Blackberry By Sylvia Plath
In the poem “Blackberrying” by Sylvia Plath, the image of blackberries keeps reoccurring throughout the poem. While I do not know the speaker’s background of her works, I get a feeling of the poem is about struggling and hardship in life. After I googled Sylvia past life experience, it was confirmed to me that a lot of her works revolves around using imageries to represent hope and death. In stanza 1, she beginnings with “nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries.” She is describing the hopes and dreams that she struggles to keep in life. According to my research, in ancient England, blackberries were used as treatment for “burns and scolds” for blacksmiths. In stanza 2, he described the “overhead go the choughs in black,
cacophonous flocks” as loud noises. These words jump at me as while the birds are flying they produce a harsh sound. The following line she says, “Theirs is the only voice, protesting, protesting” refer to unhappiness. She says, “slapping its phantom laundry in my face” and the “beating and beating at an intractable metal” both lines contribute to injuries and destruction. She is uneased and voiced her agony by bickering with someone. It continues throughout the poem with a tone of sadness and oppressed depression.
cacophonous flocks” as loud noises. These words jump at me as while the birds are flying they produce a harsh sound. The following line she says, “Theirs is the only voice, protesting, protesting” refer to unhappiness. She says, “slapping its phantom laundry in my face” and the “beating and beating at an intractable metal” both lines contribute to injuries and destruction. She is uneased and voiced her agony by bickering with someone. It continues throughout the poem with a tone of sadness and oppressed depression.