TASK 3D — Across the Fence and into the Mirror

📋 Exam Question

Read the poem below.

Analyse the poem and reflect on its message.

• ‘Mirror’ by Alana C. Burridge, 2022
• A high bright white fence, sharp, pointed
• So white it blinds, drowning me in darkness.
• In the dark I sense the pernicious prowling
• Of a creature who wants me in the night
• to succumb to his call, his rage, his might
• He tries to ensnare me
• Feeding on my fear; billowing in my ignorance.
• But…
• I challenge the night with stubborn determination
• Claw my way out of the darkness
• And as eyes open wide…light
• I look across the fence at your house
• It looks very much like my house
• I see the street on which you live
• House upon house, just like my street
• Neighbours like my neighbours
• The sky over your house the same light blue
• The same wilting trees spotting your lawn
• It has, after all, been dry this year
• On your side
• On my side
• I look across the fence at your children
• They sing, they dance, they laugh around your house
• My children sing, dance and smile around our house
• I look across the fence at your wife
• and see the satisfied mother’s smile
• Warm in the glow of her motherhood
• The same way my wife laughs with our children
• Her warm glow that transcends all malice
• Two mothers, no price on love
• And yet, I am told by the men of rhetoric
• That you are my enemy
• And I suppose…
• Your wife,
• Your children,
• Your street, too
• That your blood is not like my blood
• Or that your colour is not my colour
• That you like apples but I like oranges
• That you eat with fork and knife
• And I with knife and fork
• You blink brown eyes
• I blink blue eyes
• But
• Like cats we lazily stretch in the sunlight in thoughtful repose
• And then I look across the fence and into the mirror
• Your life, my life
• Your dreams, my dreams
• Your thoughts, my thoughts
• Why then do we let the men of rhetoric
• Strutting like proud peacocks, blustering and blaring
• About winning this; righting that
• Threatening this; demanding that
• Erect these fences and feed our fears
• So that we who are so near are so distant
• With the mirror, suddenly shattered,
• Its pointed shards portents of horrors to come
• Unless we shake off the dusty men of rhetoric
• Like old, tired shirts from our backs
• And peer with stubborn determination across the fence
• Then I see you and you see me

Source: Utdanningsdirektoratet

✏️ Model Answer

Across the Fence and into the Mirror – A Reflection on Humanity and Division

The poem Mirror by Alana C. Burridge is a powerful meditation on division, fear, and shared humanity. Through vivid imagery and a reflective narrative, the poem exposes how artificial barriers—both physical and psychological—are built by rhetoric and politics, not by the people themselves.

The poem begins in darkness, behind a "high bright white fence" that blinds and isolates the speaker. The fence becomes a powerful symbol: it is white and clean on the surface but also "sharp" and dangerous. It separates the speaker from the world on the other side and represents ignorance, prejudice, and fear. In this darkness, the speaker senses a threatening "creature"—a metaphor for the internalized fear and hatred that feed on division. The language in this first stanza evokes vulnerability and danger, suggesting how fear can take control in isolation.

But then the tone shifts. With "stubborn determination," the speaker breaks out of the darkness and sees light—both literal and metaphorical. Across the fence, the speaker sees a reflection of their own life: similar houses, families, children playing, and mothers laughing. The repetition of "like my..." emphasizes the similarities rather than differences. The poem uses ordinary details—wilted trees, blue skies, laughter—to show that the other side of the fence is not a threat, but a mirror.

This moment of realization contrasts sharply with the influence of "the men of rhetoric"—a phrase used with clear irony. These are politicians, media figures, or ideologues who thrive on division, exaggeration, and fear. They tell people that "you are my enemy" based on superficial differences like eye color or eating habits. The poet critiques how this language feeds separation and fuels hatred by distorting reality.

The mirror becomes a central symbol. When the speaker looks through the fence and sees his own reflection in the lives of others, the illusion of difference fades. But this mirror can also be "shattered"—a powerful image for what happens when fear and hate win. Broken reflections mean broken understanding, and "shards" become “portents of horrors to come”—perhaps a warning of war, violence, or continued alienation.

Still, the poem ends with a call for hope and action. The speaker urges us to "shake off the dusty men of rhetoric like old, tired shirts" and to look—truly look—across the fence again. If we do, we will see each other, not as enemies, but as mirrors of ourselves.

The message is clear and timely: division is constructed, not natural. The true enemy is not the person across the fence, but the voices that feed fear and push us apart. Burridge’s poem is both a personal reflection and a political statement. It calls for empathy, courage, and dialogue, and reminds us that peace begins when we see ourselves in others.