Brooklyn Cop Flashcards
What is the main theme of Brooklyn Cop?
Violence in society is an issue.
S1 - “built like a gorilla but less timid”
Simile.
Shows policeman’s physical potential.
Reminds us of NY giant ape, King Kong.
S1 - “thick fleshed, steak coloured”
Policeman is tough on inside.
Compared to piece of meat, something raw.
Uncompromising connotations of blood and violence.
S1 - “hieroglyphs in his face”
Metaphor.
His eyes are difficult to read, no emotion.
Instead of his eyes showing inner emotion they only mean one thing - trouble.
S1 - “thin tissue over violence”
Peace is fragile, delicate and can shatter at any moment.
Importance of cop in preventing thin tissue of civilisation from ripping open into disorder.
S1 - “See you babe”
Not a meaningless comment but a genuine wish.
Adds authenticity to policeman.
S1 - “he hoped it, he truly hoped it”
Repetition stresses the danger of his environment.
Shows danger and vulnerability that his role in society brings.
S2 - “tissue tear”
Alliteration - implies a sudden act.
Suggests sharp pain.
S2 - “plunge”
Word choice.
Shows how easily and deeply cop would be engulfed in violence which can be abrupt and uncontrollable.
S3 - “Who would be him”
Reflective.
MacCaig asks reader to put themselves in place of the cop and people he comes into contact with.
S3 - “gorilla with a nightstick”
Re-enforces vulnerability against violence.
Nightstick suggests a more basic and direct physical violence than a gun.
Can imagine cop hitting someone repeatedly.
S3 - “whose home is a place he might, this time, never get back to?”
Rhetorical question.
Re-enforcing idea that cop takes life-threatening risks everyday and may never return home.
Makes reader consider whether or not they would be able to do his job.
S3 - “victims”
Word choice.
Perhaps suggesting someone who gets on wrong side of policeman will be the victim.
It isn’t just the cop who is at risk of violence.
The cop himself can act violently.
