1. Hotel Room 12th Floor Norman MacCaig
Kelso High School English Department

2. Hotel Room, 12th floor

3. This morning I watched from here
a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect the Empire State Building, that
jumbo size dentist's drill, and landing
on the roof of the Pan Am skyscraper.

5. But now midnight has come in
from foreign places.
Its uncivilised darkness is shot at by
a million lit windows,
all ups and acrosses.

7. But midnight is not
so easily defeated. I lie in bed, between
a radio and a television set, and hear
the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through the
glittering canyons and gulches
police cars and ambulances racing
to the broken bones, the harsh screaming
from coldwater flats, the blood
glazed on sidewalks.

8. Norman MacCaig The frontier is never
somewhere else. And no stockades can
keep the midnight out.
Norman MacCaig

9. In this poem, written in 1968, the poet spends a night in a New York hotel room. One or two words or ideas you might not be familiar with are explained below.
Flats - Among the several meanings of this word are: apartments (rooms that people live in) and, low lying plains or tracts of land covered by shallow water typical of certain areas of south and west U.S.A.
Empire State Building - At the time the poem was written, the tallest building in the world.
Stockades - A barrier of stakes erected as a defence against attack.
PanAm - The national airline of U.S.A. at this time (went bust in the 80s)
Warwhoop –A cry uttered on going into battle.
Ululating - Howling or wailing in an undulating way.
Gulches - An American name for a ravine or narrow rocky valley.

10. TASK ONE: “TTYPAT” - Turn to your partner and talk
What is this poem about?
From whose viewpoint is it written? What is the effect of this?
List all the images of technology and civilisation.
List all the images of violence and the wild-west.
What does midnight represent?
What is this poem saying about modern (American/western) civilisation?
What is this poem saying about human nature?
Find examples of poetic techniques: alliteration, simile, metaphor, contrast...

11. IDEAS
TECHNIQUES
Strong, confident picture of civilisation/ technology
"This morning"
Protecting us from what we fear
skyscrapers/helicopter/dentist's drill
Darkness seen as threatening/alien
"But"
An enemy to be fought with technology
"Midnight has come in from foreign places" – meta “shot at by a million lit windows" - meta
How difficult it is to get away from what we fear
"But" - contrast
Even using technology
"between a radio and a television set"
How the violence in the city is like the wild west
"wildest of warwhoops" -allit/meta
"glittering canyons and gulches" - meta
Again we look to civilisation/technology to defend us
"police cars and ambulances"
But it is struggling to do so
"broken bones" – allit
"coldwater flats" - double meaning
Violence/decay/all the things we fear, are part of us
"frontier" - meta for line between civ/non-civ values
We cannot protect ourselves completely from them
"stockades" - meta for protection against fear"midnight" - meta for fear – violence /decay

12. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task Two: Individual or Pair – your choice!
Textual Analysis – getting to know the poem
1) Write down the following, giving two pieces of evidence for each one:
a) At what time is the poem being written?
b) Where is the poet? (inside and out)?
2) How does the setting (in time and place) contribute to the mood of the poem?

13. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task Two:
Look closely at lines 2-4
a) To what does the poet compare the helicopter in lines 2-3?
b) Write down two ways in which these two things are alike.
c) How does the comparison help us to appreciate the size of the Empire State Building?
d) To what does the poet compare the ESB in line 4?

14. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task Two:
3) a) What do these two images have in common?
b) What do they suggest about the poet’s attitude to the ESB?
c) What do you think the poet might be using the ESB to symbolise?

15. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task Two:
4) How does the image in lines 8-9 continue the theme established in lines 2-4?

16. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task Two:
5) Look closely at lines
a) Name two sources of the sounds which the poet hears outside in line 13.
b) How does the poet use word-choice to help us to imagine what these sounds are like?
c) What do you think the poet wants these words to remind us of?
d) How does the poet continue this imagery in line 14?
e) How does the poet’s position at this point in the poem add to the effectiveness of this imagery (lines 11-12) ?

17. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task One: Textual Analysis – getting to know the poem
6) Look closely at lines
a) What is the poet concerned about in these lines?
b) How does it continue the theme established earlier in the poem?
c) The poet uses a part to refer to the whole in these lines: ‘broken bones’, ‘harsh screaming’ ‘blood glazed on the sidewalks’.
What does this suggest about the way that the poet thinks the police and paramedics see the people who are described here?

18. ‘Hotel Room 12th Floor’ – Norman MacCaig
Task One: Textual Analysis – getting to know the poem
7) Look closely at lines
a) How does the poet continue the imagery used previously in the poem in these lines? Quote in your answer.
b) Is the ending of the poem optimistic or pessimistic? Give evidence.

19. Setting
Setting
 A hotel room on the 12th floor of a hotel in New York . The poet describes what he sees from this room in both day and night time.
We know he’s not very impressed with his view of New York. During the poem he moves from his window to his bed.

20. Context 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.

21. Context
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.

22. Title…
Establishes immediately that the persona is in an alien environment.
Suggests somewhere anonymous and unknown.
Also establishes that he is observing the city from a height.
Factual title highlights the importance of the setting to the poem’s central concerns.

23. Hotel Room, 12th Floor This morning I watched from here
1. Title Impersonal surroundings - isolation
Structure: Verse 1 – ANXIETY - attack on materialistic society
3. First Person Narration- “I”
Verse 1 – poet describes sights seen from hotel room window
Hotel Room, 12th Floor This morning I watched from here
2. Word Choice: “This morning” - Sense of time – sense of immediacy
4. “Watched” – Word Choice. Suggests the speaker is a passive observer of civilisation rather than a participant. Links in with sense of isolation established in title.

24. A helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
5. Word Choice / Connotation –”skirting” suggests going around the edge. Perhaps suggests the marvels of NYC in terms of size – building is too tall for the helicopter to fly over.
A helicopter skirting like a damaged insect
6. Simile / Conceit – Helicopter’s movements (a symbol of technological advancement) are compared to those of a “damaged’ insect. Hints at the darker side of the city by suggesting the perversion of nature and the darker side of civilisation which will come to dominate the poem. Size suggested by comparison to insect even from 12th floor.

25. the Empire State Building, that
7. Symbolism / connotations - “the Empire State Building” - a symbol of American success and a monument to the ‘progress’ of civilisation. Poem written
In At this time the ESB was the world’s tallest building.
the Empire State Building, that
Again connotations of the marvels of NYC. Establishes setting as
largest city in most technologically advanced and powerful nation in twentieth century

26. jumbo sized dentist’s drill
8. Metaphor / Conceit – “jumbo sized dentist’s drill” - “jumbo” – effectively suggests the size of the building. Connotations of dentist’s drill – unpleasant. Not viewed by poet as symbol of mankind’s status and success, but rather something that is painful / frightening. Reveals speaker’s pessimistic tone and fear. Fact it is conceit is disparaging and reveal MacCaig’s contempt for what he sees as American desire to have the biggest of everything. ESB viewed as monument to American way of life which poet is attacking.
jumbo sized dentist’s drill, and landing
jumbo sized dentist’s drill

27. 6. Simile / Conceit – “like a damaged insect” – 8
6. Simile / Conceit – “like a damaged insect” – 8. Metaphor / Conceit – “jumbo sized dentist’s drill”. Both devices depict suffering – the damaged insect and the dentist’s drill. The poem goes on to identify causes of suffering and the effects.
jumbo sized dentist’s drill, and landing
like a damaged insect

28. on the roof of the PanAm skycraper.
9. Symbolism – “Pan Am Skyscraper” - again a symbol of American success and dominance. Symbolic of America’s technological power and progress as Pan American airlines connected America to the rest of the world. The skyscraper was their headquarters in NYC. Provides speaker with a sense of place (geographically), but not a sense of belonging.
on the roof of the PanAm skycraper.

29. But now Midnight has come in
10. Turning Point and Negative Change – “But”. No longer morning Word Choice / Connotation / Personification – “Midnight” - with a capital M becomes a person / entity. Time connected to sense of danger/evil
12. Word Choice / Connotation – “come in” – suggests midnight is not invited, has simply turned up.
But now Midnight has come in

30. from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness
13.Word Choice / Connotation / – “Foreign” - unfamiliar, strange, not understood.
14.Word Choice / Connotation – “uncivilised” – what man does not understand is defined on the terms of our own civilisation. Something that is not understood is seen as being strange and frightening. Links to central extended metaphor of “Wild West”. Native Americans seen as savage and uncivilised as different to settlers.
15. Word Choice / Connotation – “darkness” – what cannot be seen is feared. Links to central theme of constant battle – both literal and metaphorical – between light and darkness. Again emphasises poet’s anxiety.
from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness

31. is shot at by a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses.
16. Imagery / Connotation – “shot at” – Wild West imagery / violence.
is shot at by a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses.
Imagery – “million” – again emphasises scale of technology in NYC.
Assonance – “million lit windows” suggests strength in numbers against dark.
19. Contrast ‘Lit’ and ‘darkness’
20. Metaphor – window frames in the form of the cross – reference to Christ suffering, dying to save civilisation
The ‘light’ is trying to fight off the ‘uncivilised darkness’ – religion is making a vain attempt to counteract the evil.
The poet’s anxiety is clear – he feels society is beyond redemption

32. But midnight is not so easily defeated.
Structure: Verse 2 – FEAR – human suffering and isolation in the midst of ostentation and wealth
Narrative Stance: the poet tries (unsuccessfully) to hide under the bedclothes from the noise of the violent streets
But midnight is not
so easily defeated.
22. Word Choice – “So easily defeated” – suggestion that struggle against darkness is futile.
21. Positioning / Word Choice - ‘But’ links verses 1 and 2, suggesting that violence in this society is a product of materialism. Midnight and darkness has become a foe, a formidable enemy. Sense of helplessness revealed through this recognition of the situation.

33. a radio and a television set, and hear
23. Caesura – full stop. Creates a pause before the next stage is introduced.
24. Word Choice – “I lie in bed” – he is still passive though no longer seeing the city outside. The fact he is “in bed” suggests he is trying to sleep. As the poem progresses, his interaction with NYC recedes.
. I lie in bed, between
a radio and a television set, and hear
25. Imagery – “radio and a television set” – two symbols of communication and two symbols of modern technology. He is surrounded in this city by technology. Suggestion he can’t rest in bed. The fact he is trying to blot out noise from street suggests how noisy it is.

34. 27. Word Choice – “ululating” - a long, wavering, high-pitched sound resembling the howl of a dog or wolf with a trilling quality. Coupled with “wildest of warwhoops” suggests a cacophony of unknown, aggressive voices.
the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through the glittering canyons and gulches –
26. Alliteration / Imagery – “wildest of warwhoops” - the noise of the police and ambulance sirens. Connotations of Indians attacking. Intensified by alliteration. Suggests the uncivilised nature of the street violence. The city has become a wilderness. Speaker frightened as each unknown noise is interpreted in a negative way.
29. Metaphor “Canyons and gulches” - The city streets - with high buildings on both sides - resemble the Wild West landscape and the areas used in films for ambushes, suggesting that the streets in the city are just as dangerous. NYC is not as civilised as its technology would suggest. Links to extended metaphor of Wild West.
28. Word Choice – “glittering” - Lights reflecting on windows

35. to broken bones, the harsh screaming from coldwater flats, the blood
30. Enjambment – “racing” - Police and ambulance sirens are described as ‘the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating’
Violence on the streets means that the victims require the emergency services
32. Word Choice – “coldwater flats” Highlights poverty – flats without hot water. Should this be case in civilised technological society?
police cars and ambulances racing
to broken bones, the harsh screaming
from coldwater flats, the blood
glazed on the sidewalks.
This continues idea of suffering introduced by imagery/conceit examples in stanza 1 and shows the isolation and suffering of the poor in the midst of the wealth and show of the city (represented by the ESB). NYC still allows people to live in poverty. Is this modern city really civilised?
31. SYNECDOCHE, where a part of something is used to refer to the whole thing. In this case, part of the person is used to represent the whole person i.e. ‘broken bones’ for a person who has broken bones, ‘harsh screaming’ for the person who is screaming, ‘blood glazed’ for people who have been injured. Does it suggest no-one cares? Whole person is not recognised. Highlights pain. Depersonalises suffering.
33. Word Choice – “glazed” – suggests not been washed off as will happen again. Draws attention to harsh reality of city,
People fight and kill each other on the streets – the poor are suffering, despite being surrounded by wealth

36. 34. Structure / Conclusion: No solution is put forward
34. Structure / Conclusion: No solution is put forward. Reinforces idea that no solution is offered. 3 short lines, 2 strong statements, decisive negative words, ‘never’, ‘no’.
Narrative Stance: Comment on what speaker has seen and heard – pessimism about the nature of human beings in supposed civilised / prosperous society
36. Word Choice / Enjambment – “Never” emphasises the negative
37. Word Choice – “somewhere else” - Evil is within us. We are no more civilised than ‘Cowboys and Indians’ in films.
The frontier is never somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.
38. Personification – “midnight out”. However many barriers we put up or how technically advanced we are, this cannot defeat the potential for evil in men’s souls.
35. Imagery – “frontier” / “stockades”. Continues extended metaphor of Wild West imagery. “Frontier” suggests barrier between civilisation and savagery. To the speaker, there is no such division.

37. Summary
Theme – attack on materialistic attitude of society suggests violence is a product of materialistic society
Narrative Stance:
Verse 1 – poet describes sights seen from hotel room window
Verse 2 – describes noises heard from hotel room
Verse 3 – comment on what he has seen / heard - pessimistic
Structure:
Verse 1 – anxiety – attacks materialistic attitude of society
Verse 2 – fear – tries (unsuccessfully) to hide under the bed clothes from the noise of the violent streets
Verse 3 – no solution is put forward
Imagery:
Simile and metaphor: ESB and helicopter; ESB as dentist’s drill
Metaphor: windows as crucifix
Extended metaphor: Wild West Imagery
Metaphor: midnight / darkness = evil
Connected to suffering
Key idea – that evil and potential for violence is within us and regardless of our supposedly advanced society and technological marvels, we are no more civilised now than we were in days of Wild West.