Ariel by Sylvia Plath written in 1962 Ariel

Ariel by Sylvia Plath written in 1962

Ariel Summary The poem takes the reader on the emotional and physical journey of a woman riding her horse in the countryside at the break of dawn. Some may wish to assume this women is Plath herself, or perhaps simply the persona Plath creates through the speaker of the poem. The poem begins in a dull immobility, the speaker describing quite physical, realistic images at this point, suggesting she is not yet moving. As the poem progresses it becomes clear that the horse the speaker is riding gains speed as the descriptions of reality become further distorted and more related to the feeling the speaker is experiencing while riding the horse. In addition, the poem increases in darkness as it progresses; beginning with blue, and descending to the ominous black. Thus, a suggestion towards not physical darkness but the loss of hope and grip on reality of the speaker.

Themes The birth of a new self Death/Darkness Mental Illness Escape A Journey

Title & Stanza 1 The title of the poem is intact the Hebrew name for ‘God’s Lion’. Plath has related her poem of her horse to a God, suggesting she views horses as powerful, God like beasts. This religious image is referred to again in line 4 when Plath refers to the speaker as “God’s Lioness”. This turns this once male powerful figure into that of a female, suggesting she is trying to portray an equality between both genders. This is also a reference to the religious town of Jerusalem; the city which is both favoured and cursed by God. She opens the poem in immobility with, “Stasis in darkness. ” Here she is literally describing the calm inside of the stable before she steps out into the light with her horse. Although this has a literal meaning, there is a suggestion that it may have a metaphorical meaning too. This state of inactivity mirrors the time before giving birth; the calm before the storm. Thus suggesting the potential birth of a new self, a self the speaker longs to be. This is also the beginning of her journey; therefore the speaker is currently weak and vulnerable, just as a new born baby would be.

Stanza 1 In line two there is a mention of the colour “blue”, this is the first reference to any colour, a spectrum which only descends in shade as the poem continues. suggesting for the moment the speaker still has hope within her grasp, she is simply hopefully of this new self which has the potential of being born. The speaker breaks free of this immobile status quite promptly as by line three she is beginning to describe the landscape as she rushes by on her horse; “Pour of tor and distances. ” It is suggested that she is referring to a never ending distance here, one of which she has not reached yet. It refers to the way in which the speaker is referred to as an “arrow”. Thus suggesting this is not a direction which may be decided or changed, it is a direction one must follow, a straight road with no way back. This could be a reference to the journey of life itself. A long, unstoppable path that one must follow in order to reach a certain destination; death. A destination which may occur at any moment, an unpredictable and unstable path, yet nevertheless, unchangeable.

Stanza 3; A Reference to Death There is a reference to the “brown arc” of the horses neck in stanza 3, this being the literal image created here. However this is also symbolic of the gates of heaven. This is confirmed by the following line which confesses it is something the speaker “cannot catch”. This is perhaps a direct reference to Plath’s succeed attempts, and failures. She is clearly unhappy and not content with this physical world she inhabit and so longs to reach heaven. However this is a destination she merely hopes to reach but fails to, despite her desperate attempts. This provides the persona of the speaker with a sense of uncertainty and insecurity. Plath has cleverly created such an abstract poem to allow the reader to experience this same feeling. The reference to the colour “brown” here has descended in brightness from the colour, “blue”. Thus suggesting the speaker is not only loosing her sense of hope for her to be happy and content with her new self, but equally loosing her grip on reality. As the horse increases in speed, the landscape becomes more abstract, more blurred, similarly the speakers view on reality is becoming increasingly distorted.

Stanza 4; Nigger-eye Berries cast dark Hooks- Here theres is a reference to the increasing darkness as the poems progresses. The speaker is loosing her grip of hopeful light and is merely beginning to accept this overwhelming darkness. a force she cannot escape; reality now so far from her reach that she is close to letting go completely. There is a metaphorical image created here with “Hooks-“. She is not literally being pulled back by anything as she is riding her horse a great speed now, and s rushes past the landscape. In her poem “Blackberrying”, the hooks are what is pulling her forward towards the sea, they are forcing her onwards on her journey. Here however, the hooks are in fact holding her back. It could be that they are representative of the heavy burden of depression which Plath bared for many years of her life. It is a dangerous force she is desperate to escape, but the increasing darkness suggested she is loosing this mental battle.

Stanza 7 The opening line of this stanza features a single word, “White”. Now we see the increasing darkness jump suddenly to this bringing bright white. As if the hope the speaker though the were loosing was intact a loss of her old self. She was not content with how she saw herself within the reality she perceived and so now has let go of her view of reality and so has isolated herself completely. Suggesting that her perceiving isolation as being alone in a negative concept has been holding her back, as the “Hooks” were. Now she is able to accept herself as an individual, away from outside influences. A sense of themes of escape and the birth f a new self here. She states, “I unpeel-”. There is a sense female rebellion her, she is stripping herself of societies expectations of the role of women, thus her new self is born. This can be related to the short story “The Tiger’s Bride” by Angela Carter. This story features the journey pf a young women who is trapped by societies expectations of women and lives a life in which all power lies in the hands of men. At the end of the story sheds her skin and becomes a tiger. This symbolises the birth of her new self and her defying society, claiming her own power, forcing men to give up some of there own.

Stanza 10 The opening line refers to “The dew that flies”, suggesting the dew is evaporating as the sun rises, it is the beginning of a new day, a new start. The sun is very much a symbol of regeneration and power, thus mirroring the regeneration of herself, her claiming of power. This reference to the birth of her newly generated self, creates a positivity to the word “Suicidal”. It suggests that she is merely referring to the suicide of her old self, ending the life that she was so unhappy in, not her own life all together. However it could also be reference to her longing to depart of anther life, a brighter, more free life. A life in a world known as Heaven, accept this time referring to her success in getting there.