Assisi Quotes and Analysis Flashcards
“sat, slumped”
Sibilance, creates the idea of sadness and emphasized the heavieness of the beggars body, further dehumanising him
“tiny, twisted legs”
word choice - twisted, suggests another deformity and that his body cannot be supported
alliteration - alliteration of ts uncomfortable to say, emphasizes the beggars suffering
“from which sawdust might run”
links the beggar to an inanimate object like a doll, dehumanises him
“built in honour of St Francis, brother of the poor”
Creates a hypocritical tone that this beautiful church was built in honour of the famous priest but not by him, and that the funds could have gone to help the needy instead
“over whom he had the advantage of not being dead yet”
pessimistic angry tone that the only advantage that this beggar had over the saint was the he was not dead, emphasizing how his life is so bad that not being dead it the only good thing in it.
“hands on backwards”
metaphor - begins the poem with the shocking image suggesting that the beggar has deformities or is holding his hands up to the sky asking for money or praying.
Stanza 2 tone
Hypocritical as the priest doesn’t seem aware of the hypocrisy of a man in need outside a church built to help the needy, not being let in or cared for. Shows the priest and the current church to be uncaring and catering to consumerism and ignorance
“A priest explained how clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories”
word choice - clever having several meanings such as Giotto being a great artist but also in how the priest in commercialising the church to cater for the rich tourists instead of who the church is built for which is the poor.
“the goodness of God and the suffering/ of His Son”
enjambment is used to emphasize the word suffering, making it seem that he is going to go and talk about the suffering still in the world and right outside the gates but instead continues to cater to the tourists and talk about the frescos
“A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly”
Compares the tourists to chickens with their mindless attitudes, alliteration of c creates the imagery of their cameras clicking, emphasizing the idea of how shallow they are and how the only care about surface leve things, like pretty photos and don’t think any deeper than that.
