Jun 29, 20 in the second stanza, sylvia plath introduces a new element to the poem. In it, a personified mirror unjudgmentally reflects a womans changing appearance over the years. A short analysis of sylvia plaths words interesting. Sylvia plath s poem mirror reveals the dichotomy between womens need for selfacceptance and their tendencies toward selfdeprecation. A sensitive person who tended to be a bit of a perfectionist she was what many would consider a model daughter and student popular, a straight a student, always winning the best prizes. Xabbxcc ddbbbee bbdddff aaaggxx gabbbxa stanza lengths in strings. Apr 19, 2019 in the last post, i wrote about mirror summary in hindi. Mar 03, 2021 in mirror, sylvia plath makes the mirror speak for itself in the first stanza. In the first stanza, they are represented by the word swallow of the second line, unmisted of the third line, and the phrase the eye of a little god of the fifth line. The poem is written from the perspectives of two entities. The first stanza illustrates the objectivity of the. Sylvia plath was living in england with her fellow poet and husband, ted hughes, and she had already. Plath uses these reflections, along with water and color, as images that personify the use of the mirror.
Born in 1932 to middle class parents in jamaica plain, massachusetts, sylvia plath published her first poem at the age of eight. Wadsworth, 2006 680 is that the speaker in the poem is the mirror and the woman in the poem is sylvia plath. In her poem, mirror, sylvia plath uses symbolism with darkness, water, the moon, and the light. Discuss the instances of consonance in lines and again in line 9what effect do they have. Sylvia plath s poem is based on a true story of how she felt about herself, that is why i believe the mirror, the lake, and the woman are all her. Sylvia plath, a precocious enigma of the 1960s, battled perfectionism and precipitous mood swings while pursuing a career as a teacher and poet. Sylvia plath the poem, has a theme, which is talking about a complex relationship of plath.
Also see poem mirror, line by line explanation, summary, difficult words, literary devices, ncert solutions and important question answers. Not only the quiet lakes surface reflects everything, but it has depth also. Im a riddle in nine syllables, in the first line of the poem, plath sets the tone for the rest of the piece. The mirror imagery in plaths poetry, therefore, signifies the. In it, she expresses her desire to have her child continue to live a bright and happy life, unlike her own. Jul 07, 2020 line 2 is also an example of personification because mirrors dont see or swallow anything but plath s poem makes this character so believable that we have to remind ourselves that mirrors dont have eyes or mouths. Eng 2d 01 october 8, 2020 tpcastt poetry analysis mirror by sylvia plath 1961 i am silver and exact. Get an answer for paraphrase line by line the poem mirror by sylvia plath. This zip files contains a pdf, editable doc, 4point grading rubric, and ppt with student examples.
Brainstorm five things you know about mirrors, associate with mirrors, or use. Lady lazarus, is both the title of the poem, and its speakermuch like the biblical lazarus, the man jesus resurrected from the dead in the gospel of john. The mirror by sylvia plath essay 318 words 2 pages. Sylvia plath has long been categorized as a confessional poet, which has limited. Literary techniques used in sylvia plaths poem, mirror. These two lines bring to our attention that the woman is looking at her reflection in the lake, studying the image of herself that she sees.
Nov 15, 2011 get an answer for paraphrase line by line the poem mirror by sylvia plath. The mirror says i am not cruel, only truthful discuss. The poem describes a woman who seeks and yet denies the truth about herself and it reveals. Poetry explication of sylvia plath s mirror the first thing one can notice in sylvia plath s poem mirror rpt. This ap book provide me with the poem, mirror, by sylvia plath. Poem mirror class 10 english explanation, summary, difficult words. What do you think the woman is searching for line 11. Mirror is a free verse written by the american poet sylvia plath. Sylvia plath was living in england with her fellow poet and husband, ted hughes, and she. In the line faces and darkness separate us over and over, darkness has two meanings. In the poem mirror, by sylvia plath, the poet communicates the idea that ones perception of youth and old age can influence how one views the passage of time. Apr 04, 2010 the poem mirror and an analysis of the poem.
Plath intended us to refer to the deeper meaning which is the mirror had the ability to easily and quickly take in its surroundings. Essay about mirror by sylvia plath, analysis 861 words. You can read plath s poem words here before proceeding to our analysis below. A short analysis of sylvia plaths mirror interesting literature. Download my free group poetry analysis activity for sylvia plath s mirror as an accompanying activity. A metrical analysis during sylvia plath s career as a poet, although the main bulk of it lasted only from around 1956 until her death in february of 1963, this poet produced a body of work comprised of more than two hundred poems, utilizing a wide range of poetic styles and devices. The poem mirror is an autobiographical account of a mirror, highlighting its qualities. The poem which remains one of plath s most enduring works. All the exercises and question and answers given at the back of the. The poem thus illustrates the anguish of aging, as the woman confronts her mortality in the mirror each morning. This line is the mirror giving an introduction of its self. How would you describe the tone of the poemthe speakers.
This poem also conveys of realism of nature, which reflects to the reality of a human being. In this post, you can find some important questions from the chapter mirror. I am not cruel, only truthful, the eye of a little god, fourcornered. She thinks of herself just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike plath 3. In the poem mirror, the author, sylvia plath brings into perspective the true importance of mirrors.
She changes the narrator from the rectangular mirror, meditating on the opposite wall, to a lake. Plath would kill herself on 11 february 1963, in a london apartment she had decided to rent because w. Sylvia also repeats three lines throughout the poem that makes the poem have a constant theme of lost love going through it. This poem is not a riddle, speaking with the voice of some mysterious i until the end, where the reader is shocked to find out that its a mirror, and not a person speaking. Plath personifies the mirror and narrates the poem from this persona giving us the perspective of things in the light of the mirror s point of view. Transitional poetry of sylvia plath as seen through new critical. Hence, although the narrators form has changed, its function hasnt. A figurative language analysis on sylvia plath poems institutional. If we didnt know any better, wed think that these two lines were part of a love poem from person to her beloved, and not from a mirror to a wall. This poem claims that though certain images reflected in it might be painful to certain people at certain stages of their lives, it is in no way responsible for causing this pain because it. It combines all her opinions and displays them in full view while deceiving the reader through her use of diction and various forms of poetic devices such as personification and metaphorical language. The way plath has structured this line makes us think that the mirror must be sad at this separation. Playfully, the reader is informed that the speaker plath is a riddle. The poem mirror is adeptly exploring and advancing the themes of both truth and ageing.
Mirror by sylvia plath question and answers short answer type questions. A comparative analysis between plaths mirror and wimbrows. A mirror explains its existence and the owners existence that is growing with the mirror witnessing. Mirror demonstrates a unique outlook on the attitudes of aging. Literary techniques used in sylvia plaths poem, mirror 123. Sylvia plath grew up at a time of intense poetic ferment in the united states. It reflects how a woman is disappointed and frustrated to see her g. In what sense is the speaker the eye of a little god line 5. In blizzard sylvia plath shows us the ritual a woman practices every day by looking into a mirror. Analysis of the mirror by sylvia plath 1215 words bartleby. Nov 19, 2014 sylvia plath s mirror contains several metaphors. The poet brings out the fact that mirror is accepted as the most truthful after god but is the most hated by people who expect a more beautiful reflection of their figure than what is real. In lines 1718, the image of the aging woman is compared to a terrible fish. Plath as well as the line about emotions that i went over earlier.
Plath uses symbolism, personification, and metaphors to convey her theme that mirrors reflect who we. Instead, the poem lets us know from the start that were hearing from a mirror, with its title, mirror, and its first line, i am silver and exact. The terse, chopped phrasing of the first line, along with language such as. The mirror analysis the mirror is a twostanza captivating and a highly personalized poem that was authored by sylvia plath in the 1960s as an exploration of the uncertain self. Gill notes that the poem is catoptric, meaning that it describes while it represents its own structure. The poem, child by sylvia plath is about her son or daughter, which is obvious because of the title. What are the most significant features of sylvia plaths. Sylvia plath wrote mirror in 1961, shortly after having given birth to her first child.
Since this is the first line, we think of the color silver throughout the poem whenever we think of the mirror. The mirror is silver and exact with no preconception. Mirror is a short, two stanza poem written in 1961. Sylvia plath wrote lady lazarus in 1962, during a creative burst of energy in the months before her death by suicide in 1963. In the poem mirror, sylvia plath uses strong metaphors and objects as things reflected in a mirror. Background of the poem the poem was written by sylvia plath in 1961. Sylvia plath s mirror a study guide line by line analysis ao2 line 1 were it not for its title, the opening lines of mirror might seem to be clues to a childs riddle. Plath uses pheasant as a symbol for representing her complicating complex. Whatever i see i swallow immediately just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. Written in free verse mirror is unrhymed and has a largely irregular metre, with the line lengths varying a little from line to line this is a poem, bordering on. Such clues quickly make it evident that the first person speaker of the poem i is the mirror referred to in the title. In line, the speaker doubts that the alleyshaped hedges will allow her a glimpse of the sea, an. The first meaning is the actual darkness, opposite of the light.
In line 6 the metaphor is that the mirror is reflecting the opposite wall, not meditating on it and the personification is that. The first stanza describes the mirror, which seems to be like one of those people who doesnt tell white lies. Mirror by sylvia plath english explanation class 10 youtube. By dr oliver tearle words was one of the last poems sylvia plath wrote before her tragic suicide in february 1963. This quote can be look at this line in a literal meaning or for a deeper meaning. The mirror gives an autobiographical account of itself. It was published byfaber and faber eight years after her death in 1971 as part of thecollection crossing the water. Poem mirror class 10 cbse english poem summary and background. The disturbing tone of plaths poetry underscores a depth of feeling that can be. Mirror summary this poem is not a riddle, speaking with the voice of some mysterious i until the end, where the reader is shocked to find out that its a mirror, and not a person speaking. Aug 26, 2014 the mirror by sylvia plath is an unforgettable poem told from the perspective of a mirror. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on youtube. In its two stanzas, the personified mirror and its counter. The mirror insists that it objectively reflects the trutha truth that greets the woman who looks in the mirror each day as a terrible reminder of her own mortality.
This assignment can be used as a stand alone activity, but it works great in conjunction with syl. Paraphrase line by line the poem mirror by sylvia plath. In the first stanza the mirror tells us about itself and describes its experiences. This poem is all about appearances and the search for the self. Discuss the instances of consonance in lines and again in line 9what effect do they. Jan 09, 2020 plath s mirror analysis of first stanza. The mirror by sylvia plath is an unforgettable poem told from the perspective of a mirror. Jun 29, 20 line by line summary of mirror by sylvia plath mirror is written in blank verse and is divided into two stanzas. The comparison is about how people look, and how society could reflect how you may feel about your looks. Sylvia plaths poem, mirror, symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, especially the. I am not cruel, only truthful the eye of a little god, fourcornered. Mirror by sylvia plath essay example premiumqualityessays.
In what sense are candles and the moon liars line 12. In a paragraph, sum up what you believe the theme of this poem is, and use at. Reflections of self and other in sylvia plaths mirror imagery. Read the questions thoroughly and comment if you liked. Mirror by sylvia plath question and answers important. Narratorlady l has died and resurrected before line 2. This poem is a lyric consisting of two equal stanzas containing nine lines each. Apr 03, 2016 the first line introduces a metaphor for her husbands mistress that plath will sustain over the course of the poem. This applies to both of the characters described in the poem. Daddy by sylvia plath in hindi summary explanation youtube. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. She brings the past, present and future all into effect in the two short stanzas in this poem. Plath uses personification in this poem by saying that arbitrary blackness gallops in. Plath s poem mirror is a notable example of this doubling.
This line from plath s final poem has long puzzled critics and readers because it suggests a potential desire to take her children with her into death. Also, the explanation is followed by a summary of the lesson. In the second stanza, the mirror becomes a lake but continues to speak. Plath uses symbolism, personification, and metaphors to convey her theme that mirrors reflect who we are and how others see us. The color in this line gives us the major clue that ah ha. In line 12, the mirror calls the moon and candles liars. Written from the point of view of a personified mirror, the poem explores plath s own fears regarding aging and death. Poem analysis of spider by sylvia plath for close reading. She was born in jamaica plain, a suburb of boston, massachusetts, on october 27, 1932. Dec 14, 2018 further personifying it, plath gives the mirror feelings, saying it believes the wall is part of my heart line 8 and that when it stares at the wall, it meditates line 6. The author gives the mirror a voice for it to communicate its thoughts across to us.
Mirror was written on october 23, 1961, on the backside of a list o. This line introduces to the audience a new character, the woman. A short analysis of sylvia plaths mirror interesting. Analysis of mirror, by sylvia plath 1105 words 123 help me. Cbse class 10 english poem mirror detailed line by line explanation of the poem along with meanings of difficult words and literary devices used in the poem. In this stanza the mirror compares itself to a lake. As implied by the pieces title, this is first of many puckish metaphors. The mirror does not just reflect the pink wall, things come between the two, like faces and darkness line 9, at times. The fact that the mirror is the voice and has the starring role is a little odd, but sylvia plath wanted to show just how powerful an object the mirror is in peoples lives. Sylvia plath uses imagery figures of speech and symbolism to show us that everyone will be forced to face the truth of aging, and death which in the end is. The mirror insists that it objectively reflects the trutha truth that greets the woman who looks in the mirror each day as a terrible. The book did not actually provide much analysis or.
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