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Delhi Public School, Pali: Subject: English Class: Xi

- The poem describes a photograph of the poet's mother from her childhood. The photograph shows the poet's mother at around 12 years old, paddling on the beach holding hands with her two cousins. - Many years later after the poet was born, her mother would laugh while looking at the old photograph, pointing out her cousins and how they were dressed for the beach trip. - Now, the poet's mother has been deceased for nearly as long as the time that has passed since the photograph was taken. The poet finds she has no words to describe the grief of her mother's loss.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
593 views22 pages

Delhi Public School, Pali: Subject: English Class: Xi

- The poem describes a photograph of the poet's mother from her childhood. The photograph shows the poet's mother at around 12 years old, paddling on the beach holding hands with her two cousins. - Many years later after the poet was born, her mother would laugh while looking at the old photograph, pointing out her cousins and how they were dressed for the beach trip. - Now, the poet's mother has been deceased for nearly as long as the time that has passed since the photograph was taken. The poet finds she has no words to describe the grief of her mother's loss.

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Hetal Jangid
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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DELHI PUBLIC SCHOOL,

PALI

SUBJECT: ENGLISH
CLASS: XI
SHIRLEY TOULSON
ABOUT THE POETESS
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 in 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. 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.
INTRODUCTION OF THE POEM

 The poem ‘A Photograph’ is written


by Shirley Toulson. In this poem, she
recalls her mother and her memories
while looking at a childhood
photograph when her mother was
twelve years old or so. She has been
deceased twelve years ago and she
cannot explain her grief on her
mother’s loss.
POEM AND EXPLANATION
Line 1 – 4
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

Paddling – walking

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.
Line 5 – 9
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
Transient – short-term; temporary
In the above lines, 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.
Line 10 – 13
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

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.
Line 14 – 15
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.

Wry – ironic; mocking

The poet recalls the sea holiday was her


mother’s favourite moment from the past.
While the poet’s from the past was her
mother’s laughter. Both the women would
think about those past memories which
they cannot live again. They tried their
best to adjust to what they lost.
Line 16 – 19
Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
Its silence silences.

Silences – a complete absence of sound

In the above lines, the poet says that her


mother died twelve years ago, the same
age her mother was in the photograph.
Whenever the poet thinks of her mother’s
death, she cannot explain what effect she
has of her mother’s death. Death has
silenced her mother which has also left her
speechless.
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
 Epithet - a phrase expressing a quality of
a person or something
Terribly transient
SUMMARY
 The poem is a tribute to the poet’s mother. She is looking at an old photograph of
her mother which has a frame of cardboard. The picture has three girls in which the
middle one is the oldest and tallest.
 It is her mother when she was twelve years old or so. Beside her, on both sides are
her two cousins, Betty and Dolly, who are holding her hands and are younger than
her. They went for paddling on a beach holiday. Her uncle took the photograph
then. The poet could not help but notice her mother’s sweet face. The sea touched
her terribly transient feet which depicted that she changed over the years and the
sea remained the same.
 After twenty-thirty years, her mother would laugh at the photograph. She would
make the poet look at the photograph and tell her how their parents would dress
them up for the beach holiday. The beach holiday was her mother’s favourite past
memories while her laugh was the poet's favourite memory. Both of them lost
something which they cherished a lot and yet cannot live that moment again.
 Those sweet moments were memories now.
 Now, the poet’s mother had been dead for the past twelve years, which is the same
number as of her age when the photograph was taken back then. She cannot
express the grief that she has from her mother’s absence.
QUESTION AND ANSWERS(TEXT)
Think it out
1. What does the word ‘cardboard’ denote in the poem? Why has this word
been used?
Ans: In the poem, the word ‘cardboard’ means a frame which supports the
photograph. This word had been used in the poem because the picture is
very old when the cardboard was used as a photo frame.
2. What has the camera captured?
Ans: The camera has captured the poet’s mother and her two cousins, Betty
and Dolly, on the beach. They went for paddling where her mother’s uncle
captured the photo in between the moment. Her mother was around
twelve years old and was in the middle. She was holding the hands of her
cousins who were on the side of her. It was her mother’s favourite past
memories.
3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?
Ans: The lines ‘And the sea, which appears to have changed less’ depicts that
the sea which touched her mother’s feet is the one which has not changed
over the years. Whereas, her mother and her cousins grew older. The sea
symbolizes eternity and immortality. Human being has a life span and has to
die one day. Life is not permanent. The poet is sad about her mother’s
demise twelve years ago and her laugh is her favourite past memory.
4. The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh
indicate?
Ans: The poet’s mother laughed at the snapshot recalling her favourite
past memories. She looked back at the photograph and remembered
how their parents would dress them up for the beach holiday. Her
laugh indicated her remembering the innocent days and the nostalgia
feeling. Behind the laugh is also a feeling of pain that those days
won’t be back.
5. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the laboured ease of
loss.”
Ans: the above lines means that the poet’s mother felt pain whenever
she saw the old photograph because the innocent childhood days
would never be back. Those are just the memories. While the poet
has lost his mother twelve years ago and she misses her a lot and
recalls her laughing and pointing out the outfits they used to wear at
the beach holidays. Both of them lost something.
6. What does “this circumstance” refer to?
Ans: The words ‘this circumstance’ refers to the present situation of the
poet which is the painful memories of her mother who have been
deceased twelve years ago. While looking at the old photograph of
her mother’s childhood makes her miss her more. She remembers her
laughing and how the photograph was her favourite past memory.
7. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What
are they?
Ans: the first stanza depicts her mother’s childhood days
when she was twelve years old or so. It talks about a
photograph of her with her two cousins on a beach
holiday. Her uncle took the photograph. Her mother
changed over the years as she grew older. While the
sea which touched their feet in that beach holiday
hadn’t changed over the years.
In the second stanza, the poet talks about her
childhood days when her mother used to look at the
photograph and recalls everything mentioned in the
first stanza.
In the last stanza, the poet shares that her mother is
dead as many years ago as was her age in the
photograph. She died twelve years ago. The poet is
recalling her mother’s old memories while looking at
the photograph. She is in pain and misses her
deceased mother. She has no words to describe her
grief.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Short Answer Type
1. What has the camera captured? Or What had the camera
captured in the poem “A Photograph”?
A: The camera had captured the image of three happy
youngsters enjoying a holiday by the sea. They are the
mother of the poet and her two cousins. The poet’s mother is
only twelve years old. The girls look happy in the picture.
2. Why does the poet feel emotional on seeing the photograph?
A: The poet sees happy pictures of her mother enjoying a seaside
holiday. Her mother is no longer with her. She has been dead
for twelve years.
3. Who are the people in the photograph?
A: A smiling girl, about twelve-year-old and two younger girls,
Betty and Dolly holding her hands; the 12-year-old girl was the
mother of the poet and the other two her cousins.
4. What impression do you form of the poet’s mother after reading the poem
‘A Photograph’?
A: The poet’s mother is shown in the poem as a young girl of twelve. She is
carefree and full of enjoyment during her seaside holiday.
5. “And of this circumstance there’s nothing to say at all. Its silence silences”,
says the poet in ‘A ’Photograph’. What is she referring to?
A: She is referring to the death of her mother.
6. How has the poet expressed her sense of loss?
A: The poet feels a sense of loss by looking at an old photograph of her
mother. She remembers her mother’s reaction to that photo later in life.
These memories make her personal loss acute.
7. The poem ‘A Photograph’ contains the line ‘And the sea, which appears to
have changed less, washed their terribly transient feet’. The idea conveyed
is that human life is subject to change in terms of age and circumstances.
A philosopher once said, “Nothing is permanent except change.”
Briefly express your views on how a human being should handle change.
A: One should handle change by recounting the past, as did the poet in the
poem ‘A Photograph’ where she refreshes memories of her dead mother
through a photograph taken on a beach holiday.
8. The opening lines of the poem ‘A Photograph’ describe three
young girls on a seaside holiday, “When the two young girl
cousins went paddling,”. “All three stood still to smile through
their hair…” Holidays are obviously times for distressing and
enjoying one’s leisure. Write on the need for holidays in
modern stressful times.
A:Need for Holidays (Choose your points and describe yourself)
Holidays as important as workdays. They are essential
because they:
 distress.

 bring families and friends together.

 improve one’s health.

 give time for hobbies.


Read the extracts given below.
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 year or so.
(i) These lines describe …………..
(ii) …………. girls went paddling.
(iii) The word ‘cardboard’ conveys a sense of loneliness.(True/False)
A: (i) a photograph
(ii) Three
(iii) True
2. 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.
(i) These lines have been taken from …………… composed by ………………..
(ii) The three mentioned in the first line are ………………….
(iii) A deep and significant contrast has been drawn in the last two lines between the
sea and the humans by using the phrases ……….. and ………………….
A: (i) A Photograph; Shirley Toulson
(ii) the poet’s mother and her two cousins
(iii) changed less; terribly transient feet.
3. 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.
(i) ……………. are mother’s cousins.
(ii) ………………. would laugh seeing the snapshot.
(iii) The beach holiday took place …………..
A: (i) Betty and Dolly
(ii) The poetess’ mother
(iii) twenty-thirty years ago
4. …………. 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.
(i) These lines are from ……………. and the poet is …………..
(ii) ………….. has not changed much.
(iii) The phrase ‘terribly transient feet’ indicates …………….
A: (i) ‘A Photograph’; Shirley Toulson.
(ii) The sea
(iii) The mother
5. …………….. The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.
(i) ‘Her’ refers to …………….
(ii) ‘Her past’ means …………….. by the sea.
(iii) ‘Both wry with the laboured ease of loss’ means the poet’s and
her mother’s past, loss of the happy sea holiday. [True/False]
A: (i) the poet’s mother.
(ii) a pleasant holiday
(iii) True
6. Now she’s been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all.
Its silence silences.
(i) has been dead for twelve years.
(ii) ‘This circumstance’ refers to ……….
(iii) The meaning of the last line is that death is ……………
A: (i) The poetess mother
(ii) the death of the poetess’ mother.
(iii) final and irrevocable.
HOME ASSIGNMENT
 Complete the class test TO BE HELD ON
SATURDAY AT 11:30 A.M.
 Complete MCQ’s in your note book with
appropriate answers
INSTRUCTIONS

 STUDENTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO DO HOME


ASSIGNMENT ONLY IN LITERATURE NOTEBOOK.
 STUDENTS ARE INSTRUCTED TO WRITE THEIR
NAMES, CLASS, SECTION EVERY TIME WHEN THEY
SEND THEIR ASSIGNMENTS ON WHATSUP NUMBER
 STAY SAFE, STAY HOME!

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