Poetry Reading Response for "Photography" by Nikki Giovanni (Draft)

When you take a picture, you can see only the photographer’s point of view of what the things happening are like in the photo.  In the poem Photography by Nikki Giovanni, it shows how people assume that their lives are perfect and so are everyone else’s, by using the symbol of the camera.

In the poem, the author uses metaphors and symbols to show how people struggle and other people don’t notice.  For example, take the lines ”it’s easy sitting in the sun/ to forget the ice and ravages/ of winter yet” (Giovanni, 12-14).  This shows that the sun (which symbolizes the good things in your life) is a place where you ignore/ don’t help other people and the ice/ winter (bad things that could happen to you and other people).

Although you might frown upon other people’s ways, they might love the way they live, struggles and all.  In the poem, it shows this by saying, “yet surf or sea each has/ its lovers and its meaning/ for love”(Giovanni, 20-22).  “Surf or sea” represents different people and “lovers” and “meaning for love” represents people’s lifestyles that they choose to have.  So basically, the quote says that different people have different ways of living and are fine with their lives.

No matter how different people are, we all work together to make the world what it is.  “and our hands joining/ those that reach/ develop the product” (Giovanni, 5-7).  This means that if we choose to work together, we will “develop the product” or make this world a better place.

After reading this poem, I realized that life really is like a photograph.  We can choose to make our “photo” whatever way we want.  We can either choose to pretend that everything is well in the world and forget about the troubles people are having, or we can work together to help people and ignore their differences.  

Photography

the eye we are told

is a camera

but the film is the heart

not the brain

and our hands joining

those that reach

develop the product

it’s easy sitting in the sun

to forget that cold exists

let alone envelops

the lives of people

it’s easy sitting in the sun

to forget the ice and ravages

of winter yet

there are those who would have

no other season

it’s always easy when thinking

we have the best to assume

others covet it

yet surf or sea each has

its lovers and its meaning

for love

watching the red sun bleed

into the ocean

one thinks of the beauty that fire brings

if the eye is a camera and the film is the heart

then the photo assistant is god