Assisi By Norman Maccaaig Summary

'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.

A sympathetic atmosphere is clearly noticeable in the first stanza. The way the dwarf was sitting shows that he needed help desperately :

" The dwarf with his hands on backwards

Sat, slumped like a half fill sack

On tiny twisted legs from which

Sawdust might run"
McCaig's alliteration of the letter 's' displays the level to which the dwarf is deformed.

The term 'slumped' and 'half filled sack' give the illusion of the dwarf who is enervated, unable to move. McCaig uses metaphor 'tiny twisted legs' to provide the reader with an image that the beggar is in pain and suffering. The dwarf is continuously being described as a toy like throughout the whole essay. The sympathy towards the dwarf which runs through the poem is open when the narrator introduced the dwarf who has been begging outside a beautiful church but instead of get given help, the church has excluded the beggar.

The mood and the atmosphere created in the first stanza emphasise that the speaker is confused and in disbelief. The beautiful church and a place of worship which is supposed to help out the poor and follow St Francis' orders

"…outside the three tiers of churches

built
In honour of St Francis, brother
Of the poor, talker with bird, over whom
He had the advantage
Of not being dead yet"
McCaig's description of the church 'three tiers' shows how wealthy the church is, not only does it have one layer but three layers, this leaves the speaker frustrated of why the church is not doing anything. St Francis is well known for helping out the poor and giving away his wealth but what the church is doing is the total opposite of what St Francis is all about. The fact that he is alive is the only thing that the dwarf has got. The magnificent church is contrasting with the ugliness of the dwarf outside. The phrase "advantage' 'of not being dead yet' creates an effect of the dwarf perhaps it would be better if he is dead rather that being alive. The final word 'yet' suggest that the dwarf will be able to survive this way of life any longer.
The speaker is fuming at the priest who is only interested in the tourists. He comes from an order who are supposed to help the poor but instead he is more focused on the visitors for example ;
"How clever it was of Giotto
To make his fresco tell stories
That would reveal to the illiterate the goodness
Of God and the suffering
Of his son "
A priest is totally ignoring his orders. In fact he is leading a group of rich tourists showing then and explaining to them the magnificence of Giotto's fresco. The speaker reveals the dying meanings of the way St. Francis used to be and how he is honoured now. It is obvious at this time that the real message has been devalued. The priest is praised at the paintings rather that the words behind it. The beggar outside the church is an example of irony which demonstrate the church is beautifully built for the poor but yet the priest leaves the poor dwarf outside. The poet is clearly offended by the smartness of the priest who discussed Giotto's work
' I understood
The explanation and
The cleverness'
McCaig reveals the theme of hypocrisy through the actions of the tour guide, the priest are supposed to be kind and helpful.
The poet is outraged at how blind the tourists are. They seemed
Impressed with the attention they are getting from the priest
" A rush pf tourists, clucked contentedly,
Fluttered after him as he scattered
The grain of the word.
McCaig uses comparison to compare the tourist to the chicken with undiscerning obedience as they 'clucked' and 'fluttered after him'. The speaker realises that they are unaffected by the poor dwarf outside. The metaphor of them as chickens is extended at the priest id described as leading them by scattering 'the grain of the Word', this signify that, the true meanings are lost on them while they are listening to the priest. The speaker is once again focused on the dwarf frustrated at the way that the tourist have passed the 'ruined temple' which is the dwarf outside. The poet uses a strong metaphor to describe the 'ruined' dwarf as something that was once beautiful.
The reader acknowledges the pity state of the dwarf once again near the
Ending.
'… whose eyes
Wept pus, back was higher
Than his head'
McCaig provide a graphic, the extended illustration of the dwarf creates an unpleasant and reinforces the desperateness of the man's existence as well as contrasting with the artistic beauty of the frescoes that attracts the tourists. The phrase ' higher that his head' creates an incredibly strong vivid image of the beggar's physical pain