1. Visiting Hour
Poem 2

2. Learning Intention: We are learning how to read the poem for UNDERSTANDING So that I can Understand the basic points of the poem before I study the poet's techniques Success Criteria: I can... Identify the speaker, setting and subject of the poem Summarise what happens in the poem Identify and define any unfamiliar vocabulary words

3. Homework
Before we begin to study the poem, we need to do some work to ensure that we all understand what is happening in the poem. You have already completed these tasks for Assisi so you should be familiar with the process. From now on, you will do this on your own for homework before we study each poem in class..

4. Visiting Hour
First, let’s consider the title. Write it down at the top of your page. What do we think about when we read this phrase? Write down your ideas on the next line. What do we already know about this phrase? Write down your ideas on the next line. Considering all the information we have gathered, what do you think the poem will be about? What do your facts suggest about the poem? How do they make you feel?

5. “Visiting Hour” by Norman MacCaig
We are going to listen to Norman MacCaig introduce the poem “Visiting Hour”.
As you listen, answer the questions on the following slide.

6. Listening Exercise - Questions
What, according to MacCaig, is “perhaps the worst thing” that can happen to a person? (1)
Why did MacCaig write the poem “Visiting Hour”? (2)
What happened to MacCaig on the way to the hospital? (2)

7. Listening Exercise - Answers
2. What, according to MacCaig, is “perhaps the worse thing” that can happen to a person? (1)
The loss of someone you love/the danger of losing someone (1)
3. Why did MacCaig write the poem “Visiting Hour”? (2)
MacCaig went to visit his wife (1) who was dangerously ill in hospital (1)
4. What happened to MacCaig on the way to the hospital? (2)
Putting off thinking about it (1)/making silly jokes to avoid thinking (1)

8. We will now listen closely to Norman MacCaig reading his poem.
“Visiting Hour”
We will now listen closely to Norman MacCaig reading his poem.
Listen carefully to the poem and follow it in your workbook.
Now that we have heard the poem through once, you will re-read it yourself and complete a further task to ensure you understand what is happening.

9. “Visiting Hour”
The hospital smell combs my nostrils as they go bobbing along green and yellow corridors. What seems a corpse is trundled into a lift and vanishes heavenward.
I will not feel, I will not feel, until I have to.

10. “Visiting Hour”
Nurses walk lightly, swiftly, here and up and down and there, their slender waists miraculously carrying their burden of so much pain, so many deaths, their eyes still clear after so many farewells.

11. “Visiting Hour”
Ward 7. She lies in a white cave of forgetfulness. A withered hand trembles on its stalk. Eyes move behind eyelids too heavy to raise. Into an arm wasted of colour a glass fang is fixed, not guzzling but giving. And between her and me distance shrinks till there is none left but the distance of pain that neither she nor I can cross.

12. “Visiting Hour”
She smiles a little at this black figure in her white cave who clumsily rises in the round swimming waves of a bell and dizzily goes off, growing fainter, not smaller, leaving behind only books that will not be read and fruitless fruits.

13. Reading
As you read it for the second time I want you to make a list of any unfamiliar vocabulary words that you come across and any questions or thoughts/observations that you may have.

14. Reading
Vocabulary
Definition
Questions
Answer
Other Thoughts

15. Problem solving
On your own or with a study partner try to generate definitions for all the unfamiliar vocabulary words. You can use dictionaries or dicationary.com on your phone to help you! Make sure to look up every word you're not sure of and write it down in the table. I will be testing your knowledge of the vocabulary when you return. Now I want you to turn your attention to your questions. Using the internet or any other resources at your disposal, try to find an answer for each of your questions.

16. Now!
Working in the same pairs, read the poem again and take notes under the following headings
What (happens in the poem)
Where (do events takes place)
When ( do events take place)
Who ( is mentioned in the poem)

17. Consolidation
Now use your notes to help you draw a storyboard of the poem. You should use 6- 8 boxes to provide a visual representation of the poem with captions to explain what is happening.
The poet walks down the pungent corridors of a hospital.

18. Understanding (COPY)
MacCaig describes visiting his very sick wife in hospital and all that he came to think about as he walked through the hospital towards the ward she was in. Throughout the poem MacCaig focuses on death-the idea of facing it, the anticipation of it and the moment of separation that occurs- and the problems of communication. This is a powerful poem about an experience that we can all imagine. We see his persistent thoughts of death and his fears for his sick wife. We see how sickness and death separates even those who are very close to each other. We also see how helpless sickness makes those who are sick and those who love them – they are unable to do anything to prevent death.

19. STRUCTURE (COPY)
Like ‘Assisi’, it is written in FREE VERSE – appropriate to confusion in poet’s mind.
It is written in the FIRST PERSON – poet can express his feelings from the inside. We see his feelings as genuine.
It is written as a STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS. The poet is revealing his thoughts as he has them. We follow his emotional response to the entire experience – entering the hospital, walking through the corridors, arriving at the war, seeing his wife and leaving.

20. Understanding Questions
Stanza One The poet enters the hospital and describes his progress through the corridors
1. What do you think the poet means by his use of "combs my nostrils" in the opening stanza?
2. How do the colours "green and yellow" contribute to the description of the hospital?
Stanza Two The poet sees a body being taken away in a lift
1) In what two ways does the poet focus the reader's attention on the idea of death in the second stanza?
Stanza Three The narrator’s emotions begin to break through and he tries to keep them under control
1) What is happening to the poet in stanza three?

21. Understanding Questions
Stanza Four He turns his attention to the nurses he sees and begins describing them.
1) How does the poet describe the nurses’ a) movements b) appearance
2) What does he describe as a ‘miracle’?
Stanza Five He arrives at the ward where his wife lies and describes her physical state.
1) In your own words, explain how he describes his wife’s physical state.
2) What is the ‘glass fang’?
3) What is happening as ‘distance shrinks’?
Stanza Six A bell rings (to signal the end of the hospital visiting hour) and the poet leaves, taking feelings of despair and helplessness.
1) What is being described as a ‘white cave’?
2) How does the poet describe his own movements?
3) What did he leave in the hospital room for his wife?

22. Understanding Questions
Stanza One
1. What do you think the poet means by his use of "combs my nostrils" in the opening stanza? It’s annoying/irritating his nose. Suggests it is unpleasant and overpowering.
2. How do the colours "green and yellow" contribute to the description of the hospital? Normally associated with sickness/vomit/pus. A reminder of why he is here.
Stanza Two
1) In what two ways does the poet focus the reader's attention on the idea of death in the second stanza? Mention of ‘corpse’ and ‘heavenward’
Stanza Three
1) What is the poet feeling in stanza three? He is struggling to control his emotions. He is determined to remain numb until he absolutely has to face up to reality.

23. Understanding Questions
Stanza Four
1) How does the poet describe the nurses’
movements energetic/quick/busy
Appearance light/slight/vulnerable
2) What does he describe as a ‘miracle’?
The writer believes it is incredible that the nurses, who are so physically small and light are able to bear the great emotional weight of their work, the “burden” of it.
Stanza Five
1) In your own words, explain how he describes his wife’s physical state. Fragile and frail. Wasting away/no strength. Pale.
2) What is the ‘glass fang’? IV/Drip in her arm.
3) What is happening as ‘distance shrinks’? He is getting closer until he is by her side and touching her

24. Stanza Six
1) What is being described as a ‘white cave’?
Her hospital room
2) How does the poet describe his own movements?
Awkward and doesn’t know what to do/how to act
3) What did he leave in the hospital room for his wife?
Fruit that will not be eaten and books that will not be read.

25. Consolidation
You will be split into groups and each group will be asked to produce a poster on EITHER stanzas 1-2 which deal with his initial impressions of the hospital, stanzas which deal with his journey through the corridors OR stanzas which deal with the actual visit in the hospital room.

26. Learning intention Learning Intention:
We are learning WHY MacCaig chose to write this poem
So that I can
Understand the message that he is trying to convey to the reader
Success Criteria
I should be able to give one reason why MacCaig wrote the poem
I could also be able to offer another reason why the poem was written
I might also be able to identify what makes the poem universal

27. Why?
Now that we have a good basic understanding of the poem, we have to think about the WHY question.
Why did the poet choose to write this particular poem about this particular incident?
What is he trying to share with the reader?

28. Visiting Hour
Analysis

29. Analysis
Now that we understand WHAT is happening in the poem and WHAT MacCaig’s ’s message is, we now must think about HOW he chooses to express this message through his use of language.

30. New Terms
Synecdoche - a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa e.g. ‘skin and bone’ Caesura - a strong pause near the middle of a line usually indicated by a full stop Oxymoron - a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction e.g. ‘cruel kindness’ Pun - A play on words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning, often for comic effect is called a pun. Inversion – when the poet changes the normal word order for effect

31. Learning Intentions Learning Intention:
We are learning about the techniques used by MacCaig to convey the impact of his journey through the hospital to the reader
So that I can
Understand and comment on MacCaig’s use of language in the exam
Success Criteria
I should be able to define and identify new and familiar techniques in the poem
I could also be able to comment on examples of new and familiar techniques
I might also be able to evaluate the effect of MacCaig’s use of new and familiar techniques

32. COPY
The poem begins with a description of the speaker’s progress through the corridors of the hospital. MacCaig chooses to mention unusual details and the colours of the walls as he makes the journey. Despite the speaker’s intellectual attempt to avoid an emotional response, his senses force him to confront the reality of the situation. These stanzas all help to highlight the speaker’s discomfort and growing sense of an unease towards his surroundings.

33. The hospital corridors
Technique
Line
Quotation
Effect
Word choice 2 3
This emphasises just how powerful the smell is. The "nostrils" come to represent the whole of him. 4 5 6 7
‘trundled’
‘heavenward’
Enjambment
Highlights the finality and uncertainty of death – where do they go?
Repetition
8-9
‘here and up and down and there’
repetition
15-18

34. The hospital corridors
Technique
Line
Quotation
Effect
Word choice 2
‘combs my nostrils’
The word“combs” makes clear to the reader how strong the unpleasant smell is. It is completely filling the persona’s nostrils
Synecdoche 3
“nostrils as they go bobbing along”
This emphasises just how powerful the smell is. The "nostrils" come to represent the whole of him. It is also a light-hearted, comic image which contrasts strongly with what is to come. 4 5 6 7
‘green and yellow’
‘corpse’
‘trundled’
‘heavenward’
suggests pus, urine and vomit
Harsh and dehumanising term
onomatopoeic and therefore suggests the sound that the trolley makes. It is also a word that suggests very ordinary, everyday activity
The corpse is literally going up in the lift, but again the persona’s pre-occupation with death is revealed.

35. Enjambment 6 ‘vanishes’ Repetition 8-9 ‘I will not feel’
Highlights the finality and uncertainty of death – where do they go?
Repetition
8-9
‘I will not feel’
trying to convince himself that he can control his emotions
Repetition of “I will not feel” emphasises how difficult his struggle is.
Enjambment emphasises ‘ not’ and “I have to”. The poet is certain that a time will come when his emotions will have to come out. He is certain that he will have to face emotional trauma but not until he has no choice left.

36. inversion 12 Word choice 13 miraculously repetition 15-18
‘here and up and down and there’
The use of inversion and repetition of “and” in the line “here and up and down and there” emphasises their busyness. They are constantly moving.
Word choice 13
miraculously
the writer believes it is incredible that the nurses, who are so physically small and light are able to bear the great emotional weight of their work, the “burden” of it.
repetition
15-18
Repetition of “so” emphasises the huge number of seriously ill patients that they must cope with in their work

37. COPY
The opening of this stanza illustrates the immediate, inescapable simplicity of the situation: “Ward 7.” We have followed the speaker’s progress along the corridors of the hospital and this ward is his destination. It is significant: the short sentence punctuates the stark reality of the situation, and from here on in, it will be impossible to escape the spectre of death. This is a turning point in the poem as now he must confront the reality of the situation he has been so desperate to avoid.

38. Ward 7 Technique Line Quotation Effect Sentence length ‘Ward 7.’
The full stop in the middle of the line creates a pause (caesura). This suggests that the poet has paused outside the door. He is taking a moment to collect himself.
metaphor 20
Extended metaphor
21-22
connotations 24
‘wasted’
‘glass fang’
alliteration
enjambment

39. COPY
In the final stanza, the visit ends and the speaker describes his departure through the eyes of the patient. Contrast becomes an important feature in this stanza. The distance between the two figures (one alive, one near death) is highlighted throughout.

40. The patient Technique Line Quotation Effect Contrast 32 Word choice
This slight smile suggests some recognition on the part of the woman, however it doesn’t seem to offer the persona any comfort.
Contrast 32
Word choice
metaphor
‘growing fainter’
enjambment 36
oxymoron

41. Homework
Analysis questions

42. We will now look at different areas of the poem in groups.
Group Activity
We will now look at different areas of the poem in groups.
Each group will be looking at either imagery, structure or word choice.
In your group, discuss each question carefully and answer as fully as you can.

43. Group Activity
When each group has completed their questions, we will create posters displaying what we have learned.
These posters will be used to complete the analysis grids on the following pages of your workbook.

44. Poster Activity
We will now share our understanding on imagery, structure and word choice between groups.
Each group will leave their completed poster on the table and move to a different group.
At this new table, you will annotate your own poem OR use the Quotation/Analysis table at the back of your workbook.
You will have 8 minutes at each table- so do not waste this time!
If you have any questions about the quotes, ask the teacher.
It does not matter if ideas are duplicated or repeated, they will be sifted out in the next step.

45. Handy Hint
Imagery – look for examples of metaphors, similes, synechdoche and personification
Structure - look for examples of enjambment, inversion, sentence length, form
Language – connotations, pun, oxymoron, alliteration

46. Class Discussion
On the next few slides is some additional information about your areas of study.
As we discuss these points, make notes in your workbook of any information you think is relevant.

47. Imagery
“… nostrils/ as they go bobbing along” – Synecdoche is used, since not just his nostrils are moving along, as the image would suggest. This emphasises the powerful nature of “the hospital smell”, since it has blocked out his other senses.
“white cave of forgetfulness” – Metaphor, suggesting the white curtains or sheets are cave-like. This shows the isolation of the woman, and the poet’s exclusion from her.
“withered hand/ trembles on its stalk” – Metaphor, suggesting the woman’s body is brittle and frail, by comparing it to a dying flower. The image suggests the woman’s body has deteriorated, as well as showing the love with which the poet looks on the woman.

48. Imagery
“glass fang” – Metaphor, suggesting the intravenous drip is vampire-like. The horror in this image is shocking, which shows the poet’s grief and distress at seeing the woman’s condition, and being unable to help her.
“black figure in her white cave” – Metaphor, referring to the universal image of Death, “figure” also suggesting the woman’s blurred vision. This emphasises the isolation of the woman, as well as her impending death.
“the round swimming waves of a bell” – “swimming” could suggest the poet’s dizziness (confusion) or tears. This is from the woman’s point of view, so further shows her isolation, and the poet’s isolation from her.

49. Structure
Free verse is used throughout, which reflects the poet’s confusion.
The verses deal with the poet’s progression through the visit, from his entering the hospital and making his way to the ward, up to him leaving after the visit. Also, each verse reveals more of the poet’s emotions.
The first line of the poem is effective in grabbing the reader’s attention, by referring to a very vivid and distinctive sensory image; “The hospital smell” which the reader can associate with.

50. Structure
“What seems a corpse/ is trundled into a lift and vanishes/ heavenward” – Enjambment is used here to emphasise the last words of the lines, carefully chosen to suggest a finality in death; “corpse” containing very little connotation of life, and “vanishes” further stressing the poet’s view that death is absolute.
“I will not feel, I will not/ feel, until/ I have to.” – Repetition is used to suggest the poet is chanting under his breath in order to avoid his emotions.

51. Structure
“here and up and down and there” – the unusual word order is emphasising the number of nurses he sees. It suggests MacCaig is looking all around to find a distraction from his thoughts.
“so much pain, so/ many deaths …/ so many farewells” - Repetition of “so” stresses the frequency of the nurses’ unpleasant dealings, which supports the high esteem with which he regards the ability of the nurses to cope.
“Ward 7.” – The abruptness of this non- sentence jolts the reader, just as we can imagine it affected MacCaig. This is the turning point of the poem, as he has now reached his relative and must face his emotions.

52. Word Choice
“green and yellow corridors” – colours have connotations of sickness, which further stresses the poet’s discomfort in these surroundings.
“corpse” – holds little relation to life, suggesting the finality of death.
“miraculously” – suggests MacCaig’s admiration for the nurses’ abilities, while showing his own worry about the way he will cope with the emotions.

53. Word Choice
“farewells” – the ending of the verse on this draws attention to the word, which underlines the purpose of his visit.
“white cave” – holds connotations of isolation through confusion.
“not guzzling but giving” – the horror of the “glass fang” image is continued in the word “guzzling”, but is reversed by the positive word, “giving”. The use of the “g” sound in the alliteration conveys the harshness of the poet’s interpretation.

54. Word Choice
“clumsily … dizzily” – shows the poet is overcome by his emotions, leaving him confused and dazed.
“fainter” – showing the woman’s vision is blurred; she can see him getting fainter with distance. Also a pun, since the poet may be so upset he is starting to feel faint.
“fruitless fruits” – the final words are a paradox: how can a fruit be fruitless? This captures the poet’s despair at the pointlessness of the woman’s death being prolonged, and his inability to help – bringing fruit has been “fruitless”, i.e. pointless.

55. Visiting Hour
Annotation

56. The hospital smell combs my nostrils as they go bobbing along green and yellow corridors.
The poem starts with something that is very familiar to everyone – the unique and strong smell of a hospital. The reader is instantly engaged with the poem
The metaphor “combs” makes clear to the reader how strong the unpleasant smell is. It is completely filling the persona’s nostrils
Synecdoche the "nostrils" come to represent the whole of him showing how the intense smell of the hospital has reduced him to one sense
word choice "nostrils" emphasises the overpowering nature of “the hospital smell”, since it has blocked out his other senses.
bobbing" - jolly connotations hints at narrator's attempted denial of seriousness of situation.
word choice green and yellow – colours have connotations of sickness, which further stresses the poet’s discomfort in these surroundings.

57. What seems a corpse is trundled into a lift and vanishes heavenward.
‘what seems...’ Poet imagines that when you enter a hospital you do not come out alive. The patient appears lifeless and the poet assumes he is dead.
word choice: “corpse” containing very little connotation of life. The speaker has his first brush with death. This word is a particularly harsh word to use as it dehumanises the person who has died.
“vanishes” further stressing the poet’s view that death is absolute.
Word choice “trundled” conveys the noise of the trolley (onomatopoeia), but also the emotionless way it is handled
Enjambment is used here to emphasise the last words of the lines, carefully chosen to suggest finality in death;
Word choice “heavenward”, connotations of the afterlife. “vanishes / heavenward” The corpse is literally going up in the lift, but again the persona’s pre-occupation with death is revealed.

58. I will not feel, I will not feel, until I have to.
repetition: intensifies the control the speaker is trying to impose upon himself, denying his feelings as they are too painful.
The persona is desperately trying to convince himself that he can control his emotions
Repetition of “I will not feel” emphasises how difficult his struggle is.
Enjambment emphasises “I have to”. The poet is certain that a time will come when his emotions will have to come out. He is certain that he will have to face emotional trauma. It is made clear to the reader that the person the persona is visiting is very sick and the persona believes that they will die.
The reader is made to feel extremely worried and sympathetic for the persona and the emotional extremity of the situation.

59. Nurses walk lightly, swiftly, here and up and down and there,
Word choice “miraculously” – suggests poet’s admiration for nurses' physical labour and the way they professionally handle the huge emotional “burden”
Word choice: "lightly, swiftly" - poet admires their efficiency
The energy and vitality of the nurses is shown by the list of verbs “lightly, swiftly”
The use of inversion and repetition of “and” in the line “here and up and down and there” emphasises their busyness. They are constantly moving.
Inversion (unusual word order) reflects the need for the nurses to react to what is happening

60. their slender waists miraculously carrying their burden of so much pain, so many deaths, their eyes still clear after so many farewells.
slender” further emphasises the nurses lightness and physical slightness.
“miraculously” – the writer believes it is incredible that the nurses, who are so physically small and light are able to bear the great emotional weight of their work, the “burden” of it.
repetition of "so" emphasises his admiration for the nurses and their emotional burden and emphasises the huge number of seriously ill patients and eventual deaths that they must cope with in their work
Their “clear” eyes presumably contrast with the poet who is feeling the emotional pain of one potential farewell too much to bear.
position of "farewells" draws attention to it and underlines the purpose of his visit: the last unbearable goodbye to his dying loved one.
Euphemism He cannot bring himself to speak of death. This has gentler connotations of "going on a journey" and hints at the hope of an afterlife.

61. Ward 7. She lies in a white cave of forgetfulness.
“Ward 7.” is a minor sentence. The full stop in the middle of the line creates a pause (caesura). This suggests that the persona has paused outside the door. He is taking a moment to collect themselves before facing what he expects to be a very difficult experience.
caesura – the full stop creates a halt, creating the effect of the poet arriving at the ward (but also pausing … thinking … bracing himself). The abruptness of this jolts the reader. we also brace ourselves for the worst.
metaphor: room is compared to a cave, suggests isolation (from the rest of ward, surrounded by white sheets and curtains). The metaphor “white cave of forgetfulness” refers literally to the white curtains and sheets on the bed. However it also emphasises how cut off she is from the world. She is isolated in the hospital ward. “forgetfulness” is the first suggestion that she won’t recognise the persona and can’t connect with the world around her.
word choice “white” refers literally to the white walls/sheets/curtains but also has connotations of innocence, creates sympathy for her.

62. A withered hand trembles on its stalk
A withered hand trembles on its stalk. Eyes move behind eyelids too heavy to raise.
metaphor: woman is compared to a flower, suggests her fragility and how close she is to death. Word choice of “withered” and “trembles” emphasises how frail the woman is.
“its” dehumanises the woman. The persona is not able to see this sick and fragile body as the woman he knows and loves
“stalk” – this metaphor compares the woman to a flower that is dying. It suggests the fragility of the woman, but the comparison to a flower also suggests that the poet can remember her as beautiful.
“Eyes move” makes clear that she is still alive and has some consciousness, but her body is so sick and weak that she is unable to open them
The challenges of communication are made clear, she cannot see the persona and he is unable to see into her eyes – this loving gesture is impossible for them.

63. Into an arm wasted of colour a glass fang is fixed,not guzzling but giving.
metaphor describes the IV drip as a vampire (a horror image) extended by word choice “guzzling”
“glass fang” – this metaphor compares the medical equipment to a vampire. The persona is obviously fearful and suspicious of what is happening to her, seeing this care as intrusive and threatening.
“not guzzling but giving” clarifiers that the persona knows the hospital are not trying to hurt his wife, but his lack of medical knowledge and his fear for his wife is clear.
alliteration of “g” draws attention to the fact that the drip is seeking to put in life not draw it out, however pointlessly.
“wasted of colour” again emphasises the woman’s sickness and frailty. It also suggests the persona’s belief that the medical care the woman is receiving is having no impact on her.

64. The coma isolates the dying loved one from the narrator.
And between her and me distance shrinks till there is none left but the distance of pain that neither she nor I can cross.
This is an incredibly emotive section of the poem where the theme of communication and sickness is most clearly explored.
“distance shrinks till there is none left” suggests that the persona is now touching the woman. He has travelled through the hospital and is now in physical contact with the woman he loves.
However this is contrasted with the emotional gulf between them. He is unable to comfort her in her physical pain while she is unable to comfort him in his emotional pain. Her sickness has made them unable to communicate with each other.
The coma isolates the dying loved one from the narrator.

65. She smiles a little at this black figure in her white cave
Word choice: suggests possible recognition of the poet, and/or acceptance of the inevitability of her death. This slight smile suggests some recognition on the part of the woman, however it doesn’t seem to offer the persona any comfort.
word choice: black represents death. The use of contrasting colours, black and white suggests again the distance between the two. He is a “black” figure in her “white” cave. He does not belong there. This contrasts with white and shows how isolated and different they are now to each other.

66. who clumsily rises in the round swimming waves of a bell and dizzily goes off, growing fainter,not smaller,
"clumsily rises" and "dizzily goes off" suggest he is overcome with emotion. The adverb “clumsily” suggests that he is awkward and upset
word choice of swimming suggests narrators confusion/tears. This metaphor suggests initially the woman’s confusion awith the world around her – the sound of the bell has a visual impact for her. However the water imagery “swimming waves” also suggests that the persona is crying or that the emotional impact of the situation is becoming too much for him – he is drowning in his emotions.
“dizzily” suggests her poor vision and his disorientation caused by this emotionally challenging experience
“growing fainter” suggests the poor vision that the persona is imagining that the woman has. It also makes clear the increasing lack of ability to communicate with each other, their personalities have become faint to each other – less clear.

67. leaving behind only books that will not be read and fruitless fruits.
Enjambment places emphasis on “only” making clear how helpless the poet feels as he is able to do so little.
The paradox “books that will not be read” and the alliterative oxymoron and “ fruitless fruits” emphasise how helpless the poet feels. He has brought traditional gifts for a sick person in hospital but he can do nothing that will have any impact on the sick woman. She is so sick that she cannot read or eat – despite how much he cares for her, she is beyond his reach.
Oxymoron: He realises his inability to help: bringing fruit has been "fruitless" i.e. pointless.
alliteration: captures poet's despair, frustration, and lack of acceptance and his anger at the death of his loved one.

68. Assessment
You will now sit a practice textual analysis paper. The questions are similar to the ones you will encounter in the exam. You will have 45 minutes to answer ALL the questions. It will be marked out of 12*. (*Because this is one of the first poems that you have studied you will not be expected to answer the final question but it has been left in the paper to allow you to become familiar with the overall structure of the paper)

69. Analysis Questions use your analysis tables to help you here
On the next slide are some example textual analysis questions all about “Visiting Hour” by Norman MacCaig.
We will complete them individually, to test our knowledge and understanding of the poem.
When you answer these questions, refer to the text in your answers.
Remember you should attempt ALL the questions.
A blank copy of the poem is available to use during this practice.
After we have completed the questions, we will pass our answers to another student to mark.

70. 1. Comment on the word choice used in line 4 of the opening verse
1. Comment on the word choice used in line 4 of the opening verse. Why is it effective? (2)
2. Comment on the poet’s use of structure in lines Why is it effective? (2)
3.a)Look at verse 5 (lines 19-30)
Identify ONE image used by MacCaig and comment on its effectiveness. (2)
b) Identify one effective use of structure in this verse and explain what effect it has on your reading (2)
4. Reread verse 6. Select any example of word choice or imagery and explain in what way it helps to tell us about the speaker’s emotions (2)
5. a) What do you consider to be one of the main ideas of the poem? Identify one of these (1) b) Select two different quotes from the poem that support this idea and explain how they are effective in supporting the main idea. (4)

71. 1. Comment on the word choice used in line 4 of the opening verse
1. Comment on the word choice used in line 4 of the opening verse. Why is it effective? (2)
Answer: “green and yellow” has connotations of illness/sickness.

72. 2. Comment on the poet’s use of structure in lines 8-10
2. Comment on the poet’s use of structure in lines Why is it effective? (2)
Answer: The poet uses repetition of the phrase “I will not feel”. This is effective as it suggests he is chanting to himself/trying to assure himself of his own feelings.

73. 3.a)Look at verse 5 (lines 19-30)
Identify ONE image used by MacCaig and comment on its effectiveness. (2)
Answer: Any of- “white cave of forgetfulness”, “withered hand”, trembles on stalk”, “arm wasted of colour”, “glass fang fixed”.
Plus appropriate explanation.

74. 3 b) Identify one effective use of structure in this verse and explain what effect it has on your reading (2)
Answer: “Ward 7.” This very short non-sentence is used as a dramatic pause as the speaker arrives at his destination. OR
The poet uses enjambment- “the distance of pain that neither she nor I
can cross.” To mark a literal distance of pain within the poem.

75. 4. Reread verse 6. Select any example of word choice or imagery and explain in what way it helps to tell us about the speaker’s emotions (2)
WORD CHOICE: “clumsily”, “swimming waves”, “dizzily goes off”, “growing fainter”.
These words all suggest he is having great difficulty/feels uneasy with his visit.
IMAGERY: “black figure in white cave” has connotations of death suggesting he fears the worst for the patient.
“fruitless fruits” this paradox suggests he sees the fruit as meaningless/ has no purpose as the patient cannot be saved.

76. 5. a) What do you consider to be one of the main ideas of the poem
5. a) What do you consider to be one of the main ideas of the poem? Identify one of these. (1)
Answer: Facing Death (either the dying person, or the relative) OR
Isolation surrounding death/emotion

77. 5 b) Select two different quotes from the poem that support this idea and explain how they are effective in supporting the main idea. (4)
Answer: Answers must relate to theme/idea stated in 5a). For example, if “death” given as idea, each quote must relate to this idea and include suitable explanation. Mark accordingly.
2 suitable quotes with explanation = 4 marks.

78. Key Themes Facing Death (either the dying person, or the relative)
Isolation surrounding death/emotion

79. Is it less of an ordeal for the dying person than the one left behind?
Class Discussion
Think about…
Is it less of an ordeal for the dying person than the one left behind?
Dying is something we have to do alone, despite being surrounded by loved ones?
How realistic do you find the poet’s feelings?