A Child to his Sick Grandfather (Edexcel GCSE English Literature) : Revision Note

A Child to his Sick Grandfather

The Edexcel GCSE English Literature Relationships Anthology contains 15 poems, and in your exam question you will be given one poem and asked to compare this printed poem to a second poem. The exam is closed-book, which means you will not have access to the second poem.

Revising and memorising the key elements of a poem will help you to produce a top-grade response in the exam: 

• The meaning of the poem

• The ideas and messages of the poet 

• How the poet conveys these ideas through their methods

• How these ideas compare and contrast with the ideas of other poets in the anthology

Below is a guide to Joanna Baillie’s poem 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather', from the Edexcel GCSE English Literature Relationships Anthology. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of the poet’s techniques and methods

• Context: an exploration of the context of the poem, relevant to its themes

• What to compare it to: ideas about which poems to compare it to in the exam

Overview

To confidently answer an essay question on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• The poem in a nutshell

• A “translation” of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Joanna Baillie’s intention and message

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' in a nutshell

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather', written by the poet Joanna Baillie, explores family relationships by presenting a child’s emotions towards their grandfather. The poem also examines changes and loss within loving relationships. 

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' breakdown 

Lines 1–6

“Grand-dad, they say you’re old and frail,

Your stocked legs begin to fail:

Your knobbed stick (that was my horse)

Can scarce support your bended corse,

While back to wall, you lean so sad,

I’m vexed to see you, dad.”

Translation

• The first stanza begins with a form of direct address to the speaker’s grandfather 

• The speaker relates to the grandfather that people say he is old and weak (“frail”)

• The grandfather’s legs are “stocked” (implying swollen) and he needs a walking stick:

  • The child’s voice is noticeable here as they refer to pretending the stick is a horse

• The speaker says the old man leans against the wall sadly and has a bent body (“corse” may allude to the word “corpse”)

• This upset (“vexed”) the speaker 

Baillie’s intention

• Baillie’s poem is a personal and intimate address from a child to their grandfather

• The poet emphasises the grandfather’s age and fragility to present ideas about changes in life that affect relationships

Lines 7–12

“You used to smile and stroke my head,

And tell me how good children did;

But now, I wot not how it be,

You take me seldom on your knee,

Yet ne’ertheless I am right glad,

To sit beside you, dad.”

Translation

• The child recalls when the grandfather was able to comfort them

• They imply the grandfather used to teach them things on his “knee” and that they miss those moments now he is old

• The speaker adds, though, that they are happy enough to just sit with them

• The colloquial term of address, “dad”, still refers to the grandfather

Baillie’s intention

• Baillie adds a nostalgic tone to the poem as the child remembers the guidance their grandfather was able to provide

• This reverses the roles and presents ideas about changes in family relationships 

• The speaker’s colloquial language creates an informal, more intimate mood, and emphasises the speaker’s innocence 

Lines 13–18

“How lank and thin your beard hangs down!

Scant are the white hairs on your crown;

How wan and hollow are your cheeks!

Your brow is rough with crossing breaks;

But yet, for all his strength be fled,

I love my own old dad.”

Translation

• These lines describe the grandfather’s thin (“lank”) beard and hair

• The speaker continues, describing how pale (“wan”) his cheeks are and how wrinkled (“rough” and “crossing”) his forehead is

• Yet, the speaker says, even though their grandfather’s strength has left him (“fled”), they still love him

Baillie’s intention

• These exclamatory lines show the speaker’s dismay at their grandfather’s changed condition

• This conveys ideas about the inevitability of change and the impact of time:

  • Baillie contrasts the grandfather’s former “strength” to highlight his changed state

• The last line, a refrain, confirms the speaker’s never-ending devotion

Lines 19–24

“The housewives round their potions brew,

And gossips come to ask for you;

And for your weal each neighbour cares,

And good men kneel, and say their prayers;

And everybody looks so sad,

When you are ailing, dad.”

Translation

• The speaker tells the grandfather how much the people in the community care for him

• They say that the women speak of him as they “brew” their “potions”

• The “gossips” ask for news, and his neighbours really care about his well-being

• The speaker relates the general concern in the town as men pray for him and everyone is sad that he is sick (“ailing”)

Baillie’s intention

• Baillie alludes to the town’s respect for the old man as he seems to be loved by all:

  • This may be seen as a tribute to age and wisdom 

• The child’s kind, comforting words convey the affection between child and grandfather 

Lines 25–30

“You will not die and leave us then?

Rouse up and be our dad again.

When you are quiet and laid in bed,

We’ll doff our shoes and softly tread;

And when you wake we’ll aye be near

To fill old dad his cheer.”

Translation

• These lines address the grandfather directly as the child asks him not to die

• The speaker instructs the old man to stand (“Rouse up”) and take back his position in the family

• This changes to a softer tone as the speaker says everyone will take off their shoes and be sure to “tread” quietly when he rests 

• Once the grandfather wakes up they will all be there to cheer him up

Baillie’s intention

• The child’s desperation is portrayed here as their voice takes on urgency

• However, this is immediately juxtaposed with the gentle reassurance that they will allow the grandfather to rest and be sure to be there when he awakes

• The speaker’s commitment to the grandfather’s care presents devoted family love

Lines 31–36

“When through the house you shift your stand,

I’ll lead you kindly by the hand;

When dinner’s set I’ll with you bide,

And aye be serving at your side;

And when the weary fire turns blue,

I’ll sit and talk with you.”

Translation

• The speaker’s reassuring care extends to guiding the grandfather carefully around the house when they tire or stumble (“shift your stand”)

• They will also sit with them while they eat dinner and serve them at their side 

• They will talk with the grandfather until the fire goes out

Baillie’s intention

• The child is determined to reassure their grandfather of their constant attention

• Baillie portrays a tender and loving family relationship where the elderly are loved and cared for 

Lines 37–42

“I have a tale both long and good,

About a partlet and her brood,

And cunning greedy fox that stole

By dead of midnight through a hole,

Which slyly to the hen-roost led –

You love a story, dad?”

Translation

• The speaker says they can tell the grandfather a story that is long and interesting

• They have a story about a hen and her chicks (“partlet and her brood”) and a sly fox who creeps through a hole in the middle of the night to get to the hens

• The last line asks the grandfather if this will entertain him

Baillie’s intention

• Baillie’s innocent child speaker portrays an intimate relationship, which powerfully conveys the profound love the child has for their grandfather: 

  • The child seems determined to please him (and perhaps keep him awake) with an exciting story 

Line 43–48

“And then I have a wondrous tale

Of men all clad in coats of mail,

With glittering swords – you nod, I think?

Your fixed eyes begin to wink;

Down on your bosom sinks your head –

You do not hear me, dad.”

Translation

• The speaker adds that they have a wonderful story about knights in armour (“coats of mail”) with bright swords

• At this, the speaker thinks the grandfather responds with a nod but they are not sure

• The grandfather’s “fixed” stare appears to change to a “wink” 

• But then the old man’s head drops to his chest (“bosom”) and the speaker checks if he is still awake 

Baillie’s intention

• Baillie’s poem ends rather abruptly to portray the child’s experience as the grandfather suddenly falls asleep in the middle of the conversation

• The poem’s ambiguous ending is chilling:

  • It is unclear if the old man has fallen asleep or if this is the moment of his death

• The sad moment is juxtaposed with the child’s innocent exuberance to highlight the differences between the young child and the old man

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections – form, structure and language – it is important to take an Integrated approach, focusing on the main themes and ideas of the poem and then evaluating how Baillie’s choices of language, structure and form contribute to these ideas. In essence, you need to consider how and why the poet has made the choices they have, in relation to their intentions and message. 

Focusing on the poet’s main ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. In the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme, and includes Baillie’s intentions behind her choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

The form of 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' conveys ideas about strong family love in a sentimental depiction of a child’s loving address to an elderly grandfather.

Structure

The poem’s regular structure reflects the child’s attention to their grandfather and presents a loving and dependable relationship. However, at times the child’s interrogative tone conveys a sense of urgency and concern.  

 Language

Baillie’s poem uses contrasting imagery to convey the child’s mixed emotions as they care for their grandfather. Baillie uses casual language to present the child’s innocent optimism and downplay their emotional appeal. 

Context

Examiners repeatedly state that context should not be considered as additional factual information. In the case of this poem, you should not include biographical information about the poet, Joanna Baillie, or facts unrelated to the ideas in 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather’.

The best way to explore context in this poem is to consider the ideas and perspectives the poet explores: 

• Complex love

• Family relationships

Complex love 

• Baillie can be considered a romantic poet: typically, she highlights the innocence of youth and praises it for its hopeful optimism

• Baillie’s poem ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ presents a troubled child speaking to his sick grandfather, expressing an anxious need for him to stay alive:

  • The child innocently instructs the old man to “Rouse up” (stand up)

  • Baillie highlights the child’s dismay that their grandfather can no longer lift them onto his knee and “stroke” their head

  • She foregrounds the boy’s memories to convey his feelings about their bond

• Baillie was raised with strict religious values that encouraged modest displays of emotion 

  • The poet’s father was a presbyterian minister and a Professor of Divinity at the University of Glasgow 

  • At a Glasgow boarding school that aimed to turn badly-behaved girls into polite ladies, Baillie began to write about her emotional experiences 

  • In 1791, while living in England, Baillie wrote Plays on the Passions, which expressed ideas related to deep unexplored emotion

  • The poem ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ explores a child’s pain at his grandfather’s imminent death  

• Her 1821 work Metrical Legends of Exalted Characters focused on legendary tales of heroism, perhaps alluding to traditional presentations of intense love:

  • In ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’, Baillie refers to knights in “coats of mail” and “glittering swords”, alluding to classical Romantic traditions

  • In this way, Baillie elevates the poem’s portrayal of deep emotion

Family relationships 

• Joanna Baillie, born in 1762 in Scotland, is a well-known dramatist and poet who is praised for raising the profile of Scottish literature:

  • The poem ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ uses colloquial language such as “for your weal each neighbour cares” (they care for his well-being) 

  • Typical of Romantic poetry, Baillie uses simple language to express intense love

  • The child says “But now, I wot not how it be,” and addresses him with the eighteenth century word “dad’ (meaning Granddad)

• Joanna Baillie was confronted with death at an early age as her sister died when she was a baby and her mother died when she was 16:

  • In 1790 she published ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’, a poem that can be considered an elegy, a poem about grief and death:

  • The poem ends with the child asking the grandfather, whose head has dropped to his chest, if he can still hear him, implying he may have died

• In Britain in the eighteenth century, a child was expected to show a great deal of respect to their elders and be dutiful to their family:

  • The child in ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ shows commitment and respect:

    • They offer to help the grandfather walk and eat, be quiet while they rest and talk to them when they awake

  • They ask the grandfather to regain his position in the family, “be our dad again”

What to compare it to

The essay you are required to write in your exam is a comparison of the ideas and themes explored in two of your anthology poems. It is therefore essential that you revise the poems together, in pairs, to understand how each poet presents ideas about love or relationships in comparison to other poets in the anthology. Given that 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' explores ideas related to family relationships and complex love, the following comparisons are the most appropriate:

• 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' and 'One Flesh’

• ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ and 'Nettles'

• 'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' and 'My Father Would Not Show Us’

For each pair of poems, you will find:

• The comparison in a nutshell

• Similarities between the ideas presented in each poem

• Differences between the ideas presented in each poem

• Evidence and analysis of these similarities and differences

‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather' and ‘One Flesh’ 

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems explore family relationships through troubled speakers who reflect on the complexities of love. However, while Baillie describes the strong connection between a child and a dying grandfather, Jennings portrays a child's frustration at their parent’s distant relationship.   

Similarities:

Differences:

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' and ‘Nettles’ 

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both Joanna Baillie’s ‘A Child to his Sick Grandfather’ and Vernon Scannell’s ‘Nettles’ explore close family relationships through poignant dramatic monologues. However, while Baillie presents the voice of an optimistic child, lovingly addressing their grandfather, Scannell’s poem portrays the melancholy feelings of a frustrated parent. 

Similarities:

Differences:

'A Child to his Sick Grandfather' and 'My Father Would Not Show Us'

Comparison in a nutshell:

Both poems are dramatic monologues that explore the pain that comes with loss in a family. However, Baillie’s direct address is personal and intimate whereas Ingrid de Kok’s poem has a more wistful, melancholic quality.   

Similarities:

  Differences: