A photograph Class 11 Hornbill

A poem stirring the inner recesses of memories... evoking nostalgia.

1. A PHOTOGRAPH - Shirley Toulson By: Shivani Singh PGT- ENGLISH, Army Public School, Delhi Cantt.

2. About the poet… Shirley Toulson was born on 20th May 1924 in Henley-on-Thames, England as the daughter of Douglas Horsfall Dixon and Marjorie Brown. She had a huge passion on writing and was greatly influenced by her father who was a writer too. She secured a B.A on Literature from Brockenhurst College in London in the year 1953. Shortly, she took writing as career but also served as the editor for many magazines in meantime. She married  AlanBrownjohn on 6th February 1960. They had three children - Janet Sayers, Ian Toulson and Steven brownjohn . ut after nine years they divorced on March 1969. Celtic Christianity influenced her greatly that most of her major works like "Celtic Alternative" in 1987 and "Celtic Year" in 1993 were on that topic. But these works indeed made her more famous. 

3. THEME AND CENTRAL IDEA A description of a photograph A nostalgic and melancholic poem The interlocutor’s memories of her mother and the mother’s memory of her beach holiday She misses her mother with a heavy heart. Transient nature of time The poet reveals how death can silence you and leave you speechless.

4. Stanza 1 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. All three stood still to smile through their hair At the uncle with the camera.

5. Cardboard= picture frame on which the photograph has been mounted. Paddling= splashing water around( contextual) : the verb form of paddle refers to the action of navigating through the water, either in a boat using a paddle or as a swimmer who used the hands and feet to move around in shallow water. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

6. DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH: Explanation: The poet describes the photograph and tells the reader that the picture tells her about the beach holiday. ‘It’ means the holiday spent by her mother. Here is a reminder to the poet and works as a memory not just of the poet but alkso of the poet’s mother. The scene captured by the photo is as mentioned here: There were three girls. The younger ones were holding the hands of elder, around twelve year old girl. She was the poet’s mother. They could be seen navigating through the water of the sea along the beach. They all stood still and their smiles could be seen behind there hair which were being blown awry by the sea winds.

7. Poetic devices a. Personification : The cardboard shows me how it was… b. Alliteration: ‘stood still to smile’

8. Answer these: What is the meaning of ‘cardboard’? Describe the scene depicted in the photograph. Why were the girls standing still? Who was taking the photograph?

9. 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. Transient= short lived Poetic devices: 1.Alliteration: ‘terribly transient feet’ 2. Transferred epithet: ‘terribly transient feet’ The feet are not short lived but the human being is . This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

10. Explanation: The [poet further points out that her mother’s facewas young and innocent untouched by the vagaries of time. The picture was clicked obviously befor the poet was born. She draws the reader’s attention towards the fact that while the mother had grown old since the time the photograph was taken, the sea looks just the same. The idea is to highlight the shortlived nature of human existence and the permanence of nature as exemplified by the sea here. Further, the poet draws an image of their footprints getting washed away by water. This is to bring in focus the manner in which the vagaries of time can destroy man’s exixtence .

11. Answer these: Whose face is sweet and how? What seems to have changed less. Explain ‘terribly transient feet’.

12. Stanza 2: DESCRIPTION OF THE PASTS OF BOTH MOTHER AND POET Some twenty- thirty- years later She’d laugh at the snapshot, “ Betty And Dolly.” She’d say, and look how they Dressed us for the beach.” the sea holiday Was her pats, mine is her laughter. Both wry With the laboured ease of loss. Snapshot= photograph Wry= a wry expression shows that you find the situation slightly amusing because you know more about it than other people. Laboured=having exerted efforts, having borne with difficulty and pain ease=lack of difficulty

13. . The poet says that the the picture was captured around 20 or 30 years ago. While remembering her beach holiday, the mother would laugh. She would show the poet the two girls and call them betty and Dolly. She found the attire amusing since it appeared old- fashioned . The poet asserts that both she herself and her mother had lost something in the past. For the mother, it was her youth and beautiful moments spent during the holiday. For the poet, it was the mother’s laughter which was now a part of her memories. Both found it painful to recollect their cherished memories. Both are nostalgic and melancholic about their p ast.

14. Poetic devices: Oxymoron: Laboured ease of loss- the process of making the pain of loss and separation bearable is extremely difficult and needs efforts. However, both have been able to make it bearable to themselves over a period of time.

15. Answer these: Who were the three girls in the photograph? Why would the mother laugh? Explain: Both wry with the laboured ease of loss’.

16. 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. Circumstance= situation Poetic devices; Alliteration – silence silences This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

17. The poet returns to the present says that her mother has been dead for almost twelve years ago. However, about this aspect ( circumstance), she cannot say anything. After describing the photograph and her feelings for her mother and their respective losses, the poet is speechless. These lines bring in sharp focus othe sad truth of life. Death is the ultimate reality and it renders everyone silent.

18. THANKYOU !