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Notes On Photograph

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Published in: Photography

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Notes and explanation on form 4 poem.Title living photograph.This slideshow will really help student understand better.

Pamindar K / Seri Kembangan

7 years of teaching experience

Qualification: B ed tesl( Hons)

Teaches: English, Bahasa Inggeris

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The Living Photograph by Jackie Kay Prepared by Miss Tang (The02015)
Lines Stanza 1 Meaning 1. 2. 3. 4. My small grandmother is tall there, straight-back, white broderie anglaise shirt, pleated skirt, flat shoes, grey bun, a kind, old smile round her eye S. The word 'there' refers to the old photograph. Grandmother wears a white embroidered shirt, a pleated skirt and flat shoes. Her hair is tied up in a bun. Grandmother's eyes look kind.
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Stanza 1 Lines 5. Her big hand holds mine, 6. white hand in black hand. Meaning Grandmother is holding the grandchild's white hand in her black one. This tells us that the grandchild may be of mixed parentage. 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.
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Stanza 1 Lines 7. Her sharp blue eyes look her own death in the eye. Meaning 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.
Stanza 2 Lines 8. It was true after all that look. 9. My tall grandmother became small. 10. Her back round and hunched. Meaning The look on grandmother's face that she was expecting death was true. Grandmother became shorter as her back grew bent with age.
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Stanza 2 Lines 11. Her soup forgo to boil. 12. She went to the awful place grandmothers go. 13. Somewhere unknown, unthinkable. Meaning The soup that did not boil reveals that the grandmother became forgetful and senile. Grandmother died. Death is described as an 'awful', 'unknown' and 'unthinkable' place. This is clearly a child's view point.
Stanza 3 Meaning Lines 14. But there she is still, 15. in the photo with me at three, 14. the crinkled smile is still living, breathing. The word 'there' refers to the old photograph taken with the grandmother when the persona was three years old. To the grandchild, the grandmother looks alive in the photograph. The memory of his/ her grandmother is still fresh and new.
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THEME ' Remembering a loved one ' Family relationships ' Life and death MORAL VALUES We should remember our elders. We should treasure our family photographs. We should cherish the memories with our grandparents.
TONE/ MOOD ' Nostalgic SeriOUS ' Positive POINT OF VIEW First person narrative
Language/ Style ' Simple vocabulary: 'flat', 'grey', 'kind', 'round', 'big' ' Imagery: 'white broderie anglaise shirt', 'grey bun'. ' Contrast: 'tall' and 'small', 'straight-back' and 'back round and hunched', 'white hand' and 'black hand'. -End-