What Is The Mood Of The Poem Assisi By Norman Maccaig?

689 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay about emotion

ASSISI CRITICAL ESSAY A poem which evokes a mood of pity in the reader is “Assisi” by Norman MacCaig. In this poem, MacCaig recounts an experience that shaped his own life while visiting the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi in Assisi, Italy. While the church is known for it’s outstanding beauty and priceless artwork, the poet discovers a beggar with severe physical disabilities begging outside the church. MacCaig then exposes the irony of the church constructed to celebrate a man devoted to poor, is now a symbol of hypocrisy. Instead of being a lasting monument to the original and noble philosophies of St Francis. Norman MacCaig evinces pity within us by effectively applying techniques such as vivid imagery, emotive word choice and contrast. …show more content…

The word ‘slumped’ gives the idea of not having the strength to stand up, or of being in a decline; ’twisted’ suggests not functioning. The poet also makes this stanza stand out by conclusively using imagery ‘half-filled sack’ emphasizes what is not there for the man, what is missing for him. The beggar is described as an inanimate object and compared to almost a puppet like a sack of sawdust he isn’t human which makes him easier to ignore for instance the tourists and the priest. Just as a half-filled sack sags over and can’t support itself so the beggar is weak and can’t sit up straight. It shows how fragile the beggar …show more content…

The word ‘illiterate’ is condescending term which suggests that the priest is arrogant. Norman MacCaig has an irony tone as the priest is well educated knows about art, but he can read it, write but priest doesn’t understand the goodness of god and the suffering of the son. Finally, Norman MacCaig portrays the mood of pity significantly in the last stanza: “A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly, Fluttered after him as he scattered the grain of the word” Norman MacCaig effectively uses word choice as the word ‘rush’ suggests the tourists are unconcerned, dimwitted. MacCaig continues to insult them effectively using imagery as ‘clucking’ compares them to chickens which in general are insipid farmyard birds the tourists are intrigued by what they hear from the priest. ‘contentedly’ describes the tourist’s delight in following the priest around. ‘The grain of the word’ is a biblical allusion which refers to the bible parable of sower the seed is the word of God, but it is not landing on fertile ground because neither the priest or the tourists understand God’s message. Hereby, MacCaig flourishes in creating a mood of pity with the

Show More
Related

  • A Critical Evaluation of Assisi by Norman MacCaig

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Critical Evaluation of Assisi Q: Choose a poem in which the poet has put across a definite point of view. By close reference to the poetic techniques used, show how successful the poet has been in making you share his/ her point of view. “Assisi” by Norman MacCaig is an intriguing and thought-provoking poem, which has put across a definite point of view to me which I believe is that all people should be treated equally and we should try to help those less fortunate than ourselves. In this essay I will show how successful the poet has been in making me share his point of view, with the help of literary techniques such as language, word – choice and imagery. Norman MacCaig has put across a definite point of view for me and has been successful in making me share this view by using thoughtful and intense language.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Why I Left The Church By Richard Garcia

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why I Left the Church” by Richard Garcia is a poem that explores the ongoing and conflicting relationship between a child’s fantasy and the Church. Although the majority of the text is told in present tense, readers are put through the lenses of a young boy who contemplates the legitimacy of the restricting and constricting nature of worship. It is a narrative that mixes a realist approach of storytelling with a fantasy twist that goes from literal metaphors to figurative metaphors in the description of why the narrator left the church. The poet presents the issue of childhood innocence and preset mindsets created by the Church using strong metaphors and imagery that appeal to all the senses.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast This Is Water And On Compassion

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barbara Ascher’s, essay, “On Compassion,” compels the audience to interpret the compassion and empathy with their underlying definitions. Ascher states “I don’t believe that one is born compassionate. Compassion is not a character trait like a sunny disposition. It must be learned” (189). By depicting deeper meaning from three events which took place in Manhattan, New York, she helps her audience reanalyze the thought process when we believe that we have done something out of the “kindness of our hearts” without some kind of hidden agenda. Ascher requests that her audience takes a deeper look at the idea when she states “Could it be that the homeless, like those ancients, are reminding us of our common humanity? Of course, there is a difference. This play doesn’t end—and the players can’t go home” (189). After referring back to her everyday life examples of what anyone would all call acts of kindness she questions her audiences’ understanding. By analyze these story’s she informs the audience there is a thin line between compassion and pity or being empathetic and being annoyed.

    Read More

  • The Poet With His Face In His Hands By Mary Oliver Analysis

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    Therefore, Oliver’s incorporation of imagery, setting, and mood to control the perspective of her own poem, as well as to further build the contrast she establishes through the speaker, serves a critical role in creating the lesson of the work. Oliver’s poem essentially gives the poet an ultimatum; either he can go to the “cave behind all that / jubilation” (10-11) produced by a waterfall to “drip with despair” (14) without disturbing the world with his misery, or, instead, he can mimic the thrush who sings its poetry from a “green branch” (15) on which the “passing foil of the water” (16) gently brushes its feathers. The contrast between these two images is quite pronounced, and the intention of such description is to persuade the audience by setting their mood towards the two poets to match that of the speaker. The most apparent difference between these two depictions is the gracelessness of the first versus the gracefulness of the second. Within the poem’s content, the setting has been skillfully intertwined with both imagery and mood to create an understanding of the two poets, whose surroundings characterize them. The poet stands alone in a cave “to cry aloud for [his] / mistakes” while the thrush shares its beautiful and lovely music with the world (1-2). As such, the overall function of these three elements within the poem is to portray the

    Read More

  • Assisi By Norman Maccaaig Summary

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    'Assisi' by Norman McCaig is a poem which creates an atmosphere of anger and frustration and anger. The poet described what he sees in vivid details through his use of techniques such as word choice, imagery and setting. The poem tells of an incident at the magnificent church when McCaig saw a deformed beggar. The theme of the poem is hypocrisy. The priest and the tourist have missed what the church is really all about.

    Read More

  • Essay On Cathedral By Flannery O Connor

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    In various works of fiction, there are characters who symbolize the ignorant people within our society. Within our society there are people who fail to try to understand those different things, and we even have people who believe they are “good” while ignorantly and inevitably having their own flaws. In both Cathedral, by Raymond Carver, and A Good Man Is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor, the central characters are forced to deal with circumstances that change their beliefs about themselves and others. The perspective and symbolism of these two authors point to the danger of ignorance.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of On Compassion

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Writer, Barbara Lazear Asher, uses the quintessential use of persuasive appeals to inform and persuade the reader. Her purpose to illustrate compassion through observation and experiences is acknowledged and thoroughly detailed throughout the text. “On compassion” uses an ideal amount of logos, pathos, ethos within the essay drawing from life in the city. Barbara’s account of experienced kindness is felt and understood to the reader. The acts of sympathy and compassion are clearly detailed within the text. Asher imposes her attitude on compassion through figurative language welcomes in the idea of

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Clare's An Invite To Eternity

    1227 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Clare’s “An Invite to Eternity” is a poem that at first glance seems happy and inviting but once examined, is actually quite depressing and aloof. Although it appears to be a direct address to an anonymous “maiden,” in reality the poem is much more complex. Clare offers his “sweet maid” a less than appealing future life, presenting her with an “eternity” filled with harsh landscapes and loneliness. Most readers’ first impression when they think of eternity is almost dream-like or heavenly. However, Clare’s vision of eternity is dark and mysterious and uninviting. These different versions of expectations, as well as the use of antique word forms such as “thou” and “wilt”, seems to suggest a conscious misuse of traditional and old-fashioned love poetry and portrays the “maiden” as being nothing more than a figment in Clare’s imagination. Further, this is not the first time Clare has written about such a hellish place. His poem “I am” resembles the “eternity” he is speaking of in “An Invite to Eternity.” “I am” was a reflection of a period in his life where he was isolated in a mental institution. In this context, the strange and ominous world that Clare presents as “eternity” takes on a new meaning as a representation of his social death while in the asylum. Supporting this idea, “An Invite to Eternity”

    Read More

  • Themes In A Visit Of Charity

    1603 Words  | 4 Pages

    The literary fiction “A Visit of Charity” is a deceptively simple story. Marian, is a young Campfire Girl, who dutifully visits an “Old Ladies’ Home” (122) to gain points for her charity work. Although, one would expect at first that Eudora Welty’s story would be all about charity, care, and being noble in the process of doing so. A closer look at the characters’ real motives, along with the settings and imagery reveals that the visit becomes one of selfishness which blinds people to the real needs of others, rather than being truly charitable and noble.

    Read More

  • Death and Suicide - The Death of a Friend

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    I hid my face as I sat desperately alone in the back of the crowded church and stared through blurry eyes at the stained glass windows. Tears of fear and anguish soaked my red cheeks. Attempting to listen to the hollow words spoken with heartfelt emotion, I glanced at his picture, and my eyes became fixed on his beloved dog. Sudden flashes of sacred memories overcame me. Memories of soccer, his unforgettable smile, and our frequent exchange of playful insults, set my mind spinning. I longed only to hear his delighted voice once more. I sat for what seemed like hours in that lonely yet overcrowded church; my tears still flowed, and I still remembered.

    Read More

  • An Analysis Of Miguel De Unamuno And San Manuel Bueno

    1051 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Miguel de Unamuno’s novella San Manuel Bueno, Martyr, readers learn about the life of Don Manuel, a Catholic priest secretly holding atheist beliefs and doubts in the afterlife. Despite these disbeliefs, Don Manuel works tirelessly to help his community and is regarded as a saint by all who meet him, hence the handle “San Manuel,” which literally translates to “Saint Manuel.” Don Manuel’s struggle and affiliation with sainthood receives further analysis and context from Francisco LaRubia-Prado, who parallels Unamuno’s novella to elements of Greek Tragedy and heroism. Drawing from Unamuno’s background with Ancient Greek playwriting and Sigmund Freud’s Totem and Taboo, LaRubia-Prado argues that Don Manuel should be seen as a representation of Christ and must suffer in silence in order to play the role of the dying, tragic hero that saves the

    Read More

  • What Is The Mood Of The Poem Ozymandias?

    414 Words  | 1 Pages

    The painting by Hubert Robert symbolizes a sense of grandeur as one looks at the pyramids that is drawn so huge in proportion that it vanishes midway. This could be the painter's way of expressing how powerful the entities were, representing grandeur in contrast to the little figures that were going towards it. Like the great king and his slaves.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Smile, Smile By Wilfred Owen

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    The quote shows that when the war is done, the men "will be making homes" (line 6). This shows irony as the war is just beginning however, the authorities are already discussing the events when the war finishes. This is to distract society from the dying soldiers and show them what they will win: new homes.

    Read More

  • Culture in the Poem Blessing

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    The poet uses examples of imagery in this poem. The poet uses a simile in the first line of the first stanza to start off the poem. The simile she uses is ''the skin cracks like a pod''. The opening of the poem gives a clear message that something is severely wrong. A pod cracks with barely any resistance so the comparison to the skin is a unreserved statement outlining how easily the skin is. There is obviously a drought or a vast undersupply of water. The opening surprises the reader and gives an indication of what is to come. The poet uses a short and abrupt line which is effective

    Read More

  • Langston Hughes and Religion

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    In doing this, the usher of the church on “Fifth Avenue,” abandoned someone less fortunate in order to maintain a good appearance. This “house of God,” which should be opening its doors to give a he lping hand, turns away a man in need of help. Hughes shows betrayal in the same poem, when the less fortunate man asks St. Peter if he can stay. St. Peter replies, “You ca...

    Read More

More about What Is The Mood Of The Poem Assisi By Norman Maccaig?

Open Document