Mushrooms Analysis

The Collected Poems1959Overnight, very

Whitely, discreetly,

Very quietlyOur toes, our noses

Take hold on the loam,

Acquire the air.Nobody sees us,

Stops us, betrays us;

The small grains make room.Soft fists insist on

Heaving the needles,

The leafy bedding,Even the paving.

Our hammers, our rams,

Earless and eyeless,Perfectly voiceless,

Widen the crannies,

Shoulder through holes. WeDiet on water,

On crumbs of shadow,

Bland-mannered, askingLittle or nothing.

So many of us!

So many of us!We are shelves, we are

Tables, we are meek,

We are edible,Nudgers and shovers

In spite of ourselves.

Our kind multiplies:We shall by morning

Inherit the earth.

Our foot's in the door.

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Mushrooms....
If only Sylvia Plath was still alive and we could all just ASK her what her poem is about... Maybe it is about the bible.... Or even female rights... Or... nuclear bombs?? :/ But.... I personally beleive not every thing has to be so complicated!
Perhaps what Sylvia Plath was trying to say is that simple messsage; "Don't judge a book by its cover." She is just expressing that maybe mushrooms can be funny too and are not a boring as origionally thought.
All i'm saying is maybe.... MAYBE....
she's just trying to be funny!
Maybe?

| Posted on 2010-01-30 | by a guest

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There is also a reference to the Bible in Beatitudes where the meek will inherit the earth. It says, 'Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth'. so in a way, there is irony as it comes across as a blessing on one level, but the fact they are inheriting the earth presents a threat on another level.
The fact the poem contains enjambment could show that the 'mushroomms' cannot be contained, though they may go unnoticed, there is nothing to stop them, again posing a potential threat.
As they are 'Earless and eyeless,/Perfectly voiceless' this one one hand may seem to mean they are of little significance, but the mere fact they can survive entirely independently poses another threat.
The build up of adverbs in the first stanza suggests a threat, where the 'mushrooms' are slowly building up and plaaning towards this subtle invasion to 'inherit the earth'.
Mushrooms could be a metaphor for the people in general, but it could also be to do with the liberation of women as the poem was written just after WW2.
Well, hope it helps. Any comments to make?
email me back on x Lee xx

| Posted on 2010-01-12 | by a guest

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it might just be me but from my first views on the poem, it is about the enevatble death of us and civilisation, possibly from nucleaur war, but if its just aout mushrooms we must rember that mushrooms are decomposers and so a symbol of death. this death is enevitable and this analysis sounds right with the tone it is written in.
this anaylis is made without any knowledge about Plaths backround.

| Posted on 2010-01-11 | by a guest

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Due to the many analyses that have been put on the site I just wanted to say that Sylvia Plath was not teh type of person who would write about nuclaer bombs. You would know that if you have read atleast 5 of her poems. She was too self-absorbed in her own depression and what was going on in her own life, which is why I think that if you were to give a methaphorical explanation of the poem you would have to say that it is about
1. personally: her own life and struggles/ obstacle she has come across (the mushrooms' pavement, etc.) thought she will keep 'fighting' (the mushrooms' hammers, nudgers and shovers..)
2. socially/generally: due to the time she had written it in, one could say it was about the uprising of feminism and womens' rights. She has introduced the theme of feminism into her poetry in other poems as well, so it is quite plausible.
When looking at the poem without reading between the lines, one could talk about the struggles and 'life' of a mushroom. Seeing as it is written in first person, it IS the mushrooms speaking, so technically speaking (because we dont know what Plath was actually thinking behind it) it is about the mushrooms. Their obstacles, struggles: ie. pavements, widening crannies, shouldering through holes, etc.
For people who have college or school exams, I would stick to one of the last two theories/options. Analyses cant only be about her biography and life situation, even though a lot of her poems ARE about that. I would talk about all three a bit, because it also isnt definitely sure that Sylvia Plath was a feminist (despite her what-seems-to-be-feminist poetry)
Hope it helps.. XX

| Posted on 2009-11-24 | by a guest

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listen,
if it's called "MUSHROOMS"
I think it's about mushrooms.
hugsxkisses

| Posted on 2009-11-24 | by a guest

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the poem can be read in many levels the obvious - a plant that mushrooms out of control overnight.
the other - plath's own stuggles.
it could be a poem of liberation and hope. the liberation comes from the feminism plath subscribed to. the peom is not just about women finding freedom but for anyone who is victimised by the state, social agencies, psychiatry (yes that institution of oppression ).
the poem is written in first person by a mushroom which takes on the metaphor of the oppressed. the liberation isnt a fast process but a subtle one the mushrooms are invisible to everyone and their voices go unnoticed. the poem used imagery to convey the plight of mushrooms .she ends on a threatening (to those in power) note of taking over the world. the mushrooms are all of us and not just some oppressed group out there we are the meek ones who threaten the authority of those who rule us.

| Posted on 2009-10-29 | by a guest

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themes in this poems include:
- women's liberation/rights in the x literally; mushrooms. seriously.
- The simpsons series, taking over the world through television, though it's kinda ironic, saying "nobody sees us"
- this poem also makes strong references to harry potter and star wars, showing that Plath is an oracle, in that she is able to fortell the success of these future classics.

| Posted on 2009-10-24 | by a guest

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Oh my word. thank you all for improving my knowledge on this poem. My english teacher taught us this poem and told us that it's about mushrooms taking over the world.
Thank you guys.

| Posted on 2009-10-07 | by a guest

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I think the poem is wonderful in its imagery. While analysing it, one doesn't need to focus SOLELY on Plath's biography or the relation of its title to her experiences. Doing that would make any analysis tedious, complex and purely phsychoanalytical. For one, at school and during end-of college exams, one cannot base the whole analysis on biography; moreover, many people might recieve this as their unseen literature piece. Why not look at her technique of personnification, for instance? It does refer to nature (literally), even though it might refer to bombs/spurt of feminism (figuratively).

| Posted on 2009-09-30 | by a guest

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ALL YOU DUMBASS PEOPLE WHO THINK MUSHROOMS IS ABOUT BOMBS AND DRUGS, STOP BEING SO STUPID.
Mushrooms is basically about the plight of womens liberation in the 1960's, a contemporary issue at her time.
PAMELA DC IS AWESOME

| Posted on 2009-08-16 | by a guest

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The use of first person in this poem allows mushrooms a voice. This in return gives them powers that humans possess: authority and assertion. They show that they can grow and make changes. This links into the metaphor, where mushrooms are the voice of women in 1960's, asserting them in a very dominant male voice.

| Posted on 2009-08-13 | by a guest

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I think the title is a metaphor for the role of women during the time of the poet.

| Posted on 2009-06-19 | by a guest

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I think it's about humanity and the way we change the world.

| Posted on 2009-06-16 | by a guest

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i too, think it is about drugs. since it was written at the time hallucinogens were beginning to be quite popular. then again, i also think it's about feminism.

| Posted on 2009-06-15 | by a guest

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I think that this is about what will happen when all the humans in the world are dead. All that will be left is mushrooms and fungi. They grow everywhere. They are incredibly aggresive
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,Even the paving.Widen the crannies,Shoulder through holes.
These lines clearly show that this is what the mushrooms will do if humans arent around to intervene.

| Posted on 2009-05-31 | by a guest

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____Analysis____
The date set in this poem was just after world war 2. Evidently it is true that a whole generation of men was wiped out during this war. The poem was also written in a time when women did not have a much of a right to speak their thoughts becauses men were seen as the dominant species.
This mean't that women were pushed a side and people never really looked towards them for help.
Read the poem and try and relate to what i am saying. So basically what happened was, women were around, nobody cared, nobody noticed, they just used to quietly get on with what they were supposed to do, they didnt have a say and if they were needed they had to do what they were needed for.
All the men went to war and everyday as men were dying, in a sense it seemed as women were multiplying. And soon the war came to an end and in the morning women inherit the earth because of that generation of men that was lost.
hope it helps..

| Posted on 2009-05-26 | by a guest

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if you want to know what the REAL meaning to this poem is, go here. it explains x

| Posted on 2009-05-21 | by a guest

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ok, everyone SHUTUP because you're all STUPID. Sylvia Plath doesnt care about atom bombs. you dont write a poem about atom bombs. you just don't.I happen to be doing an ANALYSIS on this poem for school, and SPAM SPAM SPAM sorry that happens sometimes but the only really smart person here is the chick who said its about drugs.shrooms man they make you hallucenate like crazyyyy....maybe she was looking at a mushroom while she was hopelessly confused and under the influence. YOUR ALL STUPID.SPAM SPAM.SPAM.

| Posted on 2009-05-20 | by a guest

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woohoo i gotta analyze this poem for mrs. sullivan....thanks guys.

| Posted on 2009-05-20 | by a guest

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I agree with the 1st person. This is about women rights
and how they are treated

| Posted on 2009-05-20 | by a guest

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i think this poem is talking about women rite!! it say,"we are shelves, we are tables" she is saying woman are treated like that . men need us but they teart us horribly! its like woman arent even real!
also sometimes they are so quite men cant even notic!
but woman have to speak up for themselves
and that is what sylvia plath is saying !c i totally agree!!
peace ! :)

| Posted on 2009-05-06 | by a guest

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A possibility of this poem’s meaning is that the mushrooms represent negative thoughts. If you have one negative thought it doesn’t do much but when on mass they have a great impact. I also agree that it could be about the feminism uprising.

| Posted on 2009-05-03 | by a guest

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Theres five syllebles each line. not in this online printing put in the book print

| Posted on 2009-04-23 | by a guest

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This poem IS about the role of women and how they are seen about th world (nothing to do with bombs or nature or any other retarded stuff) the first two stanzas are about how women are quiet and will work ia a quiet way and stay out of the way. 'we are shelves, we are tables' means that women are used to support people and other things without consideratin from others it also means that sometimes they are there just for 'decoration' an there is no love or feeling for them at all.

| Posted on 2009-04-21 | by a guest

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You guys are all idiots. The poem is about the feminist uprising. 'Widen the crannies, Shoulder through holes'. The symbol mushroom is talking about the determination of the female.

| Posted on 2009-03-15 | by a guest

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hmm...i think that you cannot say what a poem is about unless the author tells you their self. i think it is a personal oppinion and whatever your theory speacks loudly for you than that is what it means. Poems are written so they are different for every person and everyone sees differently. This poem is a good example becasue it could mean so much and maybe it doesn't mean anything at all, maybe she was bored and liked mushrooms but i believe she had a message in mind. My oppinion on this poem is that she is speeking about womens rights and females becoming more in society than house keepers and trophies for the men. This has such a strong message for me and i think it is a great poem to study at school due to all the poetic devices used in its stanzas. I also have a theory why she chose mushrooms, i think (as many have before me i am just agrreeing with them) becasue this poem was written only a couple of years after she tried to kill herself in a celler infested with fungi and mushrooms that that gave her the idea for this poem. so now you have my oppinion but it is just one of many.

| Posted on 2009-03-13 | by a guest

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This poem is about the meaning of muhrooms in relation to the mushroom cloud that a Nuclear bomb presents. Sylvia plath wanted the disarment of all nuclear weapons along with many others during the 9150-1960 period. As many people know the symbol for this is much like the mercedes car logo. In the poem she refers to the power of the bomb and how it grows, she also describs such things as "toes and noses" which give the shape of a mushroom top. She also does this with the "soft fist". As the poem goes on she continues to refer to the power of the bomb and how it has its foot within the door so we cannot shut it out.

| Posted on 2009-01-26 | by a guest

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i agree with my fellow commenters that there are several things said that show strong ambiguity, however i feel we must take a step back and see a truer, larger picture. the feelings released while reading this are that of a longing for freedom. to be permitted to lay amongst these shroooms maybe eat a few?

| Posted on 2009-01-12 | by a guest

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this is totally a weird poem why is talking about mushrooms????

| Posted on 2008-12-16 | by a guest

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I really think it's just about mushrooms.
She was just enjoying thinking about their subjectivity. How does it feel to be a mushroom, what's it like down there where they live? Whoooo maybe they'll take over the universe! It's just fun, lovely imagery. And it's enough. It doesn't have to be political.

| Posted on 2008-11-25 | by a guest

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I believe this is a representation of communism as it show the mass of mushrooms as a unit and they seem to be growing equally. Sylvia would have written this at the time of the Cold War so it makes sense as something that would interest her.

| Posted on 2008-10-09 | by a guest

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SPAM m CRAZY TASTY! is what i believe sylvia plath is on about hmmm a yes well anyway buy SPAM today AND you'll be hooked for life, this is not a advertisment, PLEASE DON"T BLOCK THIS MESSAGE IT COULD AND MAY WELL JUST SAVE US FROM OUR SALVATION> (SEE DOCTOR WHO FOR MEANING AH yeah) ah teehee.,

| Posted on 2008-06-16 | by a guest

.: analysis :.

No one has yet to mention the beautifuly implicit refrences to sex in the poem. The poem that focuses on the male female dynamic also shows quite a dark sexual refrence. The male refences of "hammers" and "rams" and the female ones of "crannies" and "holes". It also contains some biblical reference "the meek shall inherit the world" Matthew chapter 5, "I will come like a thief in the night" revelations Chp. 3. This poem has so many polysemes but I beleive the overiding theme is that of contol. By comparing with the work of her husband ted huges and his poem Hawk roosting which shows a violent idea of control. Plath uses a more subtle approach to control.

| Posted on 2008-05-19 | by a guest

.: MUSHROOMS :.

HAVE U THOUGHT ABT DA FACT THAT WHAT SYVIA IS SPEAKING ABOUT IS ABOUR WORKERS TAKING OVER THE LAND SA THEY R DEPRESSD BECOZ NO 1 NOTICES THEM AND SLOWLY THEY MIGHT B STARTING A STRIKE TO FIGHT AGAINGS THE OPRESSORZ

| Posted on 2008-05-06 | by a guest

.: Mushrooms :.

AAHH! this poem has so many levels. it could be bombs if you take it as the representation of her past, and the cold war that Plath lived through. however Plath is argued to be a feminist. which is true in the sense as she was deserted by her father. "Daddy" - is this the symbol of Otto Plath? and there is evidence of a dominant patriachal presence in her household as a young girl. Plath was also known as someone who suffered from depression. are the mushrooms a symbol of people suffering? or is the mushrooms an extended metaphor of the depression itself? we need many interpretations to understand this poem fully. oh but what do i know? from Len :)

| Posted on 2008-05-01 | by a guest

.: Nature's overpower :.

I think that the theme of this poem is how nature started small then when it grows they conquer earth without aid of men.

| Posted on 2008-03-05 | by a guest

.: mushrooms :.

I believe the feminist interpretation is valid but feel in the absence of any overtly female characteristics attributed to the mushrooms by the writer a nonsexed interp is more appropriate. Plath's mushrooms (named so only in the title as one writer mentioned)are certainly not weakin factquite the opposite. Examining the details of the poem these mushrooms are tough and determined while appearing harmless and bland. The adverbs "whitely" "discreetly" and "quietly" clue us in that these mushrooms only appear innocent but are actually on the move. Their discreet nature allows them to go unnoticed as they "Take hold the loam". The rest of the poem continues with this insidious tone contrasting their perfectly harmless even helpless appearance: "earless and eyeless/Perfecly voicless" with their dubious intent to "inherit the earth." The irony of the passive "inherit" should not be lost. Viewed this way I also agree with the interp that the mushrooms can be viewed as Plath's depression slowly taking control. However I shy away from this interp for among other things line 20 "Our kind multiplies". This leads one to the conclusion that Plath must be talking not about a psychological condition or chemical deficiency but people. What type of people does she mean by "our kind"? "Blandmannered" people who ask for "Little or nothing." Those who go unnoticed and live in the shadows cast upon them by there larger more ostentatious brethren. The "meek" Plath reminds us are the majority on this planet: "So many of us!/So many of us!" And like fungus this meek submissive attitude seems to be growing. We for the mushrooms obviously represent most of us are quite content to nudge and shove for our "crumbs of shadow." And pretty soon we shall take over a dark world devoid of anyone but our own kind: apathetic except for our own meager needs lacking the ability to act with courage lacking conscience lacking our humanity. Beware"Our foot's in the door."

| Posted on 2008-02-22 | by a guest

.: Mushrooms :.

I believe the feminist interpretation is valid but feel in the absence of any overtly female characteristics attributed to the mushrooms by the writer a nonsexed interp is more appropriate. Plath's mushrooms (named so only in the title as one writer mentioned)are certainly not weakin factquite the opposite. Examining the details of the poem these mushrooms are tough and determined while appearing harmless and bland. The adverbs "whitely" "discreetly" and "quietly" clue us in that these mushrooms only appear innocent but are actually on the move. Their discreet nature allows them to go unnoticed as they "Take hold the loam". The rest of the poem continues with this insidious tone contrasting their perfectly harmless even helpless appearance: "earless and eyeless/Perfecly voicless" with their dubious intent to "inherit the earth." The irony of the passive "inherit" should not be lost. Viewed this way I also agree with the interp that the mushrooms can be viewed as Plath's depression slowly taking control. However I shy away from this interp for among other things line 20 "Our kind multiplies". This leads one to the conclusion that Plath must be talking not about a psychological condition or chemical deficiency but people. What type of people does she mean by "our kind"? "Blandmannered" people who ask for "Little or nothing." Those who go unnoticed and live in the shadows cast upon them by there larger more ostentatious brethren. The "meek" Plath reminds us are the majority on this planet: "So many of us!/So many of us!" And like fungus this meek submissive attitude seems to be growing. We for the mushrooms obviously represent most of us are quite content to nudge and shove for our "crumbs of shadow." And pretty soon we shall take over a dark world devoid of anyone but our own kind: apathetic except for our own meager needs lacking the ability to act with courage lacking conscience lacking our humanity. Beware"Our foot's in the door."

| Posted on 2008-01-30 | by a guest

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This poem could be interpreted in many different ways but I think it works particularly well as a metaphor for women. "Whitely" "discretely" and "Soft fists" allude to a view of women as fragile creatures incapable of vigorous action or great responsibility. They are "shelves" and "tables" inferring the way women serve their families often allowing themselves to be taken advantage of being "meek" and even "edible". The poem shows the way in which this view causes women to be underestimated

| Posted on 2008-01-15 | by a guest

.: Meaning Behind Mushrooms :.

I just finished a project based on the poem Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath. We had to choose any poem we wanted to discuss the significance/meaning of the poem. I drew up the following conclusion:

Throughout the poem, Sylvia Plath describes “mushrooms” as being very quiet. How their toes and noses acquire air (referring to humans?). She also states how these “mushrooms” are barely seen, that no one stops to acknowledge them or even treat them like equals. Then she goes on to describe hammers and needles, which could refer to the items used by women workers or could be a play on words. Perhaps Plath wanted to describe how women were hammering away their inequalities. Then Plath states that they are perfectly voiceless (could refer to women being voiceless in government?). She then uses repetition to show the significance that there are “So many of us!” (referring to women). She then finishes the poem stating that they multiply and that by morning they shall inherit the earth. I believe these mushrooms symbolize women who are not recognized by men, who see women as inferior even though they are a big part of the world. Not only does Plath describe how women were inferior, she also emphasizes the message of how women are here and they are always going to continue fighting. Plath also emphasizes the message that with the women’s struggling and fighting, they have made an incredible amount of progression.

| Posted on 2007-12-11 | by a guest