This page offers Mirror summary Class 10 pdf in easy language. We have presented short and long summaries from 50 words to 300 words. Go through to get a deep insight of Poem Mirror from the Book English Communicative. It is useful for exam points of view and quick learning of the Poem. Downloadable PDF is also available.
Table of Contents
Short Summary of the Poem: Mirror
The mirror in the poem is speaking. It says, “I am silver and exact.” This means it shows everything truthfully. It has no feelings, so it does not love or hate what it sees. It reflects the real image, just like it is.
The mirror spends most of the time looking at the pink-speckled wall in front of it. Sometimes, people or darkness come in between. But mostly, it is quiet and still.
Then the mirror says, “Now I am a lake.” A woman bends over the lake to look at her reflection. She wants to know her real self. But she does not like what she sees, so she turns to the candles or the moon. The mirror calls them liars because they show a softer, prettier version of her face.
The woman looks into the mirror every day. She is worried because she is getting old. The mirror sees that she has lost her young face, and now an old woman appears day by day—like a terrible fish rising from the deep water.
This poem tells us that the mirror always tells the truth, even when it is hard to accept. The woman wants to look young forever, but the mirror can only show reality, not dreams.
Detailed Summary of the Poem: Mirror
1. The Mirror Describes Itself: The mirror is the speaker of the poem. It says, “I am silver and exact.” This means the mirror shows things just as they are—honest and clear. It says it has no preconceptions, meaning it does not judge or change anything. It simply swallows whatever it sees, just like a camera.
The mirror says it is not cruel, but only truthful. It compares itself to the eye of a little god—always watching carefully, with no feelings of love or hate.
2. What the Mirror Sees Daily: The mirror says it spends most of its time looking at the opposite wall. The wall is pink and has speckles (spots). The mirror has looked at it for so long that it feels the wall has become a part of its own heart. But sometimes, faces of people and darkness come between them.
This shows that the mirror is always watching, and it is a quiet observer of the world.
3. The Mirror Becomes a Lake: In the second stanza, the mirror says, “Now I am a lake.” A lake can also reflect things, but it has depth too. A woman comes and looks at her face in the water. She is not only seeing her face but is also searching for her real self—her inner truth.
But the woman doesn’t like what she sees. So she turns to candles and the moon, which the mirror calls liars. These lights are soft and hide the wrinkles or grey hair, making people look better than they really are.
4. The Woman’s Fear of Growing Old: The woman keeps coming back to the mirror. Every day she looks at her reflection. The mirror says, “In me she has drowned a young girl.” This means her youth is lost, and now she is turning into an old woman. The old woman rises toward her like a terrible fish, which shows her fear and sadness about ageing.
5. The Poem’s Message: This poem tells us that mirrors always show the truth, even if the truth is hard to accept. The woman feels upset when she sees that she is getting old. But the mirror cannot lie. It shows exactly what is real—without kindness, without cruelty.
This poem was written by Sylvia Plath, a famous American poet born in 1932. She used the mirror as a way to talk about truth, ageing, and how people often find it hard to accept changes in themselves.
Pointwise Summary of the Poem: Mirror
1. The mirror is the speaker of the poem and describes itself as silver and exact.
2. It says it has no preconceptions, meaning it reflects everything truthfully.
3. The mirror is not cruel, only honest—it shows what is real, not what people want to see.
4. It compares itself to the eye of a little god, always watching without feelings.
5. Most of the time, the mirror looks at the pink-speckled wall in front of it.
6. Sometimes, people’s faces or darkness come between the mirror and the wall.
7. In the second stanza, the mirror says, “Now I am a lake,” showing depth and reflection.
8. A woman looks into the lake, trying to find her true self.
9. She turns away to candles and the moon, which the mirror calls “liars” because they hide the truth.
10. Each day, she sees her youth fading and an old woman rising toward her like a terrible fish, showing her fear of growing old.