Higher English : 10 Mark Question : Maccaig : Contrast

Contrast is used in many of Maccaigs poems.

To set out the 10 mark question;

2 marks: state the contrast being used in each of the poems.
2 marks: quote from the poem on the paper and show how it uses contrast.
6 marks: quote from other poems showing how this portrays the contrast.

Here are the examples I would use:

Sounds of the day -  Maccaig explores his thoughts after someone very close to him has left him. 

Quotes I would use:

"clatter .. it was horses" AND "door scraped" - This is quite in depth, and if you feel you may be tight on time in the exam it may be worth avoiding this. The use of an inverted list of sounds to objects in stanza 1 is used to suggest that the sound is more important, however after the person has left him in stanza 2 we see that the "door scraped" which suggests the object has become more important which contrasts the sounds he experienced before and after the loss.

"quietest fire" AND "air creaked" - After the loss Maccaig cannot hear the fire, however before he was able to hear such a quiet thing as the "air creaking". This suggests his sensations have been numbed due to the pain of the loss.

Assisi - Maccaig reflects on the anger he felt after a visit to Assisi where tourists & a priest ignored a dis-formed dwarf.

Quote I would use:

"I understood the explanation and the cleverness" - This is used to contrast what Maccaig views the tourists understand to what he understands. By using "and the cleverness" he is suggesting the tourists do not understand the true beauty and magic of Giotto's work, which is used to contrast the difference between Maccaig and the other tourists.

"three tiers of churches" AND "half filled sack" - the scale of the three tiers of churches is emphasised, which is contrasted to the tiny dwarf who is dis-formed. Contrast between both SCALE and BEAUTY of both objects.

"three tiers of churches" AND "ruined temple" - This is quite in depth, and if you feel you may be tight on time in the exam it may be worth avoiding this. However, this is a very skillful use of language by Maccaig. Maccaig contrasts the peoples attitudes to the "churches" and the "ruined temple" of a dwarf. The churches are seen to be grande, and that people are paying to visit them. They get refurbished, and well maintained. "three tiers" emphasises this. However the dwarf (ruined temple) has a very poor physical condition, and is uncared for. The contrast also exists as if the dwarf was literally a ruined temple then the tourists would likely pay to visit him. This creates further irony and allows us to contrast the tourists attitudes to both things.