photograph poem.pptx

ppt

1. PHOTOGRAPH

2. A PHOTOGRAPH BY SHIRLEY TOULSON. …STD IX Shirley Toulson's  poem 'A  Photograph ' is a loving tribute to her mother. The poem reflects the passage of time and its three stages. In the first stagethe   photograph  shows his mother enjoying a holiday on a beach along with her two girl cousins. ... The  photograph  revives nostalgic waves in the poet.

3. NOTES What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word been used? Answer : The word ‘cardboard’ in the poem refers to the photograph of the poet’s mother enjoying a sea-holiday with her two cousins 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.

4. NOTES Question 3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you ? Answer: Time has moved on, but what has not changed over the years is the sea. It is immortal. It appears to be the same today as it looked in the old photograph. It suggests the eternity of the sea. It also brings out the transient nature of man when compared to nature and its objects. The pretty faces and the feet of the three girls are ‘terribly transient’ or mortal when compared to the unchangeable and immortal sea.

5. NOTES Question The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate? Answer : The poet’s mother was a girl of twelve or so when the photograph was taken. The photograph has captured the smiling face of the poet’s mother. She laughed in nostalgia at the snapshot that was taken years ago and also at the way all of them were dressed for the beach. She pointed it out to others. Perhaps they looked funny. This laugh indicated that the poet’s mother enjoyed remembering her childhood days, when she was young and free from the tensions and worries of adult life.

6. NOTES Question . What is the meaning of the line ‘Both wry with the laboured ease of loss.’ Answer: The context of the above lines is the mother’s recollection of her childhood days and the poet’s recollection of her mother’s laughing face. The mother had fond memories of her past but there was a sense of loss of the carefree childhood days. The poet’s loss referred to here is the loss of her mother through death and her smile. The memories in each case were beautiful, but painful to recall as time slipped away so easily .

7. CONTD. A Photograph Short Questions and Answers (2 Marks) Question 1. The poet talks about a particular cardboard. How is it special to her? Answer: The poet talks about a particular cardboard to which is pasted her mother’s photograph taken at the sea beach. The mother seems to have been enjoying her sea holiday. The photograph is special as she has lost her mother sometime back and looking at the photograph makes her happy as well as sad.

8. contd Question What has the camera captured? Answer: The camera has captured some happy childhood moments of the poet’s mother when she has gone for a sea holiday with her two cousins Dolly and Betty. 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.

9. contd Question 6. What does ‘this circumstance’ refer to? Answer: ‘This circumstance’ refers to the death of the poet’s mother. Whenever she saw the photograph of her mother, she becomes sad as the photograph brings sad nostalgic feelings. She gets lost in the old sweet memories of the past. But she can’t do anything about it now. She has nothing to say at all about it. She maintains silence and this silence leads to a deeper cover of silence.

10. contd Question 7. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they? Answer: Shirley Toulson’s ‘A Photograph’ describes three phases in time. In the first phase, the poet’s mother is described as a twelve year old girl with a sweet and innocent smile. She is standing on the beach enjoying a holiday with her two cousins — Dolly and Betty. This was the phase before the poet’s birth. In the second phase, the poet’s mother’s middle age is described, where she is 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.

11. contd What can you say about the childhood of the poet’s mother? Answer: The childhood of the poet’s mother must have been filled with fun and happiness. This is clear from the snapshot of the sea holiday. They are enjoying their holiday. The mother of the poet laughs when looking at the snapshot even after many years have passed since the sea holiday. All this shows us that it was a very pleasant childhood.

12. Contd. Question . What moment does the photograph depict? Answer: The photograph clicked by. the uncle of the poet’s mother depicts a sea-holiday being enjoyed by the poet’s mother and her two cousins Dolly and Betty. They are full of smiles in their beach dresses, not worrying about their flying hair.

13. NOTES Question Were the three cousins camera friendly? Who was taking their photograph? Answer: The three cousins appear to be camera-friendly as they stood at the sea beach without moving when the uncle took the photograph. Question 5. The poet’s mother would laugh looking at the photograph. Why? Answer: The poet’s mother was in middle age when she looked at that photograph and used to laugh remembering those golden days of her childhood, enjoying a sea holiday. She would also laugh at the beach dresses which looked weird after many years.

14. Question 6. What impression do you form about the poet’s mother? Answer: The poet’s mother was very pretty at the age of twelve. She enjoyed the sea holiday. This is indicated by the happiness that she gets in middle age after looking at her childhood photograph. Question 7. The sea ‘appears to have changed less’ in comparison to the three girls who enjoyed the sea holiday. Comment. Answer: The poet compares the mortal nature of human beings with the eternal nature of the sea or natural objects. With the passage of time, the poet’s mother died but the vast sea has remained as it was since the photograph was taken.

15. Long answers Question The poet has paid a tribute to her mother. Similar instances can be seen in ‘The Portrait of a Lady’. This made you think that writing about a loved one is much better than building their statues or drawing their portraits. Comment. Answer: Many writers have paid tributes to their loved ones through beautiful writing. Khushwant Singh gave an adorable description about his grandmother through his story. Shirley Toulson remembered her mother through her heart-touching poem.

16. NOTES Answer :In my opinion, writing about a loved one is much better than building their statues or drawing their portraits. One can never tell the true personality of a person just by looking at their sculptures or portraits. One can never know about the amazing time someone has spent with them. That magic can only be created by words.Words stand the passage of time, whereas sculptures or portraits may get damaged by it. Hence, words are the best way by which anyone can pay a tribute to one’s loved ones.

17. Question “Its silence silences,” writes Shirley Toulson . The loss of her mother has silenced her. Do you think that this attitude of the poet is the right attitude to live life? Why/ why not? Answer: There is no doubt that Shirley Toulson has given a very touching tribute to her mother by remembering her through her verses. It is apparent that she is very much nostalgic and is grieving at the loss of her mother. Though she says that over the years she has adjusted to her mother’s absence, but circumstances have surely filled her with silence and a deep void.

18. notes We cannot deny that it hurts very much to lose someone, but the attitude shown by the poet at the end is not the right way to live your life. Life will keep going on even if we stop to lament our loss. Loss is universal. It is the law of nature. We cannot let ourselves get depressed just because of this. It is also understandable that we will grieve. However, grieving to the point of hampering the normal functioning of our lives is not acceptable.

19. Question “Its silence silences,” writes Shirley Toulson . The loss of her mother has silenced her. Do you think that this attitude of the poet is the right attitude to live life? Why/ why not? Answer: There is no doubt that Shirley Toulson has given a very touching tribute to her mother by remembering her through her verses. It is apparent that she is very much nostalgic and is grieving at the loss of her mother. Though she says that over the years she has adjusted to her mother’s absence, but circumstances have surely filled her with silence and a deep void. We cannot deny that it hurts very much to lose someone, but the attitude shown by the poet at the end is not the right way to live your life. Life will keep going on even if we stop to lament our loss. Loss is universal. It is the law of nature. We cannot let ourselves get depressed just because of this. It is also understandable that we will grieve. However, grieving t o the point of hampering the normal functioning of our lives is not acceptable.

20. notes We cannot deny that it hurts very much to lose someone, but the attitude shown by the poet at the end is not the right way to live your life. Life will keep going on even if we stop to lament our loss.Loss is universal. It is the law of nature. We cannot let ourselves get depressed just because of this. It is also understandable that we will grieve. However, grieving to the point of hampering the normal functioning of our lives is not acceptable.

21. Question Happy moments are short-lived but provide a lifetime memory. They provide a cushion to bear the difficulties which the future has in store for you. Comment in the light of the poem ‘A Photograph’ by Shirley Toulson . Answer: Our life is a mixture of happy as well as adverse times. We must learn to move on with the help of those happy memories which provided us with so much enjoyment and happiness. As life is not a bed of roses, everyone at one stage or another is likely to face difficulties. At the time of difficulties, happy moments can give us solace and fill us with positivity which is required during difficult times. Happy moments will certainly provide us with a hope that, as happy moments are short-lived, so are difficult times. One must learn to cope with the situation. The memories of happy times can provide us a cushion to bear difficulties with patience and peace.