JACKIE KAY PRESENTATION

Severe Gale 8 (1991)

Jackie KAY

A presentation by Avantika, Manon and Orphée

INDEX

6. Dramatic Reading

1 Quiz

2. My Grandmother's House

3. Summer Storm, Capolona

4. In the Seventh Year

5. Severe Gale 8

Question 1/6

choose the correct poem

Question 2/6

choose the correct poem

Question 3/6

choose the correct poem

Question 4/6

choose the correct poem

Question 5/6

choose the correct poem

Question 6/6

choose the correct poem

My Grandmother's House by Jackie Kay is a poem narrated in the first person, in monologue format about a woman's relationship to her grandmother. The poem employs various houses to depict the characters’ relationship. These houses include her grandmother’s old house (a tenement), her new house (a high rise) as well as the house that the grandmother cleans as a part of her job. The narrator’s voice lends a nostalgic tone to the poem as it is essentially her remembering the grandmother as well as their shared experiences. Kay uses each house to paint an image of the grandmother whilst providing information on her personality, profession as well as the world they live in from their socio-economic perspective.

My grandmother's house

Themes: Family: -

The poem chronicles the journey of the granddaughter discovering her grandmother’s identity and accepting as well as loving her.

-Kay illustrates this close tie between the two by evoking potent imagery that allows a clear visualization of the grandmother

My grandmother's house

Life and death:

-Throughout the poem Kay paints the picture of a loving companionship and a form of camaraderie

-Kay instantly subverts expectations of this being a traditional poem to her grandmother by introducing the uncomfortable topic of death

-Kay subtly references the circle of life

-Furthermore, Kay juxtaposes death with the youth of the granddaughter.

Structure:The poem is divided into three sections (marked by numbers) each made up of 22 lines. It can be argued that the three sections mark the three phases of life. Furthermore the number 22 represents strength, resilience as power. Additionally, 22 echoes this idea of pairs, and two sides of the same coin. It can also be noted that the spaces between the 22 lines mark tonal shifts. The poem is written in free verse and this allows the poem to weave feelings and tone of the other characters.

My grandmother's house

Close Analysis

-A key idea that Kay explores is class difference via the houses, and more importantly the people that make up the houses. This idea is explored via the house the grandmother cleans for her living.

“‘Lovely, she says, beautiful child, skin the colour of café au lait. ‘Café oh what? Hope she’s not being any bother.’ Not at all. Not at all. You just get back to your work.”

-Kay establishes a power dynamic and an invisible wall between the two sides

-This reinforces the idea that even through the perceived kindness, the social class difference makes the compliment hollow.

-This moment encapsulates the narrator’s childhood and the cruel class difference that is omnipresent. Kay explores class via an innocent lens, exploring the inequalities present in society via a child still familiarizing herself with the cruel social codes present.

Links with other poems from "Darling":

In terms of structure, the poem can be compared to Gap Year. Both poems are clearly separated in multiple sections with tonal shifts. In both poems the sections mark specific time periods and they furthermore both poems tackle a maternal relationship of sorts. There’s also this idea of multiple worlds in both poems. In Gap Year these worlds are more literal, present via the multiple countries the son visits. As opposed to this, in My Grandmother’s houses these worlds are incarnated via the social classes that are represented via the houses. -The narrator’s voice can be compared to what is found in Dracula. Both poems are presented as a memory. There is a polyphony with the childish voice remembering and there being an adult remembrance side to it. Both poems appeal to universal experiences: a loving grandmother and a childhood holiday.

Summary: Summer Storm, Capolona is a narrative and descriptive poem that seemingly recounts a real life experience. Kay shows respect and understanding for the rural Italians that welcome her in during a storm. Kay writes about the hospitality of the Italians, which contrasts with the dramatic atmosphere of the storm outside.

Summer storm, Capolona

The title refers to a city in Italy called Capolona.

Summer storm, Capolona

Themes: -Fear: “I curse myself, count in my head, ask each tree I chase to save us” -Gratefulness: “I am coming back much sooner with an umbrella and another madeira cake” - Nature (although chaotic): "herbal brew", "poppies", "wheat", "grapevines", "raindrops", "tree", "hill".

Structure: The organized structure of nine stanzas reflects the order that the mind tries to put in place when there is a danger or a stressful atmosphere around (storm here). The five lines add an imbalanced tone to the poem→ powerlessness of the mother. Two separate parts appear in this poem: the first one linked to the fear of the storm (l.1 - l.23) and the second one inside the house, representing warmness (l.23 - l.45).

Summer storm, Capolona

Close analysis

• Similes "the first raindrops fall like cherries" and "the cherries have turned into stones" --> reflect a regret the mother feels towards her choice.
• Internal conflict --> unease of the protagonist: "Am I crazy?", "we are safe ".
• “The woman irons shirts that have been washed a million times” --> the hosts have so much to give as opposed to “I have about ten Italian words” --> the mother and son do not have much to offer.

Summer storm, Capolona

Links with other poems from "Darling":

Whilst Leila Sleeps: Both of the poems mention a relationship between a caring mother and her child."hands tight on the buggy", "I try and say something to soothe". A fear is shared, yet born of different reasons "Didn't somebody say more people die of lightning than aeroplane crashes", "I am moving in the dead of night". Gap Year: The common theme of travelling and meeting new people is added to the idea of coming back home "this is our last chance to see the grapevines", "And now you are not coming home till four weeks after your due date".

Summary:This poem is dedicated to "Louise" and the reader can infer, that with the nature of the poem, Louise is a romantic love interest of the poet. Only one other poem is dedicated to Louis; "Photo in the Locket". This poem focuses on the emotions and the evolution of Kay's relationship, through an extended metaphor of nature. It explores the themes of love and its difficulties.

In the seventh year

Themes:Theme of nature: “Our sea”, “morning mist”, “dry","sand”, “pebbles”, “sun”, “night”, “stones”, “breeze”, “water" Theme of love and relationship: "my love an ache", explored throughout the whole poem with the comparison with the sea, which shows the immense quantity of love the poet has for her lover

In the seventh year

Structure:The poem is written in three stanzas divided into quatrains, written in free verse. This poem is written in lyrical form (profuse emotions of love in a short number of verse) Lack of punctuation, creates a flow in the poem, similar to the one of water, further emphasizing the metaphor of love and the sea.

In the seventh year

Close analysis

• Mentions the length of the relationship of the poet and the person it is dedicated to “Louise”, most probably referring to Caroline Duffy.
• The start of the poem with the possessive pronoun “our” shows that the poet and “Louise” are united, inferring that they are in a bi-racial relationship.
• flow is created with the use of sibilance, also serves to highlight the difficulties, relationship is not monotone
• use of the xord clasping suggest Kay is embracing the relationship.

"We are turquoise and clear some days still as breeze, others stormy like stones"

"Our sea is still mysterious as morning mist"

"clasping this timeless, this changing thing. "

"In the Seventh Year"

Links with other poems from "Darling":

Gap Year: Expresses feelings of love for someone, through the use of nature related imagery Keeping Orchids: Implicitly express the emotions of the speaker, little use of punctuation and use of sound techniques such as sibilance and alliteration to create a flow in the poem and show that relationships evolve. Both abstract. Sombody Else (Off Colour): Both short. First person narrative like all poems studied so far.

Severe gale 8, The TiTle:

- The term Severe Gale 8 is a term used by the British Meteorogical Office to describe wind storms - This reflects the tonalty of the poems: turbulent, intense and almost passionate - Kay evokes personal stories that have a turbulent and intense quality, just like a storm.

Severe gale 8, The Style:

-All the poems in this Collection are written in free verse. It helps incorporate multiple voices and characters in these poems: the grandmother, the Italian couple and her lover in the ones we've studied. -Stylistically, the free verse brings a personal touch to the poems and makes them vibrant and intimate as the free verse gives a confessional aspect.

Severe gale 8, General theme:

All the poems studied in this collection focus on the narrator's (possibly Jackie Kay herself) relationship with over people. The nature of these relationships goes from family relationships (in "My Grandmother's House" and "Summer Storm, Capolona" to love intrests (in "In the Seventh Year").

THANKS You for your attention!

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