Mirror Lap
Literary Analysis of "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath
In her poem, “Mirror, ” Sylvia Plath uses the mirror as a symbol of reflecting truth to further prove the theme that lies can distort one’s true sense of identity. Plath begins the poem by describing how truthful the mirror is. The mirror is something that has no opinion, but acts as a painting of the truth from which opinions of the world are formed. The mirror can’t be cruel but only truthful, and has a “four cornered eye” meaning it is 100% aware of all surroundings and truths of human nature. The author finishes the stanza by describing how it has seen time pass by but has still always been in the same old spot. The mirror in this stanza, as stated in my thesis, is a symbol of truth, or reflecting truth. Sylvia Plath makes this clear through her use of diction, imagery and figurative language throughout the stanza. “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” (1). This opening line has three very strong diction choices that reflect how truthful the mirror is. Silver is pure and so is the mirror. You can see just as it is through the mirror. It has “no preconceptions” (1) shows the reader that the mirror itself makes no assumptions or formulates opinions. The mirror reflects the truth surrounding it. Another diction choice, “four-cornered eyes” (4), shows the reader the mirror has seen it all and knows the truth. This points to the theme in the way that it proves that the mirror symbolizes the reflection of truth. The author not only uses diction, but also figurative language. The figurative language used is personification of the mirror. The mirror has looked at the wall for so long that it thinks it says “I think it’s a part of my heart” (7-8). This points a significant finger towards the theme because what this really means is that the mirror has seen things go by for a really long time, so it know how humanity functions. The way humanity function has become a part of
In her poem, “Mirror, ” Sylvia Plath uses the mirror as a symbol of reflecting truth to further prove the theme that lies can distort one’s true sense of identity. Plath begins the poem by describing how truthful the mirror is. The mirror is something that has no opinion, but acts as a painting of the truth from which opinions of the world are formed. The mirror can’t be cruel but only truthful, and has a “four cornered eye” meaning it is 100% aware of all surroundings and truths of human nature. The author finishes the stanza by describing how it has seen time pass by but has still always been in the same old spot. The mirror in this stanza, as stated in my thesis, is a symbol of truth, or reflecting truth. Sylvia Plath makes this clear through her use of diction, imagery and figurative language throughout the stanza. “I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions” (1). This opening line has three very strong diction choices that reflect how truthful the mirror is. Silver is pure and so is the mirror. You can see just as it is through the mirror. It has “no preconceptions” (1) shows the reader that the mirror itself makes no assumptions or formulates opinions. The mirror reflects the truth surrounding it. Another diction choice, “four-cornered eyes” (4), shows the reader the mirror has seen it all and knows the truth. This points to the theme in the way that it proves that the mirror symbolizes the reflection of truth. The author not only uses diction, but also figurative language. The figurative language used is personification of the mirror. The mirror has looked at the wall for so long that it thinks it says “I think it’s a part of my heart” (7-8). This points a significant finger towards the theme because what this really means is that the mirror has seen things go by for a really long time, so it know how humanity functions. The way humanity function has become a part of