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Sylvia Plath Mieeoe

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Submitted By Anastasiak18
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Anastasia Kazantzis
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
ENG4U1
Thexton
Analysis of Mirror The poem “Mirror” written by Sylvia Plath identifies the woman’s physical complexities of her beauty that becomes transparent within the mirror. The woman in the poem is getting older, and while she is aging, the mirror goes on watching the process. In the poem, the woman is realizing that she is getting older and that she is losing her natural beauty. The woman is a narcissus because she believes that speaking to the mirror would reveal the truth. The woman has discovered that her physical appearance is changing and she cannot come to face the terms due to the fact that her reflection is aging. The woman’s reflection is observed in the mirror where communication commences between the mirror and the woman. The mirror is candid towards the woman, who is oblivious to the truth about her beauty. Sylvia Plath uses personification to display the human attributes such as truthfulness. “I have no preconceptions. I am not cruel, only truthful” (Plath l 4). The quotation illustrates that the mirror is speaking to the woman and the woman does not have any preconceptions. It displays that the mirror is an inanimate object. The mirror demonstrates truthfulness, not cruelty. The mirror speaks the truth whether it is good or bad, because the mirror does not lie. Visual imagery is portrayed in the poem because it displays an insight of what the woman sees in the mirror. “Now I am a lake. A woman bends over me. I see her back, and reflect it faithfully” (Plath l 10,13). The quotation illustrates that the point of view is coming from the lake. The woman has to bend over in order for her to see her reflection from the lake. The woman does not only want to see her reflection. She hopes to find who she really is as a human being. The woman is studying herself through the lake. There is a reflecting comparison because she views herself through different aspects such as the lake and the mirror. Sylvia Plath describes the woman to be selfish because her reflection is important. When looking through the mirror, the woman is trying to find another side of her. Lastly, personification is shown throughout the poem and visual imagery is represented by the mirror. The woman cannot come to terms with growing old, and goes to the lake for verification. Simile is used in the poem to display the author’s form of speech. “In me she has drowned a young girl, and in me an old woman” (Plath l 17). The quotation illustrates that the woman’s physical appearance is now maturing and the little girl grew up to become a woman. The reflection is different in a lake because the woman’s reflection is not as clear as a mirror. The water is blurry and the woman is able to see her beauty through the lake. The woman is scared of growing old, and she goes to the lake to see her reflection of herself. The woman realizes that she is growing older every day, and it is shown through her appearance. Enjambment is displayed because the thought running through the women’s mind is categorized into two sections. “I have looked at it so long I think it is a part of my heart. But it flickers” (Plath l 7-8). The quotation illustrates that the mirror is braced up against a wall. The mirror is attached to the wall. The mirror and wall have a connection because the mirror has stared at the wall for a long time. In summary, the woman has not adjusted well knowing that she is getting old. The woman considers the mirror to be a part of her. The woman looks at her appearance through the mirror and there is correspondence happening between the mirror and the woman. The woman is observing her reflection through the mirror, and she notices that her beauty is changing. The woman knew that the mirror does not lie, and she listens to the mirror speak the truth. To see her reflection, the woman sees herself through the lake and notices the imperfections she has. The mirror will have a special place in the woman’s heart. The mirror represents honesty because the woman believes the mirror will speak the truth. The mirror has a meaning behind it. It displays reality however the woman holds on to objects because she is blinded by the truth.

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