Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"The Death of Myth-Making" by Sylvia Plath explores the erosion of traditional myths, folklore, and superstitions by the sharpening blades of Reason and Common Sense. Plath uses the image of these two virtues riding "by stallion, by nag," effectively likening them to conquerors or civilizers that dispel the fears and irrational beliefs lurking in the recesses of human psyche. The virtues are personified as "Lantern-jawed Reason, squat Common Sense," each appealing to different demographics-"doctors of all sorts" and "housewives and shopkeepers." Their utilitarian purpose is clear: to "grind our knives and scissors," a metaphor for honing thought and action.

Reason and Common Sense serve as "two civil servants" who have set "their whetstone to the blunted edge" of society, transforming it into a more practical and less fearful place. Trees are neatly lopped, poodles are trim, and the laborer's nails are "pared level," symbols of a world where the untamed and superstitious have been cut down to fit the mold of rationality. It's a world sterilized of its mythological essence, tamed by human intellect and pragmatism.

However, the poem subtly critiques this taming process. While the "muddling devil" with "owl-eyes" may have been "minced," his role in creating a sense of awe or terror is lost. The myths and superstitions, though not based in fact, imparted a sense of mystery and uncertainty, affecting people on an emotional and psychological level-"Scared mothers to miscarry," "Drove the dogs to cringe and whine," "turned the farmboy's temper wolfish," "The housewife's, desultory." This irrational, albeit deeply human, part of life is shaved away by the unforgiving blades of Reason and Common Sense.

The poem serves as a meditation on the loss of mystery and the imaginative realm in the modern world. It questions the unbridled celebration of rationality, implying that something essential to the human experience is lost when every corner is lit, every edge is sharpened, and every "muddling devil" is vanquished. The myths and superstitions that once filled the "scraggly wood" served a psychological purpose, fostering a sense of wonder or caution, emotions that are complex and not easily categorized as simply irrational.

Sylvia Plath, a poet often concerned with the complexities of the human mind, appears to caution against over-simplification. In sterilizing our world, we may also be sterilizing our emotional spectrum, paring it down until it fits within the narrow confines of Reason and Common Sense. There's a mournful tone in contemplating the "death of myth-making," as if the poet herself is not entirely convinced that we are better off without these myths, despite the clear-eyed look they compel us to take at our world.

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