Why does the mirror appear to be a lake in the second stanza? What aspect of the mirror do you think is being referred to here?

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Solution

The mirror, appearing to be a lake, symbolises depths of reality. The aspect of reflecting back an image objectively, is referred to over here.

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Answer the following questions briefly

(a) What is the poetic device used when the mirror says 'I swallow'?

(b) How does the mirror usually pass its time?

(d) Why does the mirror appear to be a lake in the second stanza? What aspect of the mirror do you think is being referred to here?

(e) What is the woman searching for in the depths of the lake?

(f) How does the narrator convey the fact that the woman looking at her reflection in the lake is deeply distressed?

(g) What makes the woman start crying?

(h) What do you think the 'terrible fish' in the last line symbolizes? What is the poetic device used here?

Do you like to look at yourself in the mirror? What do you think about at such times? Have you ever seen a dog, a cat or a bird look into a mirror? What do you think it sees?

Why do you think Aunt Jennifer’s hands are ‘fluttering through her wool’ in the second stanza? Why is she finding the needle so hard to pull?

Q. Read the following conversation.
Teacher: "If you want to collect the virtual images, which mirror do you select?".
Bharathi: "convex mirror"
Sowmya: "concave mirror"
Firoz: "plane mirror"
What do you think? Who is correct? Explain.

Answer the following questions:

1. When the poet says that the mirror has no preconceptions it means:

(i) it reflects your image objectively

(ii) it gives a biased view of the person

(iii) it is emotionally involved with the person whose image it reflects

2. Why has the mirror been described as being ‘unmisted’? What is the image that the poet is trying to convey about the nature of the mirror?

3. How does the mirror ‘swallow’? What is the poetic device used here?

4. From the poem find out the words that have been used to describe the mirror. For e.g. exact, ….

5. The mirror has been called a four-cornered God because:

(i) it is square shaped

(ii) like God it watches you unbiased and fair from all the four angles

(iii) it faithfully reflects all that it sees

6. How does the mirror spend its time?

7. What disturbs it contemplation of the opposite wall?

8. The ‘pink speckles’ refer to:

(i) the opposite wall that is pink.

(ii) a person with a healthy pink face with freckles.

(iii) spots made on the mirror with red paint.

9. In the second stanza the mirror is compared to another object. What is it? Why do you think this comparison has been made?

10. What is the woman searching for in the depths of the pool?

11. The phrase ‘agitation of the hands’ means:

(i) the person is very upset

(ii) the person’s hands are cold

(iii) the person is worried

12. Why does ‘she’ start crying?

13. Why does the poet refer to the fish in the last line? Why has it been described as being ‘terrible’?

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