2 Poems about Dysfunction- 'Child' and 'Balloons' by Sylvia Plath

The poem 'Child' by Silvia Plath seems to be about the happiness of childhood compared to the 'troublous' adulthood. The poem expresses love for a young child and the innocence with which they view the world, the metaphor of a child as a 'stalk without wrinkle' seeming to adhere to this untainted view. Plath seems to be wishing to satisfy a child's (her child's?) sense of wonder and 'fill it with colour and ducks', the following assonance 'the zoo of the new' adding a musical, childhood touch to the first stanza enhancing the happy, almost excited tone of it. In contrast to the optimistic start of the poem, Plath (who struggled with depression) speaks of a troubled life, living a life without light, a 'dark ceiling without a star', her anxiety and distress expressed through the 'wringing of hands'.

A similar idea seems to run throughout ‘Balloons’. The poem creates imagery of a room filled with colourful balloons, ‘globes of thin air, red, green’, ‘taking up half the space’. They are described as ‘soul-animals’, this and other descriptions of their movement (‘trembling’) and the sound similar to the ‘squeak [of] a cat’ giving them a sense of liveliness. The balloons could represent a kind of freedom which Plath wants to attain (hence ‘delighting the heart like wishes’), but which she cannot reach, as seen when the little brother’s unsuccessful attempt to bite through the balloon to the ‘funny pink world’ on the other side. The balloons, similarly to in the other poem could represent the idealistic, imaginative and desirable fantasy-like world envisioned by little children (if slightly alien, hence ‘funny’). These ideas about the world may be falling away for the little brother, who sees ‘a world clear as water’, the idealistic world he used to see falling down, now ‘shred in his little fist’.

Both poems seem to contrast the hopeful, happy views of childhood to the adult world, or maybe (all ideas about childhood aside) they could represent what you wanted out of life with its hopes and dreams compared to how it really turns out.

Reflecting on other songs...

Holocene- Bon Iver

I quite liked this song. I’m still not completely sure I understand the lyrics, but I like the line ‘and at one I knew, I was not magnificent’, and it’s a nice song nonetheless (I tend to pay more attention to the music rather than the lyrics, anyway).

For Good- Wicked

I saw this musical a few years ago, so I already knew what it was about- two girls/women saying an optimistic goodbye, singing that they’ve been ‘changed for the better’ for having known the other

Sweet Disposition- The Temper Trap

This song may be about not giving up, living in the moments and also sharing it with someone else. Again however, I think I prefer the music to the lyrics, though I do like the line ‘won’t stop to surrender’.

Iris- Goo Goo Dolls

I quite like this song. It was written for the movie ‘City of Angels’, about an angel who falls in love with a human and then gives up his life as an angel so that he could be with her. I can kind of see in places how the lyrics relate- but most of it is still a mystery to me.

Braille- Regina Spektor

This song was about a woman whose stretch marks were like braille in that they told the story of her life- being pregnant young to a young father who didn’t want to keep the baby so he left, and then growing up poor and miserable. The song seems to be questioning whether it was worth it.

O’ sister- City and Colour

This song seemed to be pretty much the singer talking about his sister (or someone else, could have been a friend etc. but he refers to them as sister) who is facing a hard period of time. He reflects on how she used to be so strong and seems to think she can make it through it, but she really seems to be struggling. To me, he almost seemed to be asking, ‘what happened? What changed?’

A Whole New World (from Aladdin) 

I really cannot stand this song, possibly because I’ve heard it much too many times but I don’t think I ever really liked it. I’ve never watched ‘Aladdin’ from start to finish, and although I like a movie here and there, I’m not a big fan of Disney.

Fond Farewell- Elliott Smith

This song seemed to be quite personal for the singer- it was unsurprising to hear that he had faced depression, the song being about how he doesn’t understand how his life turned out, the use of the word ‘friend’ being metaphorical for his own life.

Landslide- Fleetwood Mac

I’ve never heard this version of this song before (I didn’t realise the original was by Fleetwood Mac) but I have heard the song before and I suppose it’s really about how things change and life can become like a landslide- things will bring you down.     

Staring At the Stars- Passenger

Tobacco stains our yellow teeth

 And all our finger and underneath

 Our finger nails that clasp on sheets

 As we try desperately to sleep

Hearts are saddened eyes are tired

 And all this Red Bull keeps us wide

 It gives us wings it gives us rings

 Around our eyes

We put three sugars in our tea

 Sit to watch day time TV

 And laugh at moms who don’t know

 Who the father is

And all our girlfriends are long gone

 We watch too much internet porn

 Who needs love when you’ve got silicone

 And strap-ons?

Beer bloats our spoiled guts

 And shit jobs keeps us in ruts

 And keep us sighing up the what’s and if’s

 And some buts and maybes and

Falling over in this tree

 It’s just a part of every week

 When we lie drunkenly

 Just staring at the stars

Remember when they were in reach

 And all the teachers used to teach

 You can do anything

 if you put your mind to it

We put our minds to it all

 But disappointment crashed the ball

 We could have done anything

 We just never quite knew it so…

Tie your scarf on tight

 It’s to be a cold night

 Tie your scarf on tight

 It’s to be a cold night

Tie your scarf on tight

 It’s to be a cold night

 Tie your scarf on tight

 It’s to be a cold night

I interpreted this song as a rather cynical outlook on life, in particular on regret for the past, the ‘whats and ifs’. The lyrics are quite straightforward lacking elegant phrasing and a poetic feel, but they still paint the picture of a rather sad, pathetic person with tobacco stained teeth and ‘rings around [their] eyes’ with ‘spoilt guts’ who would stare ‘drunkenly’ at the stars. For me, the stars represent ambitions and hope for the future. But the song reflects on how dreams were met with ‘disappointment’, things don’t always turn out how you want them to. Some of the last lines of the song say ‘we could’ve done anything, we just never quite knew it’. But now it seems, it’ s too late, the hopes ‘long gone’,  and ‘we’ (as the writer puts it) are left to experience a bleak existence, a wasted life filled with regret for what ‘we’ didn’t do.

The song links to another by the same musician called ‘Lifes for the Living’, which talks about making the most out of life as its for the living, not for the dead.  

I also felt that the lyrics contrasted somewhat with the music, which has a rather light and bouncy bluegrass feel.