If you are searching for the summary of A Photograph poem in class 11th, this blog will give you a clear explanation in simple words. A Photograph by Shirley Toulson is prescribed in the Hornbill book of Class 11 English.
It beautifully captures the themes of memory, time, and loss through a photograph of the poet’s mother. In this post, we will walk you through the summary of A Photograph Class 11th, covering the key ideas, themes, and emotions expressed in the poem so that you can understand and revise it easily for your studies.
Summary of A Photograph – Class 11
The poem A Photograph by Shirley Toulson is a moving piece that reflects on the themes of memory, time, and loss. It describes how a simple photograph brings back deep emotions and reminds the poet of her late mother.
The poem begins with a description of an old photograph. It shows the poet’s mother as a young girl, around twelve years old, standing on a beach with her two cousins. The poet notices their innocent smiles and carefree expressions. The girls are happy and playful, enjoying a moment of childhood fun, while their uncle takes their picture.
The poet reflects on how her mother, years later, would look at this photograph and laugh at her younger self. She would often recall the day with fondness and share the memory with her daughter. This makes the photograph not just a frozen image but a connection between the mother’s childhood and the poet’s present.
As time passes, however, the mother herself is no more. The photograph now becomes a painful reminder of her absence. What was once a happy memory turns into a symbol of loss. The poet expresses her grief in simple words: there is nothing she can say, only silence remains. The contrast between the lively photograph and the silence of death brings out the depth of her sorrow.
The poem highlights how photographs capture moments of joy, but also become reminders of the passage of time and the impermanence of life. Shirley Toulson shows that while people may pass away, memories captured in pictures stay forever.
In essence, A Photograph is about the permanence of memories and the inevitability of death. It shows how a small image can hold powerful emotions, linking the past with the present and reminding us of the people we love and lose.
Short Summary of A Photograph Poem
The Photograph by Shirley Toulson is a touching poem that explores the themes of memory, time, and loss. The poet describes an old photograph showing her mother as a young girl of about twelve, standing on the beach with her cousins. Their innocent smiles capture the carefree joy of childhood.
Years later, her mother would look at this photograph and laugh, recalling that day fondly. After her mother’s death, however, the same photograph brings only silence and grief for the poet. The contrast between the happy moment captured in the picture and the reality of her mother’s absence highlights the transience of human life.
The poem beautifully shows how photographs preserve memories, reminding us of both joy and loss, and how time changes the meaning of those moments.
Theme of A Photograph
The theme of A Photograph in Class 11th is the contrast between the lasting power of memories and the fleeting nature of human life. Shirley Toulson captures this truth with simplicity, making the poem universally relatable.
- Passage of Time: The poem highlights how time changes everything. The photograph freezes a moment of childhood joy, but as years pass, it becomes a reminder of loss.
- Memory and Nostalgia: For the poet’s mother, the picture was a source of laughter and fond recollection of her younger days. For the poet, the same image brings back her mother’s memory and stirs deep emotions.
- Loss and Grief: After the death of her mother, the photograph symbolizes the poet’s sorrow. What once carried happiness now reflects silence and absence.
- Permanence of Photographs vs. Impermanence of Life: While people age and pass away, photographs remain unchanged. They preserve the joy of a moment long after the people in it are gone.
More Important Resources for CBSE Exam:
| CBSE Board: All details | CBSE Class 11 Commerce Subjects |
| CBSE Full Form | CBSE Class 11 English Syllabus |
| All about CBSE Class 11th | Class 11th Hornbill Syllabus |
| CBSE Class 11 Economics Syllabus | Father to Son |
Character Sketch of Poet’s Mother in A Photograph
The poet’s mother is remembered as a lively, affectionate, and warm person whose presence brought joy, and whose absence now leaves a deep void in the poet’s heart.
- Innocent and Playful: The photograph shows her as a twelve-year-old girl, standing on the beach with her cousins. Her smile reflects carefree joy and childlike innocence.
- Cheerful and Warm: As an adult, she would often look at the picture and laugh at her younger self. This shows her ability to enjoy simple memories and share them warmly with her daughter.
- Loving and Affectionate: Though the poem doesn’t describe her in detail, the poet’s attachment reveals that she was a deeply loved and cherished figure in the family.
- Symbol of Loss: After her death, she becomes a symbol of absence and silence for the poet. Her memory, however, lives on through the photograph.
Poetic Devices in Poem A Photograph: Class 11
1. Imagery
- Creates mental pictures of the scene.
- Example: “The cardboard shows me how it was…”
2. Alliteration
- Repetition of consonant sounds at the beginning of words.
- Example: “stood still to smile.”
3. Contrast
- Juxtaposition of joy and grief, past and present.
- Example: The lively childhood vs. silence after death.
4. Irony
- The photograph that once made the mother laugh now causes sorrow to the poet.
5. Symbolism
- The photograph symbolizes memory, time, and loss.
6. Metaphor
- Indirect comparison.
- Example: “Its silence silences” compares silence with the depth of grief.
7. Enjambment
- A line of poetry continues without a pause into the next line.
- Example: “She’d laugh at the snapshot. ‘See Betty / And Dolly…’”
A Photograph Explanation
Below is the explanation of A Photograph poem in class 11th book:
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.”
Explanation:
The poet looks at a cardboard-mounted photograph. It shows her mother as a twelve-year-old girl, standing on a beach with her two cousins. She was the eldest among them, holding the hands of her younger cousins. This stanza highlights childhood innocence and joy.
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.”
Explanation:
The three girls are smiling at the camera, their hair flying in the sea breeze. The poet notices her mother’s sweet face in the picture, taken long before the poet was born. The sea in the background seems unchanged, in contrast to human life, which changes with time.
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.’”
Explanation:
Many years later, the poet’s mother would often look at this photograph and laugh. She fondly remembered the day, joking about how they were dressed for the beach. This shows her nostalgic connection with her childhood.
Stanza 4:
“The sea holiday
Was her past, mine is her laughter. Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss.”
Explanation:
The poet reflects that her mother’s childhood sea holiday belonged to her past, while for the poet, her mother’s laughter while recalling that day is now a memory. Both mother and daughter share experiences tied to loss—the mother of her childhood and the poet of her mother’s presence.
Stanza 5:
“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.”
Explanation:
The poet sadly states that her mother has been dead for as many years as she had lived as a child in the photograph. Faced with this loss, the poet feels speechless. The silence of death leaves her completely silent, unable to express her grief.
Read the chapter-wise summaries of Class 11 English here:
A Photograph Word Meanings
| Word / Phrase | Meaning | Usage in Poem |
| Cardboard | Thick paperboard used for mounting a photograph | “The cardboard shows me how it was” |
| Paddling | Walking or playing in shallow water | “When the two girl cousins went paddling” |
| Snapshot | A quick photograph | “She’d laugh at the snapshot” |
| Smile through their hair | Smiling despite hair covering their faces due to sea breeze | “All three stood still to smile through their hair” |
| Sweet face | Innocent and gentle expression | “A sweet face, my mother’s” |
| Sea holiday | A vacation spent at the seaside | “The sea holiday was her past” |
| Changed less | Hardly altered with time; stable | “And the sea, which appears to have changed less” |
| Wry | Bitter-sweet, showing irony mixed with sadness | “Both wry with the laboured ease of loss” |
| Laboured ease of loss | The painful yet gradual acceptance of loss | Same line as above |
| Past | Something belonging to an earlier time | “The sea holiday was her past” |
| Circumstance | A condition or fact related to an event | “And of this circumstance there is nothing to say” |
| Silence silences | Deep grief expressed through silence, leaving one speechless | “Its silence silences” |
| Dead | No longer alive | “Now she’s been dead nearly as many years” |
| Big girl | Eldest among the children in the picture | “And she the big girl – some twelve years or so” |
| Dressed us for the beach | Recalling the way they were clothed for the seaside outing | “Look how they dressed us for the beach” |
FAQs About A Photograph Class 11
The poem A Photograph is written by Shirley Toulson.
The central theme is the passage of time, loss, and the permanence of memories versus the impermanence of life.
It shows the poet’s mother as a twelve-year-old girl standing on the beach with her two cousins.
She remembers her mother as an innocent, cheerful child who later looked back at her childhood photo with laughter and fondness.
The poem highlights nostalgia, grief, and the contrast between happy memories and present silence.
She used to laugh at the photograph, recalling her childhood moments with her cousins.
The poet feels deep grief and silence. The photograph reminds her of her mother’s absence.
Imagery, contrast, irony, and symbolism are used to convey deep emotions.
It means that the poet is left speechless by the grief of her mother’s death—there is nothing left to say, only silence.