THE

PHOTOGRAPH
GRADE XI
LEARNING OBJECTIVES :
To enable the students to-
i) understand that objects like the sun, the river and the oceans are
perennial and everlasting, but human life is too short in comparison.
ii) understand that the poet reminisces that the sea holiday was the
past of her mother and for her the laughter of her mother is past
now.
iii) understand that both the moments of life have been permanently
etched in the poet’s mind with a feeling of eternal loss.
Iv) to inculcate values like learn from experience, care and share,
love, affection and togetherness.
v) understand that time and tide wait for none.
vi) change is the harsh and bitter reality of life.
vii) analyse that death is the inevitable end of all.
viii) understand that we try to capture moments from life which
remain as pictures in our mind.
ix) understand that death comes as the greatest leveler.
x) develop comprehension skill, analytical skill, thinking skill,
language skills,
xi) Enhance vocabulary, express effectively, fluency, accuracy,
relevance and coherence, develop a style of writing and life skill
LEARNING OUTCOMES :
The students will be able to-
i) express effectively, sharing ideas and
develop appropriate style of writing.
ii) understand the importance of human
relationship.
iii) understand child psychology.
iv) understand the attachment with family
members.
v) understand the nostalgic experiences of
the past.
vi) understand that both the moments of life
have been permanently etched in the poet’s
mind with a feeling of eternal loss.
vii) understand that death has overpowered
the innocence of those moments and the
pleasure they treasured.
Summary of a Photograph https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SDMqkC13Qc

A Photograph Summary compares the internal state of

nature and the momentary state of humans. In the poem,
poetess describes a photograph of her mothers’ childhood.
In the photograph of time when she went for a sea holiday
with her two girl cousins. Also, poetess contrasts between
nature, altering at the pace of a snail and the fast-changing
human life. Poetess remembers how her mother laughs at
the photograph and feel disappointed at the loss of her
childhood joys. However, then, the sea holiday was her
mother’s past and now her mother’s laugh is the poetess’s
past. At different periods of time and with great difficulty,
both resolve with their respective losses and the pain that
involves in remembering past. Besides, for the poetess, his
mother’s death of her mother brings great sadness and a
dire sense of loss. Moreover, the painful ‘silence’ of the
situation leaves her without words.
A Photograph Literary Devices

Alliteration - repetition of a consonant sound at the beginning 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

Oxymoron - a term which contradicts itself

Laboured ease

Transferred Epithet - a phrase expressing a quality of a person or

something
Terribly transient
Allusion: An allusion is a reference or an incidental mention of something, either directly or
by implication. An example of allusion in this poem is ‘cardboard’ which actually refers to
the photograph.

Personification: The example is ‘Its silence silences.’ The situation has been given the
human quality of silence.

Rhyme Scheme – Free Verse

Four important points to remember:
1.“An embodiment of time and timelessness” (the
eternal state of the natural being and ephemeral
state { Transitory /lasting for a very short time}of
the humans)
2.‘A melancholic poem (Sad)
3.A Nostalgic poem` (a feeling of pleasure and
also slight sadness when you think about things
that happened in the past:)
4.Three different phases of life –
(Stanza 1: a twelve-year-old girl with a pretty
smiling face. 
Stanza 2: have a happy youthful laughter, before
the poet was born. 
Stanza 3: the death of poet’s  mother)
I. Read the extract given below and answer any two of the questions that follow.
“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.”

(a) What does the poet mean by ‘smile through their hair’?
(b) It means that a smile was painted on the hair of the photographed girls
(c) It means that the photographed girls were wearing a mask
(d) It means that the hair of the photographed girls were covering their face when they were smiling

Answer in 40-50 words:

What has been captured in the photograph?
‘The sea holiday is her pastime, mine is her laughter.’ Elaborate.

Answer in 120-150 words:

1. The poet has paid a tribute to her mother. Similar instances can be seen in ‘The Portrait of a Lady’. Give
a comparative view of both the lessons.
2. Describe the poet’s feelings when she looks at her mother’s photograph.
ACTIVITY:
•Make a collage of some of the famous books
written by Shirley Toulson.
•Pick one of the book and briefly write the
synopsis of the same.
•You need to choose an app from
https://www.techradar.com/best/free-collage-ma
ker
to create your collage.