Grandpa’s Soup (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note

Below is a guide to Jackie Kay’s poem ‘Grandpa’s Soup’ in preparation for the SQA National 5 English exam. It includes:

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

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of Kay’s techniques and methods

• Understanding the poem: an exploration of the themes and ideas within Kay’s poem

• Linking the poems: an understanding of how ‘Grandpa’s Soup’ connects to Kay’s other prescribed poems for the Scottish text section

Overview

In order to answer questions on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• An overview of the poem

• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Jackie Kay’s intention and message

'Grandpa’s Soup' overview

'Grandpa’s Soup', written by the poet Jackie Kay, is a first person monologue written from the viewpoint of a grandchild. Kay describes the comforting love of a grandfather using the metaphor of soup. The poem portrays how a close bond is forged by intimate memories of eating nourishing soup prepared by a grandfather.

'Grandpa’s Soup' translation 

Line 1

Translation

• The poem’s narrator states that their grandfather’s soup is the best soup

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s first person narrator makes a confident statement

  • Their pride for their grandfather is conveyed with the hyperbolic “No one” and the possessive pronoun “my”

• The grandchild’s affectionate reference to “Grandpa’s” soup starts a poem that resonates as a tribute

Lines 2-3

Translation

• The list of ingredients includes perfectly-sized cut “carrots” and “potatoes”

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s speaker repeats the word “perfect” to emphasise the quality of their grandfather’s soup

  • This conveys the grandchild’s awe for their grandfather

• The description of “diced” and “perfect” illustrates the care the grandfather has taken when preparing the soup

Line 4-5

Translation

• The narrator cannot remember the rest of the ingredients in the soup, but they are small (“wee”) and “soft”
  

Kay’s Intention

• Kay’s narrator has a child-like voice which creates a sentimental tone

  • The soup, like the time spent with their grandfather, is “soft”

• The lines add a sense of nostalgia: the rhetorical question implies their grandfather has told the child the names of the ingredients in the past

  • This connotes to long-lasting memories and a shared bond
    

Lines 6-8

Translation

• The soup contains a piece of meat (“hough”)

• The narrator compares the piece of meat to an island floating in a “loch” (the word for lake in the Scottish dialect)

Kay’s intention 

• Kay’s speaker rhymes “hough” with “loch”, implying humorous conversations between grandchild and grandfather as they eat the soup

  • Kay uses colloquialisms to give the poem a personal tone

• The simile “like a rich island” describes the soup as nourishing

  • It builds an image of the grandchild and grandfather as a strong unit

Lines 9-12

Translation

• The speaker recreates conversations with their grandfather in which the grandchild compliments the soup

• The grandfather, though, brushes it off in a good-humoured manner 

Kay’s intention

• The conversations illustrates the intimate bond between grandchild and grandfather 

• Kay shows the child’s sense of awe, contrasted with the grandfather’s humility

• The rhymes connote to childhood and innocence

Lines 13-14

Translation

• The narrator explains that the grandfather is humble

  • He tells the grandchild they are “daft” (silly) for praising the soup so highly

Kay’s intention

• Kay’s indirect characterisation describes the grandfather as humble and down-to-earth

  • Much like his soup, he provides comfort and warmth

• The repetition of “my Grandpa” reinforces the grandchild’s sense of belonging and pride

Lines 15-17

Translation

• The speaker says the grandfather is aware of how much the soup means to him

  • This is metaphorical: the soup represents the grandchild’s feelings about his grandfather

• The child refers to the future when his grandfather is no longer around

  • The speaker will miss the soup (and his grandfather) “desperately”

Kay’s intention

• The tone turns darker to convey the bittersweet emotions evoked by the soup

  • Without the intimate moments they share over soup, the child will suffer

• The emotive words “need” and “long” emphasise the importance of the relationship

• These lines foreshadow the isolation the grandchild will feel without their grandfather
  

Lines 18-19

Translation

• The grandchild will always associate soup with their grandfather

• When the grandfather is gone the narrator will not be able to eat soup without it being a painful reminder

Kay’s intention

• The strength of the relationship is highlighted by the narrator’s awareness that they will need to avoid the pain of remembering their grandfather 

• Kay’s child speaker uses simple language to convey the grief they know they will feel: all soup will become “sad” and “wrong”

  • The innocent, child-like language makes this all the more moving

Lines 20-21

Translation

• The narrator returns to the present, talking to their grandfather as they eat the soup

• Again, he enthusiastically compliments the soup

  • He likes it so much he has eaten four bowls in one day

Kay’s intention

• Kay returns to the narrator and grandfather spending time together

  • Present tense verb “say” highlights the immediacy of the moment

• The child’s exclamatory question highlights how much they enjoy spending time with their grandfather, which is represented by how much they love the soup

• The imagery of the child “tucking” into the soup evokes a tender scene that presents the relationship, like the soup, as emotionally nourishing

Line 22

Translation

• The last line of the poem recalls the name of the “wee soft bits” in the soup

Kay’s intention

• Kay ends her poem with a light-hearted exclamation that shows the child’s excitement at recalling a key memory

• The “Barley” presents the soup as simple and traditional, which, in turn, presents the grandfather this way 

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections — form, structure and language — it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

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

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

Jackie Kay’s poem ‘Grandpa’s Soup’ is a sentimental first person monologue. A grandchild pays tribute to their grandfather.  

Structure

The poem’s three stanzas weave between the child eating the soup their grandfather has prepared with darker thoughts about a future without their grandfather. The tone varies between conversational and reflective. 

Language

Jackie Kay uses the metaphor of soup to present a close bond between a grandchild and grandfather. The soup represents the nourishing and nurturing nature of the relationship. Simple imagery describes the comfort the grandfather brings. 

Understanding the poem

For the SQA National 5 English exam, it’s important to show a clear and thoughtful understanding of the poem’s themes and main ideas, as well as how the poet’s techniques and intentions help to convey meaning. This section focuses on two main themes that Kay examines in 'Grandpa’s Soup':

• Nostalgia   

• Relationships

Nostalgia 

• Kay’s poem illustrates the powerful memories created by the grandchild and grandfather as they share special times together over bowls of soup

• The soup, like the grandfather, is irreplaceable 

  • Every soup will become “sad and wrong” after he is gone

  • The child speaker will need to "avoid soup altogether" to avoid painful memories

• The grandchild's future loss and longing for a comforting element of their past is conveyed via short sentences that convey melancholy

  • A wistful tone is created in the emotive language: “grow up and “pine for it" and “long for it my whole life after he is gone"

  • This foreshadows the grief the grandchild will feel without their grandfather 

• The last line of the poem recalls the name of the “wee soft bits” in the soup

  • This implies the narrator will forever remember details of their time with their grandfather

Relationships

• The poem "Grandpa's Soup" presents the theme of family relationships through the intimate and affectionate bond between a grandchild and their grandfather

• Their relationship is deeply rooted in a shared, sensory experience: the grandfather’s soup represents the comfort and warmth of the relationship

• The grandchild’s sense of awe for their grandfather is presented by the perfectly sized potatoes and carrots 

  • The high praise the grandchild gives the “glorious” soup, that it is the “best” soup, is juxtaposed by the grandfather’s gentle humility

• Indirect dialogue brings a sense of tender sentimentality that highlights the loving relationship: "Grandpa, Grandpa your soup is the best soup in the whole world"

• The narrator’s love for their grandfather is illustrated by his proud assertions: "No one makes soup like my Grandpa’s"

• Their close relationship is presented via colloquialisms

  • Kay recreates private and light-hearted conversations between the pair in the rhyming of "hough”, “loch” and “Och”

• The soup’s “rich island" of meat and the child "tucking into” his “fourth bowl in a day" presents the grandfather as a source of physical and emotional nourishment

Linking the poems

Most students who study Jackie Kay’s poetry for the SQA National 5 exam use it to answer the Scottish text section. However, you can choose to write your critical essay on Kay’s poetry.

If you choose Jackie Kay for the Scottish text section, you’ll need to demonstrate a broader understanding of her poetry in the final question, as required by the SQA. This means referring to ideas, themes, or techniques from at least one of her other poems.

The six prescribed poems by Jackie Kay are:

• 'Gap Year'

• ‘Keeping Orchids’

• ‘Whilst Leila Sleeps’

• ‘Grandpa’s Soup’

• ‘Darling’

• ‘Maw Broon Visits a Therapist’

The final question will likely concentrate on an aspect of content, such as theme or characters in the poems, or on a technique, such as use of imagery or contrast. 

Below are some useful comparisons between the six prescribed poems.

Sources

Koval, Ramona, and Jackie Kay. “Jackie Kay - Poet.” Scottish Poetry Library, https://www.scottishpoetrylibrary.org.uk/poet/jackie-kay (opens in a new tab). Accessed 9 December 2025