‘Bed’ by Jackie Kay

The Title: ‘Bed’ Dictionary definition: a piece of furniture upon which or within which a person sleeps, rests, or stays when not well. What connotations does a bed have for you?

The Title: ‘Bed’ Restriction ‘Prison’ Comfort Safety Relaxation Haven What a bed is usually vs. What it is for the speaker Comfort Safety Relaxation Haven Restriction ‘Prison’

‘Bed’ What is it about? A dramatic 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.

Dramatic Monologue Watch the following clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFVLWX7eEY Watch the following clip. The poem and the video are about very different subjects, but they use a similar technique. What things do they have in common? (think about presentation rather than content) What effect does the clip have on the audience? How is this different than the poem? Dramatic Monologue: also known as a persona poem. Shares many characteristics with a theatrical monologue: an audience is implied; there is no dialogue; and the poet speaks through an assumed voice—a character, a fictional identity, or a persona.

In pairs, discuss these questions: First Thoughts: ‘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?

‘Bed’: The Important Stuff 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. Uses colloquial Scots which is direct, expressive and bleakly humorous. Honestly describes the physical effects of old age and the guilt and frustration she feels. She has become the child. Tone changes to reflection and contemplation in the final two stanzas. She thinks about the inevitability of death and what it will mean to her daughter.

She is that guid tae me so she is heavy problem/weight on her life written as if someone was speaking 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. alliteration shows her frustration repetition shows the length of time – feels like forever sense of martyrdom humiliation/indignity of being cared for role reversal – she is the child/cared for metaphor continues role reversal food of an invalid is unexciting and mundane

Aw the treats A’ used tae gie her, enjambment emphasises her bewilderment over the change role reversal continued 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.) small talk – loss of intimacy like feather they have been (violently) removed looks vulnerable/ugly/unnatural prepared for death extended into a simile list of ailments shows how ill she is contrast shows age as bad and youth as good

Aw A’ dae is sit and look oot this windae. she can look, but not communicate everything she has passive 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. youth = vibrant (bubbling) age = going off the boil time passing sameness/predictability time passing: window as a symbol for the speaker – aging and uncared for enjambment – focus on end of family line 2nd hand info feels like she is being mislead limited view/perspective – looking for things and people she recognises

My dochter says ‘Awright mother?’ question isn’t expecting a real answer because they know it weak/insubstantial like the speaker 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. also meaningless enjambment to replicate the sigh long vowel sounds to show the sigh sharpness of sounds suggest irritation protection night – age/on coming darkness (death) fear/vulnerability waiting for bed, also waiting to die

Time is whit A’ hauld between the soft bits o’ ma thumbs, shift in tone more philosophical/reflective life/death 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. reminder of death, no skin just bones loose grip personification – probably the daughter; speaker feels she is ‘selfish’ but also a small amount of light/joy – enjambment shows conflicting emotions bed/body is a prison, but her mind is still active how does she want her to feel? she does want her to feel guilty repetition of ‘no’ – suggests this is not what she actually feels, just how she ought to feel

‘Bed’ 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.

‘Bed’ Diary Entry Read the poem carefully. Translate the main ideas from the poem into a Standard English diary extract. Begin the diary in the morning and end at night. Use as many of the details from the poem as you can. Should be at least three paragraphs long. First person – from the perspective of the old woman.

Lost in Translation Is anything lost in the act of translation? Poetry to Prose Scots dialect to Standard English

Quote Hunt Find: a word that shows the speaker feels like she is an inconvenience to her daughter an expression that shows she is angry about her situation three words or phrases that show she feels she is being treated like a child three words or phrases that suggest she feels ugly the four food stuffs mentioned in the poem a word that tells us things have changed suddenly an expression or word that tells us the mother and daughter don’t communicate anymore something mentioned that is aging and uncared for, besides the speaker an expression that suggests the speaker isn’t certain her daughter tells her the truth two expressions that suggest the mother and daughter find it difficult to talk about anything important an expression that suggests the mother’s unhappiness an expression that tells us the mother feels cold a word or expression that suggests death a word that suggests the mother feels trapped by the room that she is in a word or expression that suggests the mother is frail four words that are repeated at the start of the last two lines.

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.