Question

Here is another poem on mirror. The narrator calls the mirror a 'fibber'. How is this poem different from the poem by Sylvia Plath? the tone and the language used.

MIRROR
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Can't you show me tall and slim?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Must I look so grim?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
You're distorting my waist!
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
And why the heck am I defaced?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Why have I a double chin?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
And what's the, goofy grin?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Pointless asking 'Who's the fairest-?
More likely, 'Who's the queerest? '
Now look, I paid a big bucks for thee,
So why can't you be nice to me?
Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
Who's the fairest of them all?
Me, you say? Ah, that's better -
Mirror, mirror, fibber!

NCERT Class 10th Literature Reader English Ch 8 Mirror

Answer 1

In the poem "MIRROR" by Sylvia Plath.the mirror has been personified.The mirror gives an autobiographical account of itself.It narrates experience whereas in the poem,the poet himself is the narrator  and addresses the mirror directly.Sylvia Plath has presented a the mirror as exact,truthful,faithful,honest and unmisted by love or dislike.It gives the true picture of women who had grown old and is no longer beautiful and charming .But in the poem by Mark R Slaughter,the narrator  calls the mirror 'fibber' - one gives the untrue statement.Here the shows a totally n changed physical appearance of narrator.It doesn't reflect the narrator's appearance exactly .It distorts his waist .It shows him as robust,grim ,defaced an doubled chin.