Summary of “Mirror””In this poem the poet, Sylvia Plath explains how the mirror is our true reflection and can be our best critic. She personifies the mirror by making the mirror the narrator of the poem. The mirror asserts that it is silver in colour and exact in appearance. It holds no opinion about the objects that come before it. In comparison to human the mirror does not have any emotions like love or hatred. The mirror insists that it is not cruel but only truthful. It is proud that it reflects nothing but the reality. The mirror claims to be God’s eye that sees an object from all the angles. When there is no one looking at the mirror, it usually mediates looking at the opposite wall which is pink and worn out. The mirror explains that it has looked at the opposite wall for so long that it now feels that the wall is the part of its heart. The mirror also compares itself to a lake which may not be silver but has the quality to reflect the object as a mirror does. When a woman bends over the lake and looks her real appearance in it, she is dissatisfied with the reflection seen. The mirror considers the candles and the moonlight as liars because their dim light deceives her by concealing her flaws and her age. Mirror asserts the fact that it reflects faithfully what it sees without hiding anything. But the women does not like what the mirror and starts crying. She finds it hard to believe that she is aging and losing her beauty from the mirror’s reflection. Despite being hurt by the harsh truth, the mirror is important to the women and that’s why she comes again and again to look herself in the mirror. The mirror that sits in darkness finds every morning the woman comes to check herself in the mirror. The woman has been looking herself in the mirror since she was a young girl. It appears that she has drowned (lost) her youth in the mirror. The mirror is also synonyms for the passage of time. As the days progress along with her (age) she now compares herself with a terrible fish out of water that struggles for its existence. The terrible fish represents old age and death drawing closer to her. Thus in this poem Sylvia Plath has personified the mirror as God, as a lake, even as terrible fish. |
Unit-8 : Solutions of Questions on Page Number : 97
NCERT Solutions for Class 10 English Literature Reader Unit 8
Q1 :When do you generally use a mirror?
Answer :
A mirror is usually used to look into one’s own self.
Q2 :Is a mirror essential for us?
Answer :
Yes, a mirror is very essential for us, as it helps us look presentable before we meet people.
Q3 :Given below is a list of possible reasons why a person uses a mirror. Tick the ones you agree with:
(i) to check one’s appearance
(ii) to look beautiful
(iii) to make sure one is neat and tidy before going out
(iv) to check for a pimple or grey hair
(v) to apply make-up
(vi) to make a phone call
(vii) as a decorative item at home
Answer :
(i) to check one’s appearance;
(ii) to make sure one is neat and tidy before going out;
(iii) to apply make-up.
Q4 :The other word for ‘contemplation’ is………..
i. contempt
ii. meditation
iii. mediation
iv. thoughtful
Answer :
ii. meditation
Q5 :When the mirror is being described as being ‘unmisted by love or dislike’ we understand that the mirror is
i. not misted
ii. not prejudiced
iii. has four angles
iv. silver in colour
Answer :
ii. not prejudiced
Q6 :When the mirror says ‘it has no preconceptions’ it means that:
i. it reflects back an image objectively
ii. it modifies an image as it reflects it
iii. it beautifies an image as it reflects it
iv. it gives a biased view of a person/object
Answer :
i. it reflects back an image objectively
Q7 :The mirror has been called ‘a four-cornered god’ because:
i. it is square shaped
ii. like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles
iii. it reflects back all that it sees
iv. it never stops reflecting
Answer :
ii. like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all four angles
Q8 :The ‘speckles’ refer to:
i. a pink object
ii. the opposite wall which has spots on it
iii. a person with pink pimples
iv. pink spots in general
Answer :
ii. the opposite wall which has spots on it
Q9 :The phrase ‘agitation of the hand’ suggests that the person is:
i. Very ill
ii. Very upset
iii. Very angry
iv. Very happy
Answer :
iii. Very angry
Q10 :By saying ‘Now I am a lake’ the narrator wants to show that
i. the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person
ii. the lake can also reflect surfaces
iii. the depth of the lake is important
iv. the lake does not show as exact an image as a mirror
Answer :
i. the poem is not only about external beauty but also the inside of a person
Q11 :What is the poetic device used when the mirror says ‘I swallow’?
Answer :
‘I swallow’ personifies the mirror. The mirror seems to say that the image on it is deep enough to swallow everything, passively. The objectivity of the mirror is significant.
Q12 :How does the mirror usually pass its time?
Answer :
The mirror meditates on the wall.
Q13 :What disturbs the mirror’s contemplation of the opposite wall?
Answer :
Appearances of faces and darkness disturb the mirror’s contemplation of the opposite wall.
Q14 :Why does the mirror appear to be a lake in the second stanza? What aspect of the mirror do you think is being referred to here?
Answer :
The mirror, appearing to be a lake, symbolises depths of reality. The aspect of reflecting back an image objectively, is referred to over here.
Q15 :What is the woman searching for in the depths of the lake?
Answer :
The woman is searching for her true identity.
Q16 :How does the narrator convey the fact that the woman looking at her reflection in the lake is deeply distressed?
Answer :
It seems that the woman in the poem is deeply distressed because when she sees herself ageing in the mirror, she turns away to find her answers in the candles and the moon. She has tears in her eyes and her agitated hands express her distress.
Q17 :What makes the woman start crying?
Answer :
Faithful picture of the mirror, of her true ageing personality, makes her cry. She cries because the truth is bitter and too harsh for her to bear.
Q18 :What do you think the ‘terrible fish’ in the last line symbolizes? What is the poetic device used here?
Answer :
The ‘terrible fish’ symbolises the bitter truth which puts human beings to a fatal end. The poetic device used here is a simile.
Q19 :List out the adjectives that have been used to describe the mirror. Add a few more adjectives to the list.
Answer :
Adjectives used in the poem to describe the mirror:
Exact, unmisted, truthful, not cruel, faithful, important
A few more adjectives for the same are listed below:
Deep, significant, reality, bitter, fair, honest
Q20 :In the second stanza why has the narrator replaced the mirror with a lake? What is he/she trying to focus on?
Answer :
The mirror is replaced with a lake to display a deep image of personality, against the fake, superficial beautification of life.
Q21 :Find the various instances of personification used in this poem.
Answer :
The various instances of personification used in the poem are:
Whatever I see, I swallow immediately;
I am not cruel, only truthful;
Now, I am a lake;
The eye of a little god;
I am important to her.
Q22 :A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
What is the woman bending over?
i. the mirror
ii. the lake
iii. the opposite wall
iv. the moon and the candles
Answer :
i. the mirror
Q23 :A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
Why have the candles and the moon been called ‘liars’?
i. because they make people beautiful
ii. they hide the blemishes of people with their soft light
iii. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow
iv. they can’t talk
Answer :
iii. they hide the blemishes and make people look beautiful in their soft glow
Q24 :A woman bends over me,
Searching my reaches for what she really is.
Then she turns to those liars, the candles or the moon.
Why does she turn to them in spite of calling them ‘liars’?
i. the reality is too harsh for her to bear
ii. she is desperately looking for someone to comfort her
iii. she wants to be told that she is still beautiful
iv. she can hide her signs of graying in their light
Answer :
i. the reality is too harsh for her to bear
Q25 :Imagine you are the mirror. Write a speech that you would like to deliver to the humans who come to see their reflection in you. You could begin like this….
Good Morning dear humans.
I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to express my feelings and share my thoughts with you. As you know, all my life is spent in faithfully reflecting all that comes before my eyes…..
Answer :
Note:This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, one sample solution has been provided for your reference.
Good Morning dear humans,
I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to express my feelings and share my thoughts with you. As you know, all my life is spent in reflecting all that comes before my eyes faithfully. I have been a silent spectator of zillions of lives. My vision is very objective. I don’t respond to people when they search for themselves, in me. My passivity usually agitates them. However, I am glad to be loyal and honest to the onlookers, cruel it might seem. I don’t have the power to manipulate or distort reality. That is why images on me are so significant to you.
Q26 :Here is another poem on mirror. The narrator calls the mirror a ‘fibber’. How is this poem different from the poem by Sylvia Plath? Have a class discussion on the comparison in terms of the theme, the tone and the language used.
Answer :
Note: This question is to be answered on the basis of your own understanding, experience and thoughts. It is strongly recommended that you prepare the solution on your own. However, a few points which can be taken into account under the discussion have been provided for your reference.
Theme of anger and disgust dealt differently in both the poems;
Tone of frustration;
Accusation to the wall in the second poem different from silent disgust for the mirror in Plath’s poem;
Demand for a reply is more aggressive in the later poem;
Inability of the woman to stray from reality;
Theme of harshness of life.