Morning Song by Silvia Plath, Essay Example

While many people would agree that it is important to stand up for truth, the definition of this word is never adequately clear. It could mean promoting your beliefs, searching for answers, or simply making the choices that make you happy. Ultimately, it is possible for truth to be different for each individual and an individual’s personal ideologies is responsible for defining what truth means to them. The definition of truth in “Morning Song” by Silvia Plath, “Stockings,” by Tim O’Brien, “Dragon Slayers” by Jerald Walker, and “Refresh, Refresh” by Benjamin Percy differ significantly. However, it is essential to emphasize that all truths revealed in these poems and short stories are accurately descriptive of individual truths that are held by each author and are intended to teach the reader a lesson.

In “Morning Song” by Silvia Plath, the narrator describes truth as the happiness that one experiences by interacting with her newborn child. The narrator of the poem appears to be highly fascinated with her new child, as she professors her love to it in the form of these words. She emphasizes her love for the baby by starting with “Love set you going like a fat gold watch” (Plath 1). This is an important line because the fact that it is used to open the poem signifies its importance. The “fat gold watch” demonstrates that this child is highly important to her and this idea is emphasized throughout the poem, which contributes to describe this motherly love. In this instance, truth can be defined as the happiness that a mother has when she is with her child, because it appears that the mother wishes to experience truth through her child. The words of the poem indicate that she does not care about much more than her interaction with her baby and she will never tire of their time together. This indicates the truth that the love a mother has for her child triumphs over everything. The end of the poem notes the author’s fixation on her baby’s crying by stating “The clear vowels rise like balloons” (Plath 18). However, the mother is not annoyed by these cries. Rather, she is fascinated by them. In this child, she sees a future being that will be able to determine his or her own truth. She believes that by being a loving mother to this child, she can help it find the truth of its own. Therefore, there is no need for the narrator to undergo an exploration of truth, as the only thing that she knows to be true is her love for her child. People need to understand this truth because when acting with mothers, it is necessary to understand that they will place the importance of their child over everything else.

In “Stockings,” by Tim O’Brien, Henry Dobbins reveals that he does not need truth in order to be happy. His obsession for his girlfriend is apparent based on his tendency to play with her pantyhose, treating it as a good luck charm. When his girlfriend breaks up with him, this does not alter the sentiment of the pantyhose for him and he continues to use it to comfort himself. Therefore, while he believes that his fixation over the item is due to his love for his girlfriend, he uses it more to feel comforted. This could be because he knew that at some point, she loved him, and this was truth enough to satisfy Dobbins. This scenario demonstrates that truth could change depending on a situation. At first, it seemed that truth for Dobbins was his relationship, as he would fixate on his girlfriend’s stockings as symbolic representation of this. However, he later finds that the memory of this relationship is enough for him to act as his truth, as he doesn’t have much else. This is important to the audience because many people try to hide from the truth and as a result of this, they are often not happy.

The context of Dobbins’ relationship is an important one, as he grew to be a superstitious man due to his involvement in the war. He had other personality abnormalities, but it appeared that his girlfriend’s stockings allowed him to cope with the dangers of war. Therefore, when his girlfriend breaks up with him by letter, he is devastated but doesn’t let this show. Instead, Dobbins slips into a sort of delusion to convince himself that the fact that his girlfriend broke up with him is okay, and he loves her still anyway, so he will continue to fixate on the stockings. It appeared that this trinket that symbolized his hope became his truth. It became what he would fight for; despite his encounters with potentially deadly weapons on the battlefield, Dobbins would remain unharmed. Therefore, truth for Dobbins was the memory of his girlfriend that allowed him to successfully get through the war alive. Sometimes people need to lie to themselves in order to cope with dangerous or life threatening situations.

In “Dragon Slayers” by Jerald Walker, it is clear that truth is defined as acceptance and equality. The narrator likes playing the devil’s advocate to an individual at the party to demonstrate the importance of thinking like others who are seemingly different. He postulates that slavery shouldn’t bother just black people because it is a human flaw, rather than just the fault of the slave owners. The narrator concerns himself with finding his own truth, which is evident from his conversation at the party. He wishes to make his students and those around them think. This is an important exemplification of truth because it indicates that truth is only possible if we find our own truths by thinking for ourselves. This is an important take home message for the audience because it is telling them that thinking is necessary to find one’s own way in life.

In “Refresh, Refresh” by Benjamin Percy, the main characters attempt to find truth by exhibiting violence. The boys in this story believe that fighting makes one tough and that fighting is therefore the one way that life should be handled. This is emphasized by the graphic opening of the story. “We began fighting after Seth Johnson—a no-neck linebacker with teeth like corn kernels and hands like T-bone steaks—beat Gordon until his face swelled and split open and purpled around the edges” (Percy). While the boys state that they are fighting for fun, it appears that they are doing so more out of necessity. It appears that they are trying to enhance one another’s survival tactics. For these individuals, truth can be defined as survival; what is true is what makes you stronger, and what makes you stronger makes you able to survive.

Because the boys’ fathers have been shipped off to the war, they have gained a new understanding of life. While many say that violence isn’t the answer, it appears to be for these individuals who are growing up in a world that has been taken over by the brutality of war. In order to cope with this brutality, the boys are attempting to make themselves stronger. Since they do not know when the war will end or if they will have to become involved, they spend their time preparing, in part because they are worried and in part because they hope that this will help them forget.

In conclusion, the definitions of truth in “Morning Song” by Silvia Plath, “Stockings,” by Tim O’Brien, ” Dragon Slayers” by Jerald Walker, and “Refresh, Refresh” by Benjamin Percy are different. In “Morning Song” truth is defined as motherly love, in “Stockings” truth is defined as using memories that allow individuals to forget about their problems, in “Dragon Slayers” truth is defined as equality and acceptance of different peoples, and in “Refresh, Refresh” truth is defined by an ability to survive despite the persistence of troubles.. Overall, truth is different for each individual, as exemplified in these poems and short stories. It is important to consider that truth is different for each and every individual. Truth is dependent upon the personality and situation of the individual and, like snow flakes, no two truths are the same.

Works Cited

O’Brien T. Stockings. N.D. Web. 11 May 2015.

Percy J. Refresh, Refresh. N.D. Web. 11 May 2015.

Plath S. Morning Song. N.D. Web. 11 May 2015.

Walker J. N.D. Dragon Slayers. 2006. Web. 17 May 2015.