This Is a Photograph of Me

“This is a Photograph of Me” shows that a seemingly factual piece of evidence may not tell the entirety of a story. The poem questions who records history and the accuracy of any one perspective, juxtaposing the speaker’s description of a photo that the speaker claims depicts “me” with what the reader/viewer can actually see.

Immediately there is tension between the ostensible objectivity of the photograph and the potential subjectivity of the speaker’s thoughts and revelations. The photo is framed as a historical document, “taken some time ago” (Line 1). This is confirmed by the fact that the photograph was taken on black and white film. However, we also see that this document is flawed. It shows “flecks of gray / blended with the paper” (Lines 4-5), reflecting photographer, developer, or storage error. Moreover, the photograph’s details are blurred into “a smeared / print” (Lines 3-4).

In contrast, the speaker confidently and unhesitatingly explains what the photograph shows to a reader/viewer who may be confused by its haziness: “In the background there is a lake, / and beyond that, some low hills” (Lines 13-14). The speaker’s assured statements about the landscape seem to confirm the photograph’s truthful and accurate rendering of that particular environment.