Give me a summery of a photograph of hornbill class 11
Answers
The poem, ‘A photograph’, contrasts the eternal state of nature and the transitory state of human beings. The poet describes a photograph that captures interesting moments of her mother’s childhood when she went for a sea holiday with her two girl cousins. The poet draws a contrast between nature, changing at a snail’s pace and the fast-changing human life.The poet recollects how her mother laughed at the photograph and felt disappointed at the loss of her childhood joys. The sea holiday was her mother’s past at that time, while her mother’s laughter is the poet’s past now. With great difficulty and at different periods of time, both reconcile with their respective losses and the pain involved in recollecting the past. For the poet, the death of her mother brings great sadness and an acute sense of loss. The painful ‘silence’ of the situation leaves her with no words to express her grief. Thus, the ‘silence silences’ her.
The poet rejoices over the memories of the past through a photograph of her mother and her cousins. It shows her mother enjoying a holiday at the beach with her cousins, Betty and Dolly. Her mother was the eldest of the cousins and was 12 years old at that time. The uncle captures their photograph through the roving eyes of the camera. With their hair blowing in their faces, the cousins smile and pose.
The poet remembers wistfully how her mother used to look at the photograph years later. Reminiscing, she would point out at her cousins and give description of how the girls were dressed for a beach holiday. For the mother th he photograph carries happy fleeting moments of time. The radiant smile no longer exists since her mother is no more. The silence of sadness pervades the poet. The memories of past cannot be re-lived and she has accepted her fate with resignation. The photo album is a mirror that reflects joys of the past. The wistfulness of it sometimes makes one emotional.