A.K.

CHILDREN ACADEMY

SUBMITTED BY : KHUSHI GUPTA ROLL NO. : 13

SUBJECT : ENGLISH CLASS: XI
COMMERCE

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON THE

POEM A PHOTOGRAPH
INTRODUCTION
This poem ‘A Photograph‘ composed by Shirley Toulson that has themes of
nostalgia and melancholy. The poem can be considered to be a tribute to her mother.
In the poem, the poet talks about finding a photograph of her mother, which evokes
fond memories.
 STANZA I
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

Explanation : In these lines, the poet is looking at an old photo album which is made
up of cardboard. In the picture, there are three girls who are walking on the beach
holding each other’s hands. The girl in the middle is the tallest and oldest, the other two
girls on each side are younger than her. The girl in the middle is the poet’s mother. She
is around twelve years old when the picture was taken.
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

Explanation : The poet describes how the photograph was taken. Her mother’s uncle took the photograph
and told them to stop and pose. All three of them left their wet hair open and smiled at the camera. The poet’s
attention is drawn towards his mother’s face which is described as a ‘sweet face’. The photograph was taken
long before the poet was born. The poet calls their feet ‘terrible transient’ as they were so young by then and
now they had grown older. On the other hand, the sea which touched their feet has changed less.
 STANZA III
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

Explanation : After twenty-thirty years later, she would laugh at the photograph. She
would tell me to look at her cousins, Betty and Dolly and how their parents would
dress all three of them up for the beach. They would have planned to take a photograph
beforehand.