THE LIVING PHOTOGRAPH (by Jackie Kay)

My small grandmother is tall there,

straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt,
pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old smile round her eyes.
Her big hand holds mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye.

It was true after all; that look.

My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and hunched.
Her soup forgot to boil.
She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.

But there she is still,

in the photo with me at three,
the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.

STANZA 1

LINE MEANING BAHASA MELAYU

1 My small grandmother is tall there,
2 straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt ,
3 pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
4 a kind, old smile round her eyes.
5 Her big hand holds mine,
6 white hand in black hand.
7 Her sharp blue eyes look her death in the eye.
The persona’s grandmother looks tall in the
photograph.
She is standing with good posture, wearing an
embroidered lace blouse.
She wears the blouse with a pleated skirt, non-
heeled shoes and her hair in a bun.
She is smiling kindly.
Her big hand is holding the persona’s hand.
The contrast of their skin colours can clearly be
seen in their linked hands.
Her grandmother’s blue eyes suggests that her
death is near.
Nenekku yang kecil Nampak tinggi disitu
Berbadan tegak, memakai baju sulaman berwarna
putih
Memakai skirt berlipat, kasut tumit rendah , rambut
beruban yang disanggul
Senyuman yang baik di lingkaran matanya yang
bulat
Tangannya yang besar mengenggam tanganku
Tangan berkulit putih didalam tangan berkulit gelap
Mata birunya melihat tajam pada kematian

By Teacher Francine, SMK Sebuyau Sarawak

STANZA 2

LINE MEANING BAHASA MELAYU

8 It was true after all; that look.
9 My tall grandmother became small.
10 Her back round and hunched.
11 Her soup forgot to boil.
12 She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
13 Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.
The persona’s reference of death came true. Sememangnya pandangan itu benar belaka
The grandmother became thinner and more fragile. Nenekku yang tinggi telah menjadi kecil
Her back became hunched. Belakang badannya bulat dan bongkok
She became forgetful. Dia lupa merenehkan supnya
Soon, she passed away. Dia telah pergi ke tempat mengerikan
Upon her death, she went to a place that no one Ke suatu tempat yang tidak diketahui, tidak dapat
knows. difikirkan

STANZA 3

LINE MEANING BAHASA MELAYU

14 But there she is still,
15 in the photo with me at three,
16 the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.
However, in the photograph, her grandmother will
always be alive.
The persona was there years old in the photograph
with her grandmother.
Her grandmother’s smile is still so alive and real.
Tetapi dia masih lagi berdiri disitu
Didalam gambar bersamaku semasa aku berumur 3
tahun
Senyuman yang berkerut itu masih segar dan nyata

MORAL VALUE

1 We must treasure our loved ones when they are alive.

 We must spend as much time as we can with our loved ones while they are still living
 When they pass away, all that will be left are the memories, as is illustrated in the poem.

2 It is difficult to lose a family member.

 It is always difficult to deal with the death of a loved one.
 The persona loses her grandmother when she was younger but she will always remember her.

3 We must never forget the importance of family relationship.

 We should not forget to love and care for our family, especially our grandparents who are the pillars of a family.
 When they are old and sick, we must continue to take care of them.
By Teacher Francine, SMK Sebuyau Sarawak
1. How old was the poet when the photograph was taken?

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2. The grandmother had become senile. How do you know this?

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3. How does the poet want to remember her grandmother?

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4. The poet shows how she loves and appreciates her grandmother in the poem. Give two other ways how you can show your
love and appreciation towards your family members.

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5. To whom do you think the title of the poem relates to?

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6. What happened to her grandmother’s physical appearance as she aged?

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7. How does the persona describe the other world? How does this reflect the persona’s perception of life after death?

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8. Who are in the photograph?

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9. In stanza 1, which words mean ‘open embroidery on white linen?

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By Teacher Francine, SMK Sebuyau Sarawak

10. Describe the grandmother’s skirt and shoes?

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11. Why do you think the grandmother forgot to boil the soup?

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12. Where was the persona when the grandmother passed away? Provide a reason for your answer.

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13. Give one moral value that can be learnt from this poem?

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14. What does the photograph represent?

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15. How old was the persona when the photograph was taken?

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16. Which line in the poem tells us the grandmother has become forgetful?

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17. Why do you think the writer’s ‘small grandmother is tall’ in the photograph?

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18. Which line tells you that the writer and her grandmother are from different ethnic background?

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By Teacher Francine, SMK Sebuyau Sarawak