hold a mirror to

verb2

1. •
   To reflect; to represent and by resemblance provide insight into.

   • Or, as Dr. Gregory Stevenson suggests, do the supernatural trials and tribulations of the Winchesters appeal because they merely hold a mirror to the more mundane terrors we all face every day? — 2009
2. •
   To elucidate; to make explicit some aspect of.

   • To speak "truth to power" should not be considered negative: to hold a mirror to society, even a mirror that embodies the biases and anguish of its creator, is not a negative act. — 2005