Mirror

A detailed Summary of Mirror

In the first line of the poem, the mirror says it is "silver and exact." This can be interpreted many ways. Obviously it is describing what it looks like, but it is saying more than that. The color silver is reflective, and a mirror of course reflects what it sees. Exact, in this case could mean square, but it could also mean a lot more than that. A mirror shows you exactly what it sees; an image is reflected in the silver exactly as it appears. The mirror does not care if what it reflects is good or bad, as it says it has no preconceptions. Its job is to show you what you are. Mirrors are just a reflection of what we are on the outside, not what we are on the inside. The second line in the first stanza states that the mirror "swallows" whatever it sees. Does this mean the mirror commits the images to memory perhaps for later reference? If that were so then the poem would be contradictory because this shows some preconception. Perhaps the mirror means that it takes the person who is standing in front of it and swallows what is inside, to leave nothing but what is on the outside for that person to see. This would be a true reflection, because the person cannot see what is on the inside of them through a mirror. The next line in the

first stanza is a continuation of the previous line. This line shows a complete lack of caring. The mirror does not care about what it swallows. Its only concern is to show the person what he looks like. It feels neither love nor dislike for the person it reflects. It is doing its job, and its job is to be truthful. Now we come to the fifth line of the first stanza. The mirror calls itself the "eye of a little god" in reference to being truthful. There are those that believe God never makes mistakes and perhaps the mirror is one of those believers. The mirror believes itself to be completely truthful in everything it shows. That means there is no mistaking what is seen. If it appears in the reflection, it is there and there is no mistake. The next four lines are perhaps my favorite part of this poem. They show some emotion in this seemingly unfeeling character. The mirror claims to meditate on the opposite wall. Meditation means to sit and think, which would suggest that the mirror sits there on that wall day after day thinking. To meditate also means to reflect. Reflection is what a mirror does best. So to sit and meditate on the opposite wall means the mirror is reflecting the wall that is opposite it. The mirror describes what the wall looks like and states that it has looked at this wall for a long time. In the next line, the mirror says that it thinks the wall is part of its heart. This shows feelings for the wall. When someone says something is a part of his heart, it generally means it is something he loves. Does the mirror love this wall? Or has it simply grown on it, having spent so much time reflecting it. There is ano

Some common words found in the essay are:
, line stanza, lake woman, wall heart, meditate opposite wall, stanza mirror, line stanza mirror, reflection wall, reflection mirror, mirror care, mirror wall, mirror means, mean mirror,

Approximate Word count = 1105
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English