Moving down to line seven, we see the first use of alliteration; “touching thine.” Other alliteration occurs in line 13, “world’s wide.”
I came across a rhyming pattern whilst analysing the poem as well. It often appears at the end of the 1st and 3rd lines in a sequence of 2 lines. Examples of this are:
-mine, thine
-sight, night,
-there, air
-rest, breast
There are also similes. The most striking being when he describes memory as being like love in a “woman’s breast.”
In the 14th line, it uses think and speak. This is the case in line 9 as well. Not only is this repetition that emphasises the point, but by thinking and speaking strengthens his plead for his love of Mary. What I mean is that it is far more effective to do this and as a result we from a stronger opinion.
John Clare also manages to link words from different sentences. We first come across this with line 10 and 11. Read line. There is a link between mind and memory. I especially like the link in lines 15 – 16. Read lines. The words soft and whispers emphasise a gentle and quite expression of love.
As we read on, there is a contrast in line 19 with my previous point onm words like whispers and soft. There is an obvious contrast between these and “chilling fear”.
In lines 21 and 22, there is a different sort of rhyming. The “sh” sound from bush and hush links in with the soft and gentle theme of the poem.
The first thing that struck me was that it was a form of a dramatic monologue, the speaker is addressing an implied listener, in this instant it is the mother addressing her unborn child.
9lines in each stanza = 9 months gestation period.
I found that to an extent, the title could be be placed infront of each phrase or sentence. The title is also a contraction of the verb "you are". And Contraction links in with pregnancy and the poet acknowledges her unborn childs existence.
When I say unborn, I am still unsure. At one point after reading the poem, I thought on the lines that this poem is clearly about a young child, who HAS been born. Thhis is because every line she writes, is full of description, that follow on from the title 'you're'. She describes the childs moon-like face, big 'owl-like' eyes, and the way the child crawls around, preferring her hands to her feet. At the end of the poem, she says how the child has a clean slate, and says how she is unique, by saying, with your face- note how she says 'your' instead of you're, for the fist time in the poem.
The poem is a collection of homely similes that she uses to describe her unborn child in her womb.
There is a childlike amusement in these similes, it seems that she is almost caressing her child and at the same time proud of her creation.
In a loving manner she sketches the child's moon like face with big "owl like eyes".His posture in the womb is as his feet are in upward direction"to the stars" with thumbs down like that of dodo.
The child is quite safe and enjoying the warmth and comfort of his cozy abode, "Snug as a bud and at home".
He is almost cocooned in that place "like a spool". At a number of places Plath compares the child with fish--"Gilled like a fish", "sprat","eel"--kept or canned in the womb which is also symbolised by "pickle jug" or "creel". You could also say that it shows the condition of newly born baby, squirmy and writhing and all slippery because of natural fluid on them. Also, a baby doen’t make use of its lung during its time in the womb and 2-3 minutes after its birth.
In this cocoon the child is moving like "Mexican bean" producing "ripples" and at the same time growing as a "loaf".
Despite such clear cut similes Plath insists that every thing is as "vague as fog" and to see the reality she has to wait long "from Fourth Of July to All Fool's Day" (nine months of pregnancy period) which seems as far off as Australia.
Still she waits impatiently like a much awaited mail.Interestingly nothing will be written in that mail, it will be "a clean slate".But still it means the world to her which is again symbolised by Atlas with the world over his shoulders.
It is clear that her child has already given her a lot of pleasure. Indeed she is very satisfied, “Right, like a well done sum”. At last she feels complete and has
feeling of existing, of being alive.