Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Above the Oxbow" by Sylvia Plath is a meditation on perspective, both physical and metaphorical, offering a nuanced view of how landscape and human thought are irrevocably intertwined. The poem sets its stage in "this valley of discrete academies," likely a nod to the landscape around Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, where Plath studied. The surrounding "mounts, truncated hillocks" might seem minuscule when compared to grander natural formations like the Adirondacks or Everest, but they are enough to offer an altered vantage point. The idea that these humble elevations "muster" a sense of height in a rather flat terrain speaks volumes about the notion of relativity, echoing the human tendency to seek meaning or magnitude in our immediate surroundings.

The first half of the poem largely functions as a geographical and local backdrop, setting up the hills as a "summer coolness" that people look towards. Then Plath seamlessly shifts to the universal human inclination to ascend - "To people who live in the bottom of valleys / A rise in the landscape...looks / To be meant for climbing." The poem delves into the "peculiar logic" of climbing a hill only to descend again, which echoes the cyclical nature of human endeavors and aspirations. We are drawn to ascent, not for the destination but for the change in perspective it offers - "it's the clear conversion at the top can hold / Us to the oblique road."

The idea of "conversion" here is loaded; it's a spiritual awakening, a clarity or alteration in how one perceives life's panorama. Plath employs terms often used for visual mechanisms - "leaf-shuttered," "blindered," "stretched," "narrowed" - to describe how our views and perspectives are confined until they are widened by elevating our viewpoint.

The poem also highlights a reverse perspective: the descent. Once at the peak, the onlooker is invited to follow "the black arrow-backs of swifts on their track" and observe the "pale circumfluent stillness" of the river. Here, the landscape is "maplike," organized in "sky-Lorded perspectives," offering a controlled, orderly view that contrasts sharply with the "seedy free-for-all" natural world. This serves as an allegory for the different lenses through which humans can choose to see their lives, either as chaotic happenings or as organized, almost predestined paths.

The climax of the poem lies in its ending, where the poet says, "Till lately we / Lived under the shadow of hot rooftops / And never saw how coolly we might move. For once / A high hush quietens the crickets' cry." The poet suggests that an elevated viewpoint offers a newfound tranquility and freedom, unshackled from the chaos and noise at ground level.

In summary, "Above the Oxbow" is an intricate narrative about perception, human nature, and the landscape. It serves as a metaphorical exploration of our constant search for meaning and perspective, and how the physical act of ascending a hill can mirror our psychological aspirations for clarity and understanding. Through her acute observation and eloquent description, Sylvia Plath elevates a simple act of climbing a hill into an allegorical journey that holds the essence of human existential quest.

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