'The Death Baby' by Anne Sexton

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1. DREAMS

I was an ice baby.
I turned to sky blue.
My tears became two glass beads.
My mouth stiffened into a dumb howl.
They say it was a dream
but I remember that hardening.

My sister at six
dreamt nightly of my death:
"The baby turned to ice.
Someone put her in the refrigerator
and she turned as hard as a Popsicle."

I remember the stink of the liverwurst.
How I was put on a platter and laid
between the mayonnaise and the bacon.
The rhythm of the refrigerator
had been disturbed.
The milk bottle hissed like a snake.
The tomatoes vomited up their stomachs.
The caviar turned to lave.
The pimentos kissed like cupids.
I moved like a lobster,
slower and slower.
The air was tiny.
The air would not do.
*
I was at the dogs' party.
I was their bone.
I had been laid out in their kennel
like a fresh turkey.

This was my sister's dream
but I remember that quartering;
I remember the sickbed smell
of the sawdust floor, the pink eyes,
the pink tongues and the teeth, those nails.
I had been carried out like Moses
and hidden by the paws
of ten Boston bull terriers,
ten angry bulls
jumping like enormous roaches.
At first I was lapped,
rough as sandpaper.
I became very clean.
Then my arm was missing.
I was coming apart.
They loved me until
I was gone.



2. THE DY-DEE DOLL

My Dy-dee doll
died twice.
Once when I snapped
her head off
and let if float in the toilet
and once under the sun lamp
trying to get warm
she melted.
She was a gloom,
her face embracing
her little bent arms.
She died in all her rubber wisdom.



3. SEVEN TIMES

I died seven times
in seven ways
letting death give me a sign,
letting death place his mark on my forehead,
crossed over, crossed over

And death took root in that sleep.
In that sleep I held an ice baby
and I rocked it
and was rocked by it.
Oh Madonna, hold me.
I am a small handful.



4.MADONNA

My mother died
unrocked, unrocked.
Weeks at her deathbed
seeing her thrust herself against the metal bars,
thrashing like a fish on the hook
and me low at her high stage,
letting the priestess dance alone,
wanting to place my head in her lap
or even take her in my arms somehow
and fondle her twisted gray hair.
But her rocking horse was pain
with vomit steaming from her mouth.
Her belly was big with another child,
cancer's baby, big as a football.
I could not soothe.
With every hump and crack
there was less Madonna
until that strange labor took her.
Then the room was bankrupt.
That was the end of her paying.



5. MAX

Max and I
two immoderate sisters,
two immoderate writers,
two burdeners,
made a pact.
To beat death down with a stick.
To take over.
To build our death like carpenters.
When she had a broken back,
each night we built her sleep.
Talking on the hot line
until her eyes pulled down like shades.
And we agreed in those long hushed phone calls
that when the moment comes
we'll talk turkey,
we'll shoot words straight from the hip,
we'll play it as it lays.
Yes,
when death comes with its hood
we won't be polite.



6. BABY

Death,
you lie in my arms like a cherub,
as heavy as bread dough.
Your milky wings are as still as plastic.
Hair soft as music.
Hair the color of a harp.
And eyes made of glass,
as brittle as crystal.
Each time I rock you
I think you will break.
I rock. I rock.
Glass eye, ice eye,
primordial eye,
lava eye,
pin eye,
break eye,
how you stare back!

Like the gaze if small children
you know all about me.
You have worn my underwear.
You have read my newspaper.
You have seen my father whip me.
You have seen my stroke my father's whip.

I rock. I rock.
We plunge back and forth
comforting each other.
We are stone.
We are carved, a pietà
that swings.
Outside, the world is a chilly army.
Outside, the sea is brought to its knees.
Outside, Pakistan is swallowed in a mouthful.

I rock. I rock.
You are my stone child
with still eyes like marbles.
There is a death baby
for each of us.
We own him.
His smell is our smell.
Beware. Beware.
There is a tenderness.
There is a love
for this dumb traveler
waiting in his pink covers.
Someday,
heavy with cancer or disaster
I will look up at Max
and say: It is time.
Hand me the death baby
and there will be
that final rocking.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Death Baby by Anne Sexton: A Dark and Daring Exploration of Motherhood and Mortality

Anne Sexton's "The Death Baby" is a haunting and powerful poem that explores the complex and conflicted feelings of a woman facing both the joys and sorrows of motherhood. Written in Sexton's signature confessional style, the poem is a vivid and visceral portrayal of the emotional struggles that many women face when confronted with the reality of childbirth and the fragility of life itself. In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will examine the themes, imagery, and poetic techniques that make "The Death Baby" such a compelling and thought-provoking work of art.

Themes: Motherhood, Mortality, and the Human Condition

At its core, "The Death Baby" is a poem about motherhood and mortality. The speaker, who is presumably a mother herself, describes the birth of her child in vivid and visceral detail, capturing the intense physical and emotional pain of the experience. But as the poem progresses, the focus shifts from the joy and wonder of new life to the dark and haunting reality of death. The speaker describes the child as a "death baby" - not because it is dead, but because it is a reminder of the inevitability of death and the fragility of life.

Throughout the poem, Sexton explores the complex and conflicted feelings that many women experience when confronted with the reality of childbirth and the possibility of losing a child. She captures the fear, the pain, and the sense of loss that many mothers experience, as well as the joy, the wonder, and the sense of awe that come with bringing a new life into the world. The poem is a powerful and poignant exploration of the human condition, capturing both the beauty and the tragedy of life in all its complexity.

Imagery: Dark, Raw, and Visceral

One of the most striking aspects of "The Death Baby" is its imagery. Sexton uses vivid and visceral language to capture the pain and intensity of childbirth, as well as the dark and haunting reality of death. She describes the child as "drowned," "bloated," and "blue," capturing the sense of horror and fear that many women feel when confronted with the possibility of losing a child. At the same time, she also captures the beauty and wonder of new life, describing the "pink, puckered face" of the child and the "sweet, sweet, sweet milk" that flows from the mother's breast.

Sexton's imagery is also highly symbolic, reflecting the themes of motherhood and mortality that run throughout the poem. The child, for example, is described as a "death baby," a symbol of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. The mother's milk, on the other hand, is a symbol of nourishment and life, a reminder that even in the face of death, there is still hope and renewal. The poem is full of powerful and evocative imagery, capturing the raw and visceral emotions that lie at the heart of the human experience.

Poetic Techniques: Confessional, Free-Form, and Raw

Like much of Sexton's work, "The Death Baby" is written in a confessional style, pulling from the author's own experiences and emotions to create a raw and powerful work of art. The poem is also free-form, lacking a traditional rhyme scheme or meter. This allows Sexton to experiment with language and form, creating a work that is both raw and unpredictable.

One of the most striking poetic techniques that Sexton employs in "The Death Baby" is repetition. Throughout the poem, she repeats certain phrases and words, such as "death baby," "sweet milk," and "pink, puckered face." This repetition creates a sense of intensity and urgency, emphasizing the key themes and images that Sexton is exploring. It also creates a sense of momentum, driving the poem forward and building to its powerful and haunting conclusion.

Interpretation: A Bold and Uncompromising Work of Art

"The Death Baby" is a bold and uncompromising work of art, a raw and visceral exploration of motherhood, mortality, and the human condition. Sexton's vivid and evocative imagery captures both the beauty and the horror of life, while her free-form style and use of repetition create a sense of urgency and intensity that drives the poem forward.

At its core, "The Death Baby" is a deeply personal and emotional work, a reflection of Sexton's own experiences and struggles. But it is also a universal work, speaking to the fears and hopes that all mothers face when confronted with the fragility of life. It is a poem that challenges us to confront the reality of death and to find hope and renewal even in the face of tragedy.

In conclusion, "The Death Baby" is a masterpiece of modern poetry, a work that explores the depths of human emotion and experience with raw and unflinching honesty. It is a poem that demands to be read and reread, a testament to the power of language and the human spirit.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Death Baby: A Haunting Poem by Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton is a renowned American poet who is known for her confessional style of writing. Her poems often deal with themes of mental illness, death, and the struggles of being a woman in a patriarchal society. One of her most haunting and powerful poems is The Death Baby, which was published in her 1966 collection, Live or Die. In this article, we will analyze and explain the meaning behind this classic poem.

The Death Baby is a short but powerful poem that explores the theme of death and the fear of dying. The poem is written in free verse, with no set rhyme or meter, which gives it a sense of urgency and raw emotion. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each of which explores a different aspect of death.

The first stanza of the poem introduces the concept of the death baby. The speaker describes the baby as "a small thing / that sleeps in a basket / while the moon climbs." The image of a sleeping baby is usually associated with innocence and new life, but in this context, it takes on a darker meaning. The death baby represents the inevitability of death and the fear that it brings. The fact that it sleeps while the moon climbs suggests that death is always present, even when we are not aware of it.

In the second stanza, the speaker describes the death baby's mother. She is "a woman who is not a woman / but a cloud in trousers." This description is both surreal and unsettling. The idea of a woman who is not a woman suggests that she is not fully human, but rather a symbol or metaphor for something else. The fact that she is described as a cloud in trousers adds to the surreal nature of the poem. Clouds are usually associated with the sky and the heavens, while trousers are a symbol of the earthly realm. This contrast suggests that the mother is caught between two worlds, neither fully human nor fully divine.

The third stanza of the poem brings the themes of death and motherhood together. The speaker describes the mother as "a woman who is not a woman / but a death mask." A death mask is a plaster or wax cast made of a person's face after they have died. It is a symbol of mortality and the finality of death. The fact that the mother is described as a death mask suggests that she is a symbol of death itself. The speaker then goes on to say that the mother "sings / to the death baby / who looks like her." This image is both haunting and poignant. The fact that the death baby looks like its mother suggests that death is a part of us all, and that we cannot escape it. The mother's song is a lullaby to her own mortality, and to the mortality of her child.

The Death Baby is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of death and motherhood. The image of the death baby is a powerful symbol of our own mortality, and the fear that it brings. The mother, who is not fully human but a symbol of death itself, adds to the surreal and unsettling nature of the poem. The fact that she sings to her own mortality, and to the mortality of her child, is both haunting and poignant. Anne Sexton's use of free verse and vivid imagery creates a sense of urgency and raw emotion that makes this poem a classic of modern poetry.

In conclusion, The Death Baby is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of death and motherhood. Anne Sexton's use of vivid imagery and free verse creates a sense of urgency and raw emotion that makes this poem a classic of modern poetry. The image of the death baby is a powerful symbol of our own mortality, and the fear that it brings. The mother, who is not fully human but a symbol of death itself, adds to the surreal and unsettling nature of the poem. This poem is a testament to Sexton's skill as a poet, and her ability to capture the raw emotions of life and death in her writing.

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