|| A PHOTOGRAPH || HORNBILL|| NCERT CLASS 11
A PHOTOGRAPH (POEM)
SHIRLEY TOULSON
ABOUT THE POET:
Shirley Toulson also known as Kathleen Shirley Toulson. She was born on 20 May, 1924.She was a writer and poet. She worked as a journalist also. Toulson studied in the university of London. She married poet Alan Brownjohn in 1960 and after nine years of conjugal life divorced in 1969. As a poet she was the member of an informal group of poets 'The Group'. Apart from poem Toulson wrote short stories. This noted poet died on 23 September, 2018 at the age of 94.
TEXT OF THE POEM --- A PHOTOGRAPH.
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, 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.
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
was her past. mine is her laughter .Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss
Now she's been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
DIFFICULT WORD MEANING::
Cardboard - hard paper made board.
Paddling - move in shallow water
Still - silent
Transient - temporary
Snapshot - photograph
Laboured - difficulty
ABOUT THE POEM : CENTRAL IDEA :
This poem is all about a daughter's deep tribute to her mother. The poet recalls how her mother spent happy days with her uncle and cousins by the sea beach. Also she made us visualize how her mother and two girls dressed. In addition to that she says that personal loss has no impact on the nature, For example sea, ocean are always heedless to the loss on the part of human being. Here, human loss indicated the loss of poet's mother. The poet states that both she and her mother are at loss. She cannot bring back her mother to life any more. Hence she concludes that she is quite helpless as there lies only silence all around her.
Q. 1.What does the word 'Cardboard' denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?
Answer::
The word 'Cardboard', in the poem, denotes a pasteboard or stiff paper used as photo frame.
This or the cardboard has been used because the photo of the three girls (the poet's mother and her two girl cousins) was pasted on it.
Q. 2.What has the camera captured?
Answer::
The camera has captured the three girls who were paddling in the seashore. In fact, they went to the seashore on holiday along with their uncle. The two other girls were Poetess's mother's girl cousins Betty and Dolly. They were holding each of the poetess's mother's hand. Her mother's uncle captured the photo while the girls were smiling through their hair.
Q,. 3. What has changed over the years? Does it suggest something to you?
Answer::
According to the poetess the sea has not changed over the years., because nature is eternal. Time can hardly change nature and it's variety of things.
To me it suggests that except nature all other living things including human being are temporary in this world.
Q. 4:: The Poet's mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?
Answer::
The Poetess's mother laughed at the snapshot after about twenty- thirty years.
This laughter indicated that she regained her lively days of childhood. She looked happy while commenting on the dress of Betty and Dolly.
Q. 5:: What is the meaning of the line " Both wry with the laboured ease of loss. "
Answer::
This line is very significant. It means that mother and daughter, each lost something important. The mother lost her happy and funny childhood days. Similarly, the daughter lost her mother. In fact, the poetess's mother is no longer alive. She is dead.
Q. 6:: What does " this circumstance" refer to?
Answer::
"This Circumstance" refers to the poetess's mother's death and her (poet's) helplessness. She realise with pain that she can't do anything to bring her mother back.
Q. 7:: The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they.?
Answer::
The three stanzas of the poem depict three different phases. They are as follows:
The first stanza depicts the poetess's mother's happy days of early life when she was just a twelve years old girl, her beautiful appearance and her sea holiday with cousins etc.
The second stanza depicts her life after twenty- thirty year, I. e her married life.
The third stanza depicts poet's mother's death and her (poet's) helplessness.
ADDITIONAL QUESTION -- ANSWERS::
1. What is a cardboard ?
Answer:
A cardboard is a hard board made of paper or other materials.
2.Whose picture does the cardboard contain ?
Answer:
The cardboard, in the poem contains he picture of the poet's mother and her two cousins.
3. Who is the big girl in the photo ?
Answer:
The big girl in the photo is none other than the poet's mother who was about 12 year old.
4. What does the poet mean by smile through the hair?
Answer:
This means that when the snapshot was taken the faces of the three girl were covered with their hair.
5.What according to the poet has not changed over the years ?
Answer:
According to the poet the 'sea' has not changed over the years.
Extract from the poem followed by questions :
1. "Each one holding one of my mother's hands.
And she the big girl-some twelve years or so."
Questions:
1. Who is the speaker of these lines?
2. Whom does the poet refer to 'my mother'?
3.Who is the big girl refer to here ?
4.How old is the big girl?
Answer:
1. The poet is the speaker of these lines.
2. The poet refers to her own mother in the poem.
3. Big girl -in the poem is the poet's mother.
4. She was about 12 years or so.
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