MIRROR
SYLVIA PLATH
a. When the mirror
is being described as being ‘un misted by love or dislike’ we understand that the
mirror is: Not prejudiced
b. The other word
for ‘contemplation’ is: Meditation
c. When the mirror
says ‘it has no preconceptions’ it means that: It reflects back an image
objectively.
d. The mirror has
been called ‘a four-corned God’ because: Like God it watches you unbiased and
fair from all four angles.
e. The ‘speckles’
refer to: The opposite wall which has spots on it
f. The phrase
‘agitation of the hand’ suggests that the person is: Very upset
g. By saying ‘Now I
am a lake’ the narrator wants to show that: the lake can also reflect surfaces.
Answer the following questions briefly
a) What is the poetic device used when the
mirror says ‘I swallow’?
Ans: The poetic
device used is personification. The mirror means to say that it accepts the
reality as it is seen. But the human beings find it difficult to accept the
reality shown by the mirror.
b) How does the mirror usually pass its time?
Ans: Mirror usually
passes its time by meditating on the opposite wall.
c) What disturbs the mirror’s contemplation
of the opposite wall?
Ans: Faces and
darkness disturb the mirror’s contemplation of the opposite wall.
d) 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?
Ans: The mirror
appears to be a lake because the lake can reflect surfaces. The mirror displays
the true and objective images as it is truthful.
e) What is the woman searching for in the
depths of the lake?
Ans: The woman is
searching for her reflection, her face.
f) How does the narrator convey the fact that
the woman looking at her reflection in the lake is deeply distressed?
Ans: The woman is
weeping, has tears and is upset. She is also showing her protest with agitation
of hands.
g) What makes the woman start crying?
Ans: The woman
starts crying because she is not happy with her image reflected by the lake.
h) What do you think the ‘terrible fish’ in
the last line symbolizes? What is poetic device used her?
Ans: The ‘terrible
image’ symbolizes the old, worn out face of the woman. The poetic device
‘Smile’ is used here.
