basking shark Flashcards
“the room sized monster with a matchbox brain”
juxtaposition- the shark is compared to something huge, but its brain is compared to something small and insignificant.
“he shoggled me centuries back”
this highlights how impactful the experience was to him- the enjambment of “centuries back” again highlights how impactful this experience is.
“swish up the dirt”
this metaphor compares the thought of how humans evolved into what they are to dirt (associated with stains, something disgusting and filth.) “swish” is onomatopoeic of the water, alluding to the idea of displacement (of opinion) of the poet.
“emerging from the slime of everything”
word choice- “emerging” has notions of moving from ignorance to knowledge, showing that he has been enlightened by the experience. the word “everything” also alludes to the fact that we all came from the same unicellular cell, and are thus, connected.
“so who’s the monster?”
this rhetorical question emphasises his doubt in his own previous opinion, perhaps suggesting that humans are truly the monsters, even if we appear not to be. it makes the reader also question this moral/view/value.
