Norman MacCaig revision Sounds of the Day Norman MacCaig revision

Summary The poem is about the breakdown of a relationship It is structured the contrast between the sounds of the natural world outside and the deafening silence of the inside of the narrator’s home The contrast emphasises his isolation.

‘horses crossing the ford’ The noise of horse and cart...

‘ lapwing seeing us off the premises’ http://www.arkive.org/lapwing/vanellus-vanellus/video-00.html

‘black drums rolled’ Creates a sense of foreboding – METAPHOR – water compared to drums, loud. Shows volume of water. “Black” connotations of death. FORESHADOWS SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

‘the door scraped shut’ The turning point in the poem. Emphasised by onomatopoeia Introduces the silence of his isolation

‘the quietest fire in the world’ Fires are an image of warmth and home or ROMANCE? This one is quiet- the opposite of what a fire should be QUIETEST -superlative This emphasises his isolation “You left me” – line on its own. Accusing his lover? Doesn’t take responsibility himself.

‘I thought I was hurt in my pride only’ He thought he was just embarrassed to be left He is realising the pain of isolation The idea is of grief and depression Links to poems about grief but from another angle

‘bangle of ice around your wrist’ Putting hand in cold water hurts It goes numb then it hurts as you take it out This becomes metaphor for the passage of his grief and depression. He has moved from pain to numbness back to pain.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zmcrd2p