CBSE Class 11 English Poem A Photograph: Exploring Shirley Toulson's Masterpiece

CBSE Class 11 English Poem A Photograph

The Poem, "A Photograph" is an emotional poem by the famous English poet Shirley Toulson. This poem evokes recollections and emotional feelings which are linked through the photograph and it also captures a duration in time. We are going to cover the themes, meaning, and poetic devices used in the Poem(Photograph) along with a line-line summary of the poem.

Introduction

Before starting the poem, we all need to know what "A Photograph" is all about. This poem is a reflection of a photograph that captures a moment in time. This poem links us through a photograph to recollection and feelings with her dead mother and tells us how the importance of a person and a moment can be caught by photographs or any other stuff which are related to our memories.
Behind writing the poem "A Photograph", the poetess, Shirley Toulson, was an English, editor, and journalist. The year, 1924 was her birthday, and in the year of 1997, she left us leaving this world. She passed away. She was famous for her travel writing, Poetry, and biographies. She frequently used to write for the newspaper" The Guardian Newspaper".

The Theme of the Poem

The main theme of the poem"A Photograph" tells us about the leverage of photography that links our memories and feelings to a specific moment in time. It can be understood by the poem that a photograph has the power to keep a moment of life eternally even times flow and people could change from one phase to another phase of life. In the poem, the photo is presented symbolically which communicates memories that are associated with our past events in life.

English Poem Photograph Explanation

This is a free-verse poem that is written without rhyme or meter. Talking about poetic devices Toulson has used a wide variety of poetic devices to express her messages, such as Imagery, metaphor,r, and repetition. This poem consists of two stanzas, the first stanza comprises the setting of the poem and the second stanza conveys the emotion of her dead mother as well as the emotion that is attached to the photograph. In this stanza, the poet describes the physical appearance of the object. The photograph has been portrayed in a very highlighted manner as well as the people and objects captured by the camera. Imagery is a poetic device that creates a mental picture in the mind of the reader so she has used a wide range of imagery in the poem. Some of the images are the "Sepia tinge" of the photograph and the "frayed edge" of the picture. She also describes the people in the photo using this imagery of "fashionable dress" to paint a picture of women and a "haunting grin" describes the boy.

The next stanza deals with the reflection of the poet's memories connected with the photograph and the feeling they produce.
"Laughter" and "joyfulness" in the portrait have been depicted by the poet as well and she describes "tears" and "grief " that stick with the time. The poem ends with a deep thought on the ability of the portrait to grab a moment eternally

though time still flows nonstop.

English Poem Photograph Summary

In summary, "A Photograph" is a poem about the power of photography to capture a moment in time and evoke memories and emotions. The poem is divided into two stanzas, with the first stanza setting the scene and the second stanza exploring the emotions associated with the photograph. Toulson uses vivid imagery and poetic devices to convey her message, and the poem ends with a poignant reflection on the passage of

time.

Photograph English Poem: Short Summary

In a nutshell, "A Photograph" is a beautiful poem about a photograph that catches a short period and old recollection and feeling connected with it. In other words, a photograph can capture a moment eternally, even if time continues to move on ahead and people

might change themselves.

Photograph poem summary in Hindi

शिर्ली तौलसन की कविता "फोटोग्राफ" एक समय में कैद करने और यादें और भावनाएं उत्पन्न करने की फोटोग्राफी की शक्ति के बारे में है। यह कविता एक फोटोग्राफ के बारे में है जो एक समय को कैद करता है और उसके साथ जुड़े स्मृतियों और भावनाओं को उत्पन्न करता है।

Photograph poem:Poetic Device

Poetic Devices Used in the Poem
Toulson uses a range of poetic devices in "A Photograph" to convey her message. 
Many poetic devices have been used in the poem(A Photography) by Toulson. To present her emotion she has used all these Poetic devices, it is often called figurative speech in literature. Figures of speech used in the poem include Imagery, Metaphor, Repetition, and many more. For instance, the intention behind using the metaphor of the photograph as a "Miniature sun" is to provoke its ability to catch a period in the poem.
She also uses repetition, such as the repetition of the word "laughter" to emphasize the joy captured in the photograph. Here is the list of poetic devices.
Alliteration:
“my mother’s hands”, “stood still to smile”, “terribly transient feet”, and “silence silences”.
Transferred Epithet: 
“washed their transient feet”.
Personification: 
The cardboard shows me how it was”.
Oxymoron:  
“laboured ease”.

Line-By-Line Explanation:Photograph poem

The poem is divided into two stanzas, with each stanza exploring a different aspect of the photograph. In the first stanza, Toulson describes the photograph in detail, highlighting its visual qualities and the people and objects it captures. In the second stanza, she reflects on the memories and emotions associated with the photograph and the power of the photograph to capture a moment forever.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "A Photograph" is a powerful poem that explores the power of photography to capture a moment in time and evoke memories and emotions. Toulson uses vivid imagery and poetic devices to convey her message, and the poem is a testament to the enduring power of the past to shape our present and future.