Hotel Room, 12th Floor Annotations Flashcards
title
Hotel Room, 12th Floor
hotel room - away from home
12th floor - high up
this morning
sentence structure
sense of time - established immediately
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
imagery
Simile – size of ESB is suggested by comparing the helicopter with an insect, even from the 12th floor.
Looks/sounds like a bluebottle spraying with insect spray, going round in circles – unpleasant connotations
A helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
The empire state building, that
Jumbo size dentist’s drill
Imagery
– these disparaging comparisons reveal the poet’s contempt for what he sees as the American desire to have the biggest of everything
- He is critical of ostentatious symbols of wealth that don’t reflect the realities of what the city is like
- Both images depict/ are connected to suffering. The poem goes on to identify the causes of this suffering and its effects in stanza two.
empire state building
real building - credibility
jumbo size dentist’s drill
word choice
Negative connotations – pain, suffering and unpleasant experiences
Reflects that this is an unpleasant experience for the poet
but now midnight
sentence structure
Signposts turning point
Changes to night and introduces the battle between light and dark –
symbolic of the key THEME good vs evil
foreign places
Word choice
– multiracial society – the unknown?
uncivillised darkenss
word choice
suggests evil
tone*
‘darkness’ and ‘foreign places’ – reflect the poet’s anxiety he feels society is beyond redemption
theme
The ‘light’ is trying to fight off the ’uncivilised darkness’ – religion is making a vain attempt to counteract the evil. Trying to drown out sound with the light
is shot at
imagery
wild west imagery, violence, crime, battle, war.
milion lit windows
‘lit’ and ‘darkness’ – contrast
a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses
Metaphor
window frames in the form of the cross – reference to Christ suffering, dying to save civilisation
but midnight (second stanza)
‘But’ links stanza 1 and 2, suggesting that violence in this society is a product of materialism
Repeats idea of the theme evil
so easily defeated
word choice
society is beyond redemption
between a radio and a television set
The poet is in bed on the 12th floor, with the TV and Radio on, trying to block out the noise from outside – suggests how loud it is
Technology/wealth (TV etc.) juxtaposed with an impoverished ‘wild west’ society.
wildest of warwhoops
wild west’ imagery – the fearsome shrieks of native Americans in ‘cowboy and Indian’ films
shows theme the uncivilised nature of street violence
the glittering canyons and gluches
Metaphor
the city streets – with high buildings on both sides – resemble the wild west landscape and the areas used in films for ambushes, suggesting that the streets in the city are just as dangerous. Again symbols of wealth on the landscape amongst the poverty.
police cars and ambulances
Police and ambulance sirens are described as ‘the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating’
theme
This shows the isolation and suffering of the poor in the midst of the wealth and show of the city (represented by the ESB)
broken bones
theme
Violence on the streets means that the victims require the emergency services
harsh screaming
imagery
These examples of SYNECDOCHE, where a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing. In this case, part of the person is used to represent the whole person i.e. ‘broken bones’ for a person who has broken bones, ‘harsh screams’ for the person who is screaming, ‘blood glazed’ for people who have been injured.
theme
victims who have lain unattended – shows suffering
EFFECT OF SYNECDOCHE – focuses on and therefore highlights the people’s pain and suffering and depersonalises their suffering
This continues the idea of suffering introduced by the imagery of stanza 1
Nobody cares – police and paramedics who come to remove victims / break up violence see only ’broken bones’, ‘blood glazed’ and hear only ‘harsh screaming’, they do not acknowledge the individuals who are suffering, showing that they take no interest in the victims of violence
coldwater flats
theme
Highlight’s poverty – flats without hot water
- People fight and kill each other on the streets – the poor are suffering, despite being surrounded by wealth
stanza 2
Evil is within us – we are no more civilised that ‘cowboys and Indians’ in films
There is a sense of hopelessness and despair
the frontier
imagery
Continues extended metaphor of wild west imagery
sentence structure
Strong conclusion – 3 short lines, 2 strong statements, decisive negative words, ‘never’, ‘no’
theme
Represents the uncivilised nature of violence on the streets
no stockades
imagery
Continues extended metaphor of wild west imagery
theme
Represents the uncivilised nature of violence on the streets
midnight
word choice
Returns to idea of darkness / midnight as symbols of evil
theme
Evil in men’s souls is unseen
