Dashuna Howard
Locano
AP Lit-4
27 September 2016


In the poem "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath in chapter 2 of "Sound and Sense" the speaker talks about someone's mental health. When Plath writes "I am silver and exact"(1) she meant she had no problems she was exactly how she looked. Plath describes what it's like to be a mirror you see different faces and different emotions. The scene changes when Plath say "Now I am a lake"(10) the poem shifts and the speaker is now looking at him/herself reflection in the lake trying to find their self.The persona in the poem seems to be suffering from depression looking in the lake unable to fully understand who she is. Then Plath goes on to say "Then she turns to those liars the candles or the moon. I see her back, and reflect it faithfully." When she looked away she did not want to accept the truth and was good with believing lies. Although the mirror reveals truth the persona still clings to objects that hide that truth like the moon and candles which could represent people who lie to him/her.  Even outside of the mirror nature plays a role in revealing the truth the lake also was like a mirror she saw her reflection and still wanted to change herself. There are many people who refuse to accept reality, and sometimes causes them to stress. I like the poems deeper meaning like showing your identity and accepting it. In line 2 when Plath says "Whatever I see I swallow immediately/" she was referring to what's around her, she takes everything in and tried to make something of it. Throughout the poem there is a theme of truth and lies. The poem "Mirror" is about a woman whose torn between the true picture of herself and the distorted image that others see.