Jul 31, 2016 in the second stanza, sylvia plath introduces a new element to the poem. Analysis of the poem mirror analyzing the works of. It captures the frustration of people as they look at their reflection watching themselves age. A split in the mirror i sit composed in grecian tunic and psycheknot, rooted to your black look, the play turned tragic.
In line 12, the mirror calls the moon and candles liars. In the last post, i wrote about mirror summary in hindi. Sylvia plath poems, quotations and biography on sylvia plath poet page. The bell jar autobiographical novel amazon parnassus powells. In what sense does the speaker swallow whatever it sees. Brainstormfivethingsyouknowaboutmirrors,associatewith. So, from this line in the poem, we can guess that the mirror has seen mostly female faces, and that the poem is concerned with women and femininity. The entire poem is told by the mirror itself, meaning that personification is used throughout the poem because most mirrors lack the ability to talk excepting, of course, the mirror is snow white.
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. Sylvia plath s poem mirror discusses the concepts of female identity and selfrepresentation. Use sylvia plaths poem mirror as a model to teach personification. Sylvia plath chooses a simple everyday object, a mirror in her mirror by sylvia plath. Jan 09, 2020 this poem is all about appearances and the search for the self. The lyric poem, mirror, written in 1961 and published in 1971, in a collection entitled, crossing the water stands out for dexterously employing poetic vehicles like powerful language, unusual syntax and sharp imagery in reflecting the mounting. Born in 1932 to middle class parents in jamaica plain, massachusetts, sylvia plath published her first poem at the age of eight. Though the speaker is a mirror, the subjects are time and appearance. For thirty years, poor and white, barely daring to breathe or achoo. This includes a discussion of the poems general meaning, a linebyline analysis, and finishing on a note about the structure and historical context of the poem. 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. Through the use of metaphor and personification in the poem, plath creates images of water, reflections, and colors as having human characteristics to emphasize the strong.
Plath writes in many different styles, but this poem shows a style that is evident in much of her poetry. The unabridged journals of sylvia plath amazon parnassus powells. Mirror by sylvia plath question and answers short answer type questions. The duality that sylvia plath wrote about in her thesis provides the basis for the personality of esther, the protagonist of plaths the bell jar. The poem is written from the perspectives of two entities. Compared to most of the others in plath s oeuvre, this poem is not particularly difficult to analyze. Plath an american poet, novelist and short story writer. You died before i had time marbleheavy, a bag full of god, ghastly statue with one gray toe. Together with unusual syntax, no obvious rhyme or meter and an astute use of enjambment, mirror is a personification poem of great depth. The poem mirror is an autobiographical account of a mirror, highlighting its qualities. Whatever i see i swallow immediately just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike.
On february 11, 1963, sylvia plath succeeded in killing herself with cooking gas at the age of thirty. Time is just included as a word in the phrase most of the time, but at least we know that for the mirror, time does pass, even if the mirror isnt changed by it. The mirror by sylvia plath full explanation mytutor. Two years after her death, ariel, a collection of some her last poems was published, that was followed by crossing the water and winter trees in 1971 and in 1981 the collected poems was published, edited by none other than ted hughes. She had spent her senior year working on a special honors thesis which she titled. 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. She changes the narrator from the rectangular mirror, meditating on the opposite wall, to a lake. All the exercises and question and answers given at the back of the lesson.
In it, a personified mirror unjudgmentally reflects a womans. In first stanza, the narrator is a real mirror while in the second stanza, it is a lake a reflecting surface which. It uses the titular mirror as its central symbolic device. The feminist movement was becoming more prominent just as plath herself was beginning to experience motherhood and to enter middle age. The author of several collections of poetry and the novel the bell jar, sylvia plath is often singled out for the intense coupling of violent or disturbed imagery with the playful use of alliteration and rhyme in her work. Apr 19, 2019 welcome to the mirror by sylvia plath question and answers. Discuss the way plath uses language in the poem to convey this complex tone. Sylvia plath reading tulip with poem on screen duration. Apr 24, 2009 a mirror is an interesting choice for a speaker because, in real life, a mirror cant lie.
Words such as swallow, meditate, and phrases such as part of my. How would you describe the tone of the poemthe speakers attitude toward itself and toward the other subjects of the poem. Biographical information born in massachusetts to european immigrant parents suffered from depression and made several suicide attempts, finally succeeding failing. Sylvia plaths poem, mirror, symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, especially the woman artist who has to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an artist and an individual. You could read the woman who visits the mirror and whom the mirror judgesas plath, but thats not clear. In the poem, mirror, by sylvia plath, which can be read in full here, the mirror gives its own description and says that i am silver coloured and i am very accurate while reflecting the images of the objects that fall on my surface. Read the questions thoroughly and comment if you liked. Written in the first person, the speaker within the poem describes their existence first as a. Sylvia plath biography, selected poems, related content the collected poems. The mirror spends most of its time meditating on, or thinking about, the opposite wall. In the beginning the changes are simple, like the acts of day turning to night, but at the end we see the life changes of a woman in particular. 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.
Jun 26, 2017 the poem mirror is an autobiographical account of a mirror, highlighting its qualities. The mirror imagery in plaths poetry, therefore, signifies the. Reflections of self and other in sylvia plaths mirror imagery. The woman struggles with the loss of her beauty, admitting each day that she is growing older. The poem metaphors by sylvia plath has been examined and analysed in this article. This poem by sylvia plath symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, who has had to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an individual. Reflections of self and other in sylvia plaths mirror. The title, mirror, tells the reader who the speaker is in this poem, though we probably could have figured it out without the hint. Sylvia plaths poem, mirror, represents the disturbed self of the woman, the mirror signifies the unsympathetic male view of a woman and what is socially expected of her. Initially, she playfully compares her pregnant state to an elephant, a house, a ripening melon, and a yeasty loaf of bread.
I am not cruel, only truthful in the poem, mirror, by sylvia plath, which can be read in full here, the mirror gives its own description and says that i am silver coloured and i am very accurate while reflecting the images of the objects that fall on my surface. Written in firstperson point of view, the speaker is the mirror. Though the woman occasionally deludes herself with the flattering liars. October 27, 1932 february 11, 1963 was an american poet, novelist, and shortstory writer. Sylvia plath 193263 was an american poet and novelist whose bestknown works explore the themes of alienation, death, and selfdestruction. The first stanza talks from the viewpoint of a personified mirror. The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry.
Learn to improve your english communications, grammar, public speaking, and more by renowned english instructor and youtuber. A study of the double in two of dostoevskys novels. Sylvia plath biography, selected poems, related content the collected poems amazon parnassus powells. More about this poem morning song by sylvia plath about this poet sylvia plath was one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th century. What is the theme of the poem mirror by sylvia plath. Morning song by sylvia plath poems academy of american.
A short analysis of sylvia plaths mirror interesting. Also, the explanation is followed by a summary of the lesson. Analysis of the mirror by sylvia plath 1215 words 5 pages. Sylvia plath graduated smith college with honors in june 1955. Many of plaths poems deal with the complexities of defining womanhood and existing in a female space. In the second stanza, sylvia plath introduces a new element to the poem. In mirror, sylvia plath gives us the point of view of the mirror actually a mirror in the 1960s, a time when the meaning of plaths reflection, and womens reflections in general, were rapidly changing. Which such blight wrought on our bankrupt estate, what ceremony of words can patch the havoc. Mirror is a free verse written by the american poet sylvia plath. The mirror by sylvia plath full explanation youtube. Through the use of metaphor and personification in the poem, plath creates images of water, reflections, and colors as having human characteristics to emphasize the.
Personification poem by jdailey is licensed under a. Mar 27, 2020 sylvia plath 193263 was an american poet and novelist whose bestknown works explore the themes of alienation, death, and selfdestruction. In it, a personified mirror unjudgmentally reflects a womans changing appearance over the years. Jun 05, 2015 mirror by sylvia plath uses a couple of different figures of speech in it to get its point across. Discussion questions and related resources for the poem mirror by sylvia plath. Mirror the poem title first and foremost, the title, mirror, provides an easy and obvious explanation. It reflects how a woman is disappointed and frustrated to see her gradually fading beauty and youth. Her novel, the bell jar, is strongly autobiographical, and her later poems, such as daddy and lady lazarus, show great power and pathos borne on flashes of incisive wit. Jul 09, 20 this poem by sylvia plath symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, who has had to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an individual.
Sylvia plath s poem, mirror, symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, especially the woman artist who has to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an artist and an individual. Get an answer for summarize the poem mirror by sylvia plath. Mirror by sylvia plath english explanation class 10 youtube. Sylvia plath bibliography sylvia plath was born on october 27, 1932 in boston, massachusetts. Mirror was written two years before plath committed suicide in 1963. Students will select an object and write from its point of view, read mirror and discuss it, and use plaths poem as a model to create their own poem. I dont have any preconceived notions and i absorb everything that comes my way. Dont forget that plath authored both characters mirror and woman and is thus present in both.
She changes the narrator from the rectangular mirror, meditating on the opposite wall, to. Analysis of the poem mirror analyzing the works of sylvia. Read all poems of sylvia plath and infos about sylvia plath. Poem and discussion questions pdf the poetry foundation. It appeared in plaths posthumously published collection crossing the water. Poems study guide contains a biography of poet sylvia plath, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis of select poems.
Mirror by sylvia plath is one of the great american lyrical poems. Mirror by sylvia plath question and answers important. While hughes long silence on the subject of their marriage, his infidelity and her suicide. Sylvia plaths poem has her hallmark stamp of powerful language, sharp imagery and dark undertones. This is the first glimpse of the concept of time that we get in this poem. While living in winthrop, eightyearold plath published her. In this post, you can find some important questions from the chapter mirror. Mar 02, 2020 sylvia plath was an american poet best known for her novel the bell jar, and for her poetry collections the colossus and ariel. Daddy by sylvia plath poems academy of american poets. I am not cruel, only truthful the eye of a little god, fourcornered.
In lines 1718, the image of the aging woman is compared to a terrible fish. More sylvia plath sign up for poemaday receive a new poem in your inbox daily. Her novel, the bell jar, is strongly autobiographical, and her later poems, such as. The unsettling nature of metaphors the colossus, william heinemann limited, 1960arises from the dichotomy of plaths tone and the images she chooses to convey her mentality. In the poem mirror by sylvia plath, there is a continuing theme of change. A sensitive person who tended to be a bit of a perfectionist she was what many would consider a model daughter and. Sylvia plath uses a unique blend of symbolism, imagery, and repetition to tell a story from the. Especially in the 60s, when this poem was written, it would be unlikely for a boys bedroom or bathroom to be painted pink. Cbse class 10 english communicative revision notes mirror poem by sylvia plath. Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow. Sylvia plath was an american poet best known for her novel the bell jar, and for her poetry collections the colossus and ariel.
Hence, although the narrators form has changed, its function hasnt. A sensitive person who tended to be a bit of a perfectionist she. The mirror imagery in plath s poetry, therefore, signifies the. This includes a discussion of the poem s general meaning, a linebyline analysis, and finishing on a note about the structure and historical context of the poem. Sylvia plath was an american poet, novelist, and shortstory writer. Sylvia plaths mirror is a poem which deals intimately with the idea of women searching for distinctions between the real self and the false. Welcome to the mirror by sylvia plath question and answers. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, the colossus and other poems and ariel, as well as the bell jar, a semiautobiographical novel published shortly before her death.
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