A visual representation of "Contrast" by Tammy Ho
TSANG Ka Hei Ellie
St. Paul’s Convent School
My work explores the themes of ageing and familial love.
The clocks on the walls symbolise the passage of time.
Specifically, the melting clock shows how time used to be distorted for the father, who was unwilling to accept the fact that he was ageing.
Hence, he was trying to look younger by plucking and dyeing his grey hair.
The mirror image, in contrast, offers a glimpse of the present.
The father is proud to look old and he starts to embrace his status as a grandfather since he thinks that ageing can be a sign of blessing.
The use of complementary colours highlights the father’s changing attitude towards ageing.
While cooler tones are used to depict the past, a warmer colour palette is chosen to represent the future, creating a more jovial atmosphere, which stands in stark contrast to the blue-tinted melancholy of the past.
The change in mood is also portrayed by the range of emotions displayed by the characters.
The girl, for instance, was once saddened by her father’s fading youth, but now she is smiling blissfully.
This is because she knows that despite getting older day by day, her father has found joy and fulfilment in seeing his family and grandchildren grow.
This loving relationship can be clearly seen in the image projected on the mirror.
Contrast
He asked me to put the hairs
in a small yellow box. It was plastic,
with a catch at the front that clicked
when closed.
Every Sunday, I looked carefully
at my father’s head
and plucked out the grey hairs
that hid sneakily
among the robust black ones.
He gave me twenty cents for each strand
until one day, a few years later,
the box was full
and there were still so many more to pluck.
Overcome with sadness, I said,
‘Father, I don’t want the money.’
He then began dyeing his hair
and in the bathroom sink every week
drips of black water
revealed that father was clawing
back his youth.
Fifteen years later, he
has stopped dyeing his hair,
worried that the chemicals
might harm his grandchildren
whom he often rests
on his shoulders,
proud now
to highlight the contrast.
Tammy Ho
“Contrast” first appeared in the Asia Literary Review: https://www.asialiteraryreview.com/contrast. Reprinted with permission by the poet.