An Essay Comparing ‘Medallion’ and ‘Snake’
An Essay Comparing 'Medallion' and 'Snake'
This essay will compare two poems, 'Medallion' by Sylvia Plath, an American poet, and 'Snake', by D H Lawrence.
The title of the poem 'Medallion' automatically conjures up the image of a gold medal with a picture on it, usually awarded to commemorate an achievement. The first stanza, comprising of three lines, sets the scene for the rest of the poem. There is a gate with a moon and a star carved into the orange wood. Next to the gate, a bronze snake lies in the sun, dead, 'inert as a shoelace' the second stanza continues. The actual setting could show the snake is stuck between life and death, one half of the snake in the sunlight, or life, and the other in the shadow of the gateway, or the shadow of death. The orange of the wood could represent the sunset of the snake's life.
The snake is
' Dead,
But pliable still,'
Showing it is only recently dead; rigor mortis has not set in yet. The semi-colon after the word 'shoelace' emphasises the death. The snake is happy in death, it is grinning, almost as though death has perfected it. In line seven, 'Tongue a rose coloured arrow' is a metaphor. This perfects the snake further. Since the snake is so beautiful, the narrator picks it up to examine it in more detail. Its 'little vermilion eye' represents the fires of Hell where the snake is going, as it is often thought of as an evil creature. The words 'flame' and 'light' emphasise this further in the next stanza. The description is perfecting the snake's appearance. Its belly is coloured by the rays of the sun, and another metaphor is used, 'Going under the chain mail'. Its innards are then described as jewels, which are protested by the snake's chain mail body. The belly is see-through, so the narrator can see the sunset through the snake's body; this is also the future of the deceased reptile.
The description of the white maggots repulses the reader. However, these, like the snake, are later perfected and made sharp, and defined. The white makes them clean, and pure, similar to the metallic appearance of the snake. The last stanza begins with a simile, describing the snake as 'knifelike'. As the poem progresses, the body becomes more defined. Death has got rid of life's complexities and left the snake pure and chaste.
Throughout this poem, the metal theme has been kept up. This continuation of an idea originates from the title. Enjambment is evident throughout this poem, ...
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The description of the white maggots repulses the reader. However, these, like the snake, are later perfected and made sharp, and defined. The white makes them clean, and pure, similar to the metallic appearance of the snake. The last stanza begins with a simile, describing the snake as 'knifelike'. As the poem progresses, the body becomes more defined. Death has got rid of life's complexities and left the snake pure and chaste.
Throughout this poem, the metal theme has been kept up. This continuation of an idea originates from the title. Enjambment is evident throughout this poem, quickening the pace. The rhyme of 'chainmail' and 'belly-scale' emphasises the fact they are the same thing. In every stanza, there are subtle half rhymes between the first and third lines. As the beauty of the snake becomes more evident, the rhymes become more subtle. Sylvia Plath polishes her technique towards the end of the poem, like one may polish a medallion, making it better again. The poem conveys dying as a purifying act. The snake is forged or polished as metal is forged or polished to reveal beauty.
The poem 'Snake' is written by D H Lawrence. The first noticeable difference from "Medallion" is that the stanzas are irregular, reflecting the poet's train of thought. However, like the previous poem, it is also about a snake. This one though, is alive and comes to drink at the writer's water-trough. At first, he feels the snake is on an equal par to him, and treats it as his guest. He is courteous to it and waits for it to finish. The snake is personalised in the sixth line as the writer is in awe of it. The sexy, soft 'S' sounds reflect the guest's own qualities with the hissing of a snake and it's slithering from place to place.
The snake's journey is described, as is the way the snake looks at him with authority, emphasising the point that Lawrence has to wait. This is followed by heavy alliteration, using the sexy 'S' description once again, which also reflects the hissing sound of the snake. The fourth stanza tells the reader Lawrence is in awe of the snake because it is perfect, and the snake has priority because of this. The snake's look tells him to wait. Suddenly, Lawrence's attitude toward the snake changes. He feels the snake is evil that it is from Hell. The Mt Etna description tells the reader this. The man's education tells him to kill the snake. He is wary of it though, its exotic gold colouration warding him off. The voices in his head tell him to kill it once again:
"And voices in me said, If you were a man
You would take a stick and break him now, and finish him off"
Instead, the man is pleased the snake has come to his very own water trough; he is honoured. The voices in his head tell him he would be brave to kill it, and a coward if he does not. In fact he feels the opposite. He fears what the snake represents, this fear being created by the voices of his Christian education, where the snake is portrayed as evil in the story of the Garden of Eden. The reference to God reflects its arrogance. This is reflective of the myth of the snake god, as does the portrayed sexuality of the snake, the snake god representing fertility. This is another connection with nature. The fact the snake represents evil is reinforced in the eleventh stanza:
"That he should seek my hospitality
From out the dark door of the secret earth."
The "secret earth" is Hell.
There are no full stops because Lawrence wants to describe the snake without stopping. The stanzas describing the snake are longest, as Lawrence sees these as being more important. As the snake leaves, the poet is angry. The repetitive 'L' sounds reflect this. The "clumsy log' is a comparison to the snake's grace. This log is hurled at the snake in fury, forcing the snake to "put his head into that dreadful hole". This "dreadful hole" refers to the gates of Hell. After this, he regrets what he did to the regal snake.
"And immediately I regretted it.
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!"
He longs to see the snake again, but his one moment of cowardice meant this could never be possible.
"And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate;
A pettiness"
"A pettiness" is put on a separate line as D H Lawrence wants to emphasise he has wronged, and that he regrets his act.
Throughout the poem, it has been the man's education versus nature. The man feels guilty about throwing the log because he has gone against nature.
These two poems are similar in the way that the traditional evil of the snake is overcome by the writer and, after close examination, the snake is seen described as a beautiful creature in both nature and appearance. The two are different in the structure; the structure of 'Medallion" is very rigid, each stanza comprising of three lines, the first line of each containing exactly seven syllables. This shows the snake and the way it should be described has been thought about carefully. There are subtle half rhymes throughout the poem between the first and third lines of each stanza. "Snake" on the other hand is very irregularly structured, with no trend followed by the rhyming scheme.
Ravjit Bindarh 10B
