Summer Farm

Question 1

Summary

Answer 1

The poet lies within the depths of his mind, probably in his happy place as his mother’s family lived in the rural area, which is reflected in this story. Everything described in the story is part of his mind, with perhaps every animal representing a different aspect of his mind. This poet always discusses the concept of having layers and layers of dreams

Question 2

Structure

Answer 2

• AABB rhyme scheme (couplet rhymes) => create an upbeat and overall happy rhythm throughout the poem
• 4 lines per stanza => organisation of poet’s thoughts => give the impression that the poet is very calm and clear as one would have these organised thoughts when there is nothing to worry about.

Question 3

Background

Answer 3

Norman MacCaig used to refuse to fight in WWII

Question 4

Themes

Answer 4

Nature/Landscape
Surrealism/Confusion
Reflection

Question 5

Word analysis - Surrealism/ Confusion

Answer 5

• “Green as glass” => surreal and atypical simile as glass is clear, changed into green => something changed? However, glass is actually a little green due to the impurities => surreal at first but not on further inspection => demonstrates the the wonderfully intelligent mind of the poet in the sense that he not only sees, but observes the things that are in his view, something that many people cannot do
• “Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines” => 9 cannot divide by 2 => straight lines?
• “The barn, dives up again into the dizzy blue” => a sense of hallucination similar to optical illusion where things spins to vanish at a point
• “Self under self, a pile of selves I stand” => there’s only 1 self, yourself => confusion?
• “Lift the farm like a lid and see
  Farm within farm, and in centre, me.”
  => It is impossible to lift a farm => poet’s intention is not explicit. “Farm within farm” demonstrates optical illustration => sense of surrealism
• “A hen stares at nothing with one eye,
  Then picks it up. Out of an empty sky” => if it is empty how can we take something from it? Caesura is used here as a dramatic pause to allow what the chicken has done to sink in for the reader.

Question 6

Word analysis - Reflection

Answer 6

• “Nine ducks go wobbling in two straight lines” => displays conformity and strict behaviour that the poet may often possess in times of stress or when the poet is preparing to do something drastic + nine cannot divide by 2 => straight lines? => emphasize difficult to fit in => refuse to fight in WWII so he had trouble avoiding contempt and loath.
• ” I lie not thinking,…, afraid of where a thought might take me” => thinking about not thinking => avoid reality, afraid to recall memory => memory when he refused to fight in WWII and received hatred?
• “Self under self, a pile of selves I stand” => different masks to put on => implies the fact that we are all made here from different identities. We have the identity that we put on at home, with our friends and with our extended family members. All in all when we combine them together, we get the final identity that you have, the one that you put on when you are alone. That is the “piles of selves I stand”.

Question 7

Word analysis - Nature/Landscape

Answer 7

• “A swallow falls and, flickering through”. Swallow = beauty of nature
• “Soft grass” => emphasizes how comfortable to lie on it => he will be in his relaxed mood => thoughts are clear. Also to implicitly implies that nature is beautiful