Prepared by:

Mr. Gideon Thomas E Varghese

Mary Matha Public School, Surat.

A Photograph
- Shirley Toulson

Gist of the Poem

Shirley Toulson is an eloquent writer whose contributions to the world of literature is worth
praising. “A Photograph” is a poignant and reflective poem that explores themes of memory,
loss, and the passage of time. The poem centres around a single photograph that depicts three
figures: the poet's mother and two of her cousins, Betty and Dolly, enjoying a day at the
beach. The poem immediately establishes the photograph as a tangible link to the past. The
“cardboard” refers to the mount on which the old photograph is pasted, emphasizing its age
and fragility. The image of the two younger girls holding the mother's hands suggests a sense
of youthful innocence, camaraderie, and perhaps the mother's role as a protective elder sister
figure. Later, the mother, now older, would look at the same snapshot and laugh, recalling
how they were dressed for the beach. The poet observes that while the “sea holiday was her
past,” her own past is her mother's "laughter," both tinged with the “wry... labour'd ease of
loss.”
The poem concludes with the sombre reality that the mother has now been dead for as many
years as she lived as a young girl in the photograph. The poet finds herself utterly speechless
in the face of this profound loss, stating, “Its silence silences,” emphasizing the
overwhelming and inexpressible nature of her grief.
“A Photograph” is a masterful exploration of the human experience of time, memory, and
loss. Through the seemingly simple act of looking at an old photograph, Shirley Toulson
evokes a powerful sense of nostalgia, bittersweet reflection, and the profound impact of
absence. The poem reminds us that while moments pass and lives end, the echoes of those
lives, preserved in memories and artifacts like photographs, continue to resonate with us.
Answer the following

1. What does the word 'cardboard' denote in the poem? Why has this word been used?

Ans:- The word 'cardboard' denotes the mount or backing on which the old photograph is
pasted. This word has been used to emphasize the age and fragility of the photograph,
suggesting it's an old, perhaps yellowed, picture that has been preserved for many years. It
gives a tangible sense of the past. The simple, almost mundane word "cardboard" stands in
subtle contrast to the vibrant, joyful scene it depicts (a young mother, cousins, beach,
laughter). This contrast subtly emphasizes how a seemingly ordinary object can hold
extraordinary emotional depth and personal history. The ordinary mount becomes the
container for an invaluable past.

2. What has the camera captured?

Ans:- The camera has captured a moment in time, a photograph of the poet's mother as a
young girl who was around twelve years old along with her two younger cousins, Betty and
Dolly, all three standing on a beach, smiling at the camera. The central figure is the poet's
mother, who is described as “the big girl — some twelve years or so,” suggesting she is in her
early adolescence. Flanking her are her two younger cousins, Betty and Dolly, each holding
one of the poet’s mother’s hands. This detail emphasizes their bond and perhaps the mother's
role as a slightly older, protective figure.

3. What has not changed over the years? Does this suggest something to you?

Ans:- “A Photograph” is a masterful exploration of the human experience of time, memory,

and loss. Through the seemingly simple act of looking at an old photograph, Shirley Toulson
evokes a powerful sense of nostalgia, bittersweet reflection, and the profound impact of
absence. In the poem, the poet says that the sea has not changed over the years. This suggests
the timelessness and enduring nature of the natural world compared to the fleeting and
transient nature of human life. The sea remains constant while human beings grow, age, and
eventually pass away.
4. The poet's mother laughed at the snapshot. What did this laugh indicate?

Ans:- The poet’s mother’s laugh at the snapshot indicated nostalgia, amusement, and a
fondness for a cherished memory of her youth. It was a laugh of affectionate remembrance,
perhaps at the fashion of the time (“look how they dressed us for the beach”) or simply the
innocence and joy of that carefree moment. The most evident feeling is nostalgia. Her
laughter isn’t mocking or dismissive; it’s a warm, gentle sound that indicates a deep fondness
for the past moment captured in the photo. She's reliving, in a small way, a happy, carefree
time from her childhood. It suggests a cherished memory that brings a smile to her face even
years later. While tinged with nostalgia, her laughter also implies a graceful acceptance of the
passage of time. She's not lamenting the lost youth but rather finding joy in having lived
through it and preserving it in memory. It’s a sign of maturity and perspective, where the past
is viewed with a benevolent eye.

5. What is the meaning of the line “Both wry with the labour'd ease of loss.”?

Ans:- Shirley Toulson's "A Photograph" is a poignant and reflective poem that explores
themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time. This line means that both the mother's
memory of her past (the sea holiday) and the poet's memory of her mother's laughter (her
mother's way of recalling that past) are tinged with a dry, ironic, or slightly bitter sense of
loss. The "laboured ease" suggests that coming to terms with this loss, even through a
nostalgic smile or shared memory, requires emotional effort and is not entirely without pain.
It implies a recognition of what has irrevocably passed.

6. What does “this circumstance” refer to?

Ans:- A photograph is a moving and reflective poem that uses a single image to explore
universal themes of time, memory, and the enduring impact of loss. “This circumstance"
refers to the death of the poet's mother. Specifically, it refers to the fact that her mother has
been dead for nearly as many years as she lived as a young girl in the photograph. The phrase
"this circumstance" immediately follows the stark and poignant revelation: "Now she’s been
dead nearly as many years / As that girl lived." This direct linkage leaves no doubt that the
"circumstance" being referred to is the mother's demise. The poet is stating that the duration
of her mother's death (her absence) is now comparable to the vibrant, living years captured in
the photograph.
7. The three stanzas depict three different phases. What are they?

Ans:- Shirley Toulson's “A Photograph” masterfully structures the passage of time and
emotion across its three stanzas, each depicting a distinct phase. Phase I transports the reader
to the poet's mother as a young girl, specifically around twelve years old, captured in a joyful
beach photograph with her two cousins; this initial phase represents a moment of innocent
youth and a past the poet never personally experienced. Moving forward in time, Phase II
shifts to some twenty or thirty years later, when the adult mother would look at the same
snapshot and laugh with nostalgic amusement at her youthful self and the period's fashion,
thereby establishing her memory as the poet's own connection to that bygone era. Finally,
Phase III confronts the present reality, depicting the time after the mother's death, where the
poet reflects on her profound and irrecoverable absence, a silence so overwhelming that it
stifles all words, marking the poem's melancholic conclusion.

Extra Questions

1. What is the main theme of the poem ‘A Photograph’?

Ans:- The poem explores issues of memory, grief, and life’s fleeting nature. The poet
contrasts her mother’s aging process with the sea’s more steady and permanent
characteristics. In spite of the events and circumstances in our lives, it illustrates how life
continues

2. What is the message of the poem ‘A Photograph’?

Ans:- The poem emphasizes how everything changes in life and that no matter how close we
are to someone or something, they never truly stay with us. The picture preserves the happy
times in life, much like a memory. Likewise, we ought to make an effort to preserve the
positive aspects of our lives.

3. Why does the poet use the word ‘transient’ to describe the feet of her mother and her
cousins?

Ans:- While her cousins were considerably younger than her, her mother was twelve years
old at the time of the shot. The term “transient” is used by the poet to describe the ongoing
transformation they would experience as they continued to grow every year.