A Photograph by Shirley Toulson

Name of the poem:-.A  Photograph 

Name of the poet:- Shirley Toulson

Explanation & Analysis:-  Shahid Iqbal

GLOSSARY ( Contextual) :- 

▪cardboard–paperboard or stiff paper ▪how it was– the situation at that time▪paddling – walking with short steps on water, propelling a small boat for sport on water▪big girl – the mother of the poetess, was then only twelve years old but she was older than her cousins▪all three— the poetess’ mother and her two cousins ▪still— motionless▪smile through their hair —They were laughing while some hair strands falling over their eyes and face▪a sweet face — the mother of the poetess looked charming and fascinating▪changed less — the sea over the years has changed very little▪washed — touched▪terribly—greatly, at fast speed▪transient — unsteady, moving, temporary ▪snapshot – the photo ▪laugh at–the poet laughs at the photograph as she finds the dress and appearance of her and her cousins funny▪sea holiday – an outing for pleasure and merry-making on the beach. ▪was her past – the sea-holiday represents the mother’s childhood▪ mine is her laughter– the mother passed away. The poetess on seeing the same photo years after mother’s death feels sad. She misses her mother’s laughter.▪wry – sad, disappointed▪laboured ease of loss– both had experienced the ravages of time and suffered the loss. The photo is fading and the poetess has learnt to bear the loss of her mother with the passing of time.▪this circumstance—the period after the death of the mother, the loss and grief of the poetess; ▪there is nothing to say at all — life has been cheerless after the mother’s death. The void created by her death is painful. Time passes silently but steadily weakens old memories of loss and grief.

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Lines 1 – 4:

The cardboard shows me how it was

When the two girl cousins went paddling

Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,

And she the big girl – some twelve years or so.

Meaning & Explanation:-

In these lines, the poetess is  looking at a photo album.She is looking at one picture in particular.It is the picture of three girls, the tallest and oldest one in the middle and two younger ones at each side of her. The girl in the middle is the poetess’ mother, and the poetess speculates that her mother must have been around twelve years old when the picture was taken.The other two girls are two of her mother’s cousins. Each of the cousins is holding on to older girl’s hands.The picture has been taken on a day when the three girls had gone paddling at the beach.The cardboard frame or the photograph shows the lack of permanence of human life.

Lines 5 – 9:-

All three stood still to smile through their hair

At the uncle with the camera, A sweet face

My mother’s, that was before I was born

And the sea, which appears to have changed less

Washed their terribly transient feet.

Meaning & Explanation:- 

In these lines, the poetess describes how the photograph was taken.The poetess says that her mother’s uncle took the photograph. He asked the three girls to pose for the photograph. They had left their wet hair open, and their hair was obscuring part of their faces. Through the film of hair covering their faces, one could see that they were smiling into the camera. However, one face in the picture draws the poetess’ attention to a greater degree.It is her mother’s face, and the poetess comments that the face was a sweet one.The poetess also says that the photograph was taken long before the poetess was born. Since then, her mother’s face had changed.In contrast to this, the sea which lay along the beach where the photograph was taken had changed to a lesser degree. That very sea had been washing the feet of the mother and her two younger cousins the day the photograph had been taken. The poetess calls those feet “terribly transient” since all the girls in that photograph had stopped being so young and had grown up since then.Their childhood hasn’t lasted very long.

Lines 10 – 13:

Some twenty- thirty- years later

She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty

And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they

Dressed us for the beach.” The sea holiday

Meaning & Explanation:-

In these lines,the poetess recalls what her mother used to say about the photograph.After twenty or thirty years later, the mother would laugh at the photograph.She would tell the poetess to look at her cousins, Betty and Dolly and how their parents had dressed them up for the beach.It seems the plan to take the photograph had been there all along.

Lines 14 – 15:

was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry

With the laboured ease of loss.

Meaning & Explanation:-

The poetess says that the sea holiday was her mother's favourite moment from her past, while the poetess’ favourite moment from the past was her mother's laughter. These lines tell that the poetess’ mother considered the photograph as an inroad to the past and on the other hand, the poetess considered the memory of her mother's laughter was the best part of her past memories.Finally both of them felt disappointed as they could not live their bygone years again.

Lines 16 – 19:

Now she has been dead nearly as many years

As that girl lived. And of this circumstance

There is nothing to say at all,

Its silence silences.

Meaning & Explanation:- 

In the above lines, the poetess says that her mother died past twelve years, that is the same number of years that was the age of her mother in the photograph she had been looking at. Whenever the poetess thinks of her mother’s death,she has no words to explain how that death has affected her. The death has silenced her mother and has also left the poetess speechless.

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*Understanding the poem through key sentences*

1. The poetess looks at the cardboard on which there is a childhood photograph of her mother.

2. She,  the mother, went  for a sea holiday with two of her cousins Betty and Dolly.

3. While they were paddling, their uncle took their photograph.

4. Both the cousins were holding the hands of her mother who was the eldest among the girls.

5. This was before the poetess was born.

6. Time passed since and all those who were in the photograph under went  changes while the sea hardly. changed.

7. Her mother would look at the photograph after about twenty to thirty years and laugh recalling her  childhood memories.

8. Now her mother’s laughter and the mother’s  sea holiday is a thing of the past.

9. Her mother’s favourite moment was her sea holiday while the poet’s favourite moment from the past was  her mother’s laughter. 

10. Her mother died about 12 years ago.

11. The silence of the photograph silences the poet.The death silenced her mother which left the poetess speechless.

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Tone of the poem:-

In the beginning the tone of the poem is joyful. The poetess looks at the childhood photograph of her mother.She recounts how her mother would often look at the photograph and talked joyfully about the day when the photograph was clicked. After this the tone of the poem changes. Sadness creeps in.The poet set a comparison between the unchanging sea and brevity & mortality of human life. Lastly she became speechless thinking about her mother's death.

Rhyming Scheme:- 

Rhyming scheme is not identifiable.So the poem is composed in Blank Verse.

Poetic devices used in the poem

Synecdoche:- Syncdoche is a figure of speech referring to when a part of something is used to refer to the whole.In the poem, the poetess uses the word “feet” but she means the whole body, as the bodies of her mother and younger cousins are not immortal.

Personification:- This rhetorical device is used to bestow human qualities on something that is not human. In this poem, the poet uses the device of personification in the 19 line , “Its Silence Silences,”. Here she gives ‘silence’ the ability to stop the poet from speaking.

Oxymoron:- A term which contradicts itself. Example from the poem:- "Laboured ease“

Epithet ( By-name / Descriptive Title / Hypallage) :-A phrase that describes a place, a thing, or a person in such a way that it helps in making its characteristics or quality more prominent than they actually are. Also, it is known as a “by-name,” or “descriptive title.”In the poem ,"Terribly transient" is an example of epithet.

Alliteration:- Repetition of a consonant sound of two or more consecutive words. The instances of alliteration in the poem are as follows:- Stood still, Through their, ,My mother’s, Terribly transient, Silence silences.

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Questions:- 

1.Write summary of the poem,  “A Photograph”.

*How to write the summary of a poem (Format):- 

Name of the Poem:-

2. Name of the poet:-

3. Meaning of the poem ( in short):-

4. Central Idea of the poem

5. Lesson Learnt ( if any):-

5. Literary Devices used in the poem:-

7. Rhyming Scheme:-

2. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?

3. What has the camera captured?

4. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?

5. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

6. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss.”

7. What does “this circumstance” refer to?

8. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?

9. Comment on the tone of the poem.

10.What is the significance of the ‘cardboard frame?’

11.What emotions does the poetess mother have when she looks at the photograph?

12.What is silence and how has it silenced the poetess? Or Explain ‘Its silence silences.’

13.‘Each photograph is a memory.’ Justify the statement in the light of the poem.

14. Is literary device “simile” used in the poem? If yes, indicate.

15. Bring out the comparison and contrast between the sea and the ‘feet’.

16. What does the poetess mean by ‘their terribly transient feet’?