Hotel Room, 12th Floor 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.

Brooklyn Cop Norman MacCaig depicts the character of a corrupt, thuggish American cop. A policeman is meant to be trusted and is employed to 'serve and protect'. Instead the, "Gorilla with a nightstick", is insensitive, violent and appears to enjoy the murderous nature of his job. However, despite his tough exterior, there is a gentler side to the cop, who loves his wife and fears for his life. The poem asks us to consider the violence that takes place within a city like New York, and whether the cop is partly responsible. 

In Mrs Tilscher’s Class In this poem, Duffy affectionately remembers her experience of one year in her primary school, in particular the class of Mrs Tilscher. School, and especially Mrs Tilscher's class, was a place of security and adventure. Duffy uses lots of sensual imagery to dramatise the childhood world, so that we can experience it for ourselves. There is a lot of visual imagery, from the description of the 'chalky Pyramids' on the blackboard to the sky splitting open at the end of the poem. We also hear the loving primary school teacher 'chanting', and the children 'croaking' in imitation of frogs. The poem is also about growing up and the confusion and excitement that this can bring.

The Way My Mother Speaks This is a poem about a real and metaphorical journey through life. Duffy is on a train journey away from home which gives her time to think about her relationship with her mother and look at her past in a positive and nostalgic way. As she considers this she realises that she is free to follow her own path and live her own future but to still remain connected to her mother and her past.

Task 1 Read the poems again Highlight and label any interesting word choice, punctuation or imagery

Task 2 For each poem note down your thoughts about: Main ideas Themes Who is the speaker/main character What other poems it links with