Assisi quote conclusion Flashcards
“The dwarf with his hands on backwards”
This is a metaphor. It highlights his deformities.
“sat, slumped like a half-filled sack”
This is a simile which dehumanises this person as if they couldn’t hold up their own weight.
“tiny twisted legs from which
sawdust might run,”
This is alliteration - visual image of deformed legs and possibly lack of stability to hold himself up.
“outside the three tiers of churches built”
The technique use is visual imagery and contrast. The beggar is situated outside the church. It gives you the idea that the beggar looks undermined by the artistic backdrop.
“In honour of st. Francis, brother
of the poor, talker with birds, over whom
he had the advantage
of not being dead yet.”
“In honour” suggests the church should do something to help him.
“He had the advantage of not being dead yet.” This quotation implies he’s lucky to be alive because he’s going through so much suffering.
“priest explained how clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness of God and suffering of His Son”
This is very ironic because the priest is not helping the beggar and the word “clever” is being used by the poet are patronising him.
“I understood
the explanation and
the cleverness.”
This is from the poets point of view and sees how the priest is drawing the tourists away from the beggar. The poet is being very ironic towards the priest because he follows the biblical teachings yet doesn’t follow through with the teachings to help the beggar.
“A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,
fluttered after him as he scattered
the grain of the World.”
The tourists are being dehumanised by the poet saying they’re like a flock of chickens for their blind obedience and following the priest who is ironically not helping the beggar.
“they who had passed
the ruined temple outside, whose eyes
wept pus, whose back was higher
than his head, whose lopsided mouth”
“Ruined temple” (metaphor) this is describing the beggar as if he’s like a ruined temple which is something that has been left to crumble/beyond repair which people worship in. Summarising this is that the beggar has not been cared/looked after.
“Eyes wept pus” This gives you an unpleasant thought and is contrasted with the frescoes.
“Whose back was higher than his head” “lopsided mouth” these quotes both give you the imagery of physical problems.
“Grazie in a voice as sweet
as a child’s when she speaks to her mother
or a bird’s when it spoke
to St Francis.”
This implies that when the beggar does speak, his voice is very sweet and elegant as it is being compared to a young child.
