Assisi

Norman MacCaig

“dwarf”

Word choice-has connotations of reduced diminished undersized-dehumanising him

“hands on backwards”

Word choice-is almost grotesque and emphasises the terrible condition of this man. This suggests he is deformed and viewed as a thing rather than a person. We think of an inanimate doll or puppet

“Sat Slumped”

Sibilance-creates a sound that is weak and lacking in energy-as is he-and the Sibilance slows the pace to emphasise his disabilities and highlight their overwhelming impact

“slumped”

Word choice-suggests his inability to support himself or sit upright

“like a half filled sack”

Simile-suggests that just as a half filled sack would fold over on itself and droop, so too can be barely support his own frame. The image dehumanises the beggar

“tiny twisted”

The harsh alliteration adds to this harrowing image and highlights the useless nature of his legs which are too weak to fulfil their purpose

“sawdust”

Word choice-suggest that he is not flesh and blood but filled with worthless

“outside the three tiers”

Word choice-suggests ostentatious nature of the church. It’s grand and impressive. The pitiful dwarf outside contrasts with the rich and powerful basilica

“brother of the poor, talker with birds

Description of what st Francis did. Contrast to way beggar is being treated now

“he had the advantage of not being dead yet”

Only advantage that the beggar has as he is living a miserable life-bitter tone created (a rather back handed compliment)

“yet”

Word choice-suggests the beggar will not survive this pitiful was of life for much longer-sympathy created

“A priest explained how clever it was of Giotto”

Irony-here the priest who ought to be a humble man of god, is filled with pride and self-importance about his own knowledge of cultured things

Word choice-suggested the priest is showing off/using this to his advantages to show off his own cleverness about the artist and ignoring the dwarf

“illiterate”

Word choice-suggests the priests pompous tone

“goodness” “suffering”

Word choice-suggests he can see these in these frescoes but not in front of his own nose with the beggar

“I understood the explanation and the cleverness”

Bitter tone-MacCaig thinks he is a hypocrite, preaching about goodness and ignoring the beggar. In a nutshell: Giotto was clever in the way he designed the frescoes; the priest was clever in his commercialisation of the church, showing that he cared more about the tourists and himself than he did about the beggar

“rush”

Word choice-suggests there are great numbers un a hurry to see the sights, not really taking in their surroundings

“Clucking Contentedly”

Alliteration-to mimic the chickens mocks the tourists and makes their speech sound trivail-MacCaig is making fun of the tourists

“Fluttered”

Word choice-continues the idea and makes the tourists seem silly, scatty and not capable of thinking for themselves

“Fluttered after him as he scattered the grain of the word”

Metaphor-just as chickens are brainless and blindly chase food laid out before them, so too are the tourists simple-minded and happy to be led by others, eating up the words of the priests whilst really being blind to reality

“ruined temple”

Metaphor-creates sympathy for the beggar, just as a temple is a sacred divine place, so too is the beggar pure and has inner beauty, even though his outer appearance is ravaged

“eyes wept pus”

Word choice-has connotations of illness, disease dirty and suffering-a grotesque illustration designed to shock the reader into fully appreciating the pitiful reality of the beggar’s existence

“lopsided mouth”

Word choice-suggests a deformity, crooked twisted and ugliness

“Grazie”

Word choice- shows kindness he is great full for any small kindness shown him, even though he could be bitter

“voice as sweet as a child’s”

Simile-comparing him to a child emphasises his innocence and purity

“St Francis”

Word choice-associates the dwarf with the saintly figure-he lies within the beggar. Ends the poem by once again emphasises important of messages of St Francis