ThePhotographbyShirleyToulson

Question&Answers
1)Whatdoesthewordcardboarddenoteinthepoem?Whyhasthiswordbeenused?
Ans:Thecardboardmeansaverystiffandthickpaper,herethecardboardisapartoftheframethat
keepsthephotographintact.It'suseinpoemisironicalItkeepsthephotographofthat12yearold
girlsafewhoherselfwasterriblytransientTheplayer'smotherhaddiedsomeyearsago.
2)Whathasthecameracaptured?
Ans:Thecamerahadcapturedallthethreegirlsaliveinit.Ithascapturedtheprettyfaceofthepoet's
motherwhoasagirloftwelveatthattime.Ithasalsocapturedthesmilingfacesofthetwogirl
cousinsBettyandDolly.Theyareholdingthehandsofthepoet'smother.
3)Whathasnotchangedovertheyears?Doesthissuggestsomethingtoyou?
Ans:Theseahasnotchangedovertheyears.Itringsoutthetransientnatureanditsobject.Time
sparesnone.Theprettyfacesandthefeetofthethreegirlsareterriblytransientormoralwhen
comparedtotheagelessandunchangeablesea.
4)Thepoetsmotherlaughedatthesnapshot.Whatdidthislaughindicate?
Ans:Thepoet'smotherlaughsatthesnapshotwhichwastakenyearsago.Inthephotograph,sheas
wellashertwolittlecousinsstoodattheeach.Shelaughedattheayallofthemweredressedupfor
thebeach.Perhapstheylookedfunny.Theirlaughterindicatedtheyouthfulspirit.
5)WhatisthemeaningofthelineBothwrywiththelabouredeaseorloss
Ans:Boththemotherandthepoetsufferedagreatsenseofloss.Themotherhaslostherchildhood
innocenceandjoyfulspiritthatthephotographhascapturedsomeyearsago.Forthepoet,thesmileof
hermotherhasbecomethingofthepast.Shehassilentlyresignedtoherfaith.Ironicallybothlabour
tobeartheirlosswithease.
6)Whatdoes"thiscircumstance"referto?
Ans:Thecircumstancereferstothedeathofthepoet'smother.Thephotographofherdeadmother
bringssadnostalgicfeelingsinthepast.Butthepoethasnothingtosayatallaboutthecircumstance.
Thesilenceofthepoetmakesthesilenceprevailingtheirstilldeeper.
7)Thethreestanzasdepictthreedifferentphases.Whatarethey?
Ans:Inthefirststanza,thepoet'smotherisshownasatwelveyearoldgirlwithprettysmilingface.
Thensheispaddlingwithhertwogirlcousins.Thisfaceisbeforethepoet'sbirth.Thesecondface
describesthemiddleagedmotherlaughingatherownsnapshot.Thethirdfacedescribesthechilling
paleofsilencethatthedeathofhermotherhasleftofthepast.
ThePhotographbyShirleyToulsonExtraQuestions
1)Howdoesthepoetcontractsthegirlsterribletransiencewiththescene?
Ans:Allthegirlsstandingattheeachhaveaterriblytransientexistence.Theyaremortalandsuffer
physicalchangewiththepassageoftime.THemother'ssweetfaceandhersmilehasalready
disappearedforthelasttwentyorthirtyyears.Butthevastsearemainsunchangedorseemedtohave
lesschangedintheircomparison.
2)"Boththrivewiththelabouredeaseofloss"Describetheironicalsituation.
Ans:Boththemotherandthedaughtersufferasenseofloss.Themotherhaslosthercarefree
childhood.Shecan'thavethesemomentsofenjoymentagainthatsheonceexperiencedatthebeach.

Shecan'tbeasweetsmilinggirloftwelveagain.Thisisconsideredasthepoet'slosstoo.Shecan'tsee
thesmilingfaceandexperiencethelaughteragaininlife.Theironyofthesituationisthatbothof
themstruggletoearthelosswithtolerableease.
3)Explaintheline"theseaholidayasapast,mineisherlaughter,Timesparesnone".
Ans:Gonearethechildhooddaysofmotherandtheseaholidayhasbecomeherpast,thephotograph
flashesbacktothescenethatwascapturedabout30yearsago.Goneisacarefreelaughterofthe
motherwhichwasloveatonetime.Butnow,thelaughterofhermotherhaseventuallybecomeathing
ofpastforthepoet.Shehassilentlyresignedherselftothefate.
Questionsforpractice
Shortanswertypequestions
1.Whatisthesignificanceofthecardboardframe?
2.Whattonehasthepoetessadoptedinthepoem?
3.Whatcomparisonbetweentheseaandhumanbeingshasbeendrawninthesecondstanza?
4.Whatemotionsdoyouassociatewiththemotherlookingatthephotograph?
5.WhatemotionswouldyouassociatewithShirleyasshelooksatthephotograph?
6.Whydoesthepoetessseemtohavenothingtosayaboutthecircumstance?
7.Whatissilencedandhowhasitsilencedthepoetess?
Longanswertypequestions
1.Eachphotographisamemory.Justifythestatement,inthelightofthepoem.
2.Thepastcanbeasourceofinspirationaswellasregret.Comment,basedonanytwochapters
(prose,poemordrama)thatyouhaveread.Onemaybethispoem.Theotherwillrequirerecall.
3.Aphotographcapturesamomentintime.Discusswithreferencetooneofyourfavourite
photographs.
4.Ifyouwerethepoet,whattitlewouldyougivetothispoemandwhy.
5.Youaretheunclewhotookthephotographofyourmother.Atherbirthdaythisyear,youcame
acrossacopyofthispoem.Writealettertoyourniece,Shirley,rememberingthedayatthebeach.
6.Whenwelookatsomething,itlooksrightbackatus.Imaginethatyouareaphotograph,(not
necessarilytheoneinthepoem).Writeadiaryentrycommentingonthevariouspeoplewhohave
comeintoyourlife.
7.Discussmansrelationtonaturebasedonanytwochaptersyoumayhaveread(poems,prose,or
drama).
8.YouareamemberoftheBlossomsteamatBluebells.Youhavebeenassignedthetasktointerview
studentsatvariousclasslevelsandwriteanarticleaboutourrelationshipwithourparents.Writethe
articlereferringtothispoemincontext.
9.Weonlyrealisethesignificanceofsomethingorsomeoneinourlives,intheirabsence.Discusswith
referencetothetextandyourreallife..