Para 1 -imagery (synedoche)

Question 1

Point

Answer 1

MacCaig effectively opens the poem by presenting the unpleasant and overwhelming setting of a hospital through the use of synecdoche, a type of imagery. During the first stanza readers are made aware that the speaker feels discomfort entering the hospital.

Question 2

Quote and analysis (senses)

Answer 2

The quote “the hospital smell combs my nostrils as they go bobbing along” is an example of synecdoche which helps to put emphasis on the overwhelming smell of the hospital as it suggests that the speaker is unable to focus on any of his other senses, he can only focus on smell. This also suggests that he may be trying to distract himself from thinking about what he’s about to see and he is focusing on small details, like the unpleasant hospital smell, to do so. The smell of a hospital is a universal and many people find it unpleasant as it can be associated with bad memories, this helps to present the setting of a hospital because it makes readers feel anxious like they are in a hospital and it also helps to set the scene of the poem and what’s about to unfold further on.