mirror, mirror

As I read Sylvia Plath’s poem, “Mirror”, my first impression was that it was a riddle. The way the mirror spoke in first person and described itself in nuanced terms that could be interpreted differently, relays the message that people search past the truth for something more. When the mirror describes itself as “the eye of a little god”, it gives insight into how one’s self-image and worth rules over them. When you put more focus and energy into something or you let it control you, it becomes your god. A mirror acts like one, especially it a society where one’s image is everything and women are constantly “searching my reaches for what she really is”. A reflection cannot do that however. As people search, they often look in the wrong places and get lost down paths that lead them to more emptiness and lies. When the mirror says that it is “four-cornered”, it seems like an obvious statement of how it looks. Of course, I noticed the number four, and that it represents humanity and security. Mirrors hold the raw and unfiltered truth of humanity. I also thought of the four corners of the world, that for some reason makes me think of discoverers and explorers. The mirror is a whole world for many who search for new discoveries about themselves in it’s depths. All of these things contribute to the idea that the relationship between a mirror and a woman, or any person for that matter, is a toxic one. The mirror is “important to her”, but it never gives her what she desires resulting in despair. The mirror’s pragmatic diction and short sentence structure work to portray how a mirror acts in life. It gives the truth and nothing more. It is simple to look at and understand at a surface level, but when you look deeper and see who you are on the inside, there is more meaning that you realize. You have more worth than what you see in your reflection. You are more than that. (yeah, that’s from iLove)