Critical Evaluation-Assisi
A poem that I have been studying recently is Assisi by Norman McCaig, which I found very interesting to read because it made a statement which relates to our world today even though the poem was wrote about thirty or forty years ago. The poem has lots of ideas including effective figures of speech, good choice of words, important images and irony. The statement that McCaig makes is, where ever there is great wealth it always exists along side great poverty. The poem is set in Assisi in Italy around the 1970's were all the rich tourists are coming in hundreds from all different countries far and wide to see the frescoes painted by Giotto in Assisi's huge cathedral. McCaig mainly focuses on the dwarf outside of the three-tier cathedral built in honour of St. Francis. McCaig then proceeds to the priest guiding the tourists around the cathedral telling them the history of Giotto's frescoes and how they individually teach people the goodness of God and the suffering of his son. McCaig uses effective littery techniques to describe the tourists and to describe the dwarf. He then goes on to explain that the tourists are not studying the frescoes and are just there to boast about being there. Then
I think that it was a good idea to situate the dwarf outside the huge cathedral and create the image of a great, strong, beautifully designed building standing over a small, weak, deformed person. Throughout the poem there is the use of irony and sarcasm, the first piece of irony used is in stanza 1 were he compared the three tier cathedral built in honour of St. I think that McCaig has made a very clear image of the tourists and that he makes very good use of the metaphor by extending it. Francis into the poemby comparing one of the bird's voice when it spoke to St. The simile used is, "Slumped like a half-filled sack. Francis to the little deformed dwarf. This is a good littery technique used by McCaig were he compares the cathedral which was supposedly built for the poor to the poor dwarf who is begging to the rich tourists. In stanza 3 there is an extended metaphor comparing the tourists to hens: "A rush of tourists, clucking contentedly, fluttered after him as he scattered the grain of the word. McCaig uses juxtaposition by situating the dwarf outside of the huge three tier cathedral. In stanza 1 he uses alliteration, simile and metaphor to give the reader a graphic view of the dwarfs deformed body: "The dwarf with his hands on backwards sat, slumped like a half-filled sack on tiny twisted legs from which sawdust might run. This leads to the tourists devaluing the life and work of Christ. McCaig also refers to the dwarf as a "ruined temple". McCaig also uses a metaphor to tell you of the dwarfs legs, "Tiny twisted legs from which sawdust might run. McCaig then goes on to use sarcasm when he compares the dwarf to St.
Common topics in this essay:
St Francis,
Francis McCaig,
Norman McCaig,
Grazie McCaig,
Christ McCaig,
Giotto Assisi's,
Assisi Italy,
st francis,
Francis Outside,
Critical Evaluation-Assisi,
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sawdust run,
littery techniques,
honour st francis,
rich tourists,
dwarf outside,
giotto's frescoes,
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voice sweet child's,
built honour st,
dwarf outside huge,
cathedral built honour,
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Acceptance Essays
