Hotel room- Stanza 2 Flashcards
“But”
“midnight”
“I lie in bed”
“between a radio and a television set”
. Parenthesis
. This is effective as it emphasises how the speaker is cowering in his hotel room and desperately trying to make use of the advances of technology and mankind to protect himself and block out the noises of the terror and violence outside on the city streets. Juxtaposition is also used here as humanity has progressed so successfully in technology however the violence and barbarism that was once present, still remains within their souls.
“wildest of warwhoops”
. Connotations of barbaric, wild and uncivilised
. This suggests that the constant siren sounds of the city are comparable to the stereotypical loud and aggressive sounds and battle cries of the native Americans who occupied the wild west. It highlights how when the city is enveloped in the darkness of the night then people descend back into early barbaric human vices and entirely abandon their civility as they loss control, which the speaker is terrifyingly witnessing from his hotel room. It emphasises the impact that these noises have on the speaker, and it emphasises that despite the Western Europeans colonising the Native Americans who they believed to be savage and wild, the same ferocity and barbarity still rages within them.
“continually”
“ululating”
. Connotations of loud whail, grief and despair
. This suggests that the howl of noises which blare through the city at night are extremely loud, frightening and recall the earlier battle cries of the native Americans. These noises are associated with the overwhelming human emotions of grief and despair therefore suggesting that during the night there is an immense loss of control as people retreat back to their primal emotions.
“glittering”
“canyons and gulches”
. Metaphor
. The buildings and streets of the city are being compared to the ravines and valleys of the American wild west
. Just as the landscape of the American wild west is wild and barbaric so too are the buildings and streets of the city savage, feral and are full of violence
. This is effective as it suggests that despite the city being disguised behind grand and opulent facades of the technology of civilisation, that underneath it all it is just as wild and savage as it has always been in the American wild west. It further emphasises the man-made dazzling and distracting grandeur of the city which desperately conceals the threatening and violent aspects which lurk in its dark alleyways and hidden corners.
“police cars and ambulances”
. Connotations of violence, injured and emergency
. This suggests the extent and volume of emergency vehicles which are working tirelessly to save as many of the injured as they can during this war of violence and chaos on the streets of the city
“racing”
“broken bones”
“harsh screaming”
“coldwater flats”
“blood”
