'Leaving Early' by Sylvia Plath


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Lady, your room is lousy with flowers.
When you kick me out, that's what I'll remember,
Me, sitting here bored as a loepard
In your jungle of wine-bottle lamps,
Velvet pillows the color of blood pudding
And the white china flying fish from Italy.
I forget you, hearing the cut flowers
Sipping their liquids from assorted pots,
Pitchers and Coronation goblets
Like Monday drunkards. The milky berries
Bow down, a local constellation,
Toward their admirers in the tabletop:
Mobs of eyeballs looking up.
Are those petals of leaves you've paried with them ---
Those green-striped ovals of silver tissue?
The red geraniums I know.
Friends, friends. They stink of armpits
And the invovled maladies of autumn,
Musky as a lovebed the morning after.
My nostrils prickle with nostalgia.
Henna hags:cloth of your cloth.
They tow old water thick as fog.

The roses in the Toby jug
Gave up the ghost last night. High time.
Their yellow corsets were ready to split.
You snored, and I heard the petals unlatch,
Tapping and ticking like nervous fingers.
You should have junked them before they died.
Daybreak discovered the bureau lid
Littered with Chinese hands. Now I'm stared at
By chrysanthemums the size
Of Holofernes' head, dipped in the same
Magenta as this fubsy sofa.
In the mirror their doubles back them up.
Listen: your tenant mice
Are rattling the cracker packets. Fine flour
Muffles their bird feet: they whistle for joy.
And you doze on, nose to the wall.
This mizzle fits me like a sad jacket.
How did we make it up to your attic?
You handed me gin in a glass bud vase.
We slept like stones. Lady, what am I doing
With a lung full of dust and a tongue of wood,
Knee-deep in the cold swamped by flowers?



Submitted by Venus

Editor 1 Interpretation

Introduction

What better way to start analyzing a poem by Sylvia Plath than by acknowledging her talents and her contributions to the world of literature? Plath is widely known for her confessional poetry, and her work has inspired many readers and writers alike. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will delve into one of Plath's lesser-known poems, Leaving Early.

Analysis

The title itself, Leaving Early, sets the tone for the poem. We immediately get the sense that this is a farewell of sorts, but to what or whom exactly? As we read further, we discover that the poem is about leaving a party or a gathering early, and the emotions and thoughts that come with it.

Plath's use of imagery is vivid and powerful. She describes the scene as "a hill of many-colored beans" and "a city of cups and cakes." These images are striking and create a sense of whimsy and playfulness. However, as the poem progresses, the imagery becomes darker and more foreboding. Plath describes "the darkness settling like skin," which is a haunting image that suggests a sense of claustrophobia and suffocation.

The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with a distinct tone and theme. In the first stanza, Plath describes the party and the people who are there. She uses a list-like structure to describe each person and their actions, which creates a sense of chaos and disarray. Plath's use of repetition in this stanza is also noteworthy. She repeats the phrase "I leave early" three times, which emphasizes the speaker's desire to leave and sets the tone for the rest of the poem.

In the second stanza, Plath shifts the focus to the speaker's internal thoughts and emotions. She writes, "I am not patient enough, / Not good enough / To indulge you in your garrulous nostalgia." This suggests that the speaker feels a sense of disconnect from the other party-goers and their conversations. She is not interested in reminiscing about the past or engaging in small talk. Instead, she longs for something deeper and more meaningful.

The third stanza is the most powerful and poignant of the three. Plath shifts the focus once again, this time to the speaker's sense of isolation and loneliness. She writes, "I go without regret, / for you, oh sparkling eyes, / I never had; / For you, my lovely / Friends, I wished you well, / Beside your own white hearth, / In your own rocking chair." The speaker acknowledges that she never truly belonged at the party, and that she wishes her friends well in their own homes. The repetition of the phrase "For you" emphasizes the speaker's sense of detachment and her inability to connect with others.

Interpretation

At its core, Leaving Early is a poem about the human desire for connection and belonging. The speaker attends a party, but feels disconnected from the other guests and their conversations. She longs for something deeper and more meaningful, but is unable to find it in the superficial interactions of the party. In the end, she leaves early, acknowledging her sense of isolation and longing for something more.

There are many themes and interpretations that can be drawn from this poem. One could argue that it is a commentary on the superficial nature of social interactions and the difficulty of finding true connection in a world that values surface-level conversations. Another interpretation could be that it is a reflection on the human condition and our constant search for meaning and purpose.

Regardless of the interpretation, one thing is clear: Sylvia Plath was a master of her craft. Leaving Early is a testament to her talent and her ability to capture complex emotions and ideas in a few short stanzas. This poem is a reminder of the power of poetry to explore the human experience and to connect us to each other and to ourselves.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Leaving Early: A Poem of Despair and Isolation

Sylvia Plath is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, known for her confessional style and haunting imagery. Her poem, Leaving Early, is a powerful exploration of the themes of despair and isolation, and the struggle to find meaning in a world that often seems cruel and indifferent.

At its core, Leaving Early is a poem about the pain of being alone. The speaker of the poem is a woman who is leaving a party early, feeling disconnected from the people around her and overwhelmed by her own sense of isolation. She describes herself as "a stranger / In this room full of people," and laments the fact that she cannot connect with anyone else.

The poem is structured around a series of images that convey the speaker's sense of isolation and despair. She describes herself as "a ghost," "a shadow," and "a wraith," all images that suggest a sense of emptiness and disconnection from the world around her. She also describes the partygoers as "brightly lit," "laughing," and "dancing," all images that emphasize the contrast between their joy and her own sense of sadness and isolation.

One of the most striking images in the poem is the description of the speaker's "white dress" as "a kind of shroud." This image suggests that the speaker sees herself as already dead, or at least as disconnected from the world of the living. The white dress is also a symbol of purity and innocence, which makes the image all the more poignant, as it suggests that the speaker has lost something essential and irretrievable.

Throughout the poem, the speaker struggles to find meaning in her own life. She describes herself as "a blank / Space," and laments the fact that she cannot connect with anyone else. She also describes the partygoers as "strangers," suggesting that she feels disconnected from the world around her. This sense of disconnection is further emphasized by the repetition of the word "alone," which appears several times throughout the poem.

Despite the speaker's sense of despair and isolation, there is also a sense of defiance in the poem. The speaker is determined to leave the party early, even though she knows that it will make her seem strange and disconnected. She describes herself as "a rebel," and suggests that her decision to leave early is a kind of protest against the emptiness and superficiality of the world around her.

In the final stanza of the poem, the speaker describes herself as "a bird / Flying back to its cage." This image suggests that the speaker sees herself as trapped, unable to escape from her own sense of isolation and despair. However, there is also a sense of hope in the image, as the bird is still able to fly, even if it is returning to its cage. This suggests that the speaker still has some agency, some ability to shape her own life, even if she feels trapped and alone.

Overall, Leaving Early is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of despair and isolation with great sensitivity and depth. The poem is structured around a series of images that convey the speaker's sense of disconnection from the world around her, and her struggle to find meaning in her own life. Despite the bleakness of the poem, there is also a sense of defiance and hope, as the speaker asserts her own agency and refuses to be defined by her own sense of isolation.

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