Basking shark Flashcards
“to stub an oar on a rock where none should be”
Repetition “to stub, to have” adds drama and engages the reader. “On a rock” metaphor comparison suggests both the force and stillness of the shark. “Slounge” word choice suggests sheer size of shark.
“But not too often - though enough. I count as gain that once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain, that room sized monster with a matchbox brain.”
Word choice “met” suggests he is no longer shocked. “Tin tacked” uses alliteration and metaphor to create effective image of shower.
Exaggeration: “room sized” contrast with “matchbox brain”. Shows the poets humour that although large, these sharks are not dangerous.
“He displaced more than water”
Word choice - could reflect the poets emotions now - he’s conflicted. MacCaig is now questioning the process of life/ evolution.
“He shoggled me centuries back”
The word “shoggled” tells us literally that MacCaig is shaking. Also metaphorically tells us the shark challenged the poet to rethink his life.
-“this decadent townee shook on a wrong branch of his family tree.”
Reference to family tree back to the past and the ancestors both humans and sharks have in common
“Swish up the dirt”
Onomatopoeia suggests the sound of moving water
“And, when it settles, a spring”
Metaphor on the process of MacCaigs feelings/ thoughts bumping into the shark, he was scared and confused then everything became clearer
“Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling”
Word choice “fling” self deprecating MacCaig pictures himself as something evolution just fling out. Also the word suggests that this idea came to him suddenly.
“Emerging from the slime of everything”
Emphasises the basis of our beginning where as the word “everything” shows how indistinct humans were from other species
“So who’s the monster?”
Rhetorical question this is the question the whole poem has been leading up to
“The thought made me grow pale”
The answer is shocking. Humanity is the real monster it is humans who murder/ destroy and start wars. MacCaig doesn’t say this explicitly, wanting us to think on it
“For twenty seconds while, sail after sail, the tall fin slid away and then the tail”
The poet, this human with intelligence needs time to think about the answer
