How Does Lucille Clifton Use Sound To Support The Image Of A Woman

In all societies, many women struggle with how they view themselves when they look in the mirror. In both of the poems, “What the Mirror Said” by Lucille Clifton and “Mirrors” by KHL, the message speaks to women and how they perceive themselves when they look in the mirror. Each poem uses figurative language, a distinct word choice, and sound to support their message, but the poems do have some differences. The poems, “What the Mirror Said” by Lucille Clifton and “Mirrors” by KHL both focus on how women view themselves, which is supported through the use of figurative language and word choice while they each speak to the same audience in different ways. In both of Clifton’s and KHL’s poems, the message focuses specifically on women and how

“What the Mirror Said” has a distinct sound that makes the message come across as straight-forward. Clifton uses language like, “you a wonder, you a city of a women...” that makes the poem sound very direct and clear of what it is trying to say. “Mirrors” by KHL also has a distinct sound; through the use of her line breaks, the poem sounds uneasy and difficult to communicate which supports the theme because the top is something that many women are affected by. Both of the poems have a direct, simple word choice which supports the message. The word choice supports the meaning because it helps to show that women seeing themselves in the mirror should not be a complex, difficult thing, it should be simple and comfortable. Also, each poem uses metaphors to communicate important messages that support their themes. Clifton uses a metaphor in line eight: “somebody need a map to understand you. somebody need directions to move around you.” This metaphor describes how a woman is an individual that is unique and gorgeous in their own way. KHL uses a metaphor as the very last line of her poem. She writes, “but until we have those mirrors or train ourselves to love what we see we have each other as mirrors.” This line supports her whole theme, that society needs to help a woman see her own beauty. Both of the poems by Clifton and KHL use the craft of their pieces to