Figure of Speech in A Photograph Class 11 Hornbill In-Depth Analysis | Figures of Language

Here is A Photograph, a detailed exploration and explanation of the figure of speech and its many facets.  In this post, we have explained various examples of figurative speech, providing a comprehensive understanding of A Photograph in terms of all Poetic Device. We have also told the reason why a particular figure of speech occurs in a particular line. This is going to help the children of various classes Class XI. Dive in for figure of speech examples- 

Figure of Speech in A Photograph 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.

1- Figure of Speech: Personification
Exact Line: “The cardboard shows me how it was”
Reason: The cardboard (representing a photograph) is attributed with the human ability to ‘show’ something, which is a form of personification. It suggests that the photograph has the power to reveal or communicate the past.

2- Figure of Speech: Visual Imagery
Exact Line: “When the two girl cousins went paddling”
Reason: This line creates a clear visual image, depicting the action of paddling. It helps the reader visualize the scene from the past.

3- Figure of Speech: Symbolism
Exact Line: “Each one holding one of my mother’s hands,”
Reason: The act of holding hands symbolizes unity, support, and family bonds. It’s a simple gesture that carries deeper meanings of connection.

Also Read:

• A Photograph Class 11 Extra Question Answer in English
• Hard Words : A Photograph
• A Photograph- Important Extra Questions- Very Short Answer Type
• A Photograph Class 11 Extract Questions and Answers

A Photograph Poetic Device 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
Washed their terribly transient feet.

1- Figure of Speech: Imagery
Exact Line: “All three stood still to smile through their hair”
Reason: This line creates a vivid visual image of the three individuals smiling with their hair possibly blowing over their faces. It’s a detailed and sensory description that helps the reader visualize the scene.

2- Figure of Speech: Oxymoron
Exact Line: “Washed their terribly transient feet.”
Reason: The phrase combines two contradictory terms: “terribly” and “transient.” This oxymoron emphasizes the extreme fleeting nature of the moment captured in the photograph.

3- Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: “sweet face,” “sea… changed less”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘s’ sound in “sweet face” and the ‘c’ sound in “sea… changed less” is an example of alliteration, which adds a musical quality to the poem and helps to emphasize these phrases.

4-Figure of Speech: Juxtaposition
Exact Line: “My mother’s, that was before I was born. And the sea, which appears to have changed less,”
Reason: This is a juxtaposition of two contrasting ideas – the mother’s life, which has undergone significant change (from life to death), and the sea, which remains relatively unchanged. It highlights the contrast between human life and the natural world.

Also Read:

• A Photograph Class 11 Summary in English
• Introduction of A Photograph Class 11
• A Photograph Class 11 NCERT Solutions
• Class 11 English Chapter A Photograph Summary in Hindi

Figures of Speech Poem – A Photograph 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.” The sea holiday
was her past, mine is her laughter. 

1. Figure of Speech: Anaphora
Exact Line: “She’d laugh at the snapshot. “See Betty And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they Dressed us for the beach.”
Reason: The repetition of “She’d” at the beginning of consecutive sentences is an example of anaphora. This repetition emphasizes the mother’s actions and words, bringing focus to her reminiscing about the past.

2.Figure of Speech: Visual Imagery
Exact Line: “See Betty And Dolly,” she’d say, “and look how they Dressed us for the beach.”
Reason: This line uses visual imagery, painting a picture in the reader’s mind of a past beach holiday captured in a photograph. The description of people in the snapshot, specifically Betty and Dolly, and the mention of how they were dressed for the beach, conjures up a vivid visual scene. This imagery allows the reader to visualize the beachwear and the setting, effectively transporting them to that moment in the past.

3. Figure of Speech: Contrast
Exact Line: “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.”
Reason: This line presents a contrast between the mother’s past (the sea holiday) and the poet’s past (her mother’s laughter), highlighting the different things that are cherished and remembered by each of them.

4. Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.”
Reason: There’s a subtle irony in how the poet’s connection to her mother’s past is through her laughter, not the actual event of the sea holiday. It shows how memories and connections can be indirect and not always tied to the actual events.

5. Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.”
Reason: The sea holiday and the mother’s laughter are metaphorically used to represent different time periods and emotional connections in their lives.

A Photograph Poetic Device Stanza- 4

Both wry
With the laboured ease of loss
Now she’s has been dead nearly as many years
As that girl lived. And of this circumstance
There is nothing to say at all,
Its silence silences.

1- Figure of Speech: Paradox
Exact Line: “With the laboured ease of loss”
Reason: This phrase is a paradox, combining contradictory terms “laboured” and “ease.” It captures the complexity of grief, which is both a burden (‘laboured’) and a part of natural acceptance (‘ease’).

2- Figure of Speech: Irony
Exact Line: “Now she’s been dead nearly as many years As that girl lived.
Reason: There is an irony in the mother having been dead for almost as long as her lifetime. It highlights the cruel symmetry of time in life and death.

3- Figure of Speech: Alliteration
Exact Line: “laboured ease of loss”
Reason: The repetition of the ‘l’ sound in “laboured” and “loss” is an example of alliteration, adding a lyrical quality to the expression and emphasizing the phrase.

4- Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Exact Line: “Its silence silences.”
Reason: The silence is metaphorically given the power to ‘silence,’ suggesting that the unspoken grief and the enormity of loss are so profound that they stifle any attempt at expression.