A Poetic Analysis of “The Witch in the Glass” by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt
What can be better than living a life with no regrets? Unfortunately, many people have live their lives with regrets. Would they have appreciated a little warning to not commit the mistake that caused them to live their life in regret? Big regrets many people have include having missed an opportunity, not trying hard enough, or chasing after materialistic things and vanity. The poem “The Witch in the Glass” by Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt tells a story for a theme very similar to this, it explores the theme of vanity and how it will cause regret later on in life. “The Witch in the Glass” is a better poem than all the other poems in this world because it conveys a deep message,…show more content… The first part is about a child recalling to the speaker what her mother said to her about avoiding the “witch” she will find in the mirror because it would lead to vanity. The audience know it is someone talking because it is written entirely in quotation marks. Her mother said to “not pass/Too near that glass” (line 1-2) because her daughter might “see/ A little witch that looks like me [the daughter]” (lines 3-4). Here the poet is telling us how looking at a reflection can be too risky. First, the girl will see how she has little flaws, perhaps her freckles. Then she will do anything to make herself look better, like apply make-up. Once she has attained what she believes to be perfection, vanity will creep into her heart. That is only one possibility. Maybe she will never be happy with herself and waste her life looking for that perfection. The other half is the speaker sharing their personal thoughts on how they regret chasing after vanity and how without their mom, they committed those exact same mistakes. She thought she was “a bird of the air” (line 8) and liked receiving “a rose [from] some hapless boy” (line 10), but she wished for the child that it was “the very thing you should not know!” (line 12). The meaning of this poem is essential because it acts as a warning for the young, so they know that chasing after beauty is not everything. This is how this life lesson helps “the Witch in the Glass” in being the best…show more content… The poet has used sound devices such as rhyme, meter, assonance, and repetition. The rhyme scheme for “the Witch in the Glass” is aabbcc. The meter of the poem is one that could be used while telling a very interesting story or sharing some interesting gossip. During the first part, one can almost imagine a little child telling a fact to an adult as if they did not already know. The rhyme scheme and the meter help piece the poem perfectly together. The poem has been written in a manner, so one can also imagine the excitement and fright on this little girls face talking about the “witch” (line 4). During the second half with the adult, the tone of the poem almost changes, although the meter does not. While this grown and experienced women speaks, she does it in an almost regretful voice. She talks of “wistful wind” (line 9) and “a rose/with breath too sweet” (line 10-11). The poet sets the tone using careful words and rhyme. Throughout the entire poem the poet uses assonance, especially with her “a” and “o”. The author purposely does not use alliteration because if she had, it would have sounded happy and cheerful, but that would take away from the serious life lesson. To put an emphasis on the lesson, the author also uses repetition. Both the mother and the speaker tell the little girl to