“This Is a Photograph of Me” Introduction

• “This is a Photograph of Me” opens The Circle Game, Canadian writer Margaret Atwood’s 1964 collection of poetry. As the speaker of this free verse poem describes a blurry photograph to the audience, the image's implications continuously transform. As such, the photograph becomes a means of exploring the malleability of history and truth, particularly with regard to the suppression of marginalized voices. In doing so, it sets the stage for the rest of The Circle Game, which centers female perspectives and experiences that have long been subsumed under male-dominated histories. The poem’s short, uneven lines and stanzas mirror the fragmented, ever-changing nature of history.

• Read the full text of “This Is a Photograph of Me”

“This Is a Photograph of Me” Summary

• The speaker begins to describe an old photograph from many years ago. The speaker notes that, upon first glance, the image appears blurry, all of its fuzzy shapes mingling on the photo paper.

  The speaker then guides the reader through the photograph, first pointing out a fragment of an evergreen tree that creeps into the frame from one of its left corners. To its right is an incline, which the speaker says should be gradual. Halfway up the incline is a little house whose weight is supported by a wooden frame.

  The speaker describes the background of the image, drawing the audience’s attention to a lake, behind which sit short hills.

  The speaker claims, in a parenthetical statement, to have drowned on the day before the photograph was taken.

  The speaker points the audience back towards the lake at the center of the photo, where the speaker lies lifeless right beneath its surface.

  The speaker explains that it is hard to make out the corpse’s form—its exact size and position—because light reflects off of the water, warping the body’s appearance.

  However, the speaker maintains that if the audience contemplates the photo for a while, they will be able to recognize the speaker.

“This Is a Photograph of Me” Themes

• 

  History and Erasure

  The speaker of the poem describes a photograph, first presenting the whole, blurry image and then calling the reader’s attention to various details within its quaint landscape. However, about halfway through the poem, it is revealed that the speaker’s lifeless body is also pictured, barely perceivable. As the photo’s narrative becomes increasingly dark and complex, the speaker exposes the limitations of recording history. It requires simplification, the poem implies, centering certain experiences as others fade and effectively resulting in the erasure of those with less power.

  After presenting the reader with a vague image, the speaker points out specific features and a picturesque scene begins to take shape. This initial scan of the photograph reflects the ease with which documents can be used to fabricate an uncomplicated version of past events.

  When first introducing the picture, the speaker emphasizes its cloudiness, using descriptors like “smeared,” “blurred,” and “blended.” The speaker goes on to point out one corner of the photograph, from which a tree emerges. In doing so, the speaker subtly hints that one’s understanding of history materializes based on how that history is presented.

  Indeed, the speaker says, “At first it seems to be / a smeared / print,” indicating that history is at least as much based on interpretation of records as it is grounded in raw data. The speaker continues to guide the reader through the image, delineating a slight incline and a humble house in the foreground, beyond which lie a lake and hills. The speaker uses soft language to describe the scene, such as “gentle slope,” “small frame house,” and “low hills.” As a result, the scene appears quaint and calm.

  This tranquility disappears, however, as it is revealed that the image was taken on the day after the speaker died. The speaker urges the reader to look more closely and identify the corpse submerged within the lake, showing that the speaker’s experience has been obscured.

  The speaker’s body is not readily apparent—so obscured, in fact, that even the speaker is unable “to say where / precisely” it is. The speaker’s body will “eventually” emerge only after an extended period of intent observation, indicating that the ugly, complicated realities of the past are harder to discern than glossy, oversimplified narratives.

  The speaker also calls the reflection of light off of the lake “a distortion,” suggesting that the photograph misrepresents the scene that it captures. This “distortion” makes the speaker unsure of “how large or how small I am,” signaling that the suffering of “small” or disenfranchised people is easy to write off as insignificant to history.

  Moreover, parentheses surround the revelation that the speaker is pictured, indicating that this information could easily be left out. As such, they imply that the speaker’s experience of events is seen as secondary or insignificant. Indeed, the speaker has no input into the photo’s composition, twice saying passively that it “was taken.” Therefore, without this easily-excisable commentary, the speaker’s perspective is entirely absent.

  By uncovering multiple truths contained in the photograph, the speaker reveals that historical narratives are often simplified and exclusionary, shaped by whoever is recording them. As a result, the experiences of marginalized people are often erased from prevailing histories. Still, the speaker’s form is at the “center” of the photograph, “just under the surface,” suggesting that such obscured stories are central to understanding the past and can be accessed.

  The poem itself is an example of this—it opens Atwood’s The Circle Game, which amplifies and immortalizes female perspectives long subsumed under male-dominated histories. Thus, “This Is a Photograph of Me” vocalizes the experiences of those who feel shut out of their own histories and indicates that the poems to come will illuminate such truths.

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-26
• 

  The Subjectivity of Truth

  Throughout the poem, the speaker provides commentary on the photograph and calls attention to particular details, shifting the reader’s understanding of what the photograph represents. By providing multiple readings of the photograph and calling the reliability of even the speaker's own interpretation into question, the speaker reveals that one’s understanding of the “truth” is always subjective.

  As the speaker describes the image, the reader’s understanding of what it depicts continuously changes, revealing that even “objective” documents like photographs can be interpreted in many ways. Initially, the image is hazy and difficult to make out—little more than “blurred lines and grey flecks / blended with the paper.” This description of the photograph as a “smeared print” is highly abstract and emphasizes the lack of clarity with which it presents its subject.

  The speaker then guides the reader through a more detailed analysis of the photograph, using directional language (“in the left-hand corner,” “in the background”) to point out specific forms. The speaker identifies “part of a tree” and “a small frame house” that sits on a slope, as well as “a lake” and “some low hills.” As such, a scenic natural landscape takes shape.

  The speaker’s use of simple, understated language projects a quaint and benign image. However, the atmosphere shifts suddenly when the reader learns that “the photograph was taken / the day after [the speaker] drowned.” The speaker draws attention back to the lake, which is now regarded as the resting place of the speaker’s corpse. As such, the reader is presented with three distinct interpretations of the photograph.

  Though the speaker provides a detailed, nuanced analysis of the photograph, many aspects about it remain unknown, demonstrating that the “truth” it captures is never completely fixed and knowable. The speaker is unable to distinguish if the tree in the corner of the photograph is “balsam or spruce” and says that the picture contains “what ought to be a gentle slope,” never confirming if the slope is, in fact, gradual.

  The precise size and location of the body in the lake are also impossible to determine, even by the speaker. The corpse is obscured due to “a distortion” caused by light reflecting off of the water. The warped image further undermines the photograph’s reliability and contradicts the idea that photographs are “objective,” as they can create optical illusions. Moreover, the account of the photograph as a record of the speaker’s drowning is contained within parentheses, indicating uncertainty about the necessity and significance of the information they contain.

  Therefore, rather than providing clarity about what the photograph represents, the speaker’s narration offers several different interpretations and calls the validity of each into question. As such, the speaker illustrates that one’s concept of the “truth” itself is based on perception—something unfixed and easily manipulated.

  Where this theme appears in the poem:

  • Lines 1-26

Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “This Is a Photograph of Me”

• Lines 1-4

  It was taken ...
  ... print:

  The speaker opens the poem by noting that its subject is fairly old. The reader understands that the speaker is discussing a photograph, given the poem’s title and the verb “taken.” Still, by not explicitly naming the photograph or specifying just how old it is, the speaker introduces vagueness—a quality that will pervade the poem. Indeed, the speaker proceeds to describe the photograph as “smeared,” or smudged and blurry.

  The passive verb form “taken” also indicates that some unnamed third party took the photograph, rather than the speaker. To put it another way, this phrasing presents the speaker as a commentator rather than an active force behind the photo’s production. This term will reappear later (see stanza 4) to clarify that the speaker is the object of actions carried out by a more dominant force. However, line 1 also establishes the speaker’s authority, as it is made up of one succinct, straightforward sentence, punctuated with an end-stop. As such, the speaker comes across as confident, while the poem's plain, reserved language projects credibility.

  The speaker then points out the image’s apparent blurriness. These lines contain assonant long /e/ sounds, which emphasizes a few important characteristics of the photo:

  At first it seems to be
  a smeared

  Assonance calls attention to the image's smudgy appearance, while the verb “seems” signals that there is more to the image than initially meets the eye. Moreover, the words that contain assonant vowels receive additional stress due to the poem's meter:

  At first it seems to be
  a smeared

  Plus, consonant /m/ and sibilant /s/ sounds create a sonic bond between “seems” and “smeared,” reinforcing their relationship, i.e. the photograph seems smeared. In fact, sibilance appears throughout this passage, as do consonant /t/ sounds. The contrast between the gentle hiss of words like “seems” and the harsh, percussive nature of words like “at,” “it,” and “to” foreshadows the dark reality lurking beneath the image’s fuzzy surface.

  The enjambments that occur after lines 2 and 3 ("At first it seemed to be / a smeared / print ...") create suspense as the audience waits to learn what the photograph pictures. Furthermore, the caesura that bisects line 4 ("print: blurred ...") spotlights “print,” which indicates that the speaker is referencing a physical object. This word choice also plays up the image’s production—the human hand that developed the photograph and might be responsible for its smudginess. Finally, the colon that brings this passage to a close suggests that the remarks to come will explain or expand on this account of the picture.

• Lines 4-5

  blurred lines and ...
  ... with the paper;

  

  

• Lines 6-9

  then, as you ...
  ... or spruce) emerging

  

  

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• Lines 10-12

  and, to the ...
  ... small frame house.

  

  

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• Lines 13-14

  In the background ...
  ... some low hills.

  

  

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• Lines 15-16

  (The photograph was ...
  ... after I drowned.

  

  

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• Lines 17-18

  I am in ...
  ... under the surface.

  

  

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• Lines 19-23

  It is difficult ...
  ... is a distortion

  

  

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• Lines 24-26

  but if you ...
  ... to see me.)

  

  

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“This Is a Photograph of Me” Symbols

• 

  The House

  The speaker points out “a small frame house” in line 12, a seemingly quaint image. However, given the feminist themes in The Circle Game (the collection this poem opens) and Atwood’s work more broadly, this house can also be interpreted as a symbol of domestic confinement.

  The traditional, expected role of women within society has long been relegated to the domestic sphere, and that was certainly the case in the 1960s, when this poem was published. The speaker’s specification that the house is “small” implies restriction, while “frame” denotes a structure supported by a wooden frame, suggesting rigidity. Furthermore, the house is positioned “halfway up / what ought to be a gentle / slope.” The inclusion of “ought” could indicate that the audience should be able to identify the slope within the image, but it also suggests that the slope is not gentle, but steep. Thus, it can be read as a signifying an unexpectedly difficult “uphill” battle. Overall, then, the house can be interpreted as a symbol of the arduous, restrictive nature of women’s expected role within society.

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Line 12: “a small frame house”
• 

  Water

  Throughout the poem, water is an obscuring force—something that conceals or hides the full reality of the situation. Water first appears in the form of a lake within a picturesque natural landscape. However, the audience soon learns that it conceals the speaker’s lifeless body, which is submerged “just under the surface.” The speaker goes on to comment that it is essentially impossible to determine the body’s exact size and location—even though it is the speaker’s own body.

  The body's imperceptibility is attributed to “a distortion” caused by “the effect of water on light.” Presumably, the speaker means that light reflects off of the water, warping the body’s likeness within the photo. However, the speaker frames water as the distorting force, tampering with light, which is traditionally associated with truth and clarity. In short, water makes the speaker imperceptible to the photograph’s viewers. Thus, in the context of the poem’s themes, water symbolizes erasure and the distortion of truth.

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Line 13: “a lake”
  • Line 16: “I drowned”
  • Line 17: “the lake”
  • Line 18: “the surface”
  • Line 22: “water”
• 

  Light

  Light makes one brief appearance in line 23, where the speaker explains why the body is so difficult to make out, stating “the effect of water / on light is a distortion.” Among other things, light has long been associated with truth, purity, insight, and clarity. Such an interpretation is consistent with its usage within the poem, as water obscures a critical truth about the image.

  It is interesting to note that light plays a critical role within photography, which translates to “drawing with light.” Photographs essentially record the amount of light that various sources reflect or emit over the course of a timed exposure. Thus, the photograph within the poem might be seen as a record that captures the truth of a particular moment in history, as well as the distortion of that truth.

  Where this symbol appears in the poem:

  • Line 23: “light”

“This Is a Photograph of Me” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Apostrophe

  In line 6, the speaker begins to indirectly address the reader, who is unable to respond—an example of apostrophe. Openly acknowledging and engaging the audience creates a rapport between the speaker and the reader, building trust.

  Furthermore, each “you” statement appears in the context of the audience’s inspection of the photograph—“you scan,” “you see,” “you look,” and “you will be able to see.” As such, the addresses to the audience encourage them to follow along with the speaker’s narration and identify the forms that the speaker points out. As a result, the speaker is able to shape the reader’s experience of the photograph.

  Plus, the speaker seems instructive, like an attendant that orients the audience so that they might better understand the image in front of them—almost like an audio guide at a museum, especially given the indifferent tone of the speaker's language. Thus, apostrophe builds credibility and intimacy, allowing the speaker to shape the readers' perception of the photograph, as they become reliant on the speaker to explain what it pictures.

  Where apostrophe appears in the poem:

  • Lines 6-26

• Assonance

  

  

  Where assonance appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveni
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut

• Caesura

  

  

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  Where caesura appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem no
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non au
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dol
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.

• Consonance

  

  

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  Where consonance appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Even
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. I
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Evenie
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet d
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet d
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet d
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non au
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveni
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non a
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut

• End-Stopped Line

  

  

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  Where end-stopped line appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitatione
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem no
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem

• Enjambment

  

  

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  Where enjambment appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eve
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Even
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non au
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Ev
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eve
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Even
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. E
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut.
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Evenie

• Juxtaposition

  

  

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  Where juxtaposition appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi

• Repetition

  

  

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  Where repetition appears in the poem:

  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Ev
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem n
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut
  • Dolorem et quae. Exercitation

"This Is a Photograph of Me" Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Print
• Scan
• Balsam or spruce
• Slope
• Distortion

• (Location in poem: Line 4: “print”)

  A photograph that has been printed on paper. More broadly, this term describes the act of transferring something onto a surface, leaving behind an impression. The speaker's word choice thus emphasizes the process through which the photograph comes into being.

Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “This Is a Photograph of Me”

• Form

  This poem does not follow a traditional, established form, and is instead broken six stanzas of varying length—some as short as two lines, others as long as seven. The stanza breaks demarcate individual vignettes within the photograph, providing organization as the speaker moves between them, guiding the audience through its image.

  In the first stanza, the speaker introduces the photograph as a blurry, ambiguous print. In the second stanza, a picturesque landscape begins to take shape, though its precise subject matter remains vague (“balsam or spruce,” “a thing that is like a branch,” “what ought to be a gentle slope”). At five and seven lines respectively, these first two stanzas are relatively long in comparison with the rest of the poem. They are also syntactically complex and their imagery is hazy.

  Conversely, the next three stanzas are succinct couplets that each consist of a single, comparatively straightforward sentence. These couplets offer brief moments of clarity as the speaker plainly states information about the photograph, including the fact that it pictures the speaker’s lifeless body. The simplified structure helps ground the reader before additional ambiguities are introduced in the following stanza, which contains five lines and marks a return to more complex language. The final stanza is a tercet (meaning it has three lines) that encourages the audience to consider the photograph at length.

  Parentheses enclose the second half to the poem, which explains that the speaker is in fact in the photograph, as a drowned body. Parentheses indicate that the information they contain is supplemental and non-essential. As such, they suggest that the speaker’s experience and perspective are de-prioritized (if not entirely absent) within the photograph’s composition and standard presentation.

  Plus, the revelation that the speaker is dead occurs halfway through the poem, so it is physically "under the surface" of the photograph's surface meanings. Due to the relatively symmetrical form of the text, those earlier interpretations appear as a distorted reflection of what the photo truly represents.

  In general, the poem’s lines are very short, containing between 2 and 11 syllables. Further, most lines are enjambed, creating a choppy rhythm. The fragmented lines reflect the speaker's commentary on the nature of history—the photograph represents multiple, disparate truths, none of which are complete on their own. Additionally, as the reader’s gaze traces the short lines, it rapidly shifts from the end of one to the beginning of the next, creating a scanning effect. Here is a look at lines 6-7:

  then, as you scan
  it, you see in the left-hand corner

  As such, the poem’s structure causes the audience to move through the poem in the same manner that it encourages them to consider the photograph—carefully examining it from corner to corner.

• Meter

  This is a free verse poem, so it does not have a consistent, underlying pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. On the contrary, its meter is unpredictable, constantly changing to steer the poem’s rhythm and emphasize key ideas. For example, the first stanza contains a high concentration of stressed syllables:

  It was taken some time ago.
  At first it seems to be
  a smeared
  print: blurred lines and grey flecks
  blended with the paper;

  The abundance of stresses slows the rhythm, lingering at length on important phrases like “smeared / print: blurred lines and grey flecks.” The meter thus immediately establishes and characterizes the poem’s subject matter—an old, blurry print. At the same time, by drawing out the first lines, the stresses ease the audience into the poem’s choppy, erratic structure. In the second stanza, three stresses in a row land on the phrase “left-hand corner,” calling the reader’s attention to the location of the first concrete image within the picture:

  then, as you scan
  it, you see in the left-hand corner

  The several unstressed syllables that appear directly before this phrase exaggerate the rhythmic emphasis that it receives. Three stresses also land on “small frame house,” highlighting another distinct detail within the photo and leaving the reader with a strong image at the stanza’s conclusion. Though not as dramatically, the rhythm slows again in lines 15-16:

  (The photograph was taken
  the day after I drowned.

  Here, stresses call attention to assonance and consonance amongst “photograph” and “after” as well as “taken” and “day.” As such, the meter creates sonic interest and a drawn-out cadence, slowing the reader down as an important revelation is made. Elsewhere, the meter reflects the poem’s meaning, as in line 24:

  but if you look long enough,

  In this case, stresses elongate the line, mirroring the speaker’s suggestion that the audience consider the photograph at length to understand what it truly represents.

• Rhyme Scheme

  This poem uses rhyme very sparingly, and the rhymes that do appear are partial and internal—making them difficult to detect. For example, the poem’s first rhyming pairs occur in lines 7-9:

  it, you see in the left-hand corner
  a thing that is like a branch: part of a tree
  (balsam or spruce) emerging

  Here, very subtle rhyme links the forms that begin to take shape with verbs that describe their materialization, calling attention to the first concrete image that the speaker offers. (The "ing" sound of "emerging" is unstressed, however, so the resonance is quite subtle.) Within these first few lines of stanza 2, there are also partial rhymes between “scan,” “left-hand,” and “branch,” creating additional sonic interest that slows the reader down and increases the image’s impact.

  Shortly thereafter, the phrase “the day after I drowned” alerts the reader that the speaker’s corpse is pictured in the photograph’s “background,” tainting the seemingly tranquil setting. Rhyme exaggerates the juxtaposition of the two scenes, in turn highlighting the disparity between what the photograph seems to represent and what it really captures.

  The partial rhyme of “lake” and “taken” in the first lines of stanzas 3-5 creates continuity among the couplets, while also bringing the speaker’s passivity and the location of the speaker’s body to the fore. Similarly, there are partial rhymes within stanza 5 that also underscore the speaker’s position within the photo:

  I am in the lake, in the center
  of the picture, just under the surface.

  As the speaker is difficult to discern, the presence of rhyme helps orient the audience and encourages them to identify the body. Finally, the poem’s only end rhyme appears within its final two lines:

  eventually
  you will be able to see me.)

  Internal rhymes reinforce the end rhyme, which gives authority to the speaker’s claim that the body is discernible and implicitly urges the reader to do so. Moreover, the end rhymes provide a sense of completion at the poem’s conclusion.

“This Is a Photograph of Me” Speaker

• Very little information is revealed about the speaker over the course of the poem. The only biographical details provided identify the speaker as someone who drowned “some time ago.” The speaker’s language is plain and straightforward—not particularly emotional or forceful. The fact that the speaker narrates from beyond the grave accounts for the detached tone. Meanwhile, the directness of the speaker’s commentary gives it credibility, so that the audience has confidence in the speaker’s account even after learning that the speaker is dead.

  The speaker essentially functions as a guide, steering the audience through the photograph. Because the speaker spends about half of the poem pointing out the corpse’s position within the image, it is safe to say that the speaker wants onlookers to understand what this photograph really captures “under the surface.” However, the speaker establishes that the corpse is difficult to make out and as a result, the photograph initially presents a very different scene. Further, the description of the body is contained within parentheses, functioning only as an addendum. Thus, even while trying to write this reality and personal perspective back into the photograph’s narrative, the speaker emphasizes its exclusion in the first place.

“This Is a Photograph of Me” Setting

• Because the poem’s speaker has passed away, it is difficult to imagine where the audience might gain access to the speaker’s consciousness, or vice versa. As such, it is impossible to determine where exactly the presentation and narration of the photograph take place. Thus, the poem’s setting is indiscernible much in the same way that the speaker’s precise location within the photograph is hard to pinpoint.

  Interestingly, the reader learns that the speaker's lifeless body is pictured about halfway through the poem, after a blurry construal of the photograph gives way to a serene landscape. Thus, as the photograph’s setting comes into focus, gaining depth and clarity, the poem’s setting becomes increasingly ambiguous. This unreconcilable tension between clarity and ambiguity is consistent with the speaker’s message that one’s understanding of history is always incomplete.

Literary and Historical Context of “This Is a Photograph of Me”

• Literary Context

  “This Is a Photograph of Me” opens Atwood’s first major collection of poetry, The Circle Game, which was published in 1964 and received the prestigious Governor General’s Award. The title poem describes children playing Ring Around the Rosie and other games, contrasting images of childhood frivolity with those of adulthood isolation and monotony. In doing so, the speaker reveals that, although such games appear cheerful and innocent, they condition young people to mindlessly conform to social expectations and remain emotionally detached from others.

  Indeed, The Circle Game takes seemingly benign objects and behaviors as its subjects and explores the dark truths that they reveal about society. “This Is a Photograph of Me” follows this approach by presenting a photograph that appears to depict a tranquil landscape and later disclosing that the speaker’s lifeless body is also pictured.

  Like Beat Generation writers, Atwood cites romantic poet and visual artist William Blake (“London”) as a key influence and adopts his works’ rebellious bent and socio-political concerns. The Circle Game was published as the counterculture of the 1960s and '70s began to take shape. The corresponding series of liberation movements and emerging subcultures opened up new space for women writers, whose contributions were generally wrapped up in specific movements—sharing an emphasis on female perspectives rather than a common style. For example, Atwood’s contemporaries include Ann Sexton (“Her Kind”) and Sylvia Plath (“The Applicant”)—major figures in confessionalism—as well as Adrienne Rich (“Diving into the Wreck”) and Audre Lorde (“A Litany for Survival”), who contributed to the Gay Liberation Movement, among other causes.

  One of Canada’s best-known and most prolific writers, Atwood has also published essays, novels, graphic novels, stories, reviews, criticism, children’s books, a play, and scripts for televisions and radio, in addition to some two dozen collections of poetry. In her 1972 survey Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Literature, Atwood identifies survival, particularly of the victimized, as the preeminent concern of Canadian literature. “This Is a Photograph of Me” directly engages with this tradition, scrutinizing the limitations of recording history—unable to capture every coexisting narrative, it is inherently exclusionary, threatening the survival of marginalized voices.

  Historical Context

  Atwood was born in Canada’s capital of Ottawa, Ontario, in November 1939, just two months after the beginning of World War II. The conflict would continue through 1945, depleting much of the workforce as (mostly) men fought overseas. As a result, the number of Canadian women who held jobs doubled during the war. Further, women entered male-dominated sectors like manufacturing, construction, logging, and farming.

  However, the birthrate ballooned in the 20 years following the war’s end (1945-1965) and women began to get married younger. Having endured the Great Depression of the 1930s and WWII of the 40s, Canadians now faced the Red Scare. Seeking stability and security, people turned to traditional family structures, in which a man is the breadwinning head of the household, while his wife's responsibilities are strictly domestic. Furthermore, men’s wages increased during this time, making it possible for more and more families to live off of one income. Women who entered the workforce faced harassment and discrimination, in addition to social stigmas that cast working mothers as neglectful of their familial duties.

  Still, during the '60s, women entered the workforce at increasing rates, in large part due to the introduction of “the pill”—oral contraceptives that freed women from unwanted childbearing responsibilities. Additionally, growing movements for social and political justice radicalized many women. In the year before Atwood published The Circle Game, Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique helped catalyze a new Women’s Movement (known today as Second-wave Feminism). This nonfiction volume gets its name from a term that Friedan coined to describe the societal expectation that women find fulfillment through (heterosexual) marriage, childbearing, housework, and sexual submission—an idea she proves false.

  The Feminine Mystique, which advocates female resistance and liberation, was the best-selling book of 1964, the year that The Circle Game was published. “This Is a Photograph of Me” questions mainstream history’s tendency to subsume the voices of marginalized groups under male-dominated narratives, and can thus be seen as an early example of the intersection of literature and Second-wave Feminism.

More “This Is a Photograph of Me” Resources

• External Resources

  • Margaret Atwood Reads "This Is a Photograph of Me" — Listen to the author read the poem aloud.

  • Margaret Atwood's Biography — An overview of Atwood's life and work from the Poetry Foundation.

  • The Subtle Horror of "This Is a Photograph of Me" — A brief commentary on the poem's ominous implications.

  • Women’s Movements in Canada: 1960–1985 — A summary of women's movements in Canada during the second half of the 20th century, including a discussion of literature.

  • Margaret Atwood's Website — The author's website, which contains a brief biography, full bibliography, and links to other relevant materials.

• LitCharts on Other Poems by Margaret Atwood

  • Half-Hanged Mary

  • Siren Song

  • The City Planners

  • The Moment

  • [you fit into me]