Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "Apprehensions" by Sylvia Plath is an evocative journey through the landscape of the mind, offering a haunting commentary on the existential crisis faced by the speaker. Employing vivid and disturbing imagery, Plath unravels the speaker's inner tumult, revealing a realm where personal torment manifests as physical entities on metaphorical walls. The poem operates on the principle of relentless questioning, leaving the reader to grapple with deeply unsettling themes of existential despair, isolation, and mental confinement.

The opening line presents a "white wall," which is above where "the sky creates itself." This image juxtaposes purity with the idea of creation, but it soon shifts to become a space where "Angels swim" and "stars" exist "in indifference." It's a realm beyond human reach, "utterly untouchable." This initiates a theme of detachment, which the speaker feels not only with the environment but also within themselves. The sun, another celestial body, also loses its essence on this wall, "bleeding its lights."

The wall transitions from white to grey, "clawed and bloody," echoing the deterioration of the speaker's mental state. The critical question, "Is there no way out of the mind?" underscores the essence of the poem. This existential quandary reflects the speaker's sense of entrapment within their own thoughts, underscored by the metaphor of steps spiraling "into a well." The absence of "trees or birds" in this mental world accentuates a bleak, barren landscape where "only sourness" exists.

The wall turns red and "winces continually," as though in perpetual pain. Here, Plath employs visceral imagery: "A red fist, opening and closing," evoking both heart and torment. "Two grey, papery bags" further the image of reduction, perhaps to basic, emotionless elements. The speaker reveals what they are "made of" is this pain and "a terror/ Of being wheeled off under crosses and rain of pieties." The crosses and pieties suggest religious motifs, but they are menacing rather than comforting, revealing the speaker's alienation from traditional forms of solace.

The final stanza presents a "black wall," where "unidentifiable birds" cry out. Like the angels and stars in the opening stanza, these birds are detached from human morality, providing no relief or understanding. "Cold blanks approach us," indicating perhaps death or more symbolically, an overwhelming emptiness. These blanks are in a hurry, as if time is running out for the speaker to find answers to their haunting questions.

"Apprehensions" delivers an unnerving introspection into the struggles of mental distress, unraveling existential dilemmas against a shifting wall that serves as a canvas for the speaker's psychological state. Plath masterfully captures the desperation in seeking a way "out of the mind," only to confront various forms of isolation and despair. The poem doesn't provide answers but rather immerses the reader in its challenging questions, making it an unforgettable foray into the complexities of human emotion and thought.

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