By just reading the profound poem Mirror by Silvia Plath I am currently in a
moment of weakness. As cliché as it might sound, it is utterly true. It is one
of those pieces that will pull you in deep, but won’t release until it is good
and ready. It is that telling. It speaks the truth. By truly appreciating what
Sylvia has presented, I will try to interpret every line. She first describes
the mirror, it doesn’t stereotype, and whatever approaches is neutral. The
image quickly appears without a hint of second-guessing, the mirror does not
dismiss or like the image, again it stays neutral. It doesn’t exacerbate the
object just sees and spews it back the way it is. These last details given by
Plath are extremely brilliant. There is a vision of a woman bending over, trying
to adjust her imperfections, somehow making them less visible. Making the mirror
seem like an evil, Plath suggests it is like a mere candle or moon, where there
is mystery present, and no sign of truth is to be told. Again there is another
simple image, an image easily shown truthfully, and the simplicity of a back of
a woman. The poem says “faithfully” prompting the speaking of the truth,
leading to absolute disappointment. Soon there are tears developed, “She
rewards me” hardly. Sure the tears speak of rewarding based solely on honestly
and truthfulness. Not based on content with the image. The most important line
of this piece is “I am important to her. She comes and goes.” This is
beautifully put. This is extremely profound yet so easy to relate to. There is a
necessity of having a mirror. It speaks the harsh reality of society. It shows
what to correct, what to dismiss. I truly embrace the last two lines of this
poem. Even though the mirror is the utter enemy, the woman comes back
repeatedly. This shows how much it is needed. Years go by staring at this object
looking for answers. Apparently, the woman didn’t take the honesty gracefully;
she thus aged to a terrible fish. This was an extremely philosophical and
weighty piece. I find myself relating to every line one way or another. Most
people do. It was tragic, but brutally honest.