Structure Quotations Flashcards
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “the hospital smell” to benefit the poem’s opening.
Effective opening grabs the reader’s attention, by referring to a very vivid and distinctive sensory image (the smell of a hospital) which the reader can relate to.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “what seems a corpse / is trundled into a lift and vanishes / heavenward” to show his inability to face his emotions.
Enjambment is used here to emphasise the last words of the lines, carefully chosen to suggest a finality in death. “corpse” has connotations of an absence of life and “vanishes” further stresses the narrator’s view that death is absolute (MacCaig, himself, was an atheist, and didn’t believe in an afterlife). “heavenward”, therefore, seems incongruous, although this is simply an example of the narrator trying to avoid the seriousness of the visit by creating a whimsical image.
‘Enjambment’, the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. Often used to emphasise certain words, by placing them deliberately at the beginning of the end of a line.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “I will not feel, I will not / feel, until / I have to” to show that he is trying to avoid his emotions.
Repetition is used to create the impression of the narrator chanting to himself under his breath, in order to avoid dealing with his emotions.
‘Repetition’, the action of repeating something that has already been said or written, is often used for emphasis or impact.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “here and up and down and there” to show he is trying to distract himself from his thoughts.
Unusual syntax (word order) is another example of the narrator trying to lighten the mood, while also emphasising the number of nurses he sees. It suggests he is looking all around to find a distraction from his thoughts.
‘Unusual syntax’, the deliberately unconventional arrangement of words and phrases.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “so much pain, so / many deaths… / so many farewells” to show his envy for the nurses.
Repetition of “so” stresses the frequency of the nurses’ unpleasant dealings, which supports the high esteem, perhaps envy, with which he regards the ability of the nurses to cope.
‘Repetition’, the action of repeating something that has already been said or written, is often used for emphasis or impact.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “ward 7” to emphasise the significance of his arrival at the ward.
A non-sentence is used to jolt the reader, just as the narrator is jolted by his arrival at the ward where the patient lies. Caesura is also used to further emphasise the significance of the narrator’s arrival at the ward. This is the turning point of the poem, as the narrator has now reached the patient and must now face his emotions.
‘Non-sentence’, a word, clause, or phrase that does not form a complete sentence.
‘Caesura’, a pause in or near the middle of a line
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “A withered hand / trembles on its stalk” to emphasise the narrator’s feelings about the woman.
The pronoun “it” is used to show the humanity of the woman has been diminished, suggesting the narrator doesn’t feel she is truly alive anymore. Her body is merely an empty shell, while she is effectively dead.
‘Pronoun’, (I, me, he, she, herself, you, it etc.) is a word that takes the place of a noun. In the sentence “Joe saw Jill, and he waved at her”, the pronouns “he” and “her” take the place of “Joe” and “Jill”, respectively.
Describe how the writer uses structure in the phrase “books that will not be read / and fruitless fruits”
Enjambment causes the last line to seem like a bitter addendum, which summarises the narrator’s despair at the hopelessness of his situation, and the isolation both he and his patient have suffered.
‘Enjambment’, the continuation of a sentence without a pause beyond the end of a line, couplet, or stanza. Often used to emphasise certain words, by placing them deliberately at the beginning of the end of a line.
