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.) In the poem, This is a Photograph of Me, Margaret Atwood illustrates the conflict between appearance and reality. The speaker begins by describing what appears to be a black and white photograph of a lake and trees, but then surprises the reader by saying that the picture was taken the day after she died and that she is, in fact, in the picture beneath the surface of the lake. The death that Atwood describes can be read either literally, as though the speaker is speaking from beyond the grave, or metaphorically Atwoods poem is an example of a reflective or meditative lyric in which the poet moves from the concrete (the photograph) to a more abstract and universal idea, that of the idea of being seen and understood. The title of the poem reads as the first line of the poem

itself This is a photograph of me/ It was taken some time ago. The speaker is peaking directly to the reader which creates a sense of intimacy. The rhythm adds to this feeling of intimacy because it sounds very natural and conversational. The first stanza does contain a number of enjambments, however, which draws the readers attention to specific words. The second line begins a series of enjambed lines: At first it seems to be / a smeared / print: blurred lines and grey flecks / blended with the paper; The word smeared is emphasized and has the connotation of dirtiness, both literal and figurative. The image presented is one that is unclear. It is just blurred lines and grey flecks. In the next stanza, the speaker invites us to examine the picture in greater detail calling our attention to the fact that we cannot be entirely certain about what we are seeing: then, as you scan / it, you see in the left-hand corner / a thing that is like a branch. Here, the break in the lines creates a kind of stammering effect, where one can imagine the speaker having great difficulty telling the story. The speaker seems uncertain about what she is seeing as well, by describing the object as like a branch. If it is not a branch, then what is it? Atwood continues to create uncertainty by claiming that there is also something in the picture that ought to be a gentle / slope, a small frame house. It either is not gentle or is not a slope or house at all. After the third stanza that seems to describe some incidental details In the background there is a lake, / and beyond that, some low hills, Atwood uses parentheses to contain the rest of the poem. The use of parentheses is very interesting because it suggests that the information contained is either not essential, or it is an idea that exists just below the surface of the main idea of the text. In the first case, the parentheses are ironic because it is in this section that the speaker reveals the main conflict The photograph was taken / the day after I drowned. The parentheses also reinforce the idea that the speaker is just below the surface of the lake. The speaker goes on to say: 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. Water is often symbolic of emotion so it is possible that the poem suggests that emotion may distort how we see the truth. Given that the poem illustrates the conflict between appearance and reality, the reader is left to question the reality of this death. Perhaps the poem is actually about a specific point in the speakers life where she experienced some sort of tragedywhere she lost herself. In the final stanza the speaker asserts: but if you look long enough, / eventually/ you will be able to see me.) If one interprets the idea of seeing in a less literal way, the speaker could be talking about be understood and recognized. This speaks to a universal desire to be acknowledged and recognized.