Speaker or Narrator, and Point of View
Third-person subjective point of view
Form and Meter
Free-verse
Metaphors and Similes
The simile is in the line ‘To build it flat like a section of wall.’
Alliteration and Assonance
Alliteration is in the line ‘Bigger than the head, thrust at the viewer’ because of the constant repetition of the consonant 't'
Irony
The main paradox is that societal perception toward others is distorted, like the image of a person in the convex mirror.
Genre
Narrative-style poem
Setting
Written in the context of Parmigianino’s portrait
Tone
Enlightening and optimistic
Protagonist and Antagonist
The central character is the narrator.
Major Conflict
There is a conflict between societal perception and the reality of an individual. The image on the convex mirror is distorted, and it represents societal perception toward others.
Climax
The climax comes towards the poem's end when the poet merges his dream with reality.
Foreshadowing
The confusion of self-identity is foreshadowed by falsified individual reflection replicated in a convex mirror.
Understatement
The influence of personal reflection in one’s life is understated.
Allusions
The poem alludes to the significance of self-reflection.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The painting is used as a metonymy for personal reflection.
Personification
The mirror is incarnated
Hyperbole
N/A
Onomatopoeia
N/A
