The poem "Photograph of the Girl" by Sharon Olds is a thought provoking, meaningful poem. The poem describes a girl during the drought of 1921 in Russia. The girl is suffering and dying from hunger while also going through puberty. The poet uses several literary devices such as allusion, imagery, and simile to create a strong poem based on a muse and illuminate the idea that although she might die, there may still be hope. By showing how the girl gets her period during this tragic event , it shows that it may be possible for her to live and have a child.

In the poem, allusion is used to show the relationship between the words and the photograph. allusion is a reference to the photograph, in this case. one part of the text that uses allusion is when the poem reads, "The caption says/ she is going to starve to death that winter/ with millions of other." The quotation refers back to the poem. not only does allusion give credit to the piece of literature, it also helps the reader understand the photograph better. With ng about the muse of this poem allusion, the reader gets reminded of the muse of the poem. This supports my thesis because after these lines, the poet includes details of her journey through puberty, which tell that there is hope at the end of the poem. 

The poem also uses imagery, which helps the reader visualize the photograph of the girl. The poet doesn't actually include the photograph with the poem. Instead the poet uses a series of descriptive words the helps the readers visualize it. one quotation from the poem that uses imagery is when it reads, 

'The girl sits on the hard ground, / the dry pan of Russia, in the drought/ of 1921, stunned, / eyes closed, mouth open,". The quotation shows his the different words work together so that when you say or read these words, they flow. The author wants the readers to try and imagine the photograph. Also, the author uses imagery to understand the meaning of the poem. Imagery gives the reader the opportunity to try and connect the poem with the photograph. This quotation supports my thesis because it shows the girl's struggle at the beginning of the poem. Also it supports my thesis because it shows her hardships through the poem which leads to the meaning of  hope.

The poet's use of simile helps the readers get the sense of hope at the end of the story. simile os when you compare two things using like or as. One part of the poem that uses simile is when the poem reads, "Deep in her body/ the ovaries let out her first eggs, / as golden as drops of rain." I thought that it was very interesting how there is a drought, yet the poet refers to her eggs as golden drops of rain. From this simile I get the sense that in this particular situation both rain and her eggs are very special and important. The rain is important because since there is a drought, there is no water and the rain would provide water. Her eggs are important because it shows life and the possibility that she can live, which gives the poem a hopeful feel.

The poets uses of all of these literary devices provide readers with the satisfaction of a good poem. Also the poet used simile, allusion, an imagery in a very wise way. I believe this because these three literary devices flow very well together and helps add feeling to the poem.