The Man in the Glass
by Dale Wimbrow
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
Meanings of The Man in the Glass
The poem “The Man in the Glass” by Dale Wimbrow presents a speaker who states that a person having achievements in life cannot satisfy himself if his heart is not satisfied. The poem sheds light on the main ideas of truthfulness, acceptance of reality, and self-honesty.
Meanings of Stanza -1
When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
Addressing the readers in the second person, the speaker, who happens to be the poet himself, says that if you get what you struggle for in your life, the world showers praises on you. Then you should go to your mirror and look at yourself. Check what you say for yourself. The speaker means that if you are satisfied and happy with your achievement, it means a lot to you. However, if you are not, then it is not even if the entire world praises you. The stanza contributes to the main idea of self-honesty.
Meanings of Stanza -2
For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
The speaker moves forward with the same idea. She states that nobody can pass judgment on you even if that somebody is your father, or your mother, or your wife. It is because only your own decision about you or judgment about you impact you the most. The speaker is of the view that the one who is looking back at you in the mirror makes the best impact on your life or makes a decisive judgment. This stanza further contributes to the main idea of self-honesty.
Meanings of Stanza -3
He’s the fellow to please – never mind all the rest
For he’s with you, clear to the end
And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test
If the man in the glass is your friend.
The speaker is truthful about the person who wins. He is of the view that if the person who looks you back in the mirror is pleased, then you have done a great job. You should not mind what others say. The man in the mirror or your reflection is always with you, and if he is with you, you can ignore all others. And if you pass the most difficult test of your life, your reflection is your best friend. The speaker means that if your conscience is satisfied, you have done a great job, and you must satisfy your conscience. This stanza further contributes to the main idea of self-honesty.
Meanings of Stanza -4
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you’ve cheated the man in the glass.
The speaker states that a person can deceive all. He can win the appreciation of everybody. He can win the hearts and minds of the people. However, the final decision that counts the most is of the person who is in the glass. That is the person himself and his inner voice, which is also called conscience. It means if the conscience of the person is satisfied, he has his reward, but if he deceives himself, it means that only tears with heartache are his fate. This stanza completes the main idea of self-honesty and mundane appreciation.
Summary of The Man in the Glass
- Popularity of “The Man in the Glass”: Written by Dale Wimbrow, a great American writer and poet “The Man in the Glass” is a reflective poem. It first appeared in 1934. The poem is a powerful reminder that we should accept ourselves by looking in the mirror daily. It also highlights that acceptance of reality makes our life easy. The poem’s popularity lies in that it relates to people of every age.
- “The Man in the Glass” As a Representative of Reality: This poem is about truthfulness to oneself. It begins when the speaker says that people sing your praise when you get the fruit of your struggle. The writer suggests instead of listening to false praise, look into the mirror and believe in what you see. The man in the glass will never lie to you; his judgment would be fair and straightforward. Furthermore, he suggests that if you befriend that guy, you will never lose contact with reality. There comes a time when people start comparing themselves to wonderful people, neglecting their capabilities. At that time, the guy in the glass brings them back to reality. It makes them redefine their choices. To him, cheering the whole world having false notions makes us vulnerable and weak. Therefore, we should always remain true to ourselves.
- Major Themes in “The Man in the Glass”: Honesty, acceptance of reality, and truthfulness are the major themes of the poem. This poem is a beautiful reminder; the writer reminds us that no matter how far we go in life, we can never walk away from ourselves. The writer urges us to develop a lasting bond with ourselves. It will not only make our life easy but also save us from heartaches, failure, and false hopes.In other words, the writer wants to say that no one in the world can be our well-wisher. The only well-wisher we have is ourselves. Therefore, instead of running away from it, one should embrace it.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in The Man in the Glass
Dale Wimbrow has used various literary devices to enhance the intended impacts of his poem. Some of the major literary devices have been analyzed below.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /a/ in “When you get what you want in your struggle for self” and the sound of /o/ in “Just go to the mirror and look at yourself.”
- Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line in quick succession such as the sound of /w/ in “the whole world down.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /t/ in “When you get what you want in your struggle for self” and the sound of /s/ in “And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test.”
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example;
For it isn’t your father, or mother, or wife
Whose judgment upon you must pass
The fellow whose verdict counts most in your life
Is the one staring back from the glass.
- Irony: Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words. This is an ironic poem that shows how we keep ourselves busy entertaining false praise and ignoringe our inner voices.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. Dale Wimbrow has used imagery in this poem such as; “When you get what you want in your struggle for self”, “And you’ve passed your most difficult, dangerous test” and “You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The writer has used realization as an extended metaphor to show we should always learn from our mistakes.
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols like false praise, realization, truthfulness, and hope.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in “The Man in the Glass”
Although poetic devices are part of literary devices, some of them differ in nature. With the help of poetic devices, the poet sets the mood of the poem and gives his text an indirect meaning. The analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem is as follows.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Dale Wimbrow has used end rhyme in this poem such as; “day/say”, “end/friend” and “glass/pass.”
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are four stanzas in this poem with each comprising four verses.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful for parents to use when teaching their kids the most significant lessons of life.
“When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.”