Poetry analysis of mirror by sylvia plath. Mirror by Sylvia Plath: In 2022-10-26
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"Mirror" by Sylvia Plath is a poem that explores the relationship between the self and the outside world, particularly as it pertains to the role of the mirror as a reflection of the self. Through the use of vivid imagery and symbolism, Plath delves into the theme of identity and the ways in which it can be influenced by external forces.
The poem begins with the mirror being described as a "lake" that is "still as a mirror," suggesting that it is a calm and unchanging reflection of reality. However, as the poem progresses, the mirror becomes more active and takes on a life of its own. It is described as "silver and exact," suggesting its ability to accurately reflect the world around it.
The speaker of the poem then goes on to describe how the mirror "swallows" the reflection of the "I" who looks into it. This imagery suggests that the mirror has the ability to absorb and consume the identity of the person looking into it. This is further emphasized by the lines "I see her back, and reflect it faithfully. She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands," which suggest that the mirror is able to manipulate the emotions and actions of the person looking into it.
The mirror is also described as "unmisted by love or dislike," suggesting that it is impartial and objective in its reflection of reality. This is in contrast to the speaker's own emotions and subjectivity, which are described as "cloudy" and "dazzled." The mirror serves as a reminder to the speaker of the limitations of their own perspective and the need to consider multiple viewpoints.
Throughout the poem, the mirror is personified and given agency, suggesting that it has a powerful influence on the speaker's identity and perception of the world. The final lines of the poem, "I am the truth. Speak. I feel drunk. I can't tell what's going on," further emphasize the transformative and disorienting effect of the mirror on the speaker's sense of self.
In conclusion, "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of the relationship between the self and the outside world, as reflected through the metaphor of a mirror. Through the use of vivid imagery and symbolism, Plath delves into the theme of identity and the ways in which it can be influenced by external forces, ultimately leaving the reader with a sense of the complexity and fluidity of the self.
Sylvia Plath Poem Analysis
I have looked at it so long I think it is part of my heart. As a matter of fact, the ocean is a metaphor of greatness and mystery. Observation leads to reflection. The title of the poem helps the reader understand the speaker of the poem and helps portray the theme of the poem. The glass jar distorts her image of the world as she feels trapped under the glass. The choice of the mirror, a typical feminine object, reinforced by the mirrored structure of the poem, enhance particularly the issues and the dichotomy she lays bare. A domestic simile helps us to visualise this huge, ancient fish, while evoking a sense of comfortable familiarity 'his brown skin hung in strips, like ancient wallpaper' Imaginative similes conjure up an image of the inside of the fish, his flesh is 'packed in like feathers', while his swim bladder is 'like a big poeny'.
However, one thing that was somewhat consistent throughout her depressing poetry would be the theme of the female perspective. This is a wonderful comparison. She considered literature aimed at the exploration of the self, as exemplified by the strange psyche at work in her poems. I think it may have explored the contrast between her appearance and her inner self. I feel that maybe, for Plath, this poem not only meant that she feared aging.
She was inspired by novelists and her own skills. The poem was written in 1961 and published in the year of 1963. Plath was polite and docile on the outside, but her thoughts were dark. It is clear that the woman in the poem is distraught over the loss of her beauty, admitting to herself each day that she is growing older. We see that the woman is not satisfied with the image that is shown by the mirror , we get the feeling of melancholy from this stanza. Line 13, she mentions « the candles » or « the moon », labeled as « liars ». It unfolds its fear of the passing of time and aging.
A reflective lake can also be considered a mirror. I was born in the year she died, and feel I have loved her poems since I was born! » Again, in the first stanza the mirror refers to itself as being « silver and exact, » and then in lines 6 and 7 says, « Most of the time I meditate on the opposite wall. The woman does not want to accept it but the reflection in the daylight tells the truth. I have no preconceptions. She feels guilty of her behavior knowing that she has two children. Whatever I see I swallow immediately Just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. The woman in the poem fears the transformation from youth into old age, which makes her dread and fear the passage of time.
We can be certain it will, for life is but a series of actions and reactions, that we continue to do until the day we die. Personification— The poet has personified the mirror, where it speaks for itself. What the mirror reflects is not the simple beauty the woman wants to see but a complex set of other images, more mysterious and more expressive of anxiety, sadness, and loss. It is pink, with speckles. Ever since Melinda was raped, she has been frustrated with herself and has not been able to face her reflection. Sylvia Plath was a twentieth century American writer and poet, born in 1932.
Analysis of the Poem Mirror by Sylvia Plath: Plunging into the Troubled Water of the Looking
It also stresses the conflict between reality and perceptions, objectivity and subjectivity, emotion and rationality. Does it only do good? When the woman faces the mirror she faces truth, when she turns to the candles or the moon she faces « those liars. It shows you, the real you. In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman Rises toward her day after day, like a terrible fish. She wrote about everything, from the things that brought her great joy to the things that drove her to attempt suicide. Each morning it is her face that replaces the darkness. Though the speaker is a mirror, the subjects are time and appearance.
This shows that she could not face her feelings. However, one thing How Sylvia Plath's Life is Reflected in the Poems Daddy, Morning Song, and Lady Lazarus How Sylvia Plath's Life is Reflected in the Poems Daddy, Morning Song, and Lady Lazarus Sylvia Plath has had an "exciting" life, if I can use this word. I see her back, and reflect it faithfully. But in return all he gets is tears and disapproval. Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
The woman struggles with the loss of her beauty, admitting each day that she is growing older. They are the unsolicited productions of the suicidal person, usually The Importance Of Literature Certainly, the benefits of literature and the knowledge acquired from it have been acknowledged by a vast majority of individuals. I have no preconceptions. These last two lines set up stanza two. She is generally labelled as a « Confessional Poet » as her poetry depicts her personal states of mind, emotions and pains, imbued with « unconsciousness material.
» So the double here is compounded — you have the truthful mirror versus the lying candles and moon, and you have the act of turning. In the first nine line of the poem, personification is used to promote the theme. We can deny we are aging but it doesn't change the fact that we are and until we see the true nature of who we are, then we will forever be like the small fish, constantly waiting to be consumed by the terrible larger one. Faces and darkness separate us over and over. Likewise, we find various anaphoras of the first person pronoun « I am a lake » in line , « I see her back », « I am important to her » and « In me » repeated twice in line 17. We see that by the end of the poem, a girl is drowning and a fish is rising to take over her. She finds alternative ways to view herself but she is unable to come to terms with aging is trying to grasp at her youth as her perception of her now old self causes her grief.
While looking at the fish, the couple ponders the meaning of this fish. The repetition of « over and over » also foreshadows the more tragic tone of the poem in the second stanza. However it is difficult to see through the blurred surface of the lake and go beyond the simple reflection. How people take it depends on them. I felt that many people, including myself, can relate to this poem. Raised as a Unitarian Christian, Plath lost her faith after the death of her father.
