Download
1 / 21
E N D
Sylvia Plath was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she studied at Smith College and Newnham College, Cambridge, before receiving acclaim as a professional poet and writer. Sylvia Plath was one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the twentieth century. By the time she took her life at the age of thirty, Plath already had a following in the literary community.
The mirror is a symbol of truthfulness. It is exact. It doesn’t suffer from any preconceived notions. Nor is it colored by emotions, love and hate. Objectivity is the main trait of the mirror. Whatever it sees, it reflects it faithfully. Sometimes reality bites us. We turn to ‘the liars’ like candles and the moon. They help in our self-deception. A woman may turn to them for getting flattering and favorable impressions. The mirror hides nothing, neither the age nor fading youth and beauty.
The mirror speaks for itself. It is like silver (in color) and exact. It presents a true image. It doesn’t suffer from any prethoughts or preconvinced notions. Whatever it sees, it absorbs it at once just as it is. It is not affected by the feelings of love or dislike.
‘Personification’ is used in these lines. The activities of the mirror such as ‘swallow’, ‘meditate’, ‘see’ are all human activities.
The mirror further speaks for itself. It says that it is not cruel. It is only truthful and presents images as they actually are. The four-cornered mirror compares itself to the eye or a four cornered little God. It sees and reflects everything truly and fairly from all sides.
The mirror says that most of the time it meditates on the opposite wall. The color of the wall is pink and it is full of marks or speckles. The mirror has been looking at the wall for such a long time that it has become a part of its heart. But it flickers and shakes. Over and again the faces and darkness separate the wall from the mirror.
The poetic device used in these lines is ‘Personification’. ‘Alliteration’ is used in the first line. The poet has made use of ‘Repetition’ in the phrase ‘over and over’.
Now the mirror takes the form and shape of a lake. A woman bends over it. She wants to search its range and see what she really is. Then she wants to get a more flattering image. She turns to candles and the moon who gives her a false or flattering image.
In the first sentence ‘Now I'm a lake’ , ‘Metaphor’ is used.
The mirror sees her back and reflects it faithfully or truly. The mirror says that it is important for that lady. She always comes, sees her face in the mirror and goes.
Each morning, it is her face that replaces the darkness. She has been seeing her face in it since she was a young girl. Now the old woman has replaced the young girl. The young girl has grown into an aged woman. When she sees her face in the mirror she looks old. Nobody wants to look and feel old. Therefore, the woman feels like a fish out of water when she sees herself growing older everyday.
In the line ‘ Rises toward her day after day like a terrible fish’, poetic device used is ‘Repetition’.
Made by: Ishita MalhotraX-A Roll no. 12
