This Is A Photograph Of Me
by Margaret Atwood
It was taken some time ago.
At first it seems to be
a smeared
print: blurred lines and grey flecks
blended with the paper;
then, as you scan
it, you see in the left-hand corner
a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
(balsam or spruce) emerging
and, to the right, halfway up
what ought to be a gentle
slope, a small frame house.
In the background there is a lake,
and beyond that, some low hills.
(The photograph was taken
the day after I drowned.
I am in the lake, in the center
of the picture, just under the surface.
It is difficult to say where
precisely, or to say
how large or small I am:
the effect of water
on light is a distortion
but if you look long enough,
eventually
you will be able to see me.)
Overview of “This is a Photograph of Me.”
WHO: WHO IS SPEAKING? WHAT IS UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS SPEAKER? (Character)
WHAT: WHAT IS THE BASIC PLOT OF THIS POEM? WHAT HAPPENS, NARRATIVELY, IN THIS
PARTICULAR POEM? (Plot)
WHERE: CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE SETTING? WHAT DETAILS ABOUT THE SETTING MAKE THE
SETTING PARTICULARLY INTERESTING OR UPSETTING? (Setting)
WHEN: WHEN DOES THE ACTION IN THIS POEM TAKE PLACE? IS THERE A SET SEQUENCE
OF EVENTS THAT MAKES THE TIME OF THIS ACTION/ACTIONS PARTICULARLY INTRIGUING?
(Time Setting)
HOW: HOW DID THE EVENTS TRANSPIRE? IN OTHER WORDS, CAN YOU SPECULATE ABOUT HOW THE EVENTS TOOK PLACE AS THE POEM REVEALS ITSELF? (Conflict)
WHY: WHY IS THE TONE OF THIS POEM MYSTERIOUS? WHAT IS THE GENERAL MOOD OF THIS
POEM? WHY DOES THIS POEM AFFECT THE READER, AND HOW DOES THE POEM AFFECT THE
READER? (Theme/Mood)
DETAILS: ARE THERE ANY IMAGES or SYMBOLS that are STRIKING to YOU? Why? (SYMBOLS)