themes and techniques

Question 1

loss

Answer 1

maccaig deals with our loss of closeness to nature “shook on a wrong branch of his family tree”

Question 2

isolation/loneliness

Answer 2

the speaker is isolated in enabling his change in thinking “so who’s the monster?”

Question 3

nature

Answer 3

maccaig explores the difference between animal and human nature “that room sized monster with a matchbox brain”

Question 4

fear

Answer 4

the persona is initially scared when he is confronted with the mammoth basking shark
“it is a thing that happened once (too often) to me”

Question 5

man’s capacity for destruction

Answer 5

maccaig looks at humans and how carelesswe are, we think we are the superior race, however, this is not the case.
“he shoggled me/ centuries back”

Question 6

sentence structure/enjambment

Answer 6

maccaig explores his realisation about humans and their destructive nature through his use of enjambment and short sentences.
“but not too often - though enough

Question 7

imagery

Answer 7

imagery is used in order to show the effect that the experience had on maccaig, the scale of the shark, and its inability to harm compared to humans
“emerging from the slime of everything”

Question 8

symbolism

Answer 8

maccaig symbolises the superintendent of humans and how dangerous humans are, through his depiction of the shark
“that roomsized monster with a matchbox brain”

Question 9

contrast

Answer 9

the shark may appear physically menacing; however, contrast is used in order to show that it is actually harmless
“so who’s the real monster?”