Set Text ( Norman MacCaig) Flashcards
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) comparing the size of the helicopter to the ESB.
Looks/ sounds like a blue bottle going around in circles
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Jumbo size dentist drill
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) word choice to show that materialism is a monument in the American way of life in which MacCaig is attacking
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) But now midnight
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) sign posts the turning point. The change of night is to show and reflect the battle of light and dark - introduces the theme of good vs evil
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Darkness
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) word choice used to show evil
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Shot at
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) word choice and imagery used to show the Wild west, violence, crime and war
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) a million lit windows all ups and acrosses
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Metaphor - window frames in the form of a cross - referencing the cross Christ died on to save civilisation
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) midnight
(Hotel Room12th Floor) Repeats idea of evil
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Defeat
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Good is losing the fight i.e. society is beyond redemption
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) wildest of war hoops
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Alliteration - Wild West imagery
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) canyons and gulches
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Metaphor - the city streets - with high buildings on both sides - resembles the wild west land scape and the area 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
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) broken bones, the harsh screaming
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) violence on the street means that the victims require the emergency service
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) cold-water flats
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) highlights the poverty - flats without hot water
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) broken bones, harsh screaming, blood glazed
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) examples of synecdoche.
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) never somewhere else
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Evil is within us - we are no more civilised than cowboys and Indians in films
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) midnight out
(Hotel Room 12th Floor) Returns to idea of darkness/ midnight
(Basking Shark) to stub an oar
(Baskin Shark) unusual term to use for an oar suggesting tipping over something. highlights the theme of the poem Man and The Natural world
(Basking Shark) where none should be
(Baskin Shark) An air of mystery is introduced, the poet is in shock
(Basking Shark) slounge
(Baskin Shark) neologism - a new word created by the poet. It combines slouch and lounge and suggests the heavy, slow, sloth-like movements of the Baskin shark. Introduces the poets the relatively light and comic tone that is a feature of this poem.
(Basking Shark) too often
(Baskin Shark) parenthesis used for a humorous effect. this was a very frightening experience for the poet
(Basking Shark) but not too often
(Baskin Shark) repetition of too often from earlier, suggests that he enjoyed this encounter
(Basking Shark) gain
(Baskin Shark) highlights he feels he benefitted from this experience
(Basking Shark) that once i met
(Baskin Shark) word choice suggests the poet is no longer shocked. also suggest that MacCaig imagines some reciprocal element to this encounter he sees humans and animals as having an equal relationship rather than mankind being superior.
(Basking Shark) tin-tacked with rain
(Baskin Shark) metaphor/ alliteration the calm/ flat surface of the sea is compared to a sheet of metal with the raindrops acting as little drilling holes.
(Basking Shark) room sized monster
(Baskin Shark) contrasts the matchbox brain. exaggeration shows the poets humour that although large, these sharks are not dangerous
(Basking Shark) Displaced more than water
(Baskin Shark) the sharks movement causes the water to move violently shifting the poet and the boat. The poet is also saying here that the shark has caused him to question his place in evolution.
(Baskin Shark) he shoggled me
(Basking Shark) word choice - “shoggled” describes the way in which he was moved by the shark. It’s a silly word that maintains a light humours tone to it.
Onomatopoeic - reveals how he ws disturbed physically but also mentally
(Basking Shark) townee
(Basking Shark) used as a derogatory term used from the countryside to describe people who live in urban areas. Highlights how MacCaig feels that by living I the city he is removed from nature.
(Basking Shark) wrong
(Basking Shark) suggests that it is humans that have gone “wrong” and their evolution has been harmful, perhaps because they have become so removed from the natural world.
(Basking Shark) family tree
(Basking Shark) makes clear the biological connection between humans and the natural world in this case being the shark.
(Basking Shark) swish
(Basking Shark) onomatopoeia - refers back to the earlier idea of being displaced
(Basking Shark) dirt
(Basking Shark) word choice of “dirt” also links to the idea of human corruption
(Basking Shark) emerging from the slime of everything
(Basking Shark) links back to the connection from humans to nature through the primordial slime.
(Basking Shark) so who’s the monster
(Basking Shark) repletion from the earlier on idea of the monster. he uses this word to reflect on humanity and what we have come to as we have lost our connection with nature
(Basking Shark) grow pale
(Basking Shark) suggests that the poet was affected greatly by this experience
(Visiting Hour) nostrils… bobbing along
(Visiting Hour) synecdoche is used, since not just his nostrils are moving along, as the image would suggest.
(Visiting Hour) bobbing along
(Visiting Hour) jolly connotations for the poets attempt of showing his denial of the situation
(Visiting Hour) green and yellow corridors
(Visiting Hour) colours have connotations of sickness, which further stresses the poets discomfort in these surroundings.
(Visiting Hour) corpse
(Visiting Hour) containing very little connotations of life dehumanising. The harshness of the sound; guttural “c” and plosive “p”, shows the poets distress and the painful emotions he is facing.
(Visiting Hour) corpse, Enjambement
(Visiting Hour) Enjambement is used here to emphasise the last words of the lines, carefully chosen to suggest the finality of death.
(Visiting Hour) trundled
(Visiting Hour) coneys the noise of the trolley (onomatopoeia) but also the emotionless way it is handled
(Visiting Hour) vanishes
(Visiting Hour) the poets view that death is absolute
(Visiting Hour) heavenward
(Visiting Hour) humour to avoid his emotions
(Visiting Hour) I will not feel, I will not feel
(Visiting Hour) repetition is used to suggest the poet is chanting this under his breath in order to avoid/ control his emotions.
(Visiting Hour) I have to
(Visiting Hour) Enjambement emphasises “I have to”. The poet is certain that a time will come when his emotions will have to come out. He is certain that he will have to face his emotional trauma. It is made clear to the reader that the person is very sick and the person believes they will die.
(Visiting Hour) swiftly
(Visiting Hour) poet admires their efficiency the energy and vitality of the nurses is shown by the list of adverbs.
(Visiting Hour) miraculously
(Visiting Hour) suggests the poets admiration for the nurses physical labour and the way they professionally handle the huge emotional “burden”
(Visiting Hour) so much pain, so much deaths
repetition of the word “so” emphasises his admiration for the nurses and their emotional burden and emphasises the huge member of seriously ill patients and eventual deaths that they must cope with in their work.
(Visiting Hour) clear
(Visiting Hour) their “clear” eyes presumably contrast with the poet who is feeling the emotional pain of one potential farewell too much to bear.
(Visiting Hour) so many farewells
(Visiting Hour) underlines the purpose of his visit. However, he uses a euphemism as he cannot bring himself to speak of death. this has gentler connotations of “going on a journey” and hits at the hope of an afterlife.
(Visiting Hour) Ward 7
(Visiting Hour) the poet uses this short sentence to show that he has arrived at his final destination.
(Visiting Hour) she lies in a white cave
(Visiting Hour) Metaphor, suggesting the white curtains or sheets are cave like (impenetrable). This conveys the isolation of the woman, and the poets exclusion from her.
(Visiting Hour) forgetfulness
(Visiting Hour) connotations of isolation through confusion or sensory blackness.
(Visiting Hour) fang is fixed
(Visiting Hour) Metaphor, suggesting the intraveous drip is vampire-like. The horror in this image is shocking which shows the poets grief and distress at seeing the woman’s condition, and being unable to help her.
(Visiting Hour) black figure
(Visiting Hour) Metaphor, referring to the universal image of death, “figure” also suggesting the woman’s blurred vision. This emphasises the isolation of the woman, as well as her impending and unavoidable death.
(Visiting Hour) clumsily rises
(Visiting Hour) the poet is overcome by his emotions, leaving him confused and dazed.
(Visiting Hour) swimming waves of a bell
(Visiting Hour) Synaesthesia, as a visual image describes a sound (signalling the end of the Visiting Hour?). “swimming could suggest the poet’s dizziness (confusion) or tears. This is from the woman’s point of view, so further
shows her isolation, and the poet’s isolation from her.
(Visiting Hour) growing fainter
(Visiting Hour) the woman’s vision is blurred; she can see him getting fainter with distance. Also a pun, since the poet may be so upset he is starting to feel faint.
(Visiting Hour) books that will not be read
(Visiting Hour) Oxymoron: capturing the poets despair at the pointlessness of the woman’s death being prolonged and his inability to help - bringing a book has been pointless as it will not be read
(Visiting Hour) fruitless fruits
Enjambement causes the last line to seem like a bitter addendum, which summarises the poets despair at the hopelessness of his situation, and the isolation both he and his relative have suffered.
(Brooklyn Cop) built like a gorilla but less timid
(Brooklyn Cop) the cop is compared to a gorilla. both are fierce, strong and heavy built. The cop is described as even more frightening and brave than a gorilla, which is “timid” in comparison
(Brooklyn Cop) thick-fleshed, steak-coloured
(Brooklyn Cop) word choice - “thick-fleshed” could mean the cop is overweight or it could mean he is very fit and well built. “steak-coloured” could refer to his red face to show that he is unfit and out of breathe.
(Brooklyn Cop) hieroglyphs
(Brooklyn Cop) metaphor - this could mean he is always looking for trouble. Very difficult to read. Is he a product of his environment.
(Brooklyn Cop) thin tissue
(Brooklyn Cop) metaphor - this implies that violence and danger can easily break out. He has to be constantly aware of his surroundings and he is always on edge.
(Brooklyn Cop) See you, babe
(Brooklyn Cop) shows a more gentle, loving side to him. Humanising him to allow the reader a better understanding of his vulnerability.
(Brooklyn Cop) he hoped it, he truly hoped it.
(Brooklyn Cop) repetition/ word choice - conveys this sense of fear and uncertainty he feels everyday.
(Brooklyn Cop) He is a gorilla
(Brooklyn Cop) this changes from the initial simile in line 1. This strengthens the image and emphasises the savage, bestial and primitive nature of the cop
(Brooklyn Cop) Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through
(Brooklyn Cop) Extended metaphor/ word choice - plunge has connotations of force. Emphasises the ease of change from peace to violence and the lack of control the cop has over the environment that he works in. Again MacCaig is trying to convey how awful this job can be. Creating sympathy for the cop.
(Brooklyn Cop) to whom “hiya, honey” is no cliche
(Brooklyn Cop) when the cop comes home each day his greeting in not just said for the sake of politeness, he really means it, and for him, the fact he gets to say it just one more time means that he has survived another day.
(Brooklyn Cop) what clubbings, what gunshots
(Brooklyn Cop) repetition - makes the reader question who is carrying out these acts of violence? Is MacCaig referring back to his description of the cop.
(Brooklyn Cop) Phoebe’s Whamburger and Louie’s place.
(Brooklyn Cop) even in an area he knows the people who live and work there well, he is still under this constant threat of death - violence in society.
(Brooklyn Cop) who would be him
(Brooklyn Cop) the poet expresses his admiration/ awe of the policemen
(Brooklyn Cop) gorilla with a nightstick
(Brooklyn Cop) repetition of earlier image
(Brooklyn Cop) he might, this time, never get back to.
(Brooklyn Cop) rhetorical question - MacCaig wants to make the reader think about the society and do we judge the policemen harshly? could we do his job? we know he is a loving husband, is it the violence that has created this brute? is he like this out of necessity?
