1. Assisi by Norman MacCaig
National 4 and 5 English
Ian Yule

2. Why this poem? It’s by a Scottish poet
In National 5 English you are required to study Scottish Poets and Norman McCaig is one of the compulsory options
In National 5 you will be required to write about ‘Assisi’ in the exam.
In National 4 the assessment is your essay.

3. A true story
Have you ever been on a guided tour of a castle or ancient church when on holiday?
The poet, Norman McCaig, is on holiday in Italy and he tells us about his visit to the church at Assisi (narration).
Then he thinks about the meaning of his experience (reflection).

4. Central Concern of the Text
In the poem ‘Assisi’ the main character is a disabled dwarf – he is sitting begging beside a historic church.
You would have expected the priests to have been concerned for him – instead they were caught up with the church’s artwork and looking after visitors.
McCaig uses this event to consider the theme of hypocrisy.

5. Assisi

6. St Francis of Assisi

7. Verse 1 The dwarf with his hands on backwards
Sat, slumped like a half filled sack
On tiny twisted legs from which
Sawdust might run,
Outside the three tiers of churches built
In honour of St Francis, brother
Of the poor, talker with birds, over whom
He had the advantage
Of not being dead yet.

8. “Outside the three tiers of churches built in honour of St Francis, brother of the poor, talker with birds ….”

9. Three tiers of churches

10. Three tiers of churches

11. The basilica of St Francis

12. Verse 2 A priest explained How clever it was of Giotto
To make his frescoes tell stories
That would reveal to the illiterate the goodness
Of God, and the suffering
Of his son, I understood
The explanation and
The cleverness.

13. The artist Giotto (1267 – 1337)
“How clever it was of Giotto to make his frescoes tell stories that would reveal to the illiterate the goodness of God and the suffering of his son …”

14. An example of a frescoe (wall painting)

15. Verse 3 A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,
Fluttered after him as he scattered
The grain of the word. It was they who had passed
The ruined temple outside, whose eyes
Wept pus, whose back was higher
Than his head, whose lopside mouth
Said, Grazie in a voice as sweet
As a child’s when she speaks to her mother
Or a bird’s when it spoke
To St Francis.

16. The tourists

17. The Tourists A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly,
Fluttered after him as he scattered
The grain of the word
Just as a group of hens would be noisy and would happily run after someone feeding them with seed so too the group of tourists were noisy, unthinking and followed after the priests as they told their stories.
The image suggests the tourists were happy with whatever the priests told them and didn’t give any thought to the dwarf.

18. The temple

19. The Temple It was they who had passed The ruined temple outside
Just as an old building would be in ruins so too the dwarf’s life was now in pieces.
The image suggests that God’s truth was not to be found inside the church but outside – if you feel compassion for those whose lives are in ruins.

20. In conclusion
The priests were hypocritical in trying to teach about God’s love from the frescoes but at the same time ignoring the real life story outside of the church.
The tourists were foolish and lacking in compassion by following the priests and ignoring the dwarf.
MacCaig reflects on this hypocrisy. The truth about God was not to be found in the church – but in the dwarf, it was his voice which said “Grazie” and “was as sweet as a child’s.”