Visiting Hour

Question 1

“The hospital smell”

Answer 1

Opening line of the poem “The

hospital smell” is blunt and matter-of-fact defining the odour universal to all hospitals.

Question 2

“combs my nostrils”

Answer 2

Unusual imagery of “combs my nostrils” combines the senses of touch and smell to convey the pungent nature of the odour. It is so strong it is almost
palpable.

Question 3

“bobbing”

Answer 3

Quirky word choice of “bobbing” is designed to disguise his discomfort/shut out the unpleasant reality he is facing. synecdoche

Question 4

“nostrils/bobbing”

Answer 4

The disembodied nature of “nostrils/bobbing” indicates how dislocated he feels at this point as he struggles to remain detached.

Question 5

“green/yellow”

Answer 5

Reference to unpleasant colours
“green/yellow” connote sickness and echo his inner
turmoil as he prepares to face the reality of his situation.

Question 6

“corpse”

Answer 6

Word choice of “corpse” hints at the seriousness of the patient’s position/his preoccupation with death. The impersonal terminology creates a darker
tone, thus foreshadowing the inevitable

Question 7

“Vanishes”

Answer 7

“Vanishes” has connotations of magic/make-believe/ disappearing forever suggesting that there is no afterlife and that, for him, death is final.

Question 8

“vanishes

heavenward”

Answer 8

Religious imagery of “vanishes

heavenward” introduces the hoped for final destination for those, unlike him, who believe in an afterlife.

Question 9

“soul’s”

Answer 9

Ironic imitation of the “soul’s” final journey is

an observation conveying his view that this visiting hour will not be about recovery

Question 10

“I will not feel”

Answer 10

Repetition in stanza 3 “I will not feel” emphasises the sharp contrast between the acuteness
of his senses in his previous observations and his endeavours to keep his emotions entirely
contained.

Question 11

“I”

Answer 11

repeated three times illustrates the intensely personal

difficulty he is experiencing in keeping his anguish in check.

Question 12

“until I have to”

Answer 12

Climax of “until I have to” shows his acknowledgement of his own avoidance.

Question 13

“lightly, swiftly”

Answer 13

Adverbs “lightly, swiftly” create a sense of immediacy and a change to a lighter tone. They suggest the tactful/sensitive/deliberate way in which the
nurses work. This contrasts with his feelings of inadequacy

Question 14

“here … there”

Answer 14

Inversion of “here … there”

echoes the busy and varied nature of the nurses’ demanding jobs yet they remain focused.

Question 15

“slender waists”

Answer 15

Word choice of “slender waists”
conveys their slight physical frames and sets up the contrast with the following expression - “miraculously … burden” - to highlight the poet’s admiration for their dignified demeanour whilst working in this difficult environment whereas he is struggling to cope.

Question 16

“miraculously”

Answer 16

Word choice of “miraculously” has connotations of wonder and awe, suggesting he finds it inconceivable that the nurses could withstand so much emotional suffering.

Question 17

“burden/pain”

Answer 17

Word choice of “burden/pain” echoes the emotional and physical responsibilities of their
job highlighting its exacting nature.

Question 18

“so much/so many”

Answer 18

Repetition of “so much/so
many” illustrates his observations that a large
proportion of a nurse’s job is dealing with death and the dying i.e., it is a regular occurrence.

Question 19

“clear”

Answer 19

Word choice of “clear” shows
their ability to remain professional and not form deep
emotional attachments to their dying patients.

Question 20

'’farewells’’

Answer 20

This word has connotations of saying goodbye to someone embarking on a journey. While death is the final journey all of us must make, there is an implication that perhaps he will meet his friend again. This suggests his desire to believe in an afterlife.

Question 21

“Ward 7.”

Answer 21

The use of caesura – a pause that breaks up a line of verse – in the opening of this stanza illustrates the immediate, inescapable simplicity of the situation

Question 22

“white cave of forgetfulness”

Answer 22

Metaphor “white cave of forgetfulness” suggests that her reduced mental capacity offers her some protection/refuge from the horrors of her situation
OR diminishes her insight into her own situations/lessens her ability to communicate

Question 23

“withered hand … stalk”

Answer 23

Imagery of a flower/plant “withered hand … stalk” suggests her weakness and
helplessness. The image is ironic as flowers are traditional tokens of recovery for hospital
patients.

Question 24

“glass fang/guzzling/giving”

Answer 24

The unconventional inverted vampire image “glass fang/guzzling/giving” emphasises the reality that the patient is being kept alive medically as her body is decaying and death is imminent.
Candidates may choose to deal
with this as word choice/alliteration/onomatopoeia.

Question 25

“black figure/white caves”

Answer 25

Imagery of “black figure/white cave” suggests the patient is dimly aware of her surroundings
but the “black figure” who has now entered her environment symbolises her approaching
death.

Question 26

“smiles a little”

Answer 26

Word choice of “smiles a little” indicates that the patient has, perhaps, accepted the reality of her situation/does have a sense of the caring nature of the visit

Question 27

“her/me/she/I”

Answer 27

Personal pronouns “her/me/she/I” indicate that both are suffering albeit in different ways. The patient suffers the physical agony of dying but the visitor has to face the emotional anguish of her loss.

Question 28

“distance”

Answer 28

Repetition of “distance” highlights that on a literal level

he has arrived at her bedside but there is still a gulf between them as he cannot help her

Question 29

“neither … cross”

Answer 29

Word choice “neither … cross” conveys he is no longer an observer but a helpless participant who now feels acute emotional misery.

Question 30

“clumsily”

Answer 30

Word choice of “clumsily” highlights his feelings of inadequacy and ineptitude in the situation in which he finds himself.

Question 31

“books that … read”

Answer 31

Symbolic reference to “books that … read” creates a tone of futility/despair as the pleasure
to be gained from reading will never be experienced again

Question 32

“fruitless fruits”

Answer 32

Oxymoron/pun “fruitless fruits” effectively conveys the

hopelessness of the situation for both patient and visitor.

Question 33

“fruitless”

Answer 33

Just as fruits are traditional gifts brought to hospital to aid recuperation, ironically reveals that this patient will never recover so there is no hope. The agony of her loss is, therefore, laid bare.

Question 34

“withered” and “trembles”

Answer 34

The patient’s hand seems fragile, MacCaig’s word choice detailing how it is”withered” and “trembles”.
By comparing her body to a dying flower he conveys how brittle and frail she has become, as well as hinting at her past vitality.
- However, there is also an implicit hope here. Just as flowers and plants die and go to seed, so too there is the possibility for regrowth and new life. Again, the speaker’s desire to believe in some kind of afterlife is revealed.

Question 35

What is the poem about?

Answer 35

Visiting Hour describes a visit to someone who is dying in hospital. The speaker tries to maintain his composure in order to prevent revealing his worry and fears to the person he is visiting.

Question 36

sound of “g” in “not guzzling but giving”

Answer 36

Nevertheless, the harsh sound of the alliterative g conveys a sense of bitterness. The speaker feels the medication is both intrusive and ineffective.

Question 37

“the round swimming waves of a bell”

Answer 37

technique of synaesthesia where one sense, in this case sight, is used to evoke another, the sound of the bell marking the end of visiting hour.

Question 38

“swimming waves”

Answer 38

swimming waves could imply he is overwhelmed or drowning in his emotions as he recognises the bell’s significance.

Question 39

Themes

Answer 39

• Fear
• Death
• Visiting someone who is particularly ill
• Nature

Question 40

Fear

Answer 40

is one of the central concerns of MacCaig’s poem. From the opening stanzas, it is obvious the speaker fears his inability to control his emotions. He knows the patient he is visiting is in a poor condition but also recognises how powerful and unpredictable emotions can be.

Question 41

Death

Answer 41

The speaker is not unwilling to feel upset but he is anxious that he will be unable to cope with the feelings. This is a natural human reaction and one which most readers will recognise. Another prominent theme is death.
More specifically, MacCaig’s poem explores the inevitability of death. The speaker is forced to confront his own mortality as well as that of his friend.

Question 42

Visiting someone who is particularly ill

Answer 42

causes death to dominate his thoughts. Even when walking along a corridor or arriving at the patient’s bedside, the speaker cannot avoid interpreting images in a negative way.

Question 43

Nature

Answer 43

This shows us that part of the human condition is recognising the transitory nature of our existence. Though MacCaig’s poem is a painful reminder of the fragility of life, it should also encourage a greater appreciation of life itself.