Analyzing Norman Maccaig's Poem 'Assisi'

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‘Assisi’ By Norman MacCaig- Essay By Zaynab Zahra “Assisi by Norman MacCaig is a poem which deals with a religious issue within the Catholic Church. MacCaig’s speaker visits a church, which is being celebrated for its riches, while a beggar sits outside needing help, revealing the hypocrisy of the church. The lack of a regular meter or rhyme scheme allows the narrative of the poem to convey MacCaig’s important message to all. In the first stanza of the poem the speaker graphically describes the pain and suffering of the beggar and explores his physical condition. The MacCaig introduces the poem by stating: The dwarf with his hands on backwards The writer describes the beggar as “The dwarf with his hands on backwards”. The poet refers to the beggar as a dwarf and “his hands on backwards” suggests his grotesque position and also tells us he is in pain and distress. The use of a metaphor helps to portray his discomfort and suffering which further develops our image of the beggar’s situation. Following that, the narrator continues describing his appearance and says: …show more content…

This line is also an example of sibilance and helps the reader picture a vivid image in their minds of his suffering and imagine how deformed he is that cannot support his body. Nearing the end of the stanza the poet conveys his feelings about the beggar and he

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