ISOLATION Flashcards
Aunt Julia
‘I could not answer her / I could not understand her’.
The repetition of ‘I could not’ emphasises the frustration caused by the communication barrier. No matter how hard MacCaig tries, he can’t understand her, further highlighted by the parallel sentence structure, emphasising the isolation felt.
Aunt Julia
‘I had learned a little, she lay silenced in the absolute black’
The enjambment of ‘a little’ emphasises how far apart they became due to the communication barrier. In her death, MacCaig feels isolated, as he will never get the opportunity to communicate with her again.
Visiting Hour
‘White cave of forgetfulness’
Just as a cave is somewhere dark/scary and isolated, so too the hospital room is dark and isolated from the outside world, as it contains no joy, hope or memories. This emphasises the isolation of the woman from society, and the isolation felt by the poet as he feels that the woman is already gone through a lack of memory.
Visiting Hour
‘Distance shrinks… The distance of pain that neither she nor I can cross’
The repetition of ‘distance’ emphasises the sheer amount of space between them. No matter how close they were before, the illness has divided them. The patients illness has cut her off from the poet, leaving him isolated and left alone to deal with his emotions.
Assisi
‘They who had passed the ruined temple’
Just as a temple is a holy place and should be respected, so too is the beggar a temple of the Holy Spirit. The beggar is being described as ruined due to his illness, which has made him an outcast from society, who walk past ignoring his pleas. This emphasises the key concern of isolation.
Assisi
‘outside the three tiers of churches built’
The dwarf is both literally outside the church and metaphorically outside as he is being treated as an outcast due to his illnesses. Even though the church should be accepting and helping everyone, the dwarf is being isolated from society being left alone and lost.
Basking Shark
‘Decadent townee’
This has connotations of no worthwhile purpose in life, emphasising humanities alienation from nature. The word choice of ‘decadent townee’ further highlights the moral and cultural decline emphasising that we have isolated ourselves from nature.
Brooklyn Cop
‘Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick’
This metaphor compares the cop to a gorilla and emphasises the violence surrounding the job. Just as a gorilla is strong and can be violent, so too the cop can be violent. The use of the rhetorical question, makes the reader wonder who would isolate themselves from society in order to protect others.
