1. Thursday 16th October Higher LI
We will have learned how to answer the last question in the Critical Reading paper effectively and identified connections in MacCaig’s poetry.
Agenda
Writing 3 paragraphs highlighting connections in MacCaig poetry (use your table)
Attempting the practice Critical Reading paper on “Sounds…”

2. The Last Question (10 marks)
Look at the hand out of the set text specimen. The paper is broken down as follows:
There will be four questions.
The first three questions will be textual analysis style questions on one of the set texts that will be given to you.
Two 4 mark questions (So, two quotes and two sets of analysis per question)
One 2 mark question (So, one quote and one set of analysis)
Your last question will be worth 10 marks, taken from one or more of MacCaig’s other poems although you should refer to the poem given and discuss how it connects to MacCaig’s other poems (‘one or more’ /‘at least one’)
2 marks from poem given
2 marks for identifying a commonality (theme etc in ref to the qu)
6 marks for referring to MacCaig’s other poems (“one or more/at least one”)

3. The Last Question (10 marks!)
You will be asked about thematic connections in MacCaig’s work:
Usually:
Themes (loss, grief, death)
- Sounds of the Day
Memorial
Visiting Hour
Aunt Julia
Personal Experience (All)
Observation (All except ‘AJ’)
Nature Imagery
Memorial (bird, floral)
Aunt Julia (outdoors, eggs, winds)
Assisi (extended metaphor – hens)
Sounds of the Day (Outdoors, birds, ocean, winds, river)
Basking Shark (shark, rain on the sea, “slime of everything”)
Contrast
Assisi (dwarf and church, poverty and
wealth.
Memorial (death and floral imagery)
Sounds of the Day (contrasting
sounds to highlight MacCaig’s grief.
Positive vrs negative.)
- Basking Shark (MacCaig comparing himself
to the shark – Is he superior?) “matchbox brain –
room sized monster”.
Aunt Julia (“crickets being friendly” in
contrast to the dark room to emphasise
his comfort at Aunt Julia’s. )

4. By referring to this poem and one other by Norman MacCaig, discuss his use of contrast to explore theme in his work.
Memorial – theme of death through positive words and negative words
Assisi – theme of hypocrisy and poverty through the dwarf and church
Sounds of the Day – theme of loss through contrasting sounds (positive sounds of nature to “door scraping shut”)
Basking Shark – “matchbox brain” to “roomsized monster”