This poem name A photograph is rich with poetic devices. Some examples are :
- Imagery: Vivid descriptions create mental images, like “paddling,” “smile through their hair,” “sea holiday,” and “terribly transient feet.”
- Metaphor: “The sea holiday was her past, mine is her laughter.” This compares the speaker’s past experiences with their mother’s through the metaphor of a “sea holiday.”
- Personification: The sea is personified with the line “the sea, which appears to have changed less.”
- Symbolism: The snapshot and sea holiday symbolize memories and the passage of time.
- Irony: There’s an ironic contrast between the lighthearted memories of the past and the heavier emotions of loss.
- Alliteration: “Sweet face,” “laboured ease,” and “terribly transient” are examples of alliteration.
- Repetition: The repetition of the word “and” in the line “See Betty And Dolly” emphasizes the connection between the characters.