Basking Shark Flashcards
what are the main themes of basking shark
nature : our relationship with nature
isolation : isolated from nature
evolution : humans have evolved from nature
human condition : driven by greed and conflict
communication : humanity is cut off from nature
to stub an oar on a rock where none should be
conveys his surprise and his disorating feeling
metaphor - shark is described as a rock as a rock is an inanimate object it suggests the shark doesn’t have any thoughts or emotion which highlights our predjudice
slounge
mix between slouch and lounge
describes how the shark rises to the surface he’s relaxed and comfortable
he is in control of the environment it’s macCaig who is the intruder
Room sized monster
shows the length of the shark
the long word reinforces the size of the creature
huge room he could fit in
matchbox brain
underdeveloped and not intelligent
contrast between a huge shark and a tiny brain
shows our predjudice that sharks are not clever
he displaced more than water
suggests he has caused the ocean to swell violently as he is so large
forces MacCaig to rethink humanity and evolution
shoggled me
shook / shake
forced him to look back on evolution and to ask deeper questions on humanity
i saw me
he sees himself as a representative of all of humanity and what it stands for
emerging from the slime of everything
both humanity and shark have come from the same place
realising we are related to the shark nd everything
emerging suggest coming out of his ignorance
we are all interconnected
so who’s the monster
realises it’s humanity is the real monster
based on how humans treat the environment
highlights our prejudice of shark
implication humans have used their intelligence for negitive and are the real monsters
the thought made me grow pale
he’s facing the truth of humanity he feels embarrassed and ashamed
