Sylvia plath s allegiance to death and her persistent fascination with the darkest aspects of life, often expressed with extraordinary power and exquisite nuance, show that she was unbalanced, in the sense that, like poe and beddoes, she habitually slighted large areas of life in which most people, and the best writers, find sustenance. Jul 09, 20 this poem by sylvia plath symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, who has had to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an individual. Analysis of the poem mirror analyzing the works of. Born in 1932 to middle class parents in jamaica plain, massachusetts, sylvia plath published her first poem at the age of eight. This poem by sylvia plath symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, who has had to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an individual.
It appeared in plaths posthumously published collection crossing the water. The mirror imagery in plaths poetry, therefore, signifies the. Sylvia plaths poem mirror, written sometime between 1960 and 1961, actually contains not one, but many metaphors implicit comparisons between two seemingly different things. For example, in her poem, the mirror, sylvia plath portrays a psychological state that speaks of life without feeling alive, the self divorced from the body, overlaid with a nagging sense of depersonalization ekmekcioglu, 2008, p. What is the best way to find sylvia plaths senior thesis. Mirror poetry unit 8 class 10 literaure reader summary english ncert video duration. When plath says that the mirror has no preconceptions it means that it is free from bias and it reflects back an image objectively. An analysis of mirror by sylvia plath literature essay samples. It is to be called doubletake, meaning that the second look you take at something reveals a deeper, double. Peotry commentary on mirror by sylvia plath essay 1087 words. She changes the narrator from the rectangular mirror, meditating on the opposite wall, to a lake. The entire poem is told by the mirror itself, meaning that personification is used throughout the poem because most mirrors lack the ability to talk excepting, of course, the mirror is snow white.
The freeverse poem tells the story of a woman who continuously looks at her reflection first in a mirror and then in a lake. The mirror watches a womans youth pass her by, and it appears that. This is the first glimpse of the concept of time that we get in this poem. Revised and expanded from the fixed stars govern a life. Austin state university press, decoding sylvia plath s daddy is an affordable, concise, comprehensive analysis of plath s poem daddy, written in a playful spirit that brings plath out of the ashes of mere depressive autobiography and into the fascinating world of mysticismin which plath and her husband ted hughes had an intense interest. The mirror by sylvia plath full explanation mytutor. Words such as swallow, meditate, and phrases such as part of my. Jul 31, 2016 line by line summary of mirror by sylvia plath mirror is written in blank verse and is divided into two stanzas.
Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle. The first stanza talks from the viewpoint of a personified mirror. The poem is written from the mirrors perspective and details what it. The books homepage helps you explore earths biggest bookstore without ever leaving the comfort of your couch. This quote shows that time has passed in this poem, as the woman comes and. The collected poems plaths poems, in chronological order. Now that the mirror is a lake, we actually see one of those faces that the mirror referred to in the first stanza.
Her semiautobiographical novel the bell jar was published shortly before her suicide. Mirror by sylvia plath is one of the great american lyrical poems. The truth is, i really thought i was done buying the property, or former property, of frieda hughes. Compared to most of the others in plaths oeuvre, this poem is not particularly difficult to analyze. Jul 07, 2017 the mirror by sylvia plath full explanation mytutor. The mirror by sylvia plath full explanation youtube. By the time she took her life at the age of 30, plath already had a following in the literary community. An analysis of intimacy in sylvia plaths poetry 17 fourth stanza with its own reflection in the mirror of loyal and unique loneliness. Sylvia plath edited and with an introduction by harold bloom. Paraphrase line by line the poem mirror by sylvia plath.
The use of personification and metaphor in mirror in the poem mirror by sylvia plath, there is a continuing theme of change. In much of her later poetry, sylvia plath sought to give birth to a creative or deep self. In the ensuing years her work attracted the attention of a multitude of readers, who saw in her singular verse an. Plath, sylviacriticism and interpretationhandbooks, manuals, etc. Reblogged this on susan taylor brand and commented. The unabridged journals of sylvia plath plath wrote in journals from the age of twelve until her death at age 30. A poem for three voices, written 1962, and the more hopeless you were, the further away they hid you. Thinking about the process of making job applications brought up a memory of this poem of sylvia plaths although identified here as a sendup of 50s masculinity and femininity, i have always thought of it as more a critique of the herding mentality humans are prey to. Essay on analysis of sylvia plaths mirror 1289 words cram. The figures displayed in sylvia plaths mirror the speaker in sylvia plaths poem mirror is the actual mirror itself, which has been owned by a now old woman 16 for quite some time.
Whatever i see i swallow immediately just as it is, unmisted by love or dislike. The poem that struck me as being very emotional was the poem by sylvia plath the mirror. Sylvia plath wrote the poem in 1961, just two years before her actual. Jul 31, 2016 in the second stanza, sylvia plath introduces a new element to the poem. Line by line summary of mirror by sylvia plath mirror is written in blank verse and is divided into two stanzas. The university of illinois provides commentary on a variety of plath s poetry, as well as biographical information, photos, and an interview. The title for example serves to give the reader an initial idea of the theme, and indeed this appears to be substantiated by the rest of the text.
The unabridged journals offer all of plaths uncensored journal entries for the first time. But sylvia plath was and is powerful, a fact evident in her poems, her autobiographical novel the bell jar, and the success of the major motion picture, sylvia starring gwenyth paltrow. Mirror was written two years before plath committed suicide in 1963. The figures displayed in sylvia plath s mirror the speaker in sylvia plath s poem mirror is the actual mirror itself, which has been owned by a now old woman 16 for quite some time. In the beginning the changes are simple, like the acts of day turning to night, but at the end we see the life changes of a woman in particular. In the ensuing years her work attracted the attention of a multitude of readers, who saw in her singular verse an attempt to catalogue despair, violent emotion, and obsession with death. Even though she was writing poetry from the age of eight, she had to study in several universities and colleges before receiving her recognition in.
May 29, 2012 poetry commentary on mirror by sylvia plath mirror by sylvia plath is a poem that deals with the unchanging and painful process of age and time which leads to people to try and change this by creating their own delusional world. The mirror spends most of its time meditating on, or thinking about, the opposite wall. The woman struggles with the loss of her beauty, admitting each day that she is growing older. The relationship between the mirror and the woman is uneasy and almost abusive in sylvia plaths poem mirror by sylvia plath. Check out sylvia plath reads her poems and commentary.
Blooms major poets includes bibliographical references and index. Though the speaker is a mirror, the subjects are time and appearance. Two of dostoevskis novels,5 represented the most sustained intel. The mirror doesnt have emotion, love, like or dislike. In mirror, sylvia plath gives us the point of view of the mirror actually a.
Written in firstperson point of view, the speaker is the mirror. A years turning with elizabeth sigmund fonthill media. In the second stanza, sylvia plath introduces a new element to the poem. By sylvia plath attitude a shifts s there is one big shift in the poem from the first to the second stanza. In the first stanza the mirror is simply describing itself. She uses poetry as a way to confess her feelings, to express and release her pain in life. Interview with plath a 1962 interview with sylvia plath. Sylvia a clip from the movie sylvia, a dramatization of plath s life, starring gwyneth paltrow. Analysis of the poem the mirror english literature essay. Get an answer for paraphrase line by line the poem mirror by sylvia plath. Analysis of sylvia plaths mirror sylvia plath is known as the poet of confession. Sylvia plath was one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th century.
The overall meaning of the poem mirror pen and the pad. Sylvia plaths poem, mirror, symbolizes the troubled self of the woman, especially the woman artist who has to reject the given masks imposed on her by the patriarchal society and see herself as an artist and an individual. This applies to both of the characters described in the poem. Ted hughes the monster in plaths mirror, essay date october 1993 in the following essay, freedman discusses plaths use of. Analysis of the poem mirror analyzing the works of sylvia. Poetry commentary on mirror by sylvia plath mirror by sylvia plath is a poem that deals with the unchanging and painful process of age and time which leads to people to try and change this by creating their own delusional world. Sylvia plaths mirror is a poem told from the point of view of the mirror. Mirror is a poem written by sylvia plath in 1961, just two years before her suicide. Sylvia plath, in her poem, mirror, uses a number of devices to bring across to the reader her theme. Sylvia a clip from the movie sylvia, a dramatization of plaths life, starring gwyneth paltrow. In 1982, she won a posthumous pulitzer prize for the collected poems. Oct 06, 2014 check out sylvia plath reads her poems and commentary. One of the most influential poets, novelists, and short story writers of the 20th century, sylvia plath 19321963 was credited with advancing confessional poetry.
She is the author of the haunted reader and sylvia plath fontill media, 2017 and has coauthored two other books. The mirror was written by sylvia plath in 1961 but wasnt published until 1971, eight years after her death by suicide. The mirror is very aware of her presence and its environment when she is not present. Hence, although the narrators form has changed, its function hasnt. Ariel, despite the tragedy that attends it, is a book with much joy between its covers. Its tempting to read mirror as a reflection of plaths difficult life, but the poem has. The duality that sylvia plath wrote about in her thesis provides the basis for the personality of esther, the protagonist of plath s the bell jar. Spiderlike, i spin mirrors, loyal to my image plath, 259 the image is synonymous to death, she can only remember but deadly single word of what is left. Its on microfilm at the smith college library and there should be a copy in smiths plath collection. Mirror by sylvia plath sylvia plath, in her poem, mirror, uses a number of devices to bring across to the reader her theme.
Sylvia plaths poem mirror is a reflection on what it means to be a. Sylvia plath books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography barnes. The mirror watches a womans youth pass her by, and it appears that the woman gauges her worth based on what she sees. In the poem mirror, by sylvia plath, the poet communicates the idea that ones perception of youth and old age can influence how one views the passage of time. Even though she was writing poetry from the age of eight, she had to study in several universities and colleges before receiving her recognition in the literary world. The poem is filled with the skillful application of consonance rhyming consonants and assonance rhyming vowels, as well as a end, slant or half rhymes, and head rhymes also called alliteration. It seems that this womans face has replaced the pink wall in prominence now that the mirror is a lake, though its not quite a part of the lakes heart.
Sylvia plaths mirror explores the impact of time on individuals, specifically within the realities of aging and losing beauty. Plath uses the technique of personification for the mirror. I am not cruel, only truthful the eye of a little god, fourcornered. The winner of the lot was a gentleman in every sense of the word called norman macdonald. The monster in plaths mirror, essay date october 1993 in the following essay, freedman discusses plaths use of the mirror as a symbol of female passivity, subjugation, and plaths own conflicted selfidentity caused by social pressure to reconcile the competing obligations of artistic and domestic life. Though the woman occasionally deludes herself with the flattering liars. A sensitive person who tended to be a bit of a perfectionist she was what many would consider a model daughter and student popular, a straight a student, always winning the best prizes. The university of illinois provides commentary on a variety of plaths poetry, as well as biographical information, photos, and an interview. It gives a reflection of an object as is it really is, i. Sylvia plath quotes author of the bell jar page 6 of 55.
Here youll find current best sellers in books, new releases in books, deals in books, kindle ebooks, audible audiobooks, and so much more. Mirror by sylvia plath uses a couple of different figures of speech in it to get its point across. Jul 09, 20 mirror is a poem written by sylvia plath in 1961, just two years before her suicide. She appeared soft, and was known for the way her difficult, emotionally ravaged life bled itself onto the page. However, there are several others that date from either her early days at smith college or the period between the publication of the two major volumes. Sylvia plath s mirror is a poem told from the point of view of the mirror. Sylvia plath books list of books by author sylvia plath. Plath suffered from depression most of her life and, perhaps, often felt more sympathy toward the mirror than to the face reflected within. Poems study guide contains a biography of poet sylvia plath, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a. This woman has looked into her mirror every day for many years now. But it wasnt published for another ten years, when it appeared in plaths book.
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