Assisi Flashcards
“The dwarf with his hands on backwards”
Word choice “dwarf” immediately makes the men seem less human. “Hands on backwards” hyperbole - striking image to show dwarfs deformity.
“Sat slumped like a half filled sack”
“Slumped” suggests disheartened and hopeless. Simile “like” suggests dwarf hunched over barely able to hold himself up - dehumanised
“On tiny twisted legs from which sawdust might run”
Irony- legs so weak he can’t escape from this place + metaphorically poverty
“Outside the three tiers of churches built”
Imagery- ornate, extravagant churches built in honour of a saint who didn’t care about wealth
“In honour of St Francis, brother of the poor, talker with birds, over whom h had the advantage of not being dead yet.”
Tone: bitterly ironic - the churches role is to help people to be closer to god - be charitable. The speaker is being sarcastic - stating that the dwarf is better off dead?
“A priest explained how clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories”
Tone: condescending- priest thinks himself superior to Giotto - priests should be humble modest
“That would reveal to the illiterate the goodness of god and the suffering of his son.”
Word choice “reveal” “illiterate” connotations of ignorance + stupidity revealing unpleasantness of the priest - superior attitude
“I understood the explanation and the cleverness”
MacCaig sees right through the priest- he dismisses him as the priest doesn’t practice what he preaches - the priest is more interested in attention + money
