In the poetry of Hughes and Plath, the theme of human relationships is approached in varied and diverse ways. Plath's work details relationships, such as the parent-child relationship, using powerful and complex imagery, while Hughes conveys the theme using relatively simpler, but more metaphorical, language. Both poets seem to offer a complex view of relationships, and although many may view their portrait as "dark and disturbing", there are certainly readings that might argue against this view. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay First of all, “Morning Song,” a poem depicting the surreal period parents experience after the birth of a new baby, certainly depicts the parent-child relationship in an ambivalent manner. The poem was written shortly after the birth of Plath's first child, Frieda, and therefore could be read biographically. However, in many of Plath's poems, characters are used to convey her opinions on different aspects of life. So although this is a confessional poem, the emotions are probably exaggerated. On a first reading, the relationship may seem disconnected and distant - but as in all of Plath's poetry, the enigmatic symbolic and metaphorical language conveys deeper implications of the relationship. The title of the poem, “Morning Song,” arguably does not seem to indicate any surprising negativity regarding the relationship; on the contrary, both words immediately seem to evoke joyful, even festive, connotations. The period of “morning” could perhaps metaphorically allude to the idea of ​​beginnings: the start of a whole life for the child and the start of a different life for the new parents. Many readers would automatically associate the idea of ​​a new beginning with the idea of ​​hope and the great possibility of happiness. Following this interpretation, the word “song” obviously contains the idea of ​​celebration and jubilation, and could be considered representative of a welcome for the child. Alternatively, it could be interpreted that the title alludes to the new baby's cry – if so, it doesn't seem to represent it in a particularly negative way. Comparing a cry to a song certainly seems to suggest fear or admiration on the part of the parent rather than anxiety or discomfort. However, a darker interpretation of the title could perhaps be formed if "morning" is read as simultaneously suggesting the homophonic word "mourning". In this case, it could be interpreted as implying a metaphorical death of the parents – their old lives fading away, as the birth of the child completely changes them. Although this idea could be seen as negatively representing the relationship, it is only a single, arguably tenuous interpretation - above all, the title offers the reader a light and hopeful first view of the poem - far to be disturbing. On their own, many examples seem to present a more negative and darker portrayal of the relationship. Above all, the speaker asserts: “I am no more your mother/Than the cloud which distills a mirror to reflect its own slow/Erasing”. This certainly seems to indicate the mother's reluctance to accept her new responsibility, her attempt to distance herself from the child, almost a rejection. By using such an abstract metaphor to describe their relationship, the feeling of alienation is further reinforced. The comparison that the speaker makes of herself to a "cloud" which "distills a mirror" could be read as the process byin which the mother takes care of her child, whom Plath considers to be a “mirror” of the mother. The child grows as the “mirror” is further “distilled” by the care and education of the parents. However, the way the mother sees her child, a mirror image of herself when she was younger, only “reflects” and underlines her “slow erasure”. In other words, as the child grows, she emphasizes to the mother her "fading" - how she becomes more insignificant, essentially fading away in her old age, like condensation fading as the mirror fades. becomes clearer. Interpreted in this way, one could consider that the mother is very apprehensive about starting this new life with her child, seeing it as something that will only bring her sorrow and disappointment, emphasizing her own mortality and insignificance. Interestingly, Plath's comparison of herself to a "cloud" is common in other poems, for example "Little Fugue" - it often highlights both a sense of darkness or confusion and the idea that she is a victim, especially because of the white, pure color of the cloud. The phrase “I am no longer your mother” alone undoubtedly shocks the reader and provides a disturbing vision of this relationship. With the involvement of the neglectful or uncaring mother, one could argue that this indeed provides a “troubling portrait.” At the time of writing, many critics took a feminist perspective on Plath's poetry – the character's reluctance to accept her role as a mother may have been seen as an indication of the undue pressure placed on women to They enter into domestic life and take care of the children. A woman's identity was arguably extremely limited in this era, given the obvious lack of equality in such a strongly patriarchal world - the poem could be seen as expressing Plath's reluctance to allow herself to be confined within the confines of 'such an identity, an identity almost defined solely by motherhood. Rebecca Warren further notes that Plath's poetry regarding motherhood is often read by feminists today as reflecting the conflict posed by individual creativity and domestic life—so perhaps the detached portrait of the character's relationship with her child indicates fear of losing creative freedom, and is more complex than a simple "dark and disturbing" rejection of the child. Additionally, the first line of the poem arguably dispels any negativity, perhaps even the first word “love.” The speaker, addressing her new child, indicates that "love made him work like a big gold watch," seemingly providing an optimistic and endearing beginning to the poem. Instantly, the idea of ​​“love” illuminates the poem with a kind of positivity and tenderness, implying both the love between the parents and the love they have for the child. Additionally, the simile of "like a big gold watch" is arguably endearing, perhaps alluding to the child's healthy physical appearance, while the colorful adjective "gold", evoking wealth and wealth, seems to convey to the child as something precious and prized. Combined with the upbeat monosyllabic rhythm of “big gold watch,” this opening line certainly seems to convey a sense of adoration and joy toward the new child. However, one could conversely argue that this actually evokes a negative portrait of the parent-child relationship. Although the poet states that "love" is what brought the child into the world, which may seem positive, it is arguably an impersonal word and one that distances the baby from the parent - it is rather linked to an abstract concept. Maybe this reinforces thefeeling of reluctance on the part of the mother to accept this child and accept his new life: instead of linking the child to herself and to her own responsibility, she links him only to this abstract ideal. Furthermore, the idea of ​​the child being compared to an inanimate object seems somewhat disturbing: as soon as a life begins, it is immediately assimilated to something that has no life. Such a comparison also occurs later in the poem, when the child is described as a "statue." It could be interpreted that this once again reflects the speaker's apprehension in accepting the child and recognizing the presence of this brand new life in his life. It could be argued that the fact that the speaker addresses the child as "you" expresses his acceptance of the child's existence and his acceptance of the child's presence in his life and somewhat alleviates the feeling of distance. Additionally, however, the fact that the child is compared to a "watch" arguably presents the reader with a disturbing and disturbing image: one could interpret that the speaker is implying a stopwatch, representing the already diminishing time remaining in life of the child. This is undoubtedly a "gloomy" and pessimistic view, perhaps indicating the speaker's own concerns about mortality: the child only reinforces his concerns and fears of death, instead to give him hope for a new life. of the child is created in many other instances throughout the poem, reinforcing the negative and joyless portrayal of the relationship. The emotionless, synesthetic description of the baby's "bald cry" does not evoke any feelings of fear in the parent about hearing their child for the first time, but rather suggests that it is something empty , emphasizing the lack of bond between parents and child. Furthermore, Plath describes the cry taking "its place among the elements", which seems to separate the child from the human world and associate it with something external and alien. The sense of discomfort and unease that the parents seem to feel is further reinforced by the lines: “your nudity / casts a shadow over our safety.” Here it seems that the presence of this fragile and vulnerable new child in his care seems to threaten his own safety: his previously structured life has now completely changed and to feel comfortable again he must adapt. The contrast between the words “nudity” and “safety” highlights the parents’ concern, because it highlights the change that has occurred in their lives; the previous order and security, now tainted by the vulnerability of their situation. Additionally, the word "shadows", emphasized by the enjambment, seems to express the impending anxiety and fear that the new child has caused the parents. However, it could also imply the ambiguity of the emotion that the child has provoked in the parents - the shadows and darkness are obscure and confusing, and in this way, the sudden presence of a fragile and innocent child under their guard, left them without clarity. emotion or situation. Although the feeling of alienation and detachment from the child may seem to paint a "dark" picture of the relationship, it is arguably a considerably realistic depiction: the birth of a new child is undoubtedly a big change, and the difficulty of adjusting to it is certainly not an “disturbing” idea. Likewise, parents' feeling of loss of confidence in the face of such an important new responsibility is certainly not a troubling or "dark" idea: it is simply a normal, and undoubtedly temporary, reaction. The parent-child relationship was also explored by Ted Hughes. in his poem “Full Moon and Little Frieda”. Likewise, it seems that the relationship has been described fromambivalent and complex way and, once again, the poem can be read biographically, since "Frieda" was his first daughter with Plath. Like Plath's poem, it is written in free verse and is filled with vivid and complex imagery. First, the speaker's first reference to Frieda, "And you listen" seems to immediately show his love and fear for his daughter. By composing the poem almost as if it were addressed entirely to Frieda, through the use of the pronoun "you", it is made considerably more personal and clearly shows her close relationship with her daughter. Comparatively, Plath addresses Frieda in the same way in "Morning Song", and in both poems, this use of "you" seems to capture the intimacy of the parent-child relationship, through this direct address. Additionally, this short three-word phrase is made even more distinct by Hughes' use of the stop, allowing Frieda's description to be strongly emphasized in its isolation. The speaker's awe and admiration are certainly conveyed through such great focus on this singular, simple action in the present moment. In this way, the relationship is certainly not presented as "dark" or "disturbing", but entirely loving and tender. Notably, the entire poem is composed in the present tense, perhaps in order to vivify the moment and feelings that Hughes is speaking of. The majority of "Morning Song" is also written in the present tense, and it could be argued that the purpose of this, in both poems, is to fully communicate the intensity of the actions and emotions experienced, retaining them in the immediacy of the present moment. However, later in the poem, Hughes begins to compare his daughter to various images, which presents a different element to their relationship. First, Hughes describes it as "a spider's web, stretched by contact with dew." This could be interpreted as expressing the child's wonder and anticipation of the full moon appearing, as she sits "listening", "tense" with excitement for its arrival. However, an alternative reading could be that the speaker is implying his daughter's impending maturity that time will bring. The "tension" to which the speaker's daughter is bound perhaps depicts the impending inevitability of her growth and maturation into adulthood, something the speaker seems to view with concern. He continues this theme by comparing it to “A bucket raised, still and full to overflowing.” The idea of ​​a “lifted bucket” perhaps evokes the beginning of her life – currently she is only “lifted” – her childhood has only just begun. Although a sense of stasis is created by the word "still", this is contrasted by the present participle of "overflowing", seemingly suggesting that the water is still moving on the surface, despite its apparent "stillness". This could be interpreted as an indication that the speaker knows that, despite the fact that his daughter's maturity is "overflowing" and inescapable, in the present moment her childhood and innocence are "still" and stagnant. Perhaps this is why Hughes composed the poem in the present tense, to solidify and preserve the sweet infant state of his daughter. The speaker's apparent concern about her child's impending maturation may be linked to Plath's "Morning Song," and the speaker's comparison of her new baby to a "watch." In Plath's poem, by associating her child with the image of a "watch", one could argue that Plath is also concerned with the inevitable passage of time, and therefore with the inevitable aging of her child. Both poets seem preoccupied with the idea of ​​the inevitable progress of time and the effect this will have on their children. Likewise, in bothpoems, the child is compared to inanimate objects. In Hughes' case, it could be argued that he compares Frieda to a solid object, a "bucket", in order to convey his desire for her to be unchanging and to be preserved forever as a child. However, in "Morning Song", it seems that Plath tends to make comparisons between Frieda and inanimate objects to express the speaker's reluctance to fully accept the child. Some might consider both poets' preoccupation with time and the inevitable maturation of their children to be arguably "dark" in itself, perhaps even morbid in the case of "Morning Song." children, instead of just cherishing them as they are. However, it does not seem possible to draw from this representation the idea that it is “disturbing”: it is undoubtedly a natural and common fear for a parent to see their child grow and change so quickly. In fact, Hughes' poem could even be considered touching, such is the love and tenderness shown towards his daughter, in his comparison of her to a "work of art". Additionally, in Plath's poem "Little Fugue", a significantly different perspective on human relationships is presented, particularly regarding the relationship between father and daughter, and between husband and wife. Throughout the poem, using enigmatic symbols and images, the speaker seems to be attempting to reconcile the idea of ​​her father in her mind and recall his image. This poem is widely read biographically, as Plath herself experienced the trauma of losing her father at the age of eight, and her complex relationship with his memory is reflected in many of her poems. Many may come to see Plath's depiction of relationships in this poem. as "dark" and gloomy, due to the speaker's focus on her desperate attempts to communicate with her deceased father and her frustration at not being able to do so. The theme of darkness runs through the entire poem, beginning with the statement "The cold clouds pass by." This could be interpreted as the mental fuzziness and fuzziness that obscures the speaker's memory of her father, as the "clouds pass over" the "yew tree" – which could be seen as representative of her father , because of its symbolism of both death and rebirth. (related to the idea of ​​the speaker trying to find her father). Such shadowing of his father's image is also implied in his description of the "lack of features" of his memory, emphasizing its vagueness, while the use of an exclamation point at the end of the same line highlights perhaps highlighting his desperation and turmoil. Her inability to reconcile her relationship with her deceased father, or a clear idea of ​​him in her mind, is further conveyed by the obvious confusion of the senses depicted throughout the poem. The speaker seems to compare her blurring of memory to the way "the dead and the mute / point out the blind and are ignored", and such a comparison clearly highlights the frustration felt by her inability to communicate with her father. Later in the poem, the speaker once again describes herself as “deaf,” making the memory of her father a “dark tunnel.” While "deafness" highlights the difficulties in communication, the image of the "dark tunnel" reinforces the idea that the idea of ​​his father in his mind is heavily obscured and indistinct. Additionally, through Plath's use of synesthesia in the statement "I see your voice", the idea of ​​confusion and darkness is reinforced - such mixing of the senses in this way clearly conveys the conflict of the speaker to communicate, but his ultimate inability. It could be argued that the portrait of the father-daughter relationship presented here is indeed “dark”: we can seethat the speaker is still struggling to come to terms with her father's death and her desperation to communicate or regain his memory, could be seen as both sad and disturbing. However, others might believe that even though there is a desperate despair in the poem, this does not make the relationship "dark", but purely tragic. Arguably, the relationship presented is too complex to be immediately judged “dark and disturbing.” Despite the speaker's wishes to recover the memory of her father, the image we are given of him is dark and disturbing: "A yew hedge of orders / Gothic and barbaric, purely German." As in many other poems, especially “Papa” Plath here seems to infer World War II and compare her father to a perpetrator of the holocaust. The image of the speaker's father as a "yew hedge" is once again linked to the symbolism seen at the beginning of the poem and presents him as a restrictive and controlling authority figure. Furthermore, by calling him “barbaric,” the speaker clearly expresses the cruelty and inhumanity she believes her father possesses. This perhaps reflects Plath's own resentment towards her father for being pro-Nazi at the time of the war, or her anger and frustration at this death, which could have been avoided had he not not misdiagnosed. The poem seems to present an extremely conflicting view of the relationship: on the one hand, the speaker describes her father as an oppressive and evil figure from whom "dead men cry", and on the other, the speaker expresses his utter despair and toil. to find a clear memory of his father, or somehow communicate with him. Therefore, it would seem simple to conclude that the relationship is “dark”: it is obviously multi-layered, complex and confusing. However, it may seem reasonable to consider this "disturbing" - it's certainly a disturbing idea that someone would be so obsessed with the memory of their deceased father, even if they condemned him as "gothic and barbaric" . “The clouds are a wedding dress, of this paleness,” can lead many to believe even more that this relationship is “troubling.” Just when the speaker seems to conclude her thoughts about her father, a different thread, presenting a different relationship, is woven. The last stanza itself seems to describe the speaker trying to reconcile and 'arrange' her thoughts on the subject, as she says to herself 'those are my fingers, that's my baby'. She appears to be acclimating to her current life, before referring to the "clouds" of her memory. Once this “arrangement” has been made, the speaker now seems to imply that her marriage has taken on the same obscurity as the relationship with her father. The same “clouds” that covered her relationship with her father now cover her relationship with her husband. Reading it biographically, it should be noted that at the time of writing, Plath's relationship with Hughes was beginning to break down, which might explain the confusion with which the speaker now seems to view this marriage. Alternatively, one could consider that the speaker has replaced the memory of her father, the "clouds", with that of her husband, through the metaphor of a "wedding dress". Her marriage caused Plath to imprint Hughes in her father's image, in order to reconcile his memory in her mind. In other words, we can see that the speaker views her husband, in some way, as a "replacement" for her father: in her attempts to recover and reach her father, she has instead resurrected him in her husband. This could be linked to the image of her father as a “yew”, the supposed tree of rebirth – for Plath, her father was born again in Hughes. Hughes himself would have always felt like he was in the presence of Plath's father, which no doubt contributed tothe final collapse of his marriage to Sylvia. Obviously, this relationship would be considered by many readers to be "disturbing" and unsettling. However, such writings arguably encapsulate the essence of the “confessional” genre, which many may admire as intense and courageous. Rebecca Warren notes that many of her poems detail "psychological pain", and such pain is certainly conveyed in "Little Fugue", arising from the trauma of losing her father and her desperation to find him again. Finally, many moments of "Hughes' Lovesong" can be compared to "Little Fugue", in the depiction of the husband-wife relationship. Widely read biographically as a portrait of the destructive, intense but passionate relationship between Plath and Hughes, its aggressively sexual tenor and energetically fast-paced structure certainly do not make the poem "dark." However, many may view the violent aspects of the poem as particularly "disturbing." Lines such as "his words occupied armies", "his laughter were assassination attempts" and "his looks were bullets, daggers of vengeance" clearly convey the relationship as one of antagonism and conflict. ruthless conflict. However, while this imagery of violence can be interpreted negatively and CJ Rawson's assertion that "everyone knows that Ted Hughes' subject is violence" can be seen as an affirmation of his unhealthy fixation on this subject, even in relationships it could be seen in a different light. . Perhaps Hughes only uses violence in this poem hyperbolically, in order to exaggerate the passion between the couple. For example, comparing the man's appearance to "bullet daggers" simply conveys the intensity and power of his gaze, not cruelty or anger. The images of violence certainly make the lines more powerful and impactful, especially when paired with the frequent enjambment, asyndeton, and rhythmic repetition of words such as "his" or "she," which give the poem a dynamic rhythm. Additionally, it can be argued that certain moments in the poem place the relationship in a more positive light, for example: "love is hard to stop." Hughes's simple language, so contrasted with Plath's complex and enigmatic writing, here conveys the true depth and power of their love. However, simultaneously, one could argue that there is the underlying implication that the couple wants this love to “stop”. " Additionally, the final three lines of the poem arguably place the presentation of their relationship in a more positive and uplifting light, as Hughes describes the couple essentially becoming one, through their love: "In the morning they carried each other's faces ". This idea of ​​union is reflected in the changing structure of the poem: the penultimate stanza is composed of two lines, perhaps representing the two lovers, and the final stanza consists of a single line, which could be seen as an imitation of the couple becoming one. For many, this may show the strength of their relationship. However, this positive view is reinforced by the fact that their union is described as being paradoxically hostile: "In their dreams, theirs. brains were taking each other hostage.” Despite this powerful love that Hughes conveys, it seems to be inextricably linked to the antagonism and hostility within the relationship. Such a portrait of a destructive and conflictual relationship could be seen as “. dark and disturbing” by many. However, if read as a truly hyperbolic account of the relationship, many might view this depiction as realistic, in its complexity. Certainly, critical readings of Hughes's poetry.