she does not truly want to capture or control others
- "I have simply ordered a box of maniacs": The poet juxtaposes the ordinary act of ordering a box with the extraordinary act of ordering "a box of maniacs"
- "I will set them free": The poet decides to free the bees, showing a kinder, more merciful side
- "The box is only temporary": The final line suggests that the box, and by extension, the poet's life, is temporary
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Description
Explore the themes and literary devices in Sylvia Plath's poem 'The Arrival of the Bee Box', including mental health, depression, and control.
