Mirror, Mirror!
wrote a poem about a mirror that seems to have a whole personality. Who am I?
Sylvia Plath.
A mirror is speaking like a human being. What literary device gives human qualities to nonhuman objects?
Personification.
The mirror reflects what is actually there, even when someone doesn't like what they see. What major theme does this suggest?
Truth versus appearance, or the difficulty of accepting reality.
I'm not a human, but I'm the speaker of the poem. Who am I?
The mirror.
True or False: The mirror changes what it reflects depending on whether it likes the person looking into it.
False
I show you exactly what is in front of me. No Snapchat filters, no beauty mode, and definitely no Photoshop. What am I?
A mirror.
When the mirror says it is a lake, what literary device is being used?
Metaphor.
The woman looks into the lake repeatedly. What is she searching for?
Her reflection, a sense of identity, and reassurance about her changing appearance.
In the first stanza, what object does the mirror spend much of its time looking at?
The opposite wall.
In the first stanza, the speaker is a mirror. What does it become in the second stanza?
A lake.
In the second stanza, the speaker compares itself to something much larger than a bathroom mirror. What is it?
A lake.
What point of view is used when the mirror refers to itself using words such as "I" and "me"?
First-person point of view.
The woman turns toward candles and the moon. Why might she prefer their light to the mirror's reflection?
Their softer light may make her appearance seem more flattering or less harsh.
The mirror describes itself as truthful rather than cruel. What does this reveal about how it views its own behavior?
It believes it reflects reality without intentionally hurting anyone.
Would you describe the overall mood of the poem as cheerful and playful or serious and unsettling?
Serious and unsettling.
The mirror claims it doesn't judge people based on feelings or personal opinions. What quality does it believe it has?
Objectivity or truthfulness.
The poem does not follow a regular rhyme scheme or consistent meter. What type of poetry is this?
Free verse.
The poem describes the woman's youth as disappearing over time. What does this suggest about the passage of time?
Time moves forward, and youth cannot be permanently preserved.
In the second stanza, who repeatedly looks into the lake to examine her reflection?
A woman.
If the mirror could talk to someone using a beauty filter, what might it say about the difference between its reflection and the filtered image?
The mirror shows what you really look like, while a filter changes your appearance.
The mirror reflects a woman's appearance as she grows older. What difficult reality does the woman struggle to accept?
Aging and the loss of youth.
The mirror represents more than an object hanging on a wall. What literary device allows an object to represent a deeper idea?
Symbolism.
Why might the woman's relationship with her reflection represent a struggle with personal identity?
She may connect her identity and self-worth to her physical appearance, making aging difficult to accept.
Why is it important that the poem is told from the mirror's perspective instead of the woman's?
The mirror tells the truth about what it sees, while the woman has feelings about getting older and how she looks.
At the end of the poem, the woman's aging reflection is compared to a frightening fish. What could this image symbolize?
Her fear of aging, the loss of youth, and the unsettling changes she sees in herself.