Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Magi," Sylvia Plath offers a scathing critique of abstract ideals, embodied in her description of "The abstracts" as "dull angels" who are "The real thing, all right: the Good, the True." These angels appear to be untethered to the tangible world, and Plath disparages their detachment, contrasting them sharply with the innocent simplicity of a child's experience. Through this juxtaposition, the poem makes an implicit argument for the value of lived experience and emotional reality over intellectual abstractions.

The poem opens with the imagery of ethereal but "dull angels," each devoid of facial features like "a nose or an eye." They represent the Platonic ideals of the "Good, the True," concepts that exist only in the realm of ideas. These abstract entities are "Salutary and pure as boiled water," cleansed of all impurities but devoid of taste or substance. They are "Loveless as the multiplication table," lacking any emotional resonance or capability for love. Plath's language is acerbic; she diminishes these lofty ideals by comparing their "whiteness" not to anything celestial, but rather to mundane objects like "laundry, / Snow, chalk or suchlike."

Counterposed to these lofty but lifeless ideals is the image of a child, "Six months in the world," who is just learning to rock "on all fours like a padded hammock." For her, notions like "Evil" and "Love" are not abstract concepts but immediate experiences tied to physical discomfort or the "mother of milk." Plath implies that this child's existence, grounded in her body and her emotions, is much more authentic than the empty idealism of the "papery godfolk."

These "godfolk" are misguided, Plath contends, in their quest for the "crib of some lamp-headed Plato." They are caught up in the seduction of intellectualism, searching for some sort of ultimate Truth that exists in abstraction. Yet, Plath argues, what good is such a pursuit for the living, particularly for the child or for any girl growing up? "What girl ever flourished in such company?" she asks, emphasizing how ill-suited these abstractions are for guiding a fulfilling life.

The poem's title, "Magi," refers to the Biblical Wise Men, scholars and astrologers who visited Jesus after his birth. In the Biblical story, the Magi are figures of reverence and wisdom. Plath turns this idea on its head; her "papery godfolk" are not wise but are instead profoundly disconnected from the actual experiences of life and love. They may be in search of some ideal, perhaps even a messiah of the mind, but they "mistake their star." Their wisdom does not lead to enlightenment but instead to a cold, sterile existence that cannot nourish the human heart.

"Magi" is a potent critique of a certain kind of intellectualism that prizes abstract ideals at the expense of lived experience. Plath challenges the value of such a disconnected approach to life, advocating instead for an existence rich in feeling and bodily presence. She does so with her signature biting wit and keen eye for irony, crafting a poem that is both intellectually rigorous and deeply felt.

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