Extract based- Photograph Flashcards
Bring out the comparison between the sea and the ‘feet’.
The sea is unchanging while human feet being washed by the sea waves are fast changing.
The poetess’ mother laughed at the snapshot. Why? What did her laugh indicate?
(i) The mother of the poetess was at that time some twelve years old. Now after 20-30 years, the mother cannot help laughing at her own picture in a casual, holiday costume.
Who had dressed the speaker? What was funny about the dress?
(iii) The poetess’ mother had been dressed for the holiday by her two cousins—Betty and Dolly. All the three were dressed in girlish beach dresses.
What is the significance of the ‘sea holiday’ here?
The significance of the sea holiday is that the mother was also a girl once and it refers to a happy moment in her life on the sea beach.
Explain: The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.
The mother had seen her photo, taken 20-30 years earlier when she was just twelve years old. So, that photograph denoted her own past. But the poetess who had heard her mother laugh is also bereaved. The mother has passed away, her laughter is also thing of the past for the poetess.
Explain Its silence silences.
The mother’s voice has been silenced forever. The photo cannot laugh. The poetess also feels depressed and speechless.
