A Comparison of Sylvia Plath's 'Blackberrying' and 'Mirror'

There are many similarities between these two poems; one of these is the hidden feelings and messages the voices convey in the poems. The poems work on two levels and can be taken as being very matter of fact and simplistic, saying what a person or object sees. In 'Mirror' the voice talks in an objective way; only stating what it sees and does not examine the feelings of the woman. This is very characteristic …

…taking things at face value. 'Blackberrying' looks deeper into the woman's feelings through use of metaphors on her journey such as the claustrophobia of the blackberries, things that could potentially be good but suffocate her, and the lack of fulfilment provided by the sea, life that has not been as good as hoped. Language is the main difference between the two poems as the woman's anguish is evident in both poems but in separate ways.