Analyse "Blackberrying" by Sylvia Plath.
The poem commences with a somewhat content and peaceful attitude as the poet ambles through the winding "hooks" of rows upon rows of blackberries. She describes the rows of berries as "blue-red" with "ebon," suggesting ripeness and perfection.
The blackberries are accommodating and "squander" on her fingers like "sisterhood", which gives the feeling of bonding, bringing together and fitting in. This proves to be quite ironic as the tone of the poem is one of solitude and loneliness.
The first stanza conveys to the reader a message of ambition and hope, as she talks about the sea, "somewhere at the end of it". This stanza could have a double meaning, either in describing the berries, as they appear to cluster together or could symbolise a finishing stage or a checkpoint in her life following her long journey. With knowledge of her suicide, which followed later after she wrote the poem, I believe that the poem could provide a harsh metaphor for her life. The three stanzas contribute to her journey of solitude and loneliness, but, when she arrives at the sea, after a seemingly endless walk, there is "nothing but a great space." Her journey, which appears aimless could also symbolise her attitude to life because she must have had nothing to live for, with no objectives in life, as we see her hopes of desire raised, then thwarted, as her viewing of the sea disillusions her.
The poem's somewhat harsh tone is not the only used by Plath. Firstly, natural beauty and serenity is the theme whilst a strongly contrasting third stanza strikes a definite bitterness and pathos.
The poet uses figurative language as the medium to convey her thoughts to the reader. There are a few similes used, for example "dumb as eyes", "din like silversmiths", which demonstrates just how loud the noise is, and, "Big as the ball of my thumb". These allow us to picture what the poet is describing.
