Poem 1 Notes

A PHOTOGRAPH
Shirley Toulson
Introduction:
Shirley Toulson’s poem “A Photograph” is a tribute to her mother.

The poem describes three stages in the passage of time. In the first stanza, the
photograph shows the poet’s mother standing at the beach enjoying her sea
holiday with her two girl cousins. She was around 12 years old at that time. The
second stanza takes us 20 or 30 years later. The mother would laugh at the way
she and her cousins had dressed up for the beach holiday. In the third stanza, the
poet remembers her dead mother with a heavy heart. The photograph revives a
nostalgic feeling in the poet.
Theme:
The memories attached with the photograph are eternal. Nature is

immortal, death is reality and inevitable.
Extracts:
1. The cardboard …………twelve years or so.

a) What does the ‘cardboard’ here refer to?
The ‘cardboard’ here refers to a thick and stiff paper on which the
photograph of the poet’s mother was pasted.
b) What does the cardboard depict?
The cardboard depicts three girls. They are the poet’s mother and her
two cousins enjoying a sea holiday
c) Who is the ‘big girl’ mentioned here?
The big girl mentioned here is the poet’s mother.
2. All three ……………..

…………………transient feet.
a) What does the poet mean by ‘smile through their hair’?
The poet says that her mother and her two cousins were at a beach, it must be
windy and airy over there. So, their hair was flying towards their faces. When they
were smiling, their uncle had taken the photograph.
b) What has not changed over a period of time?
The sea has remained unchanged over the years. The sea appears to have remained
constant since the photograph was taken. But the life of the people in photograph
completely changed.
c) Explain ‘terribly transient feet’.
The poet contrasts the eternity of the sea in the photograph has not changed
compared to those feet which it was washing. The poet’s mother has perished (No
more) but the sea is still the same.
III. Short Answer the following Questions:
1. What does the word ‘Cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?
The word ‘Cardboard’ refers to the photograph of the poet’s mother enjoying her
sea holidays with her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, when she was twelve years old. The
cardboard stands for the frame that supports and holds the photograph. It signifies that life is
transient and what remains is an insignificant piece of paper.
2. What has the camera captured?

The camera had captured some happy childhood moments of a sea holiday with her
two cousins Betty and Dolly. The girls were paddling in the water and enjoying the
moment. The photograph clicked by the mother’s uncle shows the girls’ innocent
smiling faces while their hair was flying over their faces.
3. What has not changed over the year. Discuss
Time has changed but the sea hasn’t changed over the years. It is immortal. It appears
to be the same today as it looked in the old photograph. It suggests eternity of the sea. It also
brings out the transient nature of man when compared to nature and its objects. The pretty
faces and feet of three girls are terribly transient or mortal when compared to unchangeable
and immortal sea.
4. Why did the poet’s mother laugh on seeing the photograph?
The poet’s mother was in middle age when she looked at that photograph and used to
laugh recalling those happy days of her childhood. enjoying a sea holiday. She would also laugh
at the beach dresses which looked weird after many years.
5. What impression do you found poet’s mother?

The poet’s mother appeared pretty at the age of twelve. She enjoyed the sea holiday. This is
indicated by the happiness she gets in middle age after looking at her childhood photograph.
6. Why does the poet feel nostalgic?
The poet sees an old photograph of her mother in which she was standing at the beach
with her hero mother’s sweet and smiling face. At that time, she was around twelve years old.
The poet remembers how her mother used to laugh whenever she looked at her old
photograph. The time has passed and now the poet has left with her mother’s memories. Thus,
she feels nostalgic.
7. How does the poet react to her past without mentioning anything about her mother’s
death?
The poet remembers with sadness her mother’s laughter which she can’t hear any more. The
poet is in a full sense of loss and doesn’t mention of her mother’s death as it may bring more
gloom to her and make her speechless/silent.
8.‘Its silence silences’ Explain.
The poet is certainly with a sense of loss. Her mother is long dead and though the poet
has adjusted to her absence. She has not probably completely overcome her loss.
She remembers how she used to be when her mother was still with her. The last line is an
apt depiction of her state of mind. The loss has filled her life with silence.
9. Comment on the tone of the poem.
The tone of the poem is that of sadness. Shirley Toulson looks at an old photograph of
her mother is sadly reminded of her mother who is no more.
She mentions about death of her mother indirectly only, but this photograph has made
her speechless and silent.
10. What are the three phases depicted in the 3 stanzas?
Shirley Toulson “The Photograph” describes the phases in time.
In the first phase the poet’s mother is described as a twelve-year old girl with her sweet
innocent smile. She is standing on the beach enjoying her holiday with her two cousins Betty
and Dolly. This was the first phase before the poet’s birth.
In the second phase, the poet’s mother’s middle age is described, where she was laughing
at her own snapshot perhaps the girls were looking quite funny in the beach clothes.
The third phase describes the poet’s feelings for her mother, who has died many years
ago. This is the current phase. The photograph revives nostalgic feelings in her and it leads to a
deeper silence.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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A PHOTOGRAPH

Shirley Toulson’s poem “A Photograph” is a tribute to her mother.

The memories attached with the photograph are eternal. Nature is

1. The cardboard …………twelve years or so.

b) What does the cardboard depict?

c) Who is the ‘big girl’ mentioned here?

The big girl mentioned here is the poet’s mother.

2. All three ……………..

III. Short Answer the following Questions:

2. What has the camera captured?

3. What has not changed over the year. Discuss

4. Why did the poet’s mother laugh on seeing the photograph?

5. What impression do you found poet’s mother?

6. Why does the poet feel nostalgic?

8.‘Its silence silences’ Explain.

9. Comment on the tone of the poem.

10. What are the three phases depicted in the 3 stanzas?

Shirley Toulson “The Photograph” describes the phases in time.

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