2. The Poet : Jackie Kay
Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, 1961
Scottish mother Nigerian father
Adopted by a white couple
Raised in Glasgow
3. Studied English at the University of
Stirling, Scotland
Currently a professor of Creative
Writing at Newcastle University,
England
A Member of the Order of the British
Empire (MBE)
4. Stanza 1
Describing her grandmother in a
photograph – ‘is’
Standing tall and straight, tall, broderie
anglaise shirt – shows a woman of
class; upper or middle class
White hand in black hand – come from
a mixed race family
Sharp blue eyes – isn’t afraid of death
5. Stanza 2
‘was’ – how she remembers her
grandmother used to be
Has become smaller in size
‘Her soup forgot to boil’ – forgetful,
senile, signs of dementia
She passes away and goes to a place
that is unimaginable to the persona
6. Stanza 3
‘is’ – in the photograph (still living in
her heart)
Feels her grandmother’s presence
whenever she looks at the photograph
She wants to remember her as
healthy, not old and fragile
7. Theme:
The positive image people create in
remembrance of a departed person
Coping with grief and loss – one way
is to hang on to the good memories of
a person
8. Moral Values
We must strive for close family
relationships
We should love and appreciate our
family members while they are still
alive
We must not dwell on the past too
much
We should learn to let go of the dead
9. Questions
How are the people in the photograph
related?
What does the line, My small
grandmother is tall there mean?
What is the grandmother wearing in
the photograph?
10. Questions
What does the line, white hand in
black hand suggest?
Which line in the poem tells us the
grandmother has passed away?
Name one theme of the poem.
Provide evidence from the text to
support your answer.
Theme:
Evidence:
11. Questions
Why do you think the persona
describe the place that grandmothers
go as awful?
Name one moral value you have
learned from the poem. Provide
evidence from the text that shows this
moral value.
Moral value :
Evidence :
12. Questions
Do you like the poem? Give one
reason to support your response.
Response:
Reason :
