LITR 5535: American Romanticism
Student Student Poetry Presentation, summer 2002

Elizabeth L. Sydnor
American Romanticism
Dr. Craig White
July 5, 2002

Sylvia Plath’s “Blackberrying”

            Sylvia Plath was born in 1932 and died in 1963 at the age of 31.  She lived a tragic life filled with depression.  She was married to The Hughes, and her poetry showed a lot of anger toward both Mr. Hughes and her father who died when Sylvia was eight.  She is a Pulitzer Prize winning poet.  She wrote only one novel.  My design, however, is not to talk about her life because most people are well versed with Sylvia Plath’s life.

            There are many Romantic elements in Plath’s poem “Blackberrying” that she published in 1961.  There are gothic elements covered in objective 1a in the poem.  There are elements of the sublime in this poem that is covered in objective 1b.  There are segments of the poem that show transcendence that is covered in objective 1a “quest or journey toward transcendence”. 

I asked this question to begin the discussion: Is this truly a Romantic poem?

            My fellow students began the discussion by talking about elements of Romanticism that are seen in “Blackberrying”.  David discussed the blackberry path that goes down, the un-seen sea out there, and the glow in the meadows.  While Jill discussed the huge amount of blackberries saying that they taste wonderful, but you have to be careful picking them—pain / pleasure.  Natasha talked about the action of picking the blackberries, and she described the action as child-like.  She also says that there is the unpleasant image of blood.  She continues to say that snakes hide in blackberry bushes—the images are beautiful yet threatening.

            Dr. White discusses that the poem reminds him of Thoreau playing in the huckleberries.  He comments that both Plath and Fuller bring their personal lives into their craft.  Beth talks about the stain of the blackberries that it does not come off.  Lynda discusses the fact that there is nothing but her and the blackberries.  Al says that the shift in colors: red, blue-green, white are Plath’s colors, while her blackberries are orange and silver.  She is going into nature but there is no transcending at the end—pain of emptiness.  Jill talked about the significance of the path and the hook, while Jennifer discussed the berries and grapes.  Beth talked about the shape that blackberries grow starting shallow at one end and they circle and come back—maybe this is the hook? 

            Cindy begins a discussion by raising the question what is cacophony?  Natasha offered the answer that it is like an orchestra tuning up.

            Al starts to discuss the difference between blood sisters vs. blood brothers.  Lynda says that there is mixed feelings about the bonding.

            Dr. White talks about nature as a machine at the end.  Lynda says that there are strong and noisy words at the end.  Dr. White says that you read the poem longing for beauty, but how much pain do you want to endure.  After, Dr. White discusses the “choughs”, and Beth says that crows like blackberries.

            David discusses that flies are a symbol of decay.  Al says that the flies are an anti-romantic image—to be covered with flies.  He continues to say that the poem is negative about religion.  Dr. White ends the discussion by talking about the Chinese screen, and he says that Orientalism is still going on (as in Bradstreet’s familiar w/ the East).