Two Photographs

Themes
Youth and old age, loss ,memories, love, celebration of women, family relationships


Content
Abse focuses upon two photos of his grandmothers, who, though both distinctly different to each other and with contrasting appearances and characters, he loved all the same and deeply misses.


Analysis

• The discovery of two photographs of his grandmothers prompts Abse to reflect on their individual personalities and lives, though more and more memories are lost as time goes on.
• Abse makes it clear from the start that the two grandmothers were polar opposites- "Annabella" was " slim", "vulnerable" and "pretty" while "Doris" was "portly", "formidable" and "handsome". The reader gains the image of Annabella as feminine, slight and elegant whilst Doris was less of the typical housewife and more strong-willed and manly as shown through the word "handsome" and not "pretty". The fact that Abse separates the two words describing the grandmothers' beauty off from the rest of the lines through caesura shows the positive image he has of his grandmothers and the love he felt towards them- their beauty is emphasised. It is also not known whether the photos are of the women when they were young as Abse may be trying to remember them in their best form.
• The poem then goes on to describe the attire of the two women- both are wearing black in the photos, perhaps foreshadowing their demise-ironic as they are mourning themselves. However, once again Doris's outfit appears more feminine and "lacy" with pearls- the items a woman chooses to wear show their character and lace connotes seduction while Annabella is more reserved. The separation between the first and second stanza appears odd as the opening line of the second stanza carries on directly from the last line of the first stanza, highlighting the division between the two woman. Abse even goes so far as to make reference to them being' chalk and cheese' as the women say different words when having their photo taken- in all likelihood it was Doris who shouted "Chalk!" due to her being less reserved and more wiling to test boundaries. The photos were also taken at two different places and times, yet again highlighting the division both in terms of space and personality.
• Even the accent of the two grandmothers was different in life and Doris appears to be more of an outsider as she spoke "English with a Welsh Valleys' lilt" and not Welsh specifically.
• The third stanza focuses upon the differences in behaviour instead of appearance and that "Annabella fasted" while "Doris feasted". Annabella was much more devout and devoted to religion- "pious", "passive"- while Doris flaunted normal expectations and was "pacy" and "pushy". The alliteration of the 'p' sound across both these lines highlights that the two women were not so different in that they were both highly competitive- 'p' is a strong sound and links all the character traits together. Abse's use of the exclamation mark after "pork" is present due to the controversy it would have caused at the time that Doris ate pork when it is forbidden in the Jewish faith.
• "Indecorous" Doris was a rebellious women who was not willing to conform and "devilishly laughed" when Annabella informed her that she was "damned". The two grandmothers obviously did not get along and Abse states that he did not "think they liked each other". Despite their feelings regarding one another, Abse "liked" them both, suggesting that perhaps at the time he felt torn between the two. The words he uses to describe them here however (Doris as "bossy" and Annabella as "daft") would not be the words we would previously have associated with them, presenting the idea that Abse's memory of them is eroding and distorting or that he didn't see them as others did.
• The memories that the photographs evoke seep deep into the thoughts of the speaker at night and result in ridiculous dreams which are likely loosely based in reality. The two women in  life would constantly have been arguing and standing "back to back" on matters. Their may have been "a duel" of words which Abse is remembering but not having the full picture in mind and they would have been competitive regarding each other maybe to gain the majority of the grandchild's affection. However, from this sense of rivalry the poem shifts to take on a sad and depressing tone-no longer light-hearted. Abse remembers them in their old age with "buns of grey hair" and "withered rose"- he is mourning the decay of their youthful beauty and how he saw them curl in on themselves.
• The memories of the two women become "illusory" and "fugitive"- hard to catch hold of and as though they never really existed in reality. Abse likens the memories to "the dust that secretively flows in a sudden sunbeam...and disappears when and where that sunbeam goes". There are moments when the memories resurface and are suddenly there to relive but often they are forgotten. Even when a memory is caught hold of through the photographs it is "sieved through leaky curtains"- not whole with only bits and pieces, the memories are eroding, the disintegration of recollection is unpredictable.
• Abse "uxoriously loved" (loved with great/excessive fondness) his grandmothers but becomes melancholy and questions "what's survived?". For all of the two women's strong presence in life, all that is left is their jewellery- "An amber brooch, a string of pearls, two photographs". Abse's pessimistic view is suggesting that in time, a person is completely forgotten and all the sentimental items that are left have no real depth- they are useless without the person to wear them or preside over them- flesh is so frail.
• The speaker accepts that in the future, when happening upon the photographs, his own "children's grandchildren" will question "Who?". There will be no knowledge of the two women who were once so vibrant but if they had never existed, as Abse states, "I never lived". The two women are of great importance and it is sad that they will come to not be recognised by family as Abse too will start to be forgotten upon his death.
• The irregularity of the rhyme scheme and structure of the poem hints at the idea of the irregularity of memory and how certain sections fade over time.

Links to Larkin
Themes- 'Reference Back'- Larkin sees age as "unsatisfactory" and mourns the loss of his father just as Abse mourns the loss of his grandmothers. However, this mourning leads Larkin to draw away from his mother and her age and it is only through reminders of times previous that they can reconnect. Objects and music allow a person to drift back to memories but can only do so for a time before the memories fade.
'Love Songs in Age'- Memories of things that were once so vibrant and beautiful become "bleached" over time until it becomes sad to look back upon them and Abse recognises that people will be forgotten- disappointing nature of life.
'Home is so Sad'- People and items claim to offer such happiness and joy but can ultimately not live up to these promises and wither away.
'Nothing To Be Said'- Abse ends his poem much as this poem ends-on the melancholy note  that there is nothing more to be said on the topic of death and it must simply be accepted-resignation.
'Wild Oats'- Both poems focus upon two very different and contrasting people who both are now unattainable.
'Ambulances- Whilst Larkin views life as simply a blend of "families and fashions", Abse adopts a much more intimate and personal tone which reflects the deep emotional impact people have upon our lives and the imprint they leave when they die.
'An Arundel Tomb'- For once, Larkin appears to be more positive in that the memories of Abse's grandmothers erode over time whilst the couple in Larkin's poem stay "linked, through lengths and breadth of time". The grandmothers faces will come to be meaningless and unidentifiable to family whilst what the couple represents ("love") will last eternally. Perhaps then ideas and concepts survive while human flesh and appearance are forgotten?


Tone- Affectionate, admiring: 'An Arundel Tomb', 'Broadcast', 'For Sidney Bechet'
          Resigned, melancholy: 'Nothing To Be Said, ' Here' ("out of reach"), 'Love Songs in Age', 'Ambulances'

Technique- The use of alliteration could be seen to link to 'Ambulances' in that the "wild white face" draws a connection between the two adjectives and shows the personality and appearance of people in a simple fashion.
Caesura in order to separate and emphasise words such as "pretty" and "handsome" is also present in 'Broadcast', where caesura is used to place emphasis upon the persona believing a woman to be "beautiful and devout". Both uses of caesura highlight the appearance of women.
Lastly, the use of a rhetorical question to show anger at the unfairness of life links to 'Send No Money', where Larkin's persona questions "What does it prove?" In the end, there is nothing really to show of a life lived.