hotel room 12th floor Flashcards
themes(5)
uncivilised human nature, wealth, violence, crime,tech
“helicopter skirting like a damaged insect”
simile-insignificant and small to building: insect buzzing around and damaged-inferior to nature
comment on society worth of tech achievements
“empire state building, that jumbo size dentist’s drill”
symbol of wealth
metaphor-critique American’s view of “bigger is better”-dislike towards building
“but now midnight has come in from foreign places”
but- turning point-morning to middle of night- mood goes solemn
midnight-wc- time moved on-introduces darkness and fear
foreign places- unfamiliar and strange- conflict and fear reinforced
“shot at by a million lit windows”
shot- wc-violence and crime
“million lit windows”-provides contrast and strengthens good vs evil
“ups and acrosses”
religious imagery-suggests shorts fired upwards
acrosses- christian image of good vs evil
“but midnight is not// so easily defeated.”
enjambment-emphasises negativity
but-turning point light good but losing the battle
struggle is futile as darkness always comes
“wildest warwhoops”
connotations of brutal and uncivilised
alliteration-highlights brutal culture-shows chaos and aggression taking place on ground below
“ambulances racing”
life is cheap in nyc-common to get maimed-synecdoche
“the harsh screaming”
depersonalises their suffering- police and medics desensitised
“the frontier”
war reference-always same place-anywhere in nyc
“no stockades”
extended metaphor of wild west imagery-represents uncivilised nature of violence on streets
“keep the midnight out”
returns to idea of darkness/midnight as symbols of evil
narrative stance
Poet’s opinion-comments on what he saw and hear-pessimistic
about nature of humans in “civilised society”
