Mirror

Q. Read the following extracts and answer the given questions.

extract- 1
" I am silver and exact. I have no preconceptions.
.....................................................
I am not cruel, only truthful-"

ques.a What does the poet mean by the expression ''I have no preconceptions ''?
ans.a The poet means that the mirror is unbiased .It reflects what it sees without
adding or subtracting .It neither has any likes nor dislikes. The mirror has no
preconceived ideas to judge others .

que.b How does the mirror 'swallow'? What is the poetic device used here ?
ans.b The mirror absorbs whatever it sees and reflects back the image present in
front of it ,like human beings . It is shown to consume and draw-in what it is fed.
Hence , the poet has used personification in the above lines.

ques.c 'Unmisted by love or dislike' : why has the mirror been described as
unmisted?
ans.c Unmisted means giving a clear and distinct image.The mirror is unmisted
i.e.it is 'objective','dispassionate' and'unprejudiced' in reflecting what it sees.
People's view of others is affected by their love or hatred.It is difficult for people to
be as truthful and objective as mirror is.
Therefore, mirror is different from human beings.

EXTRACT-2
"The eye of a little God, four-cornered
..............................................
...............................But it flickers."

ques.a What poetic device has been used in the first line?Explain.

ans.a the poetic device used in the first line is Metaphor.

The mirror has been compared to God.Like God, the mirror sees the truth and views
everything in all the corners of the world.

ques.b What disturbs mirror's contemplation of the opposite wall?

ans.b People's faces and the darkness disturbs the mirror's view of the
wall.Hence,its meditation gets disturbed.

extract -3
" I am important to her.........
............................like a terrible fish."

que.a How is the mirror important to the woman?

ans.a The woman has seen herself in the mirror from her girlhood age to her old
age.The mirror has always recorded and reflected all changes in her. So,the mirror is
her close companion for so many years.It shows her true self to her.Thus, the mirror
is so important to her.

que.b What does poet mean by 'she has drowned a young girl'?
ans.b The poet means by this phrase that right from her youthful days, she used to
see herself in the mirror. But now,that youth and beauty seem to have dissolved in
the mirror ie it is nowhere to be seen. The mirror cannot reflect that image again.

que.c Why does the poet compare the woman with terrible fish?
ans.c The poet compares the woman with a terrible fish because in her old age the
woman feels she has become very ugly, Just like a terrible fish.Time and age have
turned the once beautiful and young woman into an ugly looking person with a
wrinkled skin who resembles a terrible looking ugly fish.

Extract-4
"Now I am a lake.............................
...............................................
She rewards me with tears and an agitation of hands."

Ques(a).Which figure of speech has been used in 'Now I am a lake' ?

Ans.Figure of speech used in 'Now I am a lake' is Metaphor.

Ques(b).Why is mirror compared to a lake ?

Ans. The mirror is compared to a lake because both have reflective surfaces and
mirror's reflections are as clear and true as that of the lake.

Ques(c). Explain 'then she turns to those liars,candles or the moon'.

Ans(c). The candles and the moon have been called liars as their dim light hide the
blemishes and wrinkles on one's face and they mislead one into believing that they
are still beautiful and youthful. The woman turns to those liars because they allow
her to live in illusion about her youth and beauty.

Ques(d).What is meant by the agitation of hands ? What causes the agitation of the
woman's hands ?
Ans(d).'Agitation of hands'means rubbing and twisting of the hands in a state of
helplessness and anxiety. The reflection of the woman's disappearing youth, fading
beauty and the wrinkled face cause this agitation of hands.