Assisi Flashcards
The dwarf with his hands on backwards
Juxtaposition- hideously deformed beggar placed outside a beautiful church- contrast
Imagery-Horrific: hands important in Christianity. Jesus sits on God’s right hand. Prayer.Laying on of hands.Lords Prayers said backwards is a sign of satanism.
sat, slumped like a half- filled sack
Alliteration: Sibilant hissing sound suggest disgust
Suggests spineless(lack of courage)
Onomatopoeia suggests heaviness/ lack of control
Similie compares dwarf to inanimate object emphasises deformity/ non -human shape.
Tiny twisted legs from which sawdust might run
Alliteration suggests disapproving, tutting sounds
Suggests unpleasant character
Suggests lack of intelligence
Irony- he could never run either from his plights or from disdain of others
Outside the three tiers of churches
Dwarf is an outsider - outside society and more importantly institution of the church
Ornate like a wedding cake
In honour of St Francis, brother
of the poor, talker with birds,
Irony of church built to honour someone who valued poverty and all life. Focus on ornate building and ignoring dwarf.
Contrast with ornate expensive building
St Francis cards for all creatures
He had the advantage of not being dead yet
Tone: Bitterly ironic
The only thing he had going for him was that he wasn’t dead yet.
Will spend money of building but on “brothers” like the dwarf
A priest explained
how clever it was of Giotto
Word choice: “explained” tells us that the priest is acting like a tour guide when he should be helping the dwarf
He was being patronising as if priest thinks he is superior to Giotto
Reveal to the illiterate the goodness
of god and the suffering
The real message of the church- the bibles story would tell them what the church was there for.
Suggest illiterate was ignorant or stupid
I understood the explanation and the cleverness
Emphasis at the end of the line- double meaning. understanding Giottos “cleverness” in illustrating what the church SHOULD be about but also understands the priest’s intentions in making a comfortable life for himself without having to bother with any unpleasantness.
A rush of tourists, clucking contendly.
fluttered after him as he scattered the grain of the Word
In a rush to see thing then move on
Contrast of tourists who can afford holidays with poverty of the beggar.
Happy and uncritical.
Extended metaphor of tourist being like chickens- idea of being empty headless thoughtlessly following the priest for information
Word choice suggests hurried eager indiscriminating
“Grain” should nurture - juxtaposition of ideas: food and beggars hungry
ruined temple outside
Irony- tourist more concerned with the temple building than “ruined” temple outside.
Repetition of the idea of being an outsider.
whose eyes
wept pus, whose back was higher
than his head
Eyes regarded to window to the souls
Image of religious statues which weep and are revered but dwarf weeps pus
Explaining that the beggar has a hunchback but also suggestion of obeisance to god. Irony
Lopsided moth
said Gracie in a voice as sweet
as a child’s
Further deformity- mouth end of line running in to image next 2 lines
Irony of saying thanks when he has so little to be thankful for
Suggest put it and innocence
She speaks to her mother
Or a birds when it spoke
Church is masculine- speaker suggesting perhaps the greater feminisation of Church might make it more kinder and more gentle
Further suggestion of trust
to St Francis
Ends where it began reminding us of st Francis’ vows of poverty and his belief that’s life is sacred and that he would have recognised and helped the beggar outside
