Class Notes on "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath



Class Notes on “Mirror” by Sylvia Plath
Soapstone
Speaker: the mirror
Occasion: reflecting on the woman
Audience: the reader; insecure people; women
Purpose: To explain what the mirror does; to tell the truth about the nature of beauty and illusion; cautionary tale
Subject: the woman; the reflection of the woman; the mirror itself; the ephemeral nature of youth and beauty; the tyranny of self-delusion; the inexorable truth of aging,
Tone!!!!!!!!
First thing you do when you read a poem is read the title!!!
Angry
Stern
Sympathetic
Bitter
Sharp
Cynical
Words that Carry Tone:
Benevolent: Having the qualities of kindness and caring.
(Words that share a common prefix: beneficial, benefit)
Malevolent: not caring, having evil intentions
Vexed: annoyed
Vexation: (noun) annoyance
Poignant: bittersweet
Romantic
Zealous: intense, intently supportive of;
Tone words to describe “Mirror”
Dreamy
Melancholic: lingering sadness or depression; sorrowful;
Poignant
Disinterested: not taking a side; impartial; unbiased “I am silver and exact….I swallow immediately….Just as it is…unmisted by love or dislike…”
Nostalgic
Apathetic: not caring
The eye of a little god
Impartial, not attached on an emotional level
Assignment:
Look and read “Mirror” and look and analyze the poem for literary devices.
Imagery: silver and exact; a lake; a terrible fish
Personification:
Metaphor:
Simile:
What is the tone?
What is the theme? What is Sylvia Plath saying about aging, youth and beauty, the passage of time? How do the literary devices support the theme?
Soapstones!!!
S = speaker
The mirror
Occasion = mirror reflecting on the woman’s obsession
Audience = the reader; insecure women, insecure people; people who are vain
What is the difference between vanity and insecurity?
Vain is conceited and narcissistic
Purpose = to tell the truth about the nature of beauty and illusion
Subject = the mirror itself, the reflection of the woman, the woman’s insecurities about aging, about her fading beauty
Mirror: write everything that comes to mind about mirrors
Silver:
Exact:
Swallow:
Unmisted:
Love:
Dislike:
little god:
Meditate:
Pink wall:
Speckled:
A part of my heart:
Faces and darkness separate us over and over:
Lake:
A woman bends over me
Searching my depths for what she really is:
Those liars:
Candles:
Moon:
Tears:
Agitation of hands:
Drowned a young girl:
Old woman rises toward her:
Terrible fish:


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Middlemarch Essay

Image
How to Approach the A.P. prompt for MIDDLEMARCH How does Eliot portray characters? How does she portray complex relationship between husband and wife? Literary devices: Narrative perspective (Pov) and selection of detail. Middlemarch: underline novels!!!!! Rosamond’s personality: She was not given to weeping and disliked it. Lines 14 – 16: Rosamond thinks….. Go through the entire prompt and find examples of pov (narrative perspective) of Rosamond. Find at least three examples. Lines 77 – 79: “The thought in her mind was if she had known what he was going to be like she would never have married him.” Lines 87 - 90: “She was determined to make no further resistance or utterance.” Lines 23 – 26: This sudden trial was to a creature who had known nothing but indulgence. 52 – 53: His self blame gave her some hope that he would attend to her opinion. Tertius: Lines 48 – 50: Lydgate was bowing his neck like a creature……” Lines 34 – 35: That she had ...
Read more

Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 1

Image
Hamlet Act 2, Scene 1: In this scene Polonius is giving instructions to his servant Reynaldo to spy on Laertes, his son, in Paris. (Again, note the theme of spying) Polonius is giving Reynaldo money to give to his son, but tells him to “to make inquire of his behavior”. “Inquire me first what Danskers are in town….” This is an example of elision or omission of words (words are intentionally left out to insure the lines scan in iambic pentameter.) What word or words are left out? Dansker: Danes Polonius tells Reynaldo to inquire about Laertes’ behavior in a roundabout general way: “encompassment and drift of question” and by this way will arrive at the truth faster and more completely than by asking directly (“…come you more nearer / Than your particular demands will touch it.”) Do you think that’s true? Polonius further instructs Reynaldo, the servant, to say that he doesn’t know him well, but has some “…distant knowledge of him…” Mark: Listen well! Are ...
Read more

Oedipus Rex

Image
Oedipus Notes Act 1 There is a pestilence which has descended upon Thebes.  The people of Thebes have assembled at the front steps of Oedipus’ palace to plead with him to save them as he once did with the Sphinx. Oedipus says that he has sent Creon to ask Teiresias to come and tell them what he knows, but Creon has been gone for some time now and all anxiously wait for his return. Creon at last arrives and says he has spoken with Teiresias but first asks Oedipus if he would like to hear the news in private or in front of the people. By his comment, “I am prepared to speak, but should we not go in?” suggests that he would like to be more cautious and circumspect. Oedipus’ response is “Let them all hear it. It is for them, I suffer, more than for myself.” This is magnanimous and is suggestive of a large, generous and open heart but also one that might be foolish and a little rash.  What if the news is not good, frightening or embarrassing for him?  The crowd m...
Read more