Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Incommunicado" by Sylvia Plath delves into the complexities of communication and human-animal interaction, raising questions about mutual understanding, isolation, and the frustrating limitations of language. Plath uses a straightforward event-a confrontation with a groundhog-to explore themes of disconnection and inaccessibility.

The opening scene sets the stage: "The groundhog on the mountain did not run / But fatly scuttled into the splayed fern." Immediately, we are given an image of an animal that is wary but not completely fearful. It doesn't run but confronts the speaker, facing her "back to a ledge of dirt," where it rattles "her sallow rodent teeth like castanets." Here, the groundhog is not just a cute woodland creature but an embodiment of the natural world's inherent otherness. The groundhog's teeth chattering resembles castanets, instruments that produce sound but no clear message, reinforcing the theme of non-communication or miscommunication.

Further complicating the speaker's predicament is the realization that traditional symbols of love or good will-here considered "currency"-are not universal: "claws braced, at bay, my currency not hers." There is a profound gap between human understanding and animal perception, one that neither side can easily cross. This establishes the groundhog as a mirror of the speaker's own incommunicado state, where mutual understanding is beyond reach.

The poem contrasts this real-life experience with "marchen" or fairy tales where "love-met groundhogs love one in return," highlighting that the complexities of communication and understanding are often glossed over in such simplified narratives. In fairy tales, everything is clear-cut, but reality poses a greater challenge.

The latter part of the poem takes a philosophical turn, questioning the universality of language and understanding: "From what grace am I fallen. Tongues are strange, / Signs say nothing." This goes beyond the speaker and the groundhog, encapsulating the human condition. The mythological reference to Canacee and the falcon, characters from Ovid's Metamorphoses, adds another layer to the poem. In the myth, Canacee and the falcon could communicate, but that sort of mythical, perfect communication feels far removed from the speaker's experience, speaking "gibberish to coarsened ears."

"Incommunicado" explores the limitations of language and the barriers to true understanding, whether it be between humans and animals or among humans themselves. Plath utilizes this seemingly simple interaction to probe deeper, questioning the very essence of communication and mutual understanding. While the poem may initially seem to be a straightforward encounter with nature, it evolves into a meditation on the complexities and failures of expression. It leaves us to ponder on our own instances of failed communications and the 'coarsened ears' we ourselves may possess.

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