Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphors" begins by stating that it is a "riddle in nine syllables." The next eight lines metaphorically describe pregnancy. The second and third lines portray the expecting mother as "An elephant, a ponderous house," and "A melon strolling on two tendrils." Most women that have been pregnant would agree with these comparisons. As the months progress during pregnancy, not only do clothes not fit over the "melon" anymore, but one feels quite awkward balancing and "strolling on two tendrils" that are no longer visible when looking at the ground. The poem continues "O red fruit," which refers to the "red" blood of birth and the anticipated child, the "fruit." Next, she returns to discuss the increasing size of the expecting mother in line 5 as she writes, " This loaf's big with its yeasty rising." In the sixth line, she speaks of the "new" life that is "minted" in her "fat purse." Plath gives an obvious clue to the riddle in line 7 when she writes, "I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf." A mother is a "means" for the development, growth and birth of a child. The "stage" could have many meanings including, a particular time in a life, or a "stage" where a performance will occur, the birth. "A cow in calf" once again referring to a large animal, Plath provides the reader with the answer. In line 8, she writes, "I've eaten a bag of green apples," which suggests the morning sickness that some expecting mothers experience. Finally, the last line indicates the absoluteness of pregnancy, once you have "Boarded the train there's no getting off."
             The number nine has many significant meanings in this poem. The title, as well as the answer to the riddle, both has nine lett
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