(HORNBILL)
Poem 1
A Photograph
12. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow:
i. “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.”
a. What does the poet mean by “smile through their hair”?
b. What has not changed over a period of time & why?
c. Explain “terribly transient feet”.
Answers
Answer:
(a) The poet mean by "smile through their hair" that there uncle was clicking their photograph and the wind was blowing up that there hair was coming on there face but they didn't bother about it and stood still to smile for the photograph.
(b) Sea didn't changed over a period of time because it is immortal.
(c) The poet has used alliteration here to comment upon the small and tender feet of the children. These feet are soon going to outgrow their parent size
'A Photograph' by Shirley Toulson
Explanation:
a). The poet uses the phrase 'smile through their hair' to connote that their smiling faces were visible through the flying hairs over their faces. When their uncle clicked the photograph at the sea beach, the wind was blowing and their hairs were flying all over their face but the poet's mother and the two cousins of her were filled with utter delight and enjoyment and therefore, their happiness could be seen through those flying hairs as well.
b). The poet says that everything has changed with time, her mother had grown up, her beauty faded away with passing time, and she died. But one thing that remained constant and unchanged was the sea that was 'washing their transient feet' displaying the eternity of nature.
c). The phrase 'terribly transient feet' connotes the 'transient or impermanent nature' of human life. The lives of the three girls kept on changing and came to an end(death) soon. The word 'transient' elucidates the brevity of human life quite beautifully.
Learn more: A photograph
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