Basking Shark - Quote And Analysis Flashcards
(6 cards)
1
Q
“Happened once (too often) to me”
A
Brackets indicate humour, poet was scared but tried to make light of it, informal tone.
2
Q
“But not too often - though enough”
A
Contradicts what poet said in previous stanza, suggests he found the experience frightening.
3
Q
“That once I met”
A
Word choice ‘met’ suggests a more friendly take on the encounter.
4
Q
“Wrong branch on his family tree”
A
Poet questions weather humans are the monsters rather than the shark.
5
Q
“Swish up the dirt”
A
Word choice ‘dirt’ - murky thought of how humans have evolved to what they are now.
6
Q
“So who’s the monster?”
A
Poet is now not so sure of his own superiority over the rest of nature and no- longer sees the shark as a monster, but humanity instead.
