Poems Flashcards
Built like a Gorilla but less timid
Simile-opens with image of big , powerful man
Gorillas already brave, which are not timid but still less timid, shows he’s even more tutus he and not scared
Authoritative
Strong and tough to exterior- essential for job
Brave/Brutal
Thin tissue over violence
Metaphor
Dividing line between civilisation and violence is paper thin / fragile in contrast to the cops description , highlights how easily it can be torn
“Hiya honey” is no cliche
Cliché I something so overused it loses its value.
Suggests that cop is a ware if the constant there at of danger in his job and is genuinely grateful to return home
- Tender associations = contrast to previous description of the cop, invokes sympathy
“What clubbings, what gunshots”
Suggests the nature of the brutal crimes that they have to deal with
“between Pheobes Whamburger and Louies place”
Sound like stereotypical cheap/ sketchy eateries that exist in less than glamorous locations
The gunshots “between” suggest they may even be mafia hangouts
Pun in “whamburger” with the onomatopoeic sound of comic book punches landing
“Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick”
“Who would be him” - rhetorical question makes readers ask how we would feel in the cops position
“the Empire State Building, that jumbo sized dentists drill”
Reciognizable YC landmark, sets the scene
Metaphor- compared the Empire State Building to something which causes pain or suffering , implies MacCaigs feelings towards the structure, and NYC which it represents
“This morning I watched form here
Detached from the scene , personal pronoun also shows his POV
This morning also shows regency, and ties in with day/ midnight extended metaphor
“Midnight has come in from foreign places”
“It’s uncivilised darkness is shot at by a million lit windows”
Personifies midnight as an intruder , disturbing the peace
Directly calls darkness uncivilised. Backs up analysis for all symbolism, starts symbol of darkness being uncivil
Imagery of constant battle between good and evil/ light and darkness
“ambulances racing to broken bones”
An example to synecdoche which dehumanises the victims of the violence
No stockades can keep the midnight out
Stockades reference back to America’s violent past and Wild West, comparing the current situation to then
Links back to extended midnight metaphor and good vs evil fight
sat, slumped like a half- filled sack
“sat, slumped”-Alitteration draws readers attention to the beggars weakness, as if he can’t support his own body
Half filled sack shows how he is seen as an object, rather than an equal human, also lifeless and shapeless
three tiers of churches
Shows how the church has failed greatly in honouring at Francis, building lavish , expensive monuments while the poor die outside its doors
Contrasting st francises message
“clucking contentedly”
Metaphor ( and alliteration) - compares the tourists to chickens , stupidly and blindly following the priests word, while failing to follow the actual message, as shown by them ignoring the beggar earlier
“lopsided mouth said Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child’s “
Shows he still has manners and gratitude despite all which he goes through/ his terrible conditions
“ruined temple”
Shows how the beggar was and still could be something great and magnificent, yet has been neglected and destroyed over time, being a ruin of his former self
“That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain”
Hyperbole + contrast, compares large body to tiny brain , patronising tone towards shark
“So who’s the monster?”
Rhetorical Q- Is man the real monster ? Is there any real difference between them ? The shark may appear like a monster and seem to be due to its size , but metaphorically speaking man is the destructive one.
“I could not answer her -
I could not understand her”
Repetition of “I could not “ empathises the frustration he felt in being unable to communicate and the language barrier present.
“- I can see her strong foot”
Present tense- sense of immediacy and shows how vivid the memory’s were, and the impression still left on him by aunt Julia
“She was winds pouring wetly “
Alliteration- empathises how she was one with nature and the environment around her.
“very loud and very fast “
“Silenced”
Contrast and enjambment
Contrast- goes from very loud and very fast to silence, showing the impact of the death, and how shrinking it was
Enjambment -Silenced is placed around the beginning of a new line to empathise the death
“welcoming me with a seagulls voice”
Connects her to natural world again
Shows how her shouting towards him felt welcoming and not harsh
“combs my nostrils
as they go bobbing”
Synecdoche-
The nostrils represent the whole of maccaig, showing the overpowering nature of the hospital smell, and how it blocks out all other emotions.
A humongous , ridiculous image is used to distract from serious situation
“I will not feel, I will not feel”
The repetition of I will not feel shows the difficulty which maccaig experiences in controlling emotions, as struggles to battle grief/ situation.
“A withered hand trembles in its stalk”
Compared her to a dieing plant, withering shows how she is losing strength and will die, just as a withering plant does
“black figure in her white cave”
Contrast-
He stands out in this environment as a well person. Shows how she is dying and he stands out as alive
“their burden of so much pain, so many deaths “
Repetition to empathise the emotional strain and suffering that they see daily, and still continue despite this
“and vanishes heavenward”
Gives the idea of death a sense of finality, and how after this visit this may be the end.
Immediately jumping to the conclusion of death shows the overwhelming emotions which maccaig is feeling
“the harsh screaming from coldwater flats”
Poverty stricken areas where they could not afford hot water.
Shows the suffering they endure “ harsh screaming”
Brooklyn Cop Quotes (6)
Thin tissue over violence
Built like a Gorilla but less timid
“Hiya honey” is no cliche
“What clubbings, what gunshots”
“between Pheobes Whamburger and Louies place”
“Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick”
Hotel Room 12th floor (7)
“the Empire State Building, that jumbo sized dentists drill”
“This morning I watched form here
“Midnight has come in from foreign places”
Linked
“It’s uncivilised darkness is shot at by a million lit windows”
“ambulances racing to broken bones”
No stockades can keep the midnight out
“the harsh screaming from coldwater flats”
Assisi (5)
sat, slumped like a half- filled sack
three tiers of churches
“clucking contentedly”
“lopsided mouth said Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child’s “
“ruined temple”
Basking shark (2)
“That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain”
“So who’s the monster?”
Aunt Julia (6)
“I could not answer her -
I could not understand her”
“- I can see her strong foot”
“She was winds pouring wetly “
“very loud and very fast “ ^ Linked ^ “Silenced”
“welcoming me with a seagulls voice”
Visiting Hour (6)
“combs my nostrils
as they go bobbing”
“I will not feel, I will not feel”
“A withered hand trembles in its stalk”
“black figure in her white cave”
“their burden of so much pain, so many deaths “
“and vanishes heavenward”