NORMAN MACCAIG

1. helicopter skirting like a damaged insect' this suggests technology will never be able to recrate the fluidity of nature.

2. Maccaig is sitting in his hotel room and he can hear noises which emulate the sound of native Americans. Despite being in a big city, surrounded by big buildings, maccaig can still hear the cries of his ancestors. He uses this to suggest that humankind will always have a darkside, one that we cannot get rid of. Ghosts of the past can still be heard today.

3. PAIN 'Harsh screaming from coldwater flats' This suggests there is pain coming from the blocks of flats Maccaig can see from his window. 'Coldwater flats' suggests the flats of which the screaming is coming from are from less affluent areas.

4. Visiting Hour

4.1. 'A withered hand trembles on its stalk' This suggests Maccaig's loved one is close to death, they can barely keep their hand up like a dying flower. Just as a dying flower cannot stay upright, so too the patient's hand is struggling to keep itself up.

4.2. PAIN 'I will not feel, I will not feel, until I have to.' Speaker feels emotional pain during his visit, speaks to himself to calm himself down. Repetition highlights his attempts to console his feelings, demanding himself not to let pain overcome him.

5. Hotel Room 12th Floor

5.1. CONTRAST 'uncivilised darkness' CONTRAST WITH 'a million lit windows/jumbo sized dentist's drill' City paints a picture of being civilized. However, when the night comes in, a battle takes place within the dark side of society. The seemingly ordered society becomes chaotic at nighttime.

5.2. SETTING 'their slender waists miraculously carrying their burden of so much pain, ' Maccaig is in the hospital watching the nurses carry on with their work and he is mesmerized by how they are able to deal with the emotional pain of seeing so many people die

5.3. SETTING

5.4. ' wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through'

6. Basking Shark

6.1. CONTRAST So who’s the monster? maccaig's view of the shark contrasts with the assumption that it is the shark that is the monster. Maccaig believes after seeing this beautiful creature and being able to reflect on his life, that it is he (humans) that are the true monster, not the shark.

6.2. IMAGERY

6.3. Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring is all the clearer

6.3.1. Is all the clearer'

6.4. Maccaig uses a metaphor to describe how he felt after seeing the shark. . Just as swishing up dirt moves it around and eventually settles, so too Maccaig saw the shark, it moved his feelings and following his experience of seeing the shark, his views became clearer and more understanding.

7. PAIN 'She lay silenced in the absolute black' speaker feels emotional pain as he cannot communicate with his Aunt anymore. He feels he has wasted his opportunity to learn about his relative.

8. CONTRAST 'said Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child’s when she speaks to her mother' CONTRASTS WITH 'reveal to the illiterate the goodness of God' the beggar's gratuity by saying thank you to passers by, despite having nothing contrasts with the priests arrogance. The priest believes he is crucial to teaching the unfortunate about god, but in reality he has lost the true meaning.

8.1. CHARACTER 'said Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child’s when she speaks to her mother' Despite having nothing, the beggar is extremely grateful to those that pass him. He symbolises the true meaning of the church. Simile suggests the kindness within his heart.

9. PAIN 'eyes wept pus' 'tiny twisted legs' This suggests the beggar is in extreme discomfort. His body is deformed and he seems to be clinging onto what life he has left. Speaker feels uncomfortable witnessing it.

10. CHARACTER 'she wore men's boots' Aunt Julia was extremely hard working. This reveals that she lived a tough life that demanded physically intense labour. She lived a simple way of life in the highlands. The fact she wore men's boots also implies she didn't have a lot of money to buy her own.

11. Aunt Julia

11.1. She was winds pouring wetly round house-ends. This suggests that Aunt Julia embodied the weather that Maccaig associates with that time in his life. The memories he has of being with her stretch to the weather, which she becomes when he recollects it in his head.

12. Brooklyn Cop

12.1. CONTRAST 'Built like a gorilla' CONTRASTS WITH 'he hoped it he truly hoped it' Cop seems intimidating and physically imposing. However, when he is with his wife, a more loving side seems to come out. Shows he cares despite his appearance.

12.1.1. SETTING 'what clubbings, what gunshots between Phoebe’s Whamburger and Louie’s Place.' this suggests the cop is in a rough area of town. Also suggests there are numerous violent acts occurring at the same time. Highlights the danger of his job.

12.1.2. CHARACTER 'Built like a gorilla but less timid/hieroglyphs' The cop is physically imposing and not shy at all. Hieroglyphs represent scars in his face, also suggest that the cop is incredibly hard to read.

13. Assisi