A Figurative Reflection

A Figurative Reflection:

An Analysis of Sylvia Plath's "Mirror"

Rahni Meko David

Eng125 Introduction to Literature

Instructor: Douglas Goss

07/28/2012

It is true that a mirror is an inanimate object but according to Sylvia Plath they also can speak. "Mirror" is a poem that uses the mechanics of a metaphor to describe the figurative "life" or existence of a mirror. Because Plath decided to write from the point of view of the mirror, the reader can visualize the mirror from a different dimension which provides the reader with an all new dynamic when reading the poem. Within this analysis the point of view, symbolism, and figurative language used by Plath will provide the building blocks that form the framework for responding to this imaginative poetic work.

"Mirror" is written in a first person point of view. Plath's decision to write from this perspective provided a means for the reader to directly connect with the narrator; who is in fact an inanimate object. The poem is not written as though a person is referring to a mirror; in fact, the mirror is speaking and has assumed a figurative "life" with different facets of existence. The first person point of view gives the reader the opportunity to assume the identity of the mirror and speak as though they are the mirror; this viewpoint and the symbolism used within the poem produces a three dimensional "life" for a lifeless object.

"Personification is a figure of speech formed when qualities normally associated with a person are attributed to abstract things or inanimate objects (Clugston, R. 2010 ch. 10.4; para. 4). In Plath's interpretation, the mirror refers to itself as "I," additionally; it states that it can see, and that it meditates on a wall, occasionally covered in darkness. Her use of personification is the ultimate symbol that gives the mirror a voice. It is with this figurative language that the mirror produces a relatable life-force.

As the mirror comes to life, Plath uses figurative language in the form of metaphors to provide visual comparison. "The terms tenor and vehicle describe the two components in a metaphor. The tenor is the idea or concept that is being expressed and the vehicle is the means by which the idea is communicated (Richards, 1936) (Steen, G. 1992)." In Plath's literary work the tenor is the reflection and the vehicle is the mirror that speaks as the narrator. The "vehicle "refers to itself as the four-cornered eye of a little god, the "tenor" is that the reflection that is seen has no pre-conceptions, is faithful, and is not cruel but truthful. The metaphor used in the second verse presents the mirror as a lake that ultimately drowns a young girl and produces a woman that gets older day after day. These images are the greatest influence on the reader's response. "The interest and preconceptions of the reader are important ingredients