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The poem speaks of the power of myriads of mushrooms, if working in unison, to do the most amazing
things.
The poet describes them as being little fists or battering rams. They are meek, soft and gentle and yet
possess within their nature the power of steel.
Or is Sylvia Plath using the mushroom example to warn of the power of meek and bland people --
perhaps the workers -- when striving for a common goal?
ABOUT THE POET
Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1932. She was an intelligent child who had her first
poem published when she was only eight. She displayed a marked degree of sensitivity but sought
perfection in all that she did.
Her father, a college professor and an expert on bees, died of an illness when Sylvia was still young. He
apparently thought it was cancer but in reality it was a curable form of diabetes. His untimely death
appears to have scarred the young child's sensitive mind.
She entered Smith College on a scholarship in 1950 and, while there, wrote some 400 poems. During
her first year at the college, however, she attempted suicide through an overdose of sleeping pills.
She graduated from Smith College summa cum laude in 1955 and thereupon won a Fulbright
scholarship to study at Cambridge University in England. While there, she married the English poet, Ted
Hughes.
Their marriage would last a mere ten years before Sylvia found herself divorced. She was alone once
more, but now in a small London flat, poor and with two children to look after.
This was a foreign existence to one who had always been accustomed to the comforts of middle-class
America.
The winter of 1962-3 was one of the coldest, during which time the poet was continually ill with flu. She
learnt first hand much about the harshness of life. She nevertheless worked furiously in the very early
mornings while the children slept, producing a new poem virtually every day.
Towards the end of that winter -- in February 1963 -- she committed suicide by gassing herself in her
kitchen. She was then only 30 years of age.
She had not yet won the recognition she so richly deserved as a poet. Like so many great artists, fame
would follow only after her death.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
"Overnight, very
Whitely, discreetly,
Very quietly"
- Comment on the poet's references to quietness. (4)
[Need help?]
There are three words, are there not, which refer to quiet. "Overnight" is when most people are
sleeping, which means it's the time when it's most quiet. If someone does something "discreetly",
it means they draw no attention to themselves: their actions are quiet. And, of course, the poet speaks
directly about the mushrooms' actions being "very quietly".
Even "Whitely" has the connotation of quietness. Organic things which are very white usually don't
see much sunshine. They too are quiet in the sense that they are not where all the action is, i.e. frolicking
in the sunshine.
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- Not only do these lines convey the idea of silence but also of stealth. Can you explain how or
why? (4)
[Need help?]
The mushrooms perform all their actions at night. There is no sign of them when the sun sets in the
evening but at dawn there they are, having performed all their deeds. This is the same time when thieves
and burglars are at large, sneaking about in the dark, unseen, not bringing any notice to themselves.
Except, of course, that the burglars and robbers would be inclined to wear black clothing and black hoods
to ensure that they will not be seen.
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"Nobody sees us,
Stops us, betrays us;
The small grains make room.
- Comment on the concept of stealth and betrayal in this verse. (4)
[Need help?]
The poet is probably using the image of the thief in the night, stealing stealthily along, with nobody seeing
him or stopping him. We have the expression, "Honour amongst thieves". Thieves do not betray
one another.
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"Soft fists insist on
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding"
- Be able to explain an "oxymoron" and show how it is used in this verse. (4)
[Need help?]
An oxymoron is when two words of opposite meaning are placed next to each other, e.g. happy sadness.
In this verse, the poet speaks of "Soft fists". A fist is usually hard but, in this case, the fist is the
mushroom which is very soft. It's a most apt description because button mushrooms are shaped like little
fists which, though soft, also carry the immense power of real fists, able to lift even concrete slabs into the
air.
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"Diet on water
On crumbs of shadow,
Bland-mannered, asking
Little or nothing,
So many of us!
So many of us!"
- What image is the poet conjuring here? (4)
[Need help?]
One needs to think widely. For instance, is this an image of the millions of the poor and the destitute who
feed only on crumbs -- leftovers thrown to them -- and on water which is freely available? Beggars have
to be bland-mannered so as not to give offence while begging.
Or does the poet perhaps have a somewhat monastic view in mind: of thousands of monks living in the
shadows of their monasteries, dieting frugally on water and dark bread, bland-mannered too for having
taken the vows of poverty, obedience and silence?
Or perhaps they are the multitude of silent workers, living poorly, heads down in humility while being
abused? And yet, despite that, the immense power that these people have if they were only to realise it
and use it.
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- Why does the poet repeat the words, "So many of us!"? (2)
[Need help?]
Repetition often serves the purpose of emphasis. On the other hand, it doubles the impact, doubles the
number of mushrooms. Not just many but many, many.
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