Basking Shark : commentary By : Maaria Chehab Basking shark by Norman MacCaig is a free verse poem‚ that might have been written to question the ‘evil’ natures of humans‚ using sharks metaphorical renaissance for the idea. The narrator introduces this un-intuitive question in line 13‚ quite bluntly by saying “ So who is the monster? The thought made me grow pale….” MacCaig uses figurative language‚ syntax‚ and diction to create this artwork. The poem starts off in a body of water‚ with the narrator
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BASKING SHARK COMMENTARY The basking shark is a poem talking about the encounter a man had with a certain species of shark – the basking shark. The encounter is filled with vivid detail‚ with imagery and diction that helps in setting the attitude of the poem‚ the tone‚ the human condition and the strengthening brought out to the poem‚ based on the imagery and structure. The poet presents the shark in a ver subdued manner‚ not hinting at the shark directly. Instead‚ he forst describes the shark
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Basking Shark Norman McCaig describes in his poem "Basking Shark"‚ his meeting between him and the shark‚ and how this had a profound effect on him‚ as it made him realise that the shark and himself comefrom the same family from way back in the past‚ and conveys to us that they are the same‚ that they are one. The presentation of the shark‚ as a "rock"‚ shows how strong‚hard and tough‚ including the fact that the poet describes it as an object‚ shows that the poet has no feelings for the shark
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Memorial by Norman MacCaig This poem is an elegy‚ a poem that is a lament for the dead‚ for a beloved person in Maccaig’s life‚ probably his sister Frances. It is a sad and beautiful poem about how her death pervades every aspect of his life. He makes it clear that her death is not for him an event that has its place in the past. Instead the process of her dying stays with him constantly- In the opening of the poem he states‚’ Everywhere she dies’ and in the final stanza‚ ‘she can’t stop dying’
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“Sparrow” by Norman MacCaig has a strong social issue of the class system and how the classes differ. MacCaig talks about the issue of the class system in relation to survival of to fittest. The poem itself talks about birds like sparrows and other birds in general‚ which are metaphors for people. Word choice‚ sentence structure and enjambment were strong in improving my understanding of the social issue of the class system. MacCaig uses word choice to describe the sparrow and other birds in
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Scottish poet Norman MacCaig. In the poem‚ MacCaig shows the central idea is loss and death. This central idea is achieved through the use of various techniques such as imagery‚ structure and narrative stance. The poem is about a visit MacCain makes to a dying relative in a hospital. Throughout the poem‚ MacCaig gives his thoughts and feeling to how he fails to cope with the situation. The poet also uses enjambment‚ metaphor and imagery at the beginning of the poem when MacCaig hints at the central
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Brooklyn Cop “Brooklyn Cop” written by Scottish poet Norman McCaig‚ is a poem that conveys a police officer in Brooklyn to be an aggressive yet affectionate man. Throughout the poem McCaig uses word choice and imagery techniques to express the dual sided nature of the cop. We see that the way he behaves on the streets of Brooklyn contrasts with how he is at home with his wife. The dual sided nature of the cop is shown through the physical description that McCaig uses to convey him. McCaig does
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Task: Choose a poem strongly linked to a specific location. Explain how the poet creates an impression of what life is like in that place. Norman MacCaig’s poem‚ ‘Hotel Room‚ 12th Floor’‚ presents a view from a high window in a hotel in the largest city in the most powerful nation in the world. It is morning and the poet is looking out over the city. As night falls the poet begins to feel uneasy. Down below on the streets chaos and violence seem to take over. From his hotel room the poet
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Sharks Sharks are one of the most feared carnivores in the sea. There are 365 species of of sharks in the sea as we know today. All sharks are carnivores. Most of them eat live fish‚ including other sharks. A shark’s most common natural enemy is an another shark. Most sharks eat their prey whole‚ or they tear off large chunks of the bodies. Some sharks crush their prey. Others take out small pieces off flesh from large fish. Sharks also feed on dead or dying animals. Sharks have the reputation of
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Why is it important to save the sharks? The shark is an apex predator of the marine ecosystem. In the marine ecosystem these predators are placed at the top of the food chain. Apex predators have a vital role in maintaining the health and balance of the ecosystems they dwell in. In addition to the previous statement if these top of the food chain predators were to be removed from their ecosystems‚ the health and balance of these ecosystems would become shattered and disturbed‚ with nobody to maintain
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