Hotel Room, 12th Floor
(1968)
Norman MacCaig
Hotel Room, 12th Floor
by Norman MacCaig
This morning I watched from here
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
the Empire State building, that
jumbo size dentist’s drill, and landing
on the roof of the PanAm skyscraper.
But now Midnight has come in
from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness
is shot at by a million lit windows, all
ups and acrosses.
But midnight is not
so easily defeated. I lie in bed, between
a radio and a television set, and hear
the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating
through
the glittering canyons and gulches –
police cars and ambulances racing
to broken bones, the harsh screaming
from coldwater flats, the blood
glazed on the sidewalks.
The frontier is never
somewhere else. And no stockades
can keep the midnight out.
Norman MacCaig biography
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Norman MacCaig was born in Edinburgh in 1910. Although he spent all his
childhood and his later life in Scotland's capital, his mother's Highland past was a
great influence on the young poet.
MacCaig's formal education was firmly rooted in the Edinburgh soil: he attended
the Royal High School and then Edinburgh University where he studied Classics. He
then trained to be a teacher at Moray House in Edinburgh and spent a large part of
his life as a primary school teacher.
During the war MacCaig refused to fight because he did not want to kill people
who he felt were just the same as him. He therefore spent time in various prisons
and doing landwork because of his pacifist views.
Norman MacCaig's poetry began as part of the New Apocalypse Movement, a
surrealist mode of writing which he later disowned turning instead to more
precise, often witty observations. He was great friends with Hugh MacDiarmid and
other Scottish poets he met with in the bars of Edinburgh to debate, laugh and
drink. Although he was never persuaded by his literary friends to write in Scots, he
was respected by friends such as MacDiarmid as having made an important
contribution to literature.
By the time of his death in January 1996, Norman MacCaig was known widely as
the grand old man of Scottish poetry.
I watched from here
• First person
narration
Word Choice: ‘watched’ suggests that the
speaker is a passive observer of civilisation
(rather than a participant). This links with the
sense of isolation established in the title.
Helicopter skirting like a damaged
insect
• Simile
Simile: the helicopter’s movements are
compared to those of a ‘damaged’ insect. The
helicopter may be moving about erratically /
buzzing around like a flying insect. ‘damaged’
hints at the speaker’s pessimistic view of the
world: it is broken and imperfect.
Jumbo sized dentist’s drill
• Metaphor
Metaphor: The Empire State building is not
viewed as a symbol of mankind’s status and
success, but rather as something that is painful
/ frightening. The dentist’s drill is not
something that many people think of fondly!
This reveals the speaker’s pessimistic tone as
well as his fear.
Empire State Building
Pan Am Skyscraper
• Setting
Symbolism: the PanAm skyscraper and the
Empire State building are symbols of American
success / monuments to the ‘progress’ of
civilisation. During this stanza, though not
described in flattering terms, they are at least
something recognisable. They give the speaker
a sense of place (geographically) though not a
sense of belonging.
But now midnight..
• Negative change
Word Choice: Midnight (with a capital M)
becomes a person / entity (personification).
‘foreign places’ suggest it is something
unknown: alien and unpredictable. Any sense
of ease brought by the recognisable landmarks
is erased as night arrives.
Come in from foreign places
• Personification
Midnight/ uncivilised darkness
• Darkness represents violence
Personification: the darkness is not a welcome
visitor but rather something unknown,
uncouth and unwelcome. The speaker’s fear of
the darkness is apparent.
Shot at..
• Metaphor
Metaphor / Word Choice: ‘shot at’ suggests a
war. The futility of the battle is obvious: the
darkness of night is inevitable. ‘all / ups and
acrosses’ might represent a crossword puzzle
(the lit and unlit windows beings the
contrasting squares). This is an enigmatic idea
(as there are no clues) and fits nicely with the
notion of darkness representing the unknown.
A million lit windows all ups and
acrosses
• Image of cross
• Defence against violence
• People hiding behind closed doors
But midnight is not so easily defeated
• Inevitable/ unavoidable
Metaphor: midnight (and darkness) become a
foe. The speaker sees night as the unknown, a
formidable enemy. The sense of helplessness is
revealed through this recognition of the
situation.
Between radio and television set
• Technology
• Advanced setting
Structure: As the poem progresses, the
speaker’s interaction with the world recedes.
He is no longer standing at the window (as he
was in the first stanza) but has withdrawn to
his bed.
Wildest of warwhoops
• Alliteration
• Comparison with Wild West
• Emergency vehicles
Word choice: ‘wildest’ ‘warwhoops’ and
‘ululating’ suggest a cacophony of unknown,
aggressive noises. The city becomes a
wilderness, an alien environment that
frightens the speaker as each unknown noise is
interpreted in a negative way.
Glittering canyons and gulches
• Wild West but modern setting
‘canyons’ and ‘gulches’ both suggest a
wilderness / they are words we might
associate with the wild west. This helps us to
understand the theme of civilisation versus
savagery: the ‘civilisation’ of the modern word
is not so civilised as one might believe.
Broken bones, the harsh screaming
• Synecdoche (a figure of speech in which a part
is made to represent the whole or vice versa,
as in Cleveland won by six runs (meaning
“Cleveland's baseball team”)) shows casualties
of this ‘war’ aren’t recognised as people –
simply ‘broken bones’.
Word Choice: ‘broken bones’ and ‘harsh
screaming’ are both distressing ideas.
‘coldwater flats’ are those without hot running
water: this contributes to an unpleasant
impression of the ‘civilised’ world.
Cold Water Flats,
• Word Choice
Blood glazed on sidewalk
• Word choice/setting
Imagery: The comparison of blood to a sheen
that covers the sidewalk is an unpleasant one.
It symbolises the aggression and savagery of
‘civilised’ society.
The frontier is never somewhere else
• Imagery
Theme: Civilisation versus savagery. The
pessimistic speaker feels that we do not exist
in a civilised society. He appears to live in fear
of ‘the unknown’: savagery seems to seep into
society unabated. ‘frontier’ suggests a barrier
between civilisation and savagery: to the
speaker, there is no such division.
No stockades can keep the midnight
out
• Imagery
• Theme
Metaphor: the idea of midnight (and the
unknown) attacking the speaker (and
civilisation) continues to the end of the poem.
‘stockades’ are defences, but the speaker’s
pessimistic admission underlines his sense of
isolation and helplessness. He does not appear
comfortable in the modern world. Modern
civilisation is savagery.
Civilisation ?
1. “This morning I watched from here”
a) What time of day is mentioned?
b) What tense does the writer use?
2. “skirting, like a damaged insect”
Explain how the simile above helps you to picture:
a) The way the helicopter moves
b) The sound the helicopter would make
3. Quote another image which the poet uses in lines 1 – 5 and explain how this helps
to create a negative, uneasy tone to the poem
4. Re-read lines 5-9: the image is of darkness being held at bay by light.
a) Quote a phrase that shows this.
b) Explain in your own words what you think the poet means by the phrase
“uncivilised darkness”
5. Look at lines 10 – 15.
a) Quote two examples of things the poet can hear and explain what is making those
sounds
b) “Chose one of the two words or phrases you quoted for answer 4a and explain
how it helps you to imagine what is going on outside on the streets
6. “the glittering canyons and gulches” (line 14)
a) Identify two contrasting words or images in the line above
b) Explain why you think the poet chose to include this contrast and
how effectively you think he uses it
7. “The frontier is never
somewhere else. And no stockades
can keep the midnight out”
Explain, in your own words, what you think the writer means by this
8. Think about the poem as a whole. How effectively do you think the
poet uses contrasting images to suggest to the reader that no matter
how technologically advanced we may become, we are still at heart
savages? Include evidence from the poem in your answer.
Setting
Setting
A hotel room on the 12th floor of a hotel in
New York . The poet describes what he sees
from this room in both day and night time.
We know he’s not very impressed with his view
of New York. During the poem he moves from
his window to his bed.
Content
• The poet is visiting New York .
• Instead of enjoying the experience and being impressed by the sites
of the city, he feels trapped in his hotel room by the violence on the
streets below.
• During the day he comments on some of the famous building of the
New York skyline that he can see from his window. These represent
man’s economic and technological achievements.
• At night he concentrates on the sounds of the city below him. These
represent the violence that is always close to the surface in human
nature.
• MacCaig uses the change from daylight to darkness to show what
happens when civilising influences are removed and man’s more
primitive side emerges.
SECTION C—POETRY
Answers to questions in this section should refer to the text and to such relevant
features as: word choice, tone, imagery, structure, content, rhythm, theme, sound,
ideas . . .
7. Choose a poem which deals with childhood, adolescence, family life or old age.
Show how the poet deepens your understanding of any of these stages of life by the
choice of content and the skilful use of poetic techniques.
8. Choose a poem which deals with a particular time of year or a particular place.
Show how the poet, by his or her choice of content and style, persuades you to
adopt his or her view of the season or the place.
9. Choose a poem which has as one of its central concerns a personal, social or
religious issue. Show how the content and the poetic techniques used increase your
understanding of the issue.
8. Choose a poem which deals with a particular time of year or a particular
place. Show how the poet, by his or her choice of content and style,
persuades you to adopt his or her view of the season or the place.
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Introduction
Summary
Main points
Conclusion
Introduction
Name of text and poet
Address the task
Say what you will write about
Could include historical references here.
A poem which deals with a particular place is ‘Hotel Room,
12th Floor’ by Norman MacCaig. This poem highlights
MacCaig’s visit to New York and his impressions of the city
which were not particularly positive. In this essay I will
analyse MacCaig’s use of imagery, word choice and theme
and use these to demonstrate the negativity MacCaig felt
about the city.
Summary
• A few sentences highlighting the main points of
the poem
‘Hotel Room, 12th Floor’ describes MacCaig’s visit to
New York City and his impressions of the place. The
poet, instead of enjoying the experience and being
impressed by the sites of the city, feels trapped in
his hotel room by the violence on the streets below.
During the day he comments on some of the famous
building of the New York skyline that he can see
from his window. At night he concentrates on the
sounds of the city below him.
Main sections
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Three or four examples where the poet persuades you to adopt his point of view
using the structure below:
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Point – From the beginning of the poem MacCaig presents his pessimistic view
of New York City.
Evidence – This idea is continued with MacCaig’s comparison of a helicopter
to a damaged insect:
‘This morning I watched from here
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect…’
Evaluation – This does not create a particularly positive image in the reader’s
mind. Firstly, it makes you think of a ‘damaged insect’ flying around in an
uncontrolled sequence, possibly having to dodge various buildings because of
the over-development of New York City. Then we consider why a helicopter
would need to be flying in such close proximity to the various buildings and
only negative connotations come to mind; are they searching for a missing
person, is it a ‘grand theft’ or are they on hot pursuit of a criminal? All of these
ideas persuade you to think negatively about New York City regardless of
whether you’ve been there and enjoyed the experience or not. We ultimately
think of the buildings being packed closely together, the crime on the streets
and the poet makes you not want to be part of the whole experience.
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Linking
• Make sure you link your sections together so that the essay flows
better. You want the reader to be able to follow your trail of
thought and this is easier when the essay is linked correctly.
• E.g.
…We ultimately think of the buildings being packed closely together,
the crime on the streets and the poet makes you not want to be part of
the whole experience.
Different ways to link the paragraphs:
• Another way the poet makes you think negatively about New York….
• MacCaig continues this idea throughout the poem…
• The crime on the streets and the proximity of the buildings are not
the only things that MacCaig disproves of. He even insults some of
man’s most successful economic and technological achievements
when he compares the Empire State building to a ‘jumbo sized
dentist’s drill’…
Conclusion
• Sum up the main arguments in your essay
and include your opinion too.
MacCaig in ‘Hotel Room, 12th Floor’ highlights
his negative view of New York City. This essay
has demonstrated the way MacCaig uses word
choice, imagery and theme to influence the
reader and put forward his pessimistic views of
New York City…
Essay example
“Hotel Room 12th Floor” by Norman McCaig is set in a hotel
room high above New York . The poet describes what he sees
from this room in both day and night time. The poet is
visiting New York, but instead of enjoying the experience and
being impressed by the sites of the city, he feels trapped in his
hotel room by the violence on the streets below. During the
day he comments on some of the famous building of the New
York skyline that he can see from his window. These
represent man’s economic and technological achievements. At
night he concentrates on the sounds of the city below him.
These represent the violence that it always close to the
surface in human nature. MacCaig uses the change from
daylight to darkness to show what happens when civilising
influences are removed and man’s more primitive side
emerges.
The experience makes him consider if mankind is really as civilised as it
thinks. This is revealed when the poet describes what he sees from his
window during the day. The imagery he uses is unexpected:
“…I watched from here
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
Firstly he uses a simile comparing a helicopter to ‘a damaged insect’.
The comparison is effective as at a distance the size, sound and
movement of the helicopter resemble an insect. However, his choice
of the word ‘damaged’ suggests that he is not as impressed by this
example of modern technology as we would expect. Insects also are
often found around decaying remains so the image reminds us of
death and dying. MacCaig seems to be suggesting that there is more
this famous city than first meets the eye .
In addition the metaphor he uses to describe the Empire
State Building emphasises this idea. The image of the
“dentist’s drill” suggests pain and suffering. Again McCaig
seems disturbed by what he sees. He is unimpressed by
these symbols of wealth and human achievement
because they hide the true nature of the city.
The next part of stanza one moves to night- time
and the poet begins to develop an alternative view of the
city:
“ But now Midnight has come in
from foreign places. “
The poet personifies ‘Midnight’ by his use of the capital
letter. Midnight is associated with evil and the image
suggests the evil side of human nature is now being
displayed in the city. This idea is supported by his use of
the expression ’uncivilised darkness’. He is referring to
the dark side of human nature and the barbaric
behaviour that results from it. McCaig then extends this
image of darkness by contrasting it with light. The ‘ups
and acrosses’ remind us of the cross on which Christ died.
As Christ is often described as ‘the light of the world’ the
poet creates a contrast between good and evil. The image
of the light shooting at the darkness suggests that good
tries to overcome evil. However, in stanza two he goes on
to suggest that this battle is not so easily won.
McCaig begins an extended metaphor which not only cleverly creates a
contrast between civilised and uncivilised society:
“the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through
the glittering canyons and gulches”
The metaphor compares the sounds of the Native Americans of the old
wild west to the ‘police cars and ambulances’ in the streets below. The
‘warwhoops’ are their cries as they go into battle. They remind us of
the violence in the streets below. The ‘glittering canyons and gulches’
refer to the streets between the brightly lit modern skyscrapers and
remind us of the landscape of the wild west where violent battles took
place. This similarity between America ’s past and present suggests
that although mankind has advanced economically and technologically
we are no more civilised than we were in our barbaric past.
Finally his words emphasise the pain and suffering that poverty brings.
The ‘blood glazed on the sidewalks’ suggests that violence and the
pain and suffering it causes are always among us.
“The frontier is never
somewhere else. And no stockades
can keep the midnight out”
The frontier in the wild west was the edge of civilisation. By saying it is
‘never somewhere else’ the poet is suggesting that evil is always
within us and we are no more civilised than our ancestors. McCaig
ends with a pessimistic view of human nature. Stockades were high
fences built to protect those who live inside them. What McCaig is
suggesting is that no matter how high we build our buildings, develop
our technology or increase our wealth, evil will always exist within us.
He feels despair at our inability to overcome our most basic instincts,
suggesting that evil will always overcome good.