Assisi-norman Maccaig Flashcards
Who is this talking about?
“Brother of the poor, talker with birds, he had the advantage of not being dead yet”
St Francis
What are the main themes?
Suffering
Poverty
The hipocrisy of the church
Who is the poet?
Norman MacCaig
What technique is used here?
“Tourists, clicking contentedly”
A metaphor - idea of the tourists being empty headed, thoughtlessly following the priest.
In stanza 2, what is the overall tone?
Irony-priest is more focused on the church and Windows than the beliefs of st Francis which the church was built in honour of.
Why is this ironic?
” said ‘Grazie’ in a voice as sweet as a child’s”
Saying thank you when the dwarf has little to be thankful for.
What techniques are used when the dwarf is being described?
Imagery Juxtaposition Similar Tone Alliteration Onomatopoeia
Why does MacCaig use word choice here?
” a rush of tourists”
To suggest they are eager, hurried and undiscriminating.
“They who had passed the ruined temple outside”
Why is this ironic?
It is ironic because the tourists and priest are more concerned with the building than the ruined temple outside (the beggar) when church teaches that the body is the temple and is scared and should be valued/respected.
“The grain of the word”
How does his juxtapose with the beggar?
Grain should nurture. Grain is food/nutrious. Juxtaposition of the beggars hunger and food.
What is the initial impression of the dwarf?
That he is paid little, if any, attention. He is an outsider of society, deformed, living in poverty. He is suffering a lot.
What is caesura?
A break or pause in a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation.
What technique is used when describing the dwarf?
“Sat,slumped like a half filled sack…tiny twisted”
Alliteration
To create the idea of tutting noises, disapproval.
To create hissing noises, suggests disgust.
What is happening in the poem?
A horribly deformed dwarf/beggar is outside a church which was built in honour of st Francis who dedicated his life to helping those in poverty. A priest and a group of tourists hurry pass the dwarf.
more concerned with the art of the building than st Francis’s beliefs on welcoming all into the church and aiding them.
What does this have in common to Visiting hour?
General themes of Suffering Pain Loneliness/isolation Outside of society Helplessness