Poetry Discussion: Sylvia Plath's "The Moon and the Yew Tree"

Introduction

• Host: Adrian Fort
• Focus: National Poetry Month – 30 poetry discussions in 30 days
• Weekly schedule of poets:
  • Sundays: Sylvia Plath
  • Mondays: William Blake
  • Tuesdays: Edgar Allan Poe
  • Wednesdays: William Shakespeare
  • Thursdays: Emily Dickinson
  • Fridays: Robert Frost
  • Saturdays: Charles Bukowski

Poem Overview

• Title: The Moon and the Yew Tree by Sylvia Plath
• Themes covered in the poem:
  • Alienation
  • Darkness vs. Life
  • Nature and perception

Key Lines from the Poem

• Opening lines:
  • "This is the light of the mind, cold and planetary."
  • "The trees of the mind are black."
• Closing lines:
  • "...the message of the yew tree is blackness, blackness and silence."

Interpretation of Key Themes

Darkness vs. Life

• Misinterpretation of blackness:
  • Common belief: blackness represents lifelessness.
  • Alternative perspective: the blackness symbolizes life that is unseen.
• Analogy with nature:
  • Humans are not well-adapted to see in the dark, but many animals are.
  • Life exists in the dark; we just cannot perceive it.

Alienation

• The poem reflects feelings of alienation and separation:
  • "Separated from my house by a row of headstones."
  • Suggests a disconnect between the speaker and their surroundings.
• The idea of the moon and yew tree as symbols of this alienation.

Personal Reflection on Sylvia Plath's Work

• Adrian's struggle with Plath's poetry:
  • Finds Plath's writing difficult and initially impenetrable.
  • Requires effort to extract meaning and progress.

Nature of Silence in the Poem

• Silence from the dark trees indicates fear or intimidation:
  • The notion of life in the darkness being aware of the individual.
  • Suggests the complexity of mental experiences and feelings of the self.

Conclusion

• The poem emphasizes the coexistence of life and darkness:
  • Life exists in the unseen and potentially fears the individual.
  • Reflection on Plath's broader themes of mental health and introspection.
• Next discussion: More poetry the following day.

Call to Action

• Encouragement to like and subscribe for more literature discussions.