Podcast
Questions and Answers
What is the occasion depicted in the cardboard snapshot?
What is the occasion depicted in the cardboard snapshot?
The speaker's mother is still alive in the present time.
The speaker's mother is still alive in the present time.
False
What is the speaker's past, according to the poem?
What is the speaker's past, according to the poem?
her mother's laughter
The speaker's mother had been dead for nearly as many years as the girl in the snapshot _______.
The speaker's mother had been dead for nearly as many years as the girl in the snapshot _______.
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Match the following people with their relationships to the speaker:
Match the following people with their relationships to the speaker:
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How does the speaker’s perception of the past differ from their mother’s?
How does the speaker’s perception of the past differ from their mother’s?
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What is the significance of the sea in the poem, beyond its physical presence?
What is the significance of the sea in the poem, beyond its physical presence?
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How does the poem explore the relationship between memory and loss?
How does the poem explore the relationship between memory and loss?
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What is the tone of the poem's final line, 'Its silence silences'?
What is the tone of the poem's final line, 'Its silence silences'?
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How does the poem use the snapshot as a metaphor for the past?
How does the poem use the snapshot as a metaphor for the past?
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Study Notes
The Poem's Setting and Imagery
- The poem describes a childhood scene of two girl cousins, likely the speaker's mother and her cousin, going paddling at the beach.
- The scene is captured in a photograph, with the uncle taking the picture.
- The image shows the three girls standing still, smiling through their hair, with the sea in the background.
The Mother's Life and Laughter
- The speaker's mother was a young girl of around 12 years old in the photograph.
- The mother would later laugh at the snapshot, nostalgically reminiscing about her cousins, Betty and Dolly, and the way they dressed for the beach.
- The mother's laughter is described as "wry" and "laboured" with a sense of loss.
The Passage of Time and Mortality
- The poem jumps forward in time, with the speaker's mother having been dead for nearly as many years as the girl lived in the photograph.
- The speaker reflects on the circumstance of their mother's death, stating that there is "nothing to say at all" and that its silence is overwhelming.
The Poem's Setting and Imagery
- The poem describes a childhood scene of two girl cousins, likely the speaker's mother and her cousin, going paddling at the beach.
- The scene is captured in a photograph, with the uncle taking the picture.
- The image shows the three girls standing still, smiling through their hair, with the sea in the background.
The Mother's Life and Laughter
- The speaker's mother was a young girl of around 12 years old in the photograph.
- The mother would later laugh at the snapshot, nostalgically reminiscing about her cousins, Betty and Dolly, and the way they dressed for the beach.
- The mother's laughter is described as "wry" and "laboured" with a sense of loss.
The Passage of Time and Mortality
- The poem jumps forward in time, with the speaker's mother having been dead for nearly as many years as the girl lived in the photograph.
- The speaker reflects on the circumstance of their mother's death, stating that there is "nothing to say at all" and that its silence is overwhelming.
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Description
A nostalgic poem about a family photo from the past, recalling childhood memories and a mother's younger years.
