Hotel Room, 12th Floor

Question 1

“This morning I watched from here”

Answer 1

One theme is darkness vs. light. ‘Morning’ represents light. Sets the poem in time.

First person - MacCaig is telling us about a real experience.

Question 2

“a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect”

Answer 2

Simile - The helicopter represents advanced human technology/represents civilisation.

‘skirting’ suggests the helicopter is doing something secretive (connects to idea of hiding behind civilisation)

‘damaged insect’ suggests its ugly/unwanted.

Question 3

“the Empire State Buikding, that jumbo size dentist’s drill,”

Answer 3

Metaphor - The Empire State Building gives us the setting of the poem. It also represents human achievement/civilisation. The comparison to a dentist’s drill suggests pain, fear, discomfort which tells us he doesn’t like what it represents (power, wealth) and thinks it’s an ugly eyesore.

Question 4

“and landing on the roof of the PanAm skyscraper”

Answer 4

Also she’s the poem as the PanAm building is a famous NY landmark.

Question 5

“But now midnight has come in”

Answer 5

Midnight is personified throughout the poem and represents evil, nasty human behaviour, the unknown/unseen.

Question 6

“from foreign places.”

Answer 6

Word choice of ‘foreign’ suggests unknown, unfamiliar, frightening.

Question 7

“It’s uncivilised darkness”

Answer 7

Darkness is frightening/brings out bad people/criminals. Behaviour unaccepted in society.

Question 8

“is shot at”

Answer 8

Guns, violence, death, injury - this is what NY is known for.

Question 9

“by a million lit windows, all ups and crosses”

Answer 9

Creates the shape of a cross, representing Christianity, goodness, safety.
‘Lit’ suggests light which has the same connotations.

Question 10

“But midnight is not”

Answer 10

Personification: the personification of midnight is continued in the 2nd stanza. This suggests that we cannot stop evil because it exists within us as a part of human nature.

Question 11

“so easily defeated.”

Answer 11

‘defeated’ suggests we are at war with the evil and criminality within society. It’s a constant battle that we can’t win.

Question 12

“I lie in bed, between a radio and a television set,”

Answer 12

MacCaig attempts to distract himself with noise to drown out the evil he can hear on the streets. He feels afraid and powerless.

Question 13

“and hear the wildest of warhoops”

Answer 13

Alliteration/onomatopoeia: he hears the noise from outside and feels like it is a warcy. The noise is violent and frightening. Refers to the Native Americans and their battle cries before fighting.

Question 14

“continually ululating”

Answer 14

This is a sound that goes loud and quiet in a wave-like motion and again, refers to the battlecries of the native people. They are wild, uncivilised.

Question 15

“through the glittering canyons and gulches-“

Answer 15

Alliteration, metaphor: Continues the idea of the Wild West by comparing the tall buildings of NY to the landscape of the desert.
‘Glittering’ refers to the windows

Question 16

“police cars and ambulances racing”

Answer 16

Emergency services. Plural suggests there are lots of incidents they need to attend. ‘Racing’ suggests urgency.

Question 17

“to the broken bones,”

Answer 17

Syndecoche: use of part to describe a whole (bones deceive while person). Suggests detachment of emergency service workers because they see this so often.

Question 18

“the harsh screaming from cold water flats,”

Answer 18

Poverty - no hot water.

Question 19

“the blood glazed on sidewalks.”

Answer 19

Metaphor: ‘glazed’ suggests a huge volume of blood - the whole pavement is covered, like a donut covered in icing.

Question 20

“The frontier is never somewhere else.”

Answer 20

Metaphor: continues the idea of the Wild West. The frontier was where the civilisation of the town met the wilderness of the Native American land. This represents the line between good and evil.

The darkness is within us - it is always present. We are choosing between good and evil and the scary criminal behaviour and violence are always part of our society, no matter how many buildings we build or laws, rules, and religions we attempt to impose.

Question 21

“And no stockades can keep the midnight out.”

Answer 21

Metaphor: the barriers we build are ineffective because we are the problem - the evil within us. The rules and laws and social norms don’t keep out the evil and criminal behaviour because it is human nature.