Hotel Room, 12th floor

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 Pan Am 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 the broken bones, the harsh screaming from coldwater flats, the blood glazed on sidewalks.

Norman MacCaig The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out. Norman MacCaig

In this poem, written in 1968, the poet spends a night in a New York hotel room. One or two words or ideas you might not be familiar with are explained below. Flats - Among the several meanings of this word are: apartments (rooms that people live in) and, low lying plains or tracts of land covered by shallow water typical of certain areas of south and west U.S.A. Empire State Building - At the time the poem was written, the tallest building in the world. Stockades - A barrier of stakes erected as a defence against attack. PanAm - The national airline of U.S.A. at this time (went bust in the 80s) Warwhoop –A cry uttered on going into battle. Ululating - Howling or walling in an undulating way. Gulches - An American name for a ravine or narrow rocky valley.

Hotel Room, 12th floor But midnight is not This morning I watched from here so easily defeated. I lie in bed, between a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect the Empire State Building, that a radio and a television set, and hear jumbo size dentist's drill, and landing the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through the on the roof of the Pan Am skyscraper. glittering canyons and gulches But now midnight has come in police cars and ambulances racing from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness is shot to the broken bones, the harsh screaming from coldwater flats, the blood glazed on sidewalks. at by a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses. The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.

Read this poem through carefully then write a short paragraph saying what you think it is about. (about 5/6 lines) Where would you normally expect to find these words used? What are they describing here? Find another word from stanza two which continues this idea The poet wrote this on his first visit to New York. He spent much of his life in the North of Scotland. Say what you think his attitude is to New York and how this might be influenced by his background. In the second stanza MacCaig watches TV and then describes the scene outside his window. What similarities does he see? (Difficult one this !) MacCaig talks about New York by day and contrasts it with NY at night. There is a simile in the first two lines. Write down what two things are being compared. Say why it is appropriate to compare them. What connotations do we have when we talk about light and dark? In the last stanza he talks about the 'frontier’ ( which usually means the border between two sides) What battle does he mean when talking about New York? "that jumbo sized dentist drill". What figure of speech is this? What two things are being compared? In what way are the two similar? How goes this phrase give us a hint of how he feels about New York "shot at" and "defeated".

Hotel Room, 12th floor But midnight is not This morning I watched from here so easily defeated. I lie in bed, between a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect the Empire State Building, that a radio and a television set, and hear jumbo size dentist's drill, and landing the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through the on the roof of the Pan Am skyscraper. glittering canyons and gulches But now midnight has come in police cars and ambulances racing from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness is shot to the broken bones, the harsh screaming from coldwater flats, the blood glazed on sidewalks. at by a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses. The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.

CRITICAL ESSAY — HOTEL ROOM 12TH FLOOR "This poem describes a scene but also makes the reader think about something else. Show the ways in which the poet has been successful in doing both." Paragraph 2 onwards: POINT — what the writer is trying to do or show. EVIDENCE — quotes to support your point. Paragraph 1 EXPLAIN — identify techniques used and say why effective. Title of text, author and reference to the question. Include reference to the fact that: this poem describes New York by day and night Conclusion: Round off with reference to the question and personal comment (such as concluding with the visual metaphor of turning the poem sideways to reveal a word picture of New York skyscrapers). Give your viewpoint! 2. It makes the reader think about violence and the battle between good and evil

IDEAS TECHNIQUES Strong, confident picture of civilisation/ technology "This morning" Protecting us from what we fear skyscrapers/helicopter/dentist's drill Darkness seen as threatening/alien "But" An enemy to be fought with technology "Midnight has come in from foreign places" – meta “shot at by a million lit windows" - meta How difficult it is to get away from what we fear "But" - contrast Even using technology "between a radio and a television set" How the violence in the city is like the wild west "wildest of warwhoops" -allit/meta "glittering canyons and gulches" - meta Again we look to civilisation/technology to defend us "police cars and ambulances" But it is struggling to do so "broken bones" – allit "coldwater flats" - double meaning Violence/decay/all the things we fear, are part of us "frontier" - meta for line between civ/non-civ values We cannot protect ourselves completely from them "stockades" - meta for protection against fear"midnight" - meta for fear – violence /decay

Example only! Don’t copy! A poem which at first seemed simple and straightforward to me was "Hotel Room, 12th Floor” by Norman MacCaig. This seemed to be about the poet observing New York during the day from his hotel room and then noting the change in the city when night fell. However, on closer study I realised it was dealing with a more complex idea - the nature of violence in society and how it is a basic part of mankind. MacCaig uses the change from daylight to darkness to show what happens when civilising influences are removed and man’s more primitive side emerges.