Literature
Component:
POEMS
(Form 4)
The Living Photograph
&
The Charge of the Light Brigade
Prepared by: Puan Azalina Mohd Yusoff
SM Sains Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra
1
The Living Photograph
by Jackie Kay
The poet’s background
Jackie Kay was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1961 to a Scottish
mother and a Nigerian father. She was adopted by a white couple at
birth and was brought up in Glasgow, studying at the Royal Scottish
Academy of Music and Drama and Stirling University where she
majored in English.
The experience of being adopted by and growing up within a white
family inspired her first collection of poetry, The Adoption
Papers (1991). The poems deal with an adopted child's search for a
cultural identity.
The Living Photograph
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.
2
Line no.
1
Stanza One
Line
My small grandmother is tall there,
Interpretation
The persona is describing her
grandmother in the photograph (tall :
healthy & well)
Her physical appearance (straightback) & what she wears (very neat &
proper)
Note: broderie anglaise is French for
‘English embroidery’
Her smile shows that she is kind &
gentle
Her grandmother is loving & caring
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.
The white hand belongs to her
grandmother & the black hand is the
persona’s (togetherness)
Her grandmother’s vision is still
good but she is actually dying
Stanza Two
Line no.
1
Line
It was true after all; that look.
Interpretation
‘that look’ refers to the look of
someone dying
Her grandmother’s condition got
worse when she was sick and dying
2
My tall grandmother became small.
3
Her back round and hunched.
4
Her soup forgot to boil.
5
6
She went to the awful place grandmothers go.
Somewhere unknown, unthinkable.
She was too ill to take care of
herself
She died
The place her grandmother was sent
to(afterlife) - was a mystery to the
persona
Stanza Three
Line no.
1
Line
Interpretation
The persona is looking at the
photograph of her grandmother and
her when she was three years old
To her, the memory of her old
grandmother is still new and fresh
But there she is still,
2
in the photo with me at three,
3
the crinkled smile is still living, breathing.
TIME>>> STANZA 1 : Present (Looking at the photograph)
STANZA 2 : Past (Remembering what happened)
STANZA 3 : Present (Looking at the photograph again)
“Without love, life isn’t worth living.”
Jackie Kay
3
THEMES:
 Family love
 Appreciation
 Loving memories
MORAL VALUES:
 Love & care
 Appreciation
 Kindness
 Thoughtfulness
 Gratitude
MORAL LESSONS:
 We must try our best to have a good and strong relationship with our grandparents
 We should love and appreciate our elders especially in our family
 We should spend as much time as we can with our loved ones before they die
 We should take photographs with our loved ones and keep them
 We must not forget those who have died
 We must learn to move on and accept life and death as part of life cycle
PRACTICE 1
STANZA 1
1. Give three descriptions of the persona’s grandmother’s appearance.
(a) _______________________________________________________
(b) _______________________________________________________
(c) _______________________________________________________
2. Based on Stanza 1, describe the grandmother’s personality.
(a) _______________________________________________________
(b) _______________________________________________________
3. What does line 7 tell you about the grandmother?
__________________________________________________________
STANZA 2
1. Describe the grandmother when she was old and sick.
(a) _______________________________________________________
(b) _______________________________________________________
2. Why did she forget to boil her soup?
__________________________________________________________
3. What happened to the grandmother in the end?
__________________________________________________________
4
STANZA 3
1. How old was the persona when the photograph was taken?
__________________________________________________________
2. Describe the persona’s feelings when she looks at the photograph.
__________________________________________________________
3. Quote the phrase that describes the grandmother as being old.
__________________________________________________________
PRACTICE 2 (HOTS Questions)
1. In stanza 1, why does the grandmother look tall in the photograph?
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
2. Based on stanza 1, describe how the persona feels about her grandmother.
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
3. Why do you think the persona describes the afterlife as awful, unknown and
unthinkable?
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
4. Is it good to keep photographs of your loved ones? Give two reasons.
(a) __________________________________________________________[1 mark]
(b) __________________________________________________________[1 mark]
5. Do you consider the grandmother as courageous? Give your evidence from the poem.
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
6. In your own words, describe the relationship between the persona and her grandmother.
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
PRACTICE 3 (VOCABULARY)
No.
1
Word
pleated
Meaning
No.
4
2
hunched
5
unthinkable
3
awful
6
crinkled
5
Word
unknown
Meaning
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
(1809-1892)
The poet’s background
This poem was written to memorialize a suicidal charge by light cavalry
over open terrain by British forces in the Battle of Balaclava (Ukraine) in
the Crimean War (1854-56). 247 men of the 637 in the charge were
killed or wounded. Britain entered the war, which was fought by Russia
against Turkey, Britain and France, because Russia sought to control
the Dardanelles. Russian control of the Dardanelles threatened British
sea routes.
The poem was written in the same year.
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!' he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Some one had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
6
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volleyed& thundered;
Stormed at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.
Line
no.
1
STANZA 1
INTERPRETATION
Half a league, half a league,
2
Half a league onward,
3
All in the valley of Death
4
Rode the six hundred.
5
“Forward, the Light Brigade!
6
Charge for the guns!” he said.
7
Into the valley of Death
8
Rode the six hundred.
Line
no.
1
“Forward, the Light Brigade!”
2
Was there a man dismayed?
3
Not though the soldier knew
A league is an old way to measure
distance, and it was equal to about 3
miles. So half a league is roughly a mile
and a half– the brigade/battalion was
charging forward in the battlefield
The place where many soldiers would die
in the battle (very scary & uncertain)
The exact number of soldiers was 600,
riding horses
The captain commanded the soldiers to
move forward bravely
Note: they are called "Light" to separate
them from the "Heavy Brigade," another
kind of cavalry unit at the time.Tennyson's
poem is based on real events. In 1854,
there was a Charge of the Light Brigade
during the Crimean War.
The soldiers were ordered to attack
The soldiers moved to the battlefield,
prepared to fight and to die fighting.The
brigade was ordered into the valley, even
though they knew that they were going to
die.
Emphasis on the small number of soldiers
– few but brave soldiers riding on
horseback
STANZA 2
INTERPRETATION
Again, the captain commanded the
soldiers to move forward
Was there any soldier who would lose his
courage, be terrified or sad?
Of course the Light Brigade was too tough
and loyal to feel dismayed. These men did
7
4
Some one had blundered.
5
Theirs not to make reply,
6
Theirs not to reason why,
7
Theirs but to do and die.
8
Into the valley of Death
9
Rode the six hundred.
Line
no.
1
not feel discouraged at all. They were
ready to do their job, even though the
order might be crazy (to meet their death).
The soldiers knew that this charge was
not a good idea, that someone had made
a mistake.
The soldiers were loyal and obedient –
they did not talk back to their commander
Or to figure out the point of the attack
All they could do was to ride and fight and
possibly die
Repetition of stanza 1 – to emphasize
courage/bravery, loyalty, commitment,
duty
STANZA 3
INTERPRETATION
Cannon to right of them,
2
Cannon to left of them,
3
Cannon in front of them
4
Volleyed and thundered;
5
Stormed at with shot and shell,
6
Boldly they rode and well,
7
Into the jaws of Death,
8
Into the mouth of Hell
9
Rode the six hundred.
The soldiers were surrounded by enemy
cannon on their left, right and front. Bad
news for the Light Brigade – they were
actually surrounded by enemies.
So the huge walls of cannon all around
them were firing and making a sound like
thunder
The soldiers in the Light Brigade were
being shot at with bullets and big
explosives fired from the cannon - a
violent, noisy, destructive force that
sounded like a storm.
These soldiers were not scared of the
gunfire. They rode bravely, confidently
and with determination. It shows us how
heroic these men were.
They were ready/willing to die of honour
‘Hell’ – suffering and torture but the
soldiers were brave
600 brave/courageous soldiers – men of
honour
THEMES:
 Bravery / Courage
 Honour
 War and conflict
 Death and destruction
8
MORAL VALUES:
 Bravery / Courage
 Loyalty
 Determination
 Confidence
 Honour
 Sacrifice
MORAL LESSONS:
 We must struggle for peace, not war.
 We must be loyal to our superiors.
 Discipline is important in life.
 Always be brave in facing challenges in life.
PRACTICE 1
STANZA 1
1. What does the “Light Brigade” refer to?
_________________________________________________________________
2. Who said “Forward, the Light Brigade!”?
_________________________________________________________________
3. What was the order?
_________________________________________________________________
4. “Into the valley of Death”
What would happen to the men?
_________________________________________________________________
STANZA 2
1. Based on this stanza, describe the personality of the soldiers.
(a) ________________________________________
(b) ________________________________________
(c) ________________________________________
2. The word “Theirs” refers to ____________________________________________
3. What is the meaning of “blundered”?
__________________________________________________________________
STANZA 3
1. Describe the scene of the battlefield.
__________________________________________________________________
2. What “Volleyed and thundered”?
__________________________________________________________________
3. What do you think happened at the end of the poem?
__________________________________________________________________
9
PRACTICE 2 (HOTS Questions)
1. In your own words, describe how the soldiers felt when they went into the battlefield.
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
2. In your opinion, was it the right thing to do for the soldiers to follow the captain’s
command? Give a reason.
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
3. What do you think of the captain’s command?
_____________________________________________________________[2 marks]
4. Give two suggestions on how we should show our appreciations to those who defend
our country.
(a) __________________________________________________________[1 mark]
(b) __________________________________________________________[1 mark]
PRACTICE 3 (VOCABULARY)
No.
1
Word
league
Meaning
No.
5
Word
volleyed
2
valley
6
shell
3
dismayed
7
boldly
4
blundered
8
jaws
10
Meaning
History

A major conflict of the 19th century, the Crimean War claimed at least 750,000 lives, more than
even the American Civil War, and had a profound impact on such renowned personalities as
British nurse Florence Nightingale and Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It got its start in and around
Jerusalem, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where Orthodox Christian and Catholic monks had
been engaging in fierce, sometimes deadly brawls for years over who would control various holy
sites. Following one such violent squabble in 1852, Czar Nicholas I of Russia, a self-proclaimed
defender of Orthodox Christianity, demanded the right to exercise protection over the Ottoman
Empire’s millions of Christian subjects. Upon being rejected, he then sent his army, the largest in
the world, to occupy two Ottoman principalities in present-day Romania. The czar also
purportedly had his eyes on Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, which if taken would give his
navy unfettered access to the Mediterranean Sea. Unnerved by this expansionism, Britain and
France sent their own warships to the area and vowed to defend Ottoman sovereignty.

Fighting officially broke out in October 1853, and the following month the Russians decimated the
Ottoman fleet in a surprise attack. But although Nicholas referred to the declining Ottoman
Empire as the “sick man of Europe,” his land forces made little progress in their push south,
underscored by the failed siege of a fortress in present-day Bulgaria. Meanwhile, in March 1854,
Britain and France declared war and immediately bombarded the then-Russian city of Odessa.
With Austria likewise threatening to jump into the fray, Nicholas withdrew from Romania. Rather
than declare victory, however, Britain and France decided to punitively target the Russian naval
base in Sevastopol, located on the Crimean Peninsula. On September 13, 1854, a joint allied
force of over 60,000 troops sailed into Kalamita Bay, about 33 miles north of their objective. Due
to stormy weather, it took five days for them to fully disembark. Believing the conflict would be
over quickly, they brought neither winter clothing nor medical supplies. They moreover lacked
accurate maps, had little idea how many Russian troops opposed them and flouted the dietary
restrictions of the Muslim Ottoman soldiers within their ranks. To make matters worse, a cholera
outbreak erupted.

Nonetheless, the British and French defeated the Russians in their first run-in near the Alma
River, causing a panicked retreat with the help of their long-range Minié rifles. They then
commenced a roundabout march to Sevastopol, where they spent two-and-a-half weeks digging
trenches and lugging artillery into position prior to initiating a bombardment of the city on October
11
17. By that time, however, the Russians had significantly strengthened their defenses. After
holding out for eight days, they tried to break the siege with a dawn attack on Britain’s supply
base in the nearby fishing village of Balaclava. That morning, having forced Ottoman troops to
abandon four defensive redoubts, they were able to occupy the Causeway Heights just outside
town. But they failed to progress any further thanks to a regiment of Scottish highlanders and the
Heavy Brigade, each of which repelled a Russian advance.

With Balaclava now safe, Lord Fitzroy Somerset Raglan, the British commander-in-chief in
Crimea, turned his attention back to the Causeway Heights, where he believed the Russians
were attempting to make off with some of his artillery guns. He ordered the cavalry, consisting of
both the Heavy and Light brigades, to advance with infantry support “and take advantage of any
opportunity to recover” the lost ground. Lord Raglan expected the cavalrymen to move
immediately, with the infantry to come later. But George Bingham, the earl of Lucan, who
commanded the cavalry, thought he wanted them to attack together. As a result, Lucan’s men sat
around for 45 minutes waiting for the infantry to arrive. At that point, Raglan issued a new order,
telling the cavalry to “advance rapidly to the front … and try to prevent the enemy carrying away
the guns.” From his vantage point, however, Lucan could not see any guns being removed.
Confused, he asked Raglan’s aide-de-camp where to attack, but instead of pointing to the
Causeway Heights, the aide allegedly waved his arm in the direction of a Russian artillery battery
at the far end of an exposed valley.

Lucan next approached his brother-in-law James Brudenell, the earl of Cardigan, who
commanded the Light Brigade. The two men loathed each other so much they were barely on
speaking terms. And neither was apparently respected by the troops. One officer in the Light
Brigade went so far as to call them both “fools.” Cardigan, he wrote in a letter home, “has as
much brains as my boot. He is only equaled in want of intellect by his relation the earl of Lucan.”
Though perturbed by Raglan’s order, Lucan and Cardigan obeyed it without first checking back in
to make sure they understood it correctly. At their bidding, the roughly 670 members of the Light
Brigade drew their sabres and lances and began their infamous mile-and-a-quarter-long charge
with Russians shooting at them from three directions (though never from all three at once). The
first man to fall was Raglan’s aide-de-camp. Another soldier then had “his head clean carried off
by a round shot, yet for about 30 yards further the headless body kept in the saddle,” according to
a survivor. Other survivors spoke of being splattered with horse blood, of watching their
12
companions lose limbs, of seeing brains on the ground and of going through smoke so thick it
was like “riding into the mouth of a volcano.”

The Heavy Brigade, which, its name notwithstanding, resembled the Light Brigade except with
regard to uniform color, was supposed to follow in support but only went a short way down the
valley before Lucan directed it to turn back. Somehow, the Light Brigade reached its destination
anyway, crashing into the enemy lines with a vengeance. A few Russians even shot at their own
comrades in a desperate bid to clear an escape route. The Light Brigade’s members didn’t hold
the ground for long, though, before being forced to stagger back from whence they came. En
route, Russian artillery pounded away again from the Causeway Heights—but not from the other
two sides, as the Light Brigade had taken out one battery itself and the French had taken out
another—while Russian cavalrymen attempted to entrap them. In the end, of the roughly 670
Light Brigade soldiers, about 110 were killed and 160 were wounded, a 40 percent casualty rate.
They also lost approximately 375 horses.

Despite failing to overrun Balaclava, the Russians claimed victory in the battle, parading their
captured artillery guns through Sevastopol. Yet they would surrender the city and naval base
nearly a year later, after which they agreed to give up a small chunk of territory and to keep their
warships out of the Black Sea in exchange for peace. Meanwhile, the Light Brigade’s exploits had
already become legendary in Britain, thanks largely to Alfred Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of
the Light Brigade.” Named poet laureate a few years earlier by Queen Victoria, he praised the
bravery of the men as they rode into the “valley of death.” His poem “The Charge of the Heavy
Brigade at Balaclava,” on the other hand, never quite captured the public’s imagination.
Additional Information on the Poem :
Stanzas 4, 5 & 6…
Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
13
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!
Remember & honour...
14
ANSWERS
15
The Living Photograph
PRACTICE 1
STANZA 1
1. Give three descriptions of the persona’s grandmother’s appearance.
(a) tall
(b) straight-back
(c) has a kind old smile
(Also accept : neat / properly dressed)
2. Based on Stanza 1, describe the grandmother’s personality.
(a) kind
(b) warm
(Also accept : loving / caring / other suitable adjectives)
3. What does line 7 tell you about the grandmother?
Still strong / determined / courageous / brave
STANZA 2
1. Describe the grandmother when she was old and sick.
(a) small
(b) round and hunched
2. Why did she forget to boil her soup?
She was too ill / sick
3. What happened to the grandmother in the end?
She died
STANZA 3
1. How old was the persona when the photograph was taken?
Three
2. Describe the persona’s feelings when she looks at the photograph.
Sad / nostalgic / other suitable adjectives
3. Quote the phrase that describes the grandmother as being old.
(the) crinkled smile
16
PRACTICE 2 (HOTS Questions)
NOTE :The answers for HOTS questions can be varied & wide ranging but most importantly,
they should be logical/reasonable and relevant to the question. Teachers are advised to use
their own discretion. The answers given below are simply examples of acceptable ones.
1. In stanza 1, why does the grandmother look tall in the photograph?
Because she is still well/healthy even though she is already old [2 marks]
2. Based on stanza 1, describe how the persona feels about her grandmother.
She loves her grandmother very much and she is very close to her grandmother.
[2 marks]
3. Why do you think the persona describes the afterlife as awful, unknown and
unthinkable?
Because she is still a child and to her, death is something that is very scary and
mysterious.[2 marks]
4. Is it good to keep photographs of your loved ones? Give two reasons.
(a) Yes, because we can always remember how they look like [1 mark]
(b) Yes, because we can show the photographs to our children and grandchildren and
tell them about their ancestors [1 mark]
5. Do you consider the grandmother as courageous? Give your evidence from the poem.
Yes, she was very courageous based on the line ‘Her sharp blue eyes look her own
death in the eye’ [2 marks]
6. In your own words, describe the relationship between the persona and her grandmother.
They were very close and they loved each other very much. [2 marks]
PRACTICE 3 (VOCABULARY)
No.
1
Word
pleated
2
hunched
Meaning
Folded sewn or pressed
into the cloth
Crouched
3
awful
Terrible/bad
No.
4
17
Word
unknown
Meaning
Unfamiliar/mysterious
5
unthinkable
6
crinkled
Cannot be
considered/imagined
Wrinkled
The Charge Of The Light Brigade
PRACTICE 1
STANZA 1
1. What does the “Light Brigade” refer to?
Soldiers
2. Who said “Forward, the Light Brigade!”?
The commander/captain/leader of the brigade
3. What was the order?
To attack the enemies/to move forward/to go into battle
4. “Into the valley of Death”
What would happen to the men?
They would die/they would not survive the battle
STANZA 2
1. Based on this stanza, describe the personality of the soldiers.
(a) loyal/obedient
(b) brave/courageous
(c) confident/determined
2. The word “Theirs” refers to the soldiers
3. What is the meaning of “blundered”?
Made a mistake
STANZA 3
1. Describe the scene of the battlefield.
The soldiers were surrounded by the enemies / the soldiers were attacked with cannon
and gunshots
2. What “Volleyed and thundered”?
The cannon
3. What do you think happened at the end of the poem?
Most of the soldiers died in the battle / the soldiers lost the war / other possible answers
PRACTICE 2 (HOTS Questions)
NOTE :The answers for HOTS questions can be varied & wide ranging but most importantly,
they should be logical/reasonable and relevant to the question. Teachers are advised to use
their own discretion. The answers given below are simply examples of acceptable ones.
1. In your own words, describe how the soldiers felt when they went into the battlefield.
They felt very brave and determined to win the war even though they were a small a
group of soldiers [2 marks]
18
2. In your opinion, was it the right thing to do for the soldiers to follow the captain’s
command? Give a reason.
Yes, because it was their duty to follow their leader OR
No, because the captain’s command means that they would die in the battle [2 marks]
3. What do you think of the captain’s command?
It was the right thing to do because all the soldiers were experienced OR
It was a crazy thing to do because there were only 600 soldiers to fight against so many
enemies. [2 marks]
4. Give two suggestions on how we should show our appreciations to those who defend
our country.
(c) We should have a special ‘Hero Day’ to honour them [1 mark]
(d) We should give them a special award for their honorable deeds [1 mark]
PRACTICE 3 (VOCABULARY)
No.
1
Word
league
2
valley
3
dismayed
Meaning
Short distance / way to
measure distance (in the
old days)
Low, flat land between
hills/mountains / dale
Shocked/terrified/sad
4
blundered
Made a serious mistake
19
No.
5
Word
volleyed
Meaning
Hit/fired/shot
6
shell
Bullets from guns
7
boldly
Bravely/courageously
8
jaws
Lower part of your face