Old Photographs
By Gabeba Baderoon
On my desk is a photograph of you
taken by the woman who loved you then.In some photos her shadow falls
in the foreground. In this one,
her body is not that far from yours.Did you hold your head that way
because she loved it?She is not invisible, not
my enemy,
nor even the past.
I think
I love the things she loved.Of all your old photographs, I wanted
this one for its becoming. I think
you were starting
to turn your head a little,
your eyes looking slightly to the side.Was this the beginning of leaving?
Summary of Old Photographs
- Popularity of “Old Photographs”: The poem ‘Old Photographs’ was written by Gabeba Baderoon, a South African academic, feminist, and poet. It is a beautiful poem about memory, remembrance, and love. The poem appeared first in 2006 in a collection of poems, A Hundred Silences. Since then, it has mesmerized the female readers on account of the sheer clarity in defining jealousy. Yet, the poem’s widespread appeal can be attributed to its utilization of uncomplicated language and its extraordinary depiction of a simple act of leaving, which manages to keep the reader questioning until the final lines.
- “Old Photographs” As a Representative of Love and Feminism: The first-person description of the photograph suddenly turns to a personal view and negligible jealousy of the poet when Gabeba states that the woman taking the picture has a shadow in that photograph and immediately brings questions in her imagination if she loves the man. Then she turns to imagine that lady who is not visible, nor her enemy, has no past relationship with her. Yet, she thinks that both are equal as both love to do the same thing, and love the same man. Then she turns her attention to the man, addressing him why she loves him and what this photograph is loveable. She moves to the man of her photograph, asking him that he has been almost on the verging of turning to that woman and saying something, but she is uncertain what. Finally, she surmises it and asks him whether it was about ending the relationship. The poem ends there with the question mark, leaving the readers thinking about the transient nature of her love and the character of this specific man.
- Major Themes in “Old Photographs”: Transient nature of love, power of imagination, and man’s nature to seek love in women are three major thematic strands of this poem. Just by glancing at the poem, Gabeba’s imagination is ignited, allowing her to ponder about the woman’s hidden love and ask questions.. She knows that man is naturally fickle-minded about women and he must have been on the verge of leaving that lady who has loved him as intensely as she has done. It is not clear whether the man has left her, too, but it is clear that she loves him exactly as the lady absent in the photograph has loved him.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Old Photographs
literary devices are literary tools essential for poetic or prose writing to make the text beautiful and worth reading. The analysis of the devices in the poem is as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line such as the sound of /oo/ in “taken by the woman who loved you then”, the sound of /i/ in “She is not invisible, not” and the sound of /ee/ in “Was this beginning of leaving”.
- Alliteration: It is the use of successive consonant sounds in the initials of the successive words, such as /f/ in “far from” and /h/ in “Did you hold your head that way”.
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /r/ in “her body is not that far from yours”, the sounds of /s/ and /t/ in “She is not invisible, not” and the sound of /l/ in “your eyes looking slightly to the side”.
- Enjambment: It is defined as a thought in verse that does not come to an end at a line break; rather, it rolls over to the next line. For example,
I think
you were starting
to turn your head a little,
your eyes looking slightly to the side.
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. For example, “In some photos her shadow falls”, “her body is not that far from yours” and “to turn your head a little.”
- Juxtaposition: The poem shows the juxtaposition of the same ideas such as “I love the things she loved.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between the objects that are different. The poem shows the use of the metaphor of a photograph to compare it with the man as well as his emotions.
- Rhetorical Question: Rhetorical question is a question that is not asked to receive an answer; it is just posed to make the point clear. The poem shows the use of a rhetorical question such as,
` Did you hold your head that way
because she loved it?
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from literal meanings. The poem shows the use of the symbols of body, eyes, and head to show the story of love.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in Old Photographs
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Free Verse: The poem does not follow any rhyme scheme. Therefore, it is a free verse poem.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are five stanzas and one one-liner at the end that is also a rhetorical question.
- Repetition: The poem shows some repetitions to stress upon the thematic strands such as “love”, “photograph” and “she loved”.
Quotes to be Used
These lines from “Old Photographs” are relevant to use when teaching some story about parting or parting ways.
I think
you were starting
to turn your head a little,
your eyes looking slightly to the side.
