The Living Photograph by

Jackie Kay
My small grandmother is tall there,
straight-back, white broderie anglaise
(1)shirt,
pleated (2)skirt, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old (3)smile round her eyes.
Her big hand (4)holds mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own (5)death in the eye.
It was (6)true after all that look.
My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and (7)hunched.
Her (8)soup forgot to boil.
She went to the (9)awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, (10)unthinkable.
But there she is still,
in the photo with me at (11)three,
the crinkled smile is still (12)living ,breathing.

Worksheet 1

Complete the poem.

The Living Photograph

My small grandmother is tall there,
straight-back, white broderie anglaise (1)___________________,
pleated (2)____________, flat shoes, grey bun,
a kind, old (3)_________ round her eyes.
Her big hand (4)____________mine,
white hand in black hand.
Her sharp blue eyes look her own (5) ______________ in the eye.
It was (6) __________ after all; that look.
My tall grandmother became small.
Her back round and (7) _____________.
Her (8) _____________ forgot to boil.
She went to the (9) ____________ place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, (10) ___________.
But there she is still,
in the photo with me at (11)____________,
the crinkled smile is still (12) _____________ , breathing.

Worksheet 2
Match the lines with the meaning of the poem.

Stanza 1

Lines
1. My small grandmother is
tall there,

Meaning

Grandmother wears a white

embroidered shirt, a
pleated skirt and flat shoes.

The word there refers to the old

photograph.

Grandmother has sharp blue

eyes and they seem to look at
death without fear. This reveal
that grandmother is growing old
and death is unavoidable.

Her hair is tied up in a bun.

Grandmother is holding the

grandchilds white hand in her
black one. This tells us that the
grandchild may be of mixed
parentage.

Grandmothers eyes look kind.

White hand represents the

poet's youth, purity, and
innocence. Black hand
represents that the grandmother
is experienced. An old soul who
has been through a lot in life.

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
own death in the eye.

Stanza 2

Lines
8. It was true after all that look.

9. My tall grandmother became small.

Her back round and hunched.

The look on grandmothers face

that she was expecting death
was true.

Grandmother died. Death is

described as an awful,
unknown and unthinkable
place. This is clearly a childs
view point.

The soup that did not boil

reveals that the grandmother
became forgetful and senile.

10. Her soup forgot to boil.

11. She went to the awful place
grandmothers
go. Somewhere
unknown, unthinkable.

Meaning
Grandmother became shorter as
her back grew bent with age.

Stanza 3
Lines

Meaning

12. But there she is still,

in the photo with me at three,

13. the crinkled smile is still living,

breathing.

To the grandchild, the

grandmother looks alive in the
photograph.
The word there refers to the old
photograph taken with the
grandmother when the persona
was three years old. The
memory of his/ her grandmother
is still fresh and new.

Worksheet 3
Answer these questions based on the poem.
1. List two items grandmother wears in the photo.
a) _____________________________________________________________
b) _____________________________________________________________
2. What do you think the writer is referring to in the phrase the awful place
grandmothers go?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Why do you think the writers small grandmother is tall in the photo?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. In the first stanza, what does the word there refer to?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Which line tells you that the writer and her grandmother come from
different ethnic background?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
6. How old was the writer when the photo was taken?
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Why do you think the writer says that her grandmother is tall in the photo
but later became small?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Quote evidence from line 14 to line 16 that the photograph was taken a
long time ago.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Explain the meaning of the word crinkled.
___________________________________________________________________________
10.How do these lines make you feel about photographs of people you love?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________