Mirror by Sylvia Plath Comprehension and Analysis

What do you think is being described?

• a silver ring

• a mirror

• a throat

• water

What statement about the mirror is true based on these lines?

• The mirror distorts reality to create illusions.
• The mirror reflects reality truthfully and without bias.
• The mirror only reflects positive images.
• The mirror is biased and selective in what it shows.

Which two lines from the poem support the statement, "The mirror reflects reality truthfully and without bias"?

• Faces and darkness separate us over and over.
• I am not cruel, only truthful –
• I have no preconceptions.
• It is pink, with speckles.

Make an inference based on the poem: What can make the mirror cruel?

• The truth it reflects.
• The frame surrounding it.
• The light it reflects.
• The angle at which it is viewed.

What does the phrase “The eye of a little god” suggest about the mirror’s personality?

• The mirror has a powerful and truthful personality.
• The mirror has a whimsical and playful personality.
• The mirror is deceptive and misleading.
• The mirror is indifferent and emotionless.

Reread lines 6–9. How does the mirror feel about its daily view?

• The mirror feels connected to the wall, but there always seem something that keeps them apart.

• The mirror feels joyful and excited about its reflections.
• The mirror is indifferent and does not care about what it sees.
• The mirror feels angry and frustrated with its daily view.

What does the line “But it flickers” mean? How does this make the wall different from the mirror’s heart?

• The wall is more reflective than the mirror.
• The mirror shows emotions while the wall does not.
• The wall is unstable and uncertain, while the mirror is constant and truthful.
• The wall is a solid structure, unlike the mirror.

In the second stanza, the mirror compares itself to a ______.

Reread line 13. If the candles and the moon are “liars,” why does the woman turn to them? How does this metaphor reveal the mirror’s perspective?

• The candles and the moon provide a clear view of her identity, contrasting with the mirror's deception.
• The woman turns to the candles and the moon for a distorted view of herself, revealing the mirror's role as a truthful reflection of her identity.
• The woman seeks the truth from the candles and the moon, showing her confidence in their honesty.
• She turns to the candles and the moon for guidance, believing they reflect her true self.

In this stanza, why is the woman agitated that the mirror reflects her “faithfully”? Why does she keep returning to the mirror?

• She believes the mirror shows her a different identity each time.
• The woman is pleased with her reflection and enjoys looking at herself.
• The woman is agitated because the mirror reflects her true self, and she keeps returning to confront her reality.
• The woman is agitated because the mirror is broken and doesn't reflect properly, but she keeps returning to it since she had no other way of knowing.