Norman MacCaig
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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.
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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
it always close to the surface in human nature.
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Establishes immediately that the persona is in
an alien environment.
Suggests somewhere anonymous and
unknown.
Reference to midnight.
Also establishes that he is observing the city
form a height.
Factual title highlights the importance of the
setting to the poem’s central concerns.
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.
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This morning I watched form here:
Word choice of ‘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.
Creates a sense of distance, both through
time and space
Use of first person singular suggests he is
alone.
The first stanza concentrates on the visual
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
the Empire State building,
Simile comparing a helicopter to a wounded insect.
The comparison is effective as at a distance the
size, sound and movement of the helicopter
resemble an 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. Furthermore, insects also are often
found around decaying remains so the image
reminds us of death and dying.
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that jumbo-sized dentist drill
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In addition the metaphor he uses to describe the
Empire State Building emphasises this idea. The
shape of the building resembles ‘that jumbo-sized
dentist drill’ because it narrows towards the top
and has a long thin radio mast. The image of the
drill suggests pain and suffering. Again McCaig
seems disturbed by what he sees. His tone is
dismissive, as the word ‘jumbo’ suggests
something oversized, almost comically so. He is
unimpressed by these symbols of wealth and
human achievement. For the poet these modern
wonders are a veneer of civilisation over the true
nature of the city.
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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.
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on the roof of the PanAm skyscraper
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 has come in
from foreign places.
Shift from day to night. Use of present tense creates
sense of danger, immediacy.
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.
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Its uncivilised darkness
Personification: the darkness is not a
welcome visitor but rather something
unknown, uncouth and unwelcome. The
speaker’s fear of the darkness is apparent.
is shot at by a million lit windows, all
ups and acrosses.
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.
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6.
How is a sense of distance established in the
poem’s opening lines?
Explain fully how MacCaig uses imagery to make
the helicopter seem insignificant?
What impression of the Empire State Building is
created?
What kind of change occurs in line six?
What impression of midnight is created? Explain
fully how MacCaig does this.
How is a contrast between light and dark
established?
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.
But midnight is not
so easily defeated
Entering physical darkness and the mental darkness
of despair.
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.
Suggests that the city’s symbols of wealth and
progress are not enough to wipe away the
propensity to violence that exists in all societies.
I lie in bed, between
a radio and a television set
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.
He is in between symbols of modern technological
advance. He is attempting to use them to drown
out the violent noises from the streets. He is
unable to do so. At this point the speaker appears
isolated, passive and enclosed by the trappings of
modern life.
and hear
the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating
through
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.
‘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.
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the glittering canyons and gulches
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 ambushes and violent battles took
place. Again McCaig is juxtaposing symbols of
wealth with violence and poverty. 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.
police cars and ambulances racing
to broken bones,
Symbols of authority can only arrive after the
violence, are powerless to stop it.
Synecdoche of ‘broken bones’ depersonalises the
suffering and so highlights that anyone can fall
victim to violence. It also refers to the aspects of
society that are broken.
the harsh screaming
from coldwater flats,
The sounds of pain are emphasised by the word
‘harsh’. His words emphasise the pain and
suffering that poverty brings. This contrasts with
the superficial wealth of the first stanza.
The broken bones beneath the surface of America
are poverty and need.
the blood
glazed on the sidewalks.
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.
This suggests that violence and the pain and
suffering it causes are always among us. Evil
therefore is not just our violence but also the way
society neglects the poor. The quantity of blood
envelops everything, mirrors darkness.
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What impression of midnight is created at the
start of this stanza?
Make a list of all the sounds described in this
stanza.
Most of this stanza consists of one long, complex
sentence. What effect does this have?
List all the examples of Wild West imagery. Why
do you think MacCaig included these?
Why do you think that MacCaig included the
reference to ‘coldwater flats’?
‘Broken bones’ is an example of synecdoche.
Explain what this is and why MacCaig has used it
here.
What is the effect of the stanza’s final metaphor?
The frontier is never
somewhere else. And no stockades
can keep the midnight out.
Structure: shorter, simpler sentences.
Helps to create a tone of total despair.
The frontier is never
somewhere else.
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.
And no stockades
can keep the midnight out.
 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 prosperity,
evil will always exist within us. 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.
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What is McCaig’s message in the final stanza?
How is structure used to convey this?
How is imagery used to convey this?
How would you describe the tone of the final
stanza?
Do you find the final stanza to be an effective
conclusion to the poem? You should refer
closely to both the poet’s ideas and
techniques in your answer.