A Photograph Poem Summary in English

Shirley Toulson’s poem ‘A Photograph’ is a tribute to
her mother. The poem describes three stages in the

passage of time. In the first stage, the photograph
shows the poet’s mother standing at the beach
enjoying her holiday with her two girl cousins. She
was around 12 years old at that time. The second
stage takes us twenty or thirty years later. The
mother would laugh at the way she and her cousins
were dressed up for the beach holiday. In the third
stage, the poet remembers the dead mother with a
heavy heart. The photograph revives a nostalgic
feeling in the poet.
A Photograph Poem Summary in

English
A Photograph Stanza Wise Explanation of The
Poem
Stanza 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 years or so.”
Word Meanings:
cardboard – very stiff paperboard on which the
photograph was pasted
paddling – walking through shallow water in bare
feet
big girl – mother is referred to as the big girl as she
was the eldest among the three girls
Explanation: An old photograph of the poet’s mother

which was pasted on cardboard makes the poet
recall the old memories of her mother’s childhood.
The photograph is a depiction of her mother’s
enjoyable moments at a sea-beach with her two
cousins who were younger to her. They were
walking in shallow water with bare feet near the
beach. The mother was standing in the middle and
holding hands of her two cousins, who were
standing on each side. The poet’s mother was
twelve years old then. It shows that the photograph
was very old but the poet has kept it very carefully
as it reminded her of sweet memories of her
mother’s childhood. The photograph also indicates
how enjoyable her mother’s childhood was.
Stanza 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.”
Word Meanings:
still – without moving or shaking
smile through – smiling faces could be seen through
their hair which was flying over their faces
terribly – extremely
transient – temporary, lasting only for a short time
Explanation: The photograph shows that all three

girls – the poet’s mother and her two cousins –
stood still and smiled at the camera when their uncle
clicked their photograph at the sea beach. As the
weather was windy at that time, their hair was flying
over their smiling faces. The expression on the faces
of the poet’s mother and her cousins was that of
happiness and enjoyment. The mother was looking
very pretty at that time and the photograph was
taken a long time ago.
Everything has changed since then, her mother

grew up; now she was dead and the poet was
reviving her memories. The only thing that has
remained unchanged is the sea which was washing
the feet of all three girls. The mention of the word
‘transient’ indicates the ever-changing lives of
human beings as well as the shortness of their stay
on this World, in contrast to the eternality of nature.
The girls’ life changed drastically during this period
but the sea has not changed. The stanza beautifully
explains the transient nature of human beings.
Stanza 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. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.”
Word Meanings:
snapshot – photograph
dressed us – put on clothes
wry – disgusted
laboured – achieved after a lot of hard work, done
with great effort
ease – comfort
Explanation: Even 20-30 years later the mother

would look at the photograph and laugh nostalgically
remembering the happy memories of her past.
Mother would look at the photograph and comment
on the dresses worn by the cousins Dolly, Betty and
herself.
Sea holiday was her mother’s past and her mother’s

laughter has become a thing of the past for the poet
as her mother was now dead. The poet still
remembers how her mother would laugh at the
photograph remembering the sea-holiday with a
fondness as well as a sense of loss because that
time would never come back. In the same way poet
feels nostalgic thinking about her mother and her
laughter which has become a thing of the past.
The words ‘laboured’ and ‘ease’ are opposite to
each other, but describe the same entity, loss.
Stanza 4.
“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.”
Word Meanings:
circumstance – situation
silences – make someone unable to speak
Explanation: The poet recalls that it is nearly twelve

years since her mother died. The poet is consumed
with grief but is left with no words to express her loss
and pain. The poet is totally absorbed in memories
of her dead mother. The painful silence of this
situation leaves the poet speechless. The poet can
feel the grief but is unable to express it through
words. The silence caused by death makes the
atmosphere gloomy, where no one is able to utter
words.
A Photograph Poetic Devices Used in

the Poem
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.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of the initial
letter (generally a consonant) of several words
marking the stressed syllable in a line of poem.
Examples of alliteration in this poem are ‘stood still
to smile’, ‘terribly transient’, ‘Its silence silences’ etc.
Transferred Epithet: A transferred epithet is a
description that refers to a character or event but is
used to describe a different situation or character.
‘Transient feet’ is an example of the transferred
epithet in the poem. It refers to human feet but it is
used to describe the lack of permanence of human
life.
Oxymoron: In this literary device, there are two
opposite ideas that are joined to create an effect.
‘Laboured ease’ in the poem is an example of an
oxymoron. Laboured meaning with ‘great difficulty’
and ease means ‘comfortably’. Both words have
opposite meanings but here they are clubbed
together.
Personification: The example is ‘Its silence
silences.’ The situation has been given the human
quality of silence.

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Shirley Toulson’s poem ‘A Photograph’ is a tribute to

her mother. The poem describes three stages in the

A Photograph Poem Summary in

Explanation: An old photograph of the poet’s mother

Explanation: The photograph shows that all three

Everything has changed since then, her mother

Explanation: Even 20-30 years later the mother

Sea holiday was her mother’s past and her mother’s

Explanation: The poet recalls that it is nearly twelve

A Photograph Poetic Devices Used in

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