Basking Shark Flashcards
“To stub an oar”
Word choice (infinitive)
This adds drama to the opening, creating tension and suspense. It conveys the poet’s shock at the sudden contact.
“Slounge”
Onomatopoeia
Neologism of slouched and lounge. Connotations of being lazy and slow. Suggests that the creature perhaps isn’t threatening due to its low intelligence and clumsy nature.
“Once (too often)”
Parenthesis
The alarm caused in the poet is shown through the humorous parenthical aside implying that this is not an encountervhe wishes to repeat as it was a terrifying one.
“But not too often”
Paradox
Argues what is suggested in stanza 1 as it implies that the experience was actually a unique and important one, contrasting the initial impression.
“I count as gain”
Word choice
On reflection, MacCaig realises he has gained something valuable from the encounter and that he ultimately found it worthwhile and enriching
“Met”
Word choice
Conveys a sense of reciprocity and fraternity between animals and humans
“Sea tin-tacked with rain”
Aural and visual imagery
Use of onomatopoeia echpes the sound of rain hitting off the sea
Use of imagery implies that the rain is leaving marks on the water
“Roomsized monster with a matchbox brain”
Metaphor / Contrast
The long vowels in room emphasise sheer size. Clipped monosyllabic vowels in matchbox create contrast, to show how small the brain is. This makes the creature seem ridiculous.
“He displaced more than water”
“He shoggled me”
“Decadent townee”
“Shook on the worng branch of his family tree”
“Emerging”
Word choice
Connotations of coming from darkness to light and suggests the dawning of truth on the port. Due to his newfound clarity, he now knows hsi place on the evolutionary scale.
“Slime”
Word choice
Alludes to the primieval slime from which all organisms were made
“So who’s the monster?”
Rhetorical question
The port is forced to rethink humanities place in the world. It makes the reader question our role in society and whether we are the true monsters as we are destructive. Its coear to the poet that his initial dismissive resonse to the shark as the inferior being has been reversed.
“Sail sfter sail, the tail slid away and then the tail.”
Aural imagery
Long vowels all effectively combine to suggest the gradual exit of the vast animal
“Sail after sail”
Metaphor
Just as a sail glides smoothly on the water, so too, we see the elegance and grace of the shark as it swims away. Thsi contrssts to the bulky creature at the start of the peopm, emphasising MacCaig’s change of heart.
