Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet, critic, essayist, and social activist. She published her works in more than 40 languages. Major themes of her work include Gender identity, religion, climate change, and environmental impacts.
Critics consider her a feminist but she defines feminism in a different term. She sums it up as human equality and freedom of choice. Sylvia Plath also defines feminism as a freedom of choice. This is a photograph of me is a poem that switches the mood of the readers. The poem sets a tranquil tone at the beginning, leading to an intimidating. Only after a few lines, the reader realizes that this photograph was taken a day after the speaker was drawn into the lake.
This poem questions the influence of subjective stands of people over objective nature. The poet speaks about a photograph that appeared as a “smeared” print on its first appearance. She further depicts how old it looks, ” blurred lines,” and ” grey flicks.”
The photograph itself has nothing visually appealing. She then requests the readers to scan the picture to find the faded objects. She depicts a beautiful image of a house surrounded by a tree. Since the picture is vague she remarks that it is hard to claim if it is a Balsam tree or Spruce tree.
She acknowledges that it is hard to identify Balsam trees and Spruce trees as there is only a slight variation in outer appearance. She mocks people who judge others immediately based on physical features and does not make any close observations before the conclusion.
She describes the lake surrounded by some low hills. She sets a tranquil mood for the poem. She immediately introduces herself in the poem and states that this photograph is from the day after her drowning. She notes ” I am in the lake, in the center of the picture, just under the surface.”
She perplexes the readers even by stating that it is difficult to point out here in the picture. No one can assess her height from the picture because she confirms that ” the effect of water on light is a distortion.”
Margaret Atwood introduces the theme of self-identity in her next lines. She corresponds ” but if you look long enough, eventually you will be able to see me.” She challenges the readers to meditate over the objects before creating a conclusion. She also confines her identity as a female and remarks how subjective is society in analyzing the issues of women.
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