Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Event" by Sylvia Plath unfolds in a dreamlike atmosphere punctuated by a blend of nature's symbols and human emotion. The poem starts with a remark on how elements "solidify," an ironic observation given the fluid and shifting nature of the experiences and emotions being discussed. This notion of solidifying elements introduces an existential tension that runs throughout the poem.

The "moonlight" and "chalk cliff" set an eerie yet serene tone, bringing to mind both natural beauty and life's impermanence. In this setting, two figures lie "back to back," isolated despite their physical closeness, each immersed in their own world. This initial scenario captures the paradox of human relationships: how closeness can coexist with unfathomable distance.

The presence of an owl adds another layer to the poem. While in many cultures the owl symbolizes wisdom, it can also be a harbinger of death or change. The "intolerable vowels" of its cry enter the speaker's heart, suggesting a kind of visceral, inexpressible emotion. In its "cold indigo," the owl also signifies the loneliness and isolation that often accompany the deeper aspects of wisdom or knowledge.

We then encounter the image of a child in a "white crib," revolving and sighing. The child, traditionally a symbol of hope and future, appears troubled, "carved in pained, red wood." This presents a stark contrast to the conventional images of childhood innocence and simplicity, thereby increasing the emotional gravity of the poem.

The stars, described as "ineradicable, hard," seem to bear down upon the speaker. Just one touch "burns and sickens," a hyperbolic statement encapsulating the overwhelming nature of external realities and internal feelings. The line "I cannot see your eyes" follows, a confession of emotional and existential blindness, and it brings us back to the poem's core theme: the isolation within relationships.

"Where apple bloom ices the night," another paradox emerges. Apple blossoms usually signify renewal, but here they "ice" the night, conveying a frigidity and sterility that makes love impossible. The speaker walks "in a ring," an eternal loop of "old faults, deep and bitter," encapsulating the idea that past errors and grievances have a suffocating, unbreakable hold.

Then, the "black gap" and the "small white soul" manifest as representations of existential void and perhaps lost innocence. These opposing elements reflect a duality-between darkness and light, death and life, pessimism and hope.

The poem ends on a note of tragedy and perhaps a glimmer of possibility: "The dark is melting. We touch like cripples." If the dark is melting, then something is changing, albeit painfully. The likening of touch to that of "cripples" acknowledges both the limits and the immense need for human connection, even if flawed and incomplete.

"Event" is an exploration of human relationships, loneliness, existential despair, and the emotional dissonances that both separate and bind us. It challenges us to confront the complexities and contradictions of our own emotional landscapes, prodding us into the rifts of our experiences, where we lie back to back, often in agonizing closeness to those we cannot fully reach.

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