The women existence was viewed as a beautiful object. Word Count: Approx Pages: 6 Grade Level: High School. An Analysis Of Personification In The Mirror By Sylvia Plath In the second stanza, the circumstances have changed. To the mirror sylvia plath essay, it may seem that the poet is suffering from delusions and depression. When Miss Emily grew older she started to lose her looks and her mind.
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The latter poem is a depiction of the vanities and biases human beings tend to have. For instance, in the first to third lines, the mirror states that it never lies because it is untainted by dislike or love; these are feelings that are rarely lacking in human beings. So the poem is illustrating how human beings are imperfect and biased because of their sentimentalism. This theme is further echoed in the sixth line where the mirror complains of its separation from the pink wall. The mirror can be seen as a representation of truth while the pink wall represents mirror sylvia plath essay. If truth and beauty merge then this would be true Nirvana.
The forces that separate them i. darkness and faces can be regarded as the deceptions that human beings create. By allowing falsehoods darkness or people faces to get in the way, man is hindered from becoming truly happy. The poem also addresses the quest for identity that females go through. On the seventh line, the mirror becomes a lake that allows her to search for her inner self. This illustrates that the author of the poem — who is a woman — does not know who she is and looks to external sources to define her. She may have been engrossed with her family or societal roles to the point of losing her real identity. In the eighth line, the writer turns to the candle and the moon.
The latter are sources of light that are supposed to increase visibility but they never do so fully. These may represent the state of desperation that the author is in; she wants to look for meaning and will resort to anything that can offer her a response even when she knows that it is a lie, mirror sylvia plath essay. In other words, this woman can never find real fulfillment through substitutes. She may have gone through a tragedy like the loss of love that caused her to be so doubtful and empty. The theme of aging can also be seen in the ninth and last lines where the author cries upon seeing mirror sylvia plath essay reflection in the mirror since there is an old and unattractive woman there.
Her looks are now comparable to those of a fish, mirror sylvia plath essay. It can be said that during her youth, the woman was naïve and innocent. However, this all changed with mirror sylvia plath essay passage of time and the sweet innocence of youth is now replaced by sadness mirror sylvia plath essay depression. Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch mirror sylvia plath essay professional specifically for you? certified writers online. We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. If you continue, we will assume that you agree to our Cookies Policy. Learn More. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.
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This beautifully stated imagery results in a very heart felt poem. The first sentence of the poem uses metaphoric words to describe Plath's reflection in the mirror. Plath stated, "I am silver and exact". In the first stanza, the author sees her reflection in the mirror. Plath states, "The mirror is not cruel, only truthful"" 4 "It considered itself a four-cornered eye of a god" 5 , therefore sees everything for what it is. The mirror is very important to the poet as she seeks the truth. Seeing her true self, she is aware of both her exterior and interior life. She is between a "false" outer self of appearance", and a "true" inner self. In the second stanza, the speaker goes from being a reflection in the mirror to a comparing herself to a lake. Plath says, "Now I am a lake.
To the reader, it may seem that the poet is suffering from delusions and depression. In the beginning, she was looking for answers in the reflection of the mirror but she seems unable to remember her past and truly understand who she is. She wasted her youth with constant self-evaluation and she never reached an understanding of who she really is. Therefore, as an adult, she is doomed to staring in the lake for answers. The central theme in the poem "Mirror," by Sylvia Plath, is self-reflection and appearance. Imagery of water, personification, point of view and shift are applied to emphasize Plath's subject. In the last line of the poem, Plath writes that the old woman that reflects back is "like a terrible fish The mirror is often personified in this poem.
In the first stanza, the poem is from the point of view of a mirror. SYLVIA PLATH : THE APPLICANT Sylvia Plath's Poem "The Applicant", explores many issues, in particular it looks at the ideas of feminism and the role of women in a marriage. Her play with the boundaries and flexibility of structure, in many ways, mirror her intertextual ambiguity of gender and subject identity in the text of the poem Sheible 1. The repetition of words and sentences throughout the poem work well to enforce the concerns of Sylvia Plath, but they also tend to confuse the meaning.
Sylvia Plath has used this approach as a way to convey her concerns w But those who are able to accomplish the metaphor in the way that Sylvia Plath does are few and far between. Surface-Level Reading The poem, Morning Song, comes from the pages of one of Sylvia Plath's most famous books entitled, Ariel. The poem Morning Song, written by Sylvia Plath, employs varying metaphors and imagery to communicate a hesitant mother's growth of love and acceptance for her newfound relationship with her child.
The mother seems to refer to the cloud and mirror as a way of observing her child from a distant, with little to no involvement. Morning Su The poem is narrated by the mirror, which doesn't provide an unbiased and impartial view on its character contrary to what the mirror claims. In the first stanza the mirror introduces itself. She comes and goes. Sylvia Plath was born on the 27th of October , in Boston Massachusetts. In a biography of Sylvia Plath Ronald Hayman states "She stood there with bloodshot eyes tears running down her face: "I'm going to die. Finally, On February 11th of Sylvia Plath committed suicide by consuming sleeping pills and gas inhalation.
Animal Farm Essays. The Crucible Essays. The Evil Queen uses the mirror to assure herself of her beauty. Mirror symbolizes ritual reflection, image based upon appearance. The speaker is personified mirror with human traits. The poem begins by the mirror informing the reader that it only tells the truth since has no knowledge prior of anything about person and has no reason to alter the image. Write my paper. Someone who sees all but has no moral judgement. This metonymy implies that the eye of the mirror is as righteous as God although it is only an object.
The usage of imagery when describing the position of the mirror assigns a feminine side giving the wall a pink color which has become and essential part of the mirror. She is disappointed with her appearance, the imperfections. This stanza also alludes to Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection. The women came searching for her true self and she was only met with the mirror faithful reflection. She calls the candles and moon lairs as they only mask her imperfection, casting flattering dim gleams.
The mirror sees her back in a godlike manner with its detached truthfulness and holds the image about what matters most about women in the society, youthfulness. The woman weeps because of the honesty and the realization that her beauty is fading. The tone of the poem shifts from a neutral to distressed. The mirror holds the young girl beneath the surface while the old woman replaces her like a terrible fish. The poem ends with a simile of woman trying to hold on to her youth in the same way a fish opens its mouth at the surface of the water. Mirror holds the power to project imperfections and fear of growing old. The poem brings forth the concept of appearance and deterioration as a person age. I am afraid of getting married. She puts her fear into the poem through the imagery, personification, metaphors, and simile.
The poem consisted of two stanzas reflecting each other. The poem is a free verse which reflected the uncertainty and emotional state of the woman. It does not contain any end rhymes or meter suggesting there is no closure or certainty for the woman. Rhymes secure lines and anchor them in familiar sound. Even though the poem is a free verse, there is a limited enjambment with periods and end stops, which adds to the flow of the poem like the movement of water. The poem is about the importance of image within society. This poem is also about the gender roles and how women are view within a society. Sylvia Plath wrote this poem at a time of feminist movement. Plath was discontent with the gender roles and has battled the anti-intellectual bias regarding women.
Mirror bases its opinion on the external appearance, the image the society deems fit in a male dominated culture.
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