Jackie Kay Poetry

1. Jackie Kay Poetry Ms Nitsche

2. About Jackie Kay • Born Edinburgh, 1961 • Scottish Mother & Nigerian Father • Adopted by Helen and John Kay at birth; brought up in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow. • Studied English at Stirling University • Son, Matthew born 1988 • Contacted birth mother while pregnant • Met birth mother - Elizabeth - in 1991 • Met birth father - Jonathan O - in 2003 • MBE for services to literature in 2006 • Currently lives in Manchester • Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

3. What’s in a name? In pairs discuss the following questions: • What do the names of the six poems we will study suggest to you? • What do you think the poems will be about? • What themes might they explore? Keeping Orchids Divorce Bed Gap Year Lucozade My Grandmother’s Houses

4. Family • One of the main themes that connects the six poems is that of FAMILY. • The poems explore inter-generational relationships, such as: - Daughter & mother - Daughter & birth mother - Granddaughter & grandmother - Mother & son - Daughter & parents.

5. Poetic Voice • The ‘voice’ is the point of view that a poem is seen from, like a narrator or persona. • The poems feature the voice of a female persona (although ‘Lucozade’ is a little more ambiguous). • This female persona explores family relationships – as a result, all offer a thoroughly domestic discourse or series of ideas.

6. Keeping Orchids What’s it about? The speaker – apparently Kay herself reflects on meeting her birth mother for the first time. Written in couplets and touches on themes of secrets and discoveries, as well as adoption and family relationships.

7. Keeping Orchids This poem describes the poet’s first meeting with her birth mother. It is a painful emotional journey for both women. The poet uses the images of the orchids her birth mother gave her on their first meeting and of her own and her mother’s “troubled hands” as symbols of the complex, painful emotions they both feel. It is not a joyful meeting. Jackie Kay can articulate her own feelings but finds it hard to read her mother’s feelings as “she tells the story of her life”. The poet describes her mother’s account of her life as “compressed”, “airtight”, “a sad square”. It does not reveal enough; it does not bring comfort to her daughter, hungry for emotional connection and revelation.

8. Keeping Orchids In pairs, discuss these questions: • What are your initial thoughts on the poem? • What language techniques does the writer use? • What is she trying to say by using these techniques?

9. Keeping Orchids • Full of emotion but very controlled and restrained. • Appears more about objects than emotions, or, in other words, descriptive rather than reflective. • Title parallels the adoption – central image of ‘Keeping Orchids’ is important. • The most abstract of the poems; offers the widest opportunities for interpretation.

10. The orchids my mother gave me when we first met are still alive, twelve days later. Although some of the buds remain closed as secrets. Twice since I carried them back, like a baby in a shawl, from her train station to mine, then home. Twice since then the whole glass carafe has crashed falling over, unprovoked, soaking my chest of drawers. All the broken waters. I have rearranged the upset orchids with troubled hands. Even after that the closed ones did not open out. The skin shut like an eye in the dark; the closed lid. Twelve days later, my mother’s hands are all I have.

11. Her voice is fading fast. Even her voice rushes through a tunnel the other way from home. I close my eyes and try to remember exactly: a paisley pattern scarf, a brooch, a navy coat. A digital watch her daughter was wearing when she died. Now they hang their heads, and suddenly grow old – the proof of meeting. Still, her hands, awkward and hard to hold fold and unfold a green carrier bag as she tells the story of her life. Compressed. Airtight.

12. A sad square, then a crumpled shape. A bag of tricks. Her secret life – a hidden album, a box of love letters. A door opens and closes. Time is outside waiting. I catch the draught in my winter room. Airlocks keep the cold air out. Boiling water makes flowers live longer. So does cutting the stems with a sharp knife.

13. Divorce What’s it about? • Monologue written in the voice of an adolescent. • Addressed to her parents, threatening to divorce them. • Explores themes of generational conflict. • Light-hearted in tone.

14. Divorce This poem is written in the form of an address. The title leads us to expect a poem about divorcing parents but it is soon clear that it is a young person who wishes to divorce her parents. The dramatic, often comical tone leads us to question how serious the girl’s grievances are or wonder if her histrionics mask a deeper hurt. Her vision of the parents she wishes for is lyrical and idealistic, suggesting that in her disappointment with her real parents she is seeking the impossible. There is a wistfulness and longing in the lines “who speak in the soft murmur of rivers” and “sing in the colourful voices of rainbows” which is in strong contrast to the confrontational persona presented in the rest of the poem. The girl uses blunt, assertive, uncompromising statements: “I want a divorce”; “I never chose you”; “I don’t want to be your child”; building up to the final climax in the last line, but their force is blunted by the humorous effect of the rhyming of the final couplet. The poem is dramatic, humorous and unsettling.

15. Divorce In pairs, discuss these questions: • What are your initial thoughts on the poem? • What language techniques does the writer use? • What is she trying to say by using these techniques?

16. Divorce Provide evidence from the poem for your answers. • Who is the narrator? (2 marks) • What tone does the poem have? (2 marks) • Summarise the ways in which the speaker’s parents are an irritation to her. (4 marks) • How is imagery used to create an idea of the perfect parents in lines 16-24? (4 marks) • How does the language in lines 24-28 show the speaker’s anger? (4 marks)

17. Divorce • Using your ‘How to Answer the Questions’ sheet as a guide, analyse this piece of imagery from the poem: “There are parents in the world…who speak in the soft murmur of rivers…”

18. Sonnetesque (twice) in form – alludes to the precision and formality of the form. • Parodic – imitation of a teenage strop. • Speaker is dramatic and pompous – “there are things I cannot suffer any longer”; “I would be better off in an orphanage.” • Ironic reversal in roles sees the parents as being “rough and wild”; carries out “chores” without thanks in the way a parent typicvally would. • Title - expectations are subverted; this is not about the breakdown of a marriage, but the separation of a child from their parents. • Stanza 2 – shift in tone from the grandiose to something softer and more perceptive. • Uses imagery to convey fantasies of the ‘perfect’ parents – repetition of “there are” only serves to emphasise that this fantasy is unrealistic and does not exist.

19. I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that, so part I must, and quickly. There are things I cannot suffer any longer: Mother, you never, ever said a kind word or a thank-you for all the tedious chores I have done; Father, your breath smells like a camel’s and gives me the hump; all you ever say is: ‘Are you off in the cream puff, Lady Muck?’ In this day and age? I would be better off in an orphanage.

20. I want a divorce. There are parents in the world whose faces turn up to the light who speak in the soft murmur of rivers and never shout. There are parents who stroke their children’s cheeks in the dead of night and sing in the colourful voices of rainbows, red to blue. These parents are not you. I never chose you. You are rough and wild, I don’t want to be your child. All you do is shout and that’s not right. I will file for divorce in the morning at first light.

21. Critical Essay Question Choose a poem which describes a person’s experience. Explain how the poetic techniques used to describe the experience make the poem more interesting. • What are the key words in this question? • What alternative language/synonyms can you think of for these words?

22. Introduction Start with TART (Title, Author, Refer to Task) You should also give a BRIEF outline of what the poem is about. Now, write your own introduction. YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES

23. Example ‘Divorce’ by Jackie Kay is a poem which explores the experience and fraught relationship between a teenager and their parents. Kay’s use of imagery, tone and narrative voice highlights the anger the speaker feels towards their parents, whilst emphasising their own dramatic nature through traditional role reversal.

24. Point The Point is simply what each paragraph is about- you make a main point in every paragraph you write. This is usually the TOPIC SENTENCE you use. Do not signpost your paragraph e.g. do not say “I am going to talk about”

25. What is a TOPIC SENTENCE? This is basically a sentence that introduces what the paragraph is going to be about. You should mention WHAT you are going to discuss in the paragraph, and refer back to the question. REMEMBER YOUR KEY WORDS AND ALTERNATIVE LANGUAGE!

26. Topic Sentences • All TOPIC SENTENCES should make some reference to the essay question. • A good way to do this is through the KEY WORDS we extract from the essay question.

27. Example Topic Sentences In ‘Divorce’ Kay emphasises the anger the speaker experiences towards their parents by comparing their relationship to a marriage that has broken down. Kay goes on to use traditional role reversal to express the anger the speak experiences. Through the speaker’s use of dramatic and emphatic statements, Kay highlights their stroppy and pompous immaturity that colours this experience.

28. Referencing the question • A reader should be able to guess what the essay question is simply by looking at your essay. • It is VITAL that you ensure you refer to the question throughout – this is the only way you will be sure that you have actually answered the question!

29. Evidence The evidence is the quotation or description of the scene, shot or technique you are using to back up your point. It is important that you pick evidence that you can explain and evaluate FULLY. Never just drop evidence in – always introduce them within the CONTEXT of the poem, i.e. what is happening at this point in the poem, what characters are involved and who they are, etc.

30. EXAMPLE • TOPIC SENTENCE: In ‘Divorce’ Kay emphasises the anger the speaker experiences towards their parents by comparing their relationship to a marriage that has broken down. • EVIDENCE: The poem opens with the speaker telling their parents that: “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.”

31. Evaluation (Analysis) This is the chance for you to explain how the quotation backs up the point you are making You need to make sure that you fully explain the quotation or shot/scene/technique. You then need to evaluate it - give your opinion on how successful it is. Your opinion should be implicit - do not write “I think”.

32. 3 Steps for Analysing Quotations 1. Break the quotation down – look at the meaning and connotations of individual words, techniques and phrases, as well as the whole sentence e.g. “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.” Immediately the speaker confounds our expectation that this poem is based on marriage – instead Kay shows that the speaker has not made a commitment of that sort, and the line “or anything like that” emphasises how dismissive they are of such a concept.

33. 3 Steps for Analysing Quotations 2. Think about what the whole sentence suggests e.g. “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.” In this opening line, Kay shows the speaker’s lack of concern for whom she is addressing, rejecting the idea of lifelong or “till death do us part” commitment.

34. 3 Steps for Analysing Quotations 3. Comment on the context of the quotation e.g. “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.” Here, Kay successfully shows that the speaker is absolute in both her dismissal of her parents, and in her self-belief – that she does not need to stay with them as she has made no “promise” or assurance that she will.

35. EXAMPLE • TOPIC SENTENCE: In ‘Divorce’ Kay emphasises the anger the speaker experiences towards their parents by comparing their relationship to a marriage that has broken down. • EVIDENCE: The poem opens with the speaker telling their parents that: “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.” • EVALUATION: Immediately the speaker confounds our expectation that this poem is based on marriage – instead Kay shows that the speaker has not made a commitment of that sort, and the line “or anything like that” emphasises how dismissive they are of such a concept. In this opening line, Kay shows the speaker’s lack of concern for whom she is addressing, rejecting the idea of lifelong or “till death do us part” commitment. Here, Kay successfully shows that the speaker is absolute in both her dismissal of her parents, and in her self-belief – that she does not need to stay with them as she has made no “promise” or assurance that she will.

36. Putting P E E Together • Point/ Topic Sentence. • Evidence – description of scene and technique. • Evaluation/Analysis. And that’s ONE paragraph.

37. Which should look like this… • In ‘Divorce’ Kay emphasises the anger the speaker experiences towards their parents by comparing their relationship to a marriage that has broken down. The poem opens with the speaker telling their parents that: “I did not promise to stay with you till death do us part, or anything like that.” Immediately the speaker confounds our expectation that this poem is based on marriage – instead Kay shows that the speaker has not made a commitment of that sort, and the line “or anything like that” emphasises how dismissive they are of such a concept. In this opening line, Kay shows the speaker’s lack of concern for whom she is addressing, rejecting the idea of lifelong or “till death do us part” commitment. Here, Kay successfully shows that the speaker is absolute in both her dismissal of her parents, and in her self-belief – that she does not need to stay with them as she has made no “promise” or assurance that she will.

38. TASK • In PAIRS, write a paragraph based on this quotation: “Mother, you never, ever said a kind word or a thank-you for all the tedious chores I have done” • Be prepared to share your paragraph with the class!

39. How do we write a conclusion? An effective conclusion should: • Refer back to the questions. • Summarise your main points. • Comment on how effective the writer/director has been in their use of techniques.

40. Example

41. Bed What’s it about? A monologue told through the voice of the elderly female persona who is bed-ridden. Written in Scots, the poem explores themes of dependency and aging.

42. Bed In this poem Jackie Kay uses the dramatic monologue form to convey the stark realities of extreme old age. The speaker is an elderly bed-bound woman, completely dependent on her daughter for her care. She voices her thoughts and feelings in a colloquial Scots which is direct, expressive and sometimes bleakly humorous. Her words describe with a raw honesty the physical ravages of old age and the guilt and frustration she feels. She has become the “wean noo”. In the second last stanza her words have a stark poetry in the personification of Time held “between / the soft bits o’ ma thumbs”. In the last stanza she contemplates her own death. Her matter of fact question, “how wull she feel?” and her apparently simple and direct statements suggest a complexity of emotions about her own death and how it will affect her daughter.

43. Bed In pairs, discuss these questions: • What are your initial thoughts on the poem? • What language techniques does the writer use? • What is she trying to say by using these techniques?

44. Bed • Title directs reader to themes of restriction, confinement and imprisonment • Provides a voice from the margins – an invalided and aged mother. • Written in a Scots dialect, often reflecting the patterns and inflections of real speech. • Offers a perspective on the sad reality of her life, being cared for at home by her daughter. • HOWEVER, almost Shakespearean in its assessment of time as a great destroyer of youth and beauty. • Tone is ambiguous – unclear whether she is grateful to or resentful of her daughter.

45. She is that guid tae me so she is an Am a burden tae her, I know Am ur. Stuck here in this big blastit bed year in, year oot, ony saint wuid complain. There’s things she has tae dae fir me A’ wish she didnae huv tae dae. Am her wean noo, wey ma great tent o’ nappy, an champed egg in a cup, an mashed tattie.

46. Aw the treats A’ used tae gie her, she’s gieing me. A’ dinny ken whit happened. We dinny talk any mair. Whether it’s jist the blethers ha been plucked oot o’ us an Am here like some skinny chicken, ma skin aw bubbles and dots and spots, loose flap noo (an yet as a young wuman A’ took pride in ma guid smooth skin.)

47. Aw A’ dae is sit and look oot this windae. A’ve seen hale generations graw up an simmer doon fray this same windae – that’s no seen a lick o’ paint fir donkeys. The Kerrs have disappeared, but the last Campbells ur still here so Am telt – tho’ hauf the time A’ dinny believe her: A’ve no seen any Campbell in a lang time.

48. My dochter says ‘Awright mother?’ haunds me a thin broth or puried neep an A say ‘Aye fine,’ an canny help the great heaving sigh that comes oot my auld loose lips, nor ma crabbit tut, nor ma froon when A’ pu’ ma cardie tight aroon ma shooders fir the night drawin in. Am jist biding time so am ur.

49. Time is whit A’ hauld between the soft bits o’ ma thumbs, the skeleton underneath ma night goon; aw the while the glaring selfish moon lights up this drab wee prison. A’ll be gone and how wull she feel? No that Am saying A’ want her guilty. No that Am saying Am no grateful.

50. Look at the poem as a whole and identify four of the main ideas contained in the poem. • By referring to lines 1―20, show how word choice and sentence structure give a description of the speaker’s helplessness/reliance on others. • By referring to lines 16―40, explain one thing that we learn about: (a) the community the speaker lives in (b) the speaker’s attitude to her life at this time. 4. Jackie Kay often explores relationships in her poems. Refer briefly to the central relationship in this poem and go on to discuss a central relationship in at least one other poem by Jackie Kay.