Basking Shark Flashcards
“To stub … To have”
Repetition
Adds drama and engages the reader
“on a rock”
Metaphor
Comparison suggests both the force and stillness of the shark.
“Slounge”
Word choice
Onomatopoeic “slounge” suggests the sheer size of the shark
“But not too often - though enough. I count as gain.”
Word choice of “gain”
MacCaig sees his encounter with the shark as a positive
“That once I met, on a see tin tacked with rain,”
Word choice of “met”
Suggests he is no longer shocked
“tintacked” uses alliteration and metaphor to create an effective image of the shower
“Roomsized monster with a matchbox brain”
Exaggeration of “roomsized” contrasts with “matchbox brain”.
Shows the poets humour that although large, these sharks are not dangerous.
“He displaced more than water. He shoggled me … decadent townee”
Word choice
The sharks movement causes the water to move violently shifting the boat. The poet is also saying that the shark has caused him to question his place in evolution. “Shoggled” and “townee” are informal words creating a humorous self mocking tone.
“Slime of everything”
Word choice of slime
Takes the poet back to the origins of all life. “Slime” emphasises how basic everything was in the beginning.
“So who’s the monster?”
Rhetorical question
The poet is left unsettled by the shark
Questioning about evolution and who the real monster is
He is saying that the real monster is human civilisation
“The tall fin slid away and then the tail”
Final line uses punctuation to highlight the beauty of the shark.
MacCaig’s opinion on the shark has changed throughout the poem
Themes
Man’s connection to nature Isolation Evolution Nature Fear
