Birth date: October 27, 1932
 Death date: February 11, 1963
 Born in Massachusetts
 she studied at Smith College and
Newnham College, Cambridge before
receiving acclaim as a professional poet
and writer.
 She was married to Ted Hughes.

Genre
Confessional poetry

Form
Free Verse
This poem is written in
free verse, which
means that it has no
set pattern of rhythm
or rhyme.

Questions: (6, 7, & 8)
How does the language of the poem contribute to its
meaning?
For language of used in this poem is sorrow but yet salvation.
For at first lost out then grows up into a woman who’s found
salvation on her own
 How is the poem organized?
This poem is written in free verse, which means that it
has no set pattern of rhyme.
 Do patterns of rhyme and rhythm contribute to meaning and
effect of the poem?
The poem holds rhythm but not rhyme, either way with one
the poem can function with just one.

Questions: (3, 5, & 9)
What is the dramatic context of the poem?
For the reason of the poem is a girl being broken hearted but
growing up into a full grown woman.
 What motivates the speaker to speak now, in the tone he/she
uses?
For past life and hoping for the future is what might have
inspired her into writing such attention grabbing words.
 What theme does the poem contain?
The theme is realization, much like an epiphany.

Questions (1,2, & 4)
Who is talking?
The mirror is the speaker in the poem.
 To whom is the speaker talking?

The speaker speaks to those who can relate to her words.

What happens during the poem?
At first she's lost and broken, but yet she manages to shine. She manages yet
glow even though she’s down and alone.
Staring the image
For she knows she alone
Cries for help
Young and true
Holds life dear
Lost in the shadows
Her tears shine
Though she feels hope
I stand and gaze
Upon what I once knew
For then I know what I must
become
As I peel away this picture
I see something new
For woman stare back
She seems happy
Alone but satisfied
She catches every tear
With every second that she
breathes
Her once lonely and sad life
Its now full and bright
What was your initial response to the
poem?
The poem confused us, because at first
she was one thing and then in second
the part she was something different.
How was your new poem improve the
message of the original?
The speaker of this poem was young &
grew into a woman leaving the past
behind.