Visiting Hour Flashcards
“The hospital smell/ combs my nostrils/ as they go bobbing along/ green and yellow corridors.”
setting the scene
Metaphor
-the pungent smell is engulfing him
Synecdoche
“they”
-his nostrils represent the whole of him
-humorous
- the smell cuts off the rest of his senses
W.C
“bobbling”
-shows he is trying to keep positive/lighthearted
-contrasts with the serious situation
“green and yellow”
-horrible outdated colours
gives an uncomfortable feeling
-connotations of sick/ illness
“I will not feel, I will not/ feel, until/ I have to.”
Repetition
- he is trying to remain composed
- is reassuring himself
- shows how desperate he is
his emotions are starting to show, but he is trying his best to suppress them
-he knows what is to come
“Nurses walk lightly, swiftly,/ here and up and down and there,”
W.C
- “lightly,swiftly”
- gives a sense of elegance/ weightlessness
- calming tone
“here and up and down and there”
- words are in the wrong order
- shows that the nurses are moving very fast/ a lot
- shows MacCaigs confusion
“their slender waists miraculously/ carrying their burden “
Imagery
- elegant image of nurse-they are too small to carry the weight from the stress of the profession
- shows he greatly admires them
W.C
“miraculously”
-connotations of magic
-shows the extent to which he admires them
“so much pain.so/ many deaths, their eyes/ still clear after/ so may farewells.”
Repetition
“so”
-emphasises the quantity
W.C "their eyes still clear..." -no tears - they control their emotions - he admires them for their strength -is envious of their ability to control their emotions when he is struggling to control his
“farewells”
-more personal
“She lies/ in a white cave of forgetfulness.”
Metaphor
-suggests that regular deaths are forgotten
W.C
“white”
-has connotations of heaven/death/innocence/pure
-suggests that she doesn’t deserve to die
“cave”
- sense of isolation
- lack of sensory awareness
- creates distance
“A withered hand/ trembles on its stalk.”
Metaphor -comparing her hand to a dying flower Flower=fragile/ image of beauty Contrast with death Stalk isn't giving her what she needs
“A glass gang is fixed,/ not guzzling but giving.”
IV needles
Metaphor
-the needle is giving her life, not taking it (like a fang would)
Alliteration "Fang""fixed" "guzzling""giving" -Medicine is intrusive -disturbing image of medical equipment -shocking
“distance of pain that neither sh nor I/ can cross.”
- he realises what is happening but doesn’t want to accept it
- highlights his isolation from his wife, as they are feeling different types of pain. Hers bring a physical pain from her illness while his is the emotional pain that comes from seeing her so ill
“leaving behind only/ books that will not be read/ and fruitless fruits. “
Oxymoron
“fruitless fruits”
= lifeless life
She is leaving behind unfinished business - not her time to die yet
- he is annoyed because they still had so much to do together
