Analysis of Norman MacCaig's "Basking Shark" Poem
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BASKING SHARK
ANNOTATION
POETRY OF NORMAN MACCAIG
Poet’s Main Idea
This poem is about a strange and unsettling encounter that
MacCaig has with a Basking Shark
A Basking Shark is a very large shark - reaching sizes in excess
of ten metres and weighing several tonnes.
They are harmless - having no true teeth - and therefore this
shark wouldn’t have been a real threat to MacCaig.
As you can imagine encountering a shark like that in a small
boat would be unnerving and scary.
The subject of the poem is never mentioned in the body of the
poem itself, instead we infer from the title what the poet's
small boat collided with that day.
A Basking Shark
•
In the interview ‘A Metaphorical Way of Seeing Things’,
MacCaig maintained that poetry is a
‘psychological Optrex, it
clears your eyes and you see things’.
•
Like many of MacCaig’s poems, ‘Basking Shark’ moves from
description to reflection. This experience leads the poet to
reflect on his own and humanity’s relationship with the natural
world and to ponder ‘Who’s the monster?’.
Reflective Nature of the Poem
This encounter with a Basking Shark started him reflecting on
evolution.
He thinks about how each species took a different evolutionary path:
A shark unchanged for millions of years
Humans who have evolved and changed vastly over a short
period of time
He then thinks about who is the monster in this encounter. Is it the
shark who looks as large as a monster? Or is it himself, as a
representative of the human race and all the evil that humanity is
capable of?
The thought remains with the poet, unresolved, as the shark swims
off.
Theme
This poem is set out in five stanzas.
Each stanza has three lines, and each line being end-rhymed
with the others in the stanza.
The meter of the poem is also fairly regular: the first two
lines of each stanza have five stressed syllables, while the
final one has four. The effect of the final shorter stressed line
is to create a sense of fitting closure to the stanza.
In this poem the tightness of structure serves to
encapsulate the uniqueness of the experience, and the
regularity of rhythm and rhyme matches the rhythmic
quality of the rise and the fall of the sea itself, and likewise
the steady pulling of the oars.
Structure
To stub an oar on a rock where none should be,
To have it rise with a slounge out of the sea
Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me.
Stanza One
Think about:
-
What happens in this stanza?
-
What is your impression of the shark?
-
What is the effect of the parenthesis? (too often)
Stanza One
To stub
an oar
on a rock
where none should be,
To have
it rise
with a
slounge
out of the sea
Is a thing that happened
once (too often)
to me
.
Infinitive verbs –
helps to capture the
readers attention.
Metaphor comparing
the shark to a rock –
bulky/solid without
feeling or intelligence
Slounge –
onomatopoeia –
noise of waves,
clumsy movement
Shark that it is in
charge
Although the poet is
frightened he tries
to inject humour to
make light of the
situation
But not too often - though enough. I count as gain
That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain,
That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain.
Stanza Two
Think about:
-
What point the poet is making about the
encounter
-
How the writer creates the sense of rain
-
The impact of the description of the shark
But not too often
-
though enough.
I count as gain
That once I
met
,
on a sea tin-tacked with rain
,
That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain.
Dash – indicates no rush.
While it is frightening at first,
he now thinks experience is
worthwhile
Emphasises experience is
worthwhile – explains reasons
why in rest of poem
Met – experience is
now not a shock.
He can now think
about what is
happening
Visual/aural imagery
Can see and hear the rain
on the sea
(now that shock has
passed he can concentrate
on small details
Stanza Two
But not too often - though enough. I count as gain
That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain,
That
roomsized monster
with a
matchbox brain
.
Stanza Two
Roomsized –
emphasises size
Monster – low down
on evolutionary scale
Basic animal - large animal with
small brain – like a dinosaur.
Opposite to us
Contrast shows difference
between physical and mental
capacities
There is clever use of long and short vowels in this final line too: the
long vowels in roomsized monster appropriately extend and
elongate the expression to reinforce the size of the shark in contrast
to the short, clipped vowels of matchbox brain
.
He displaced more than water. He shoggled me
Centuries back - this decadent townee
Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree.
Stanza Three
Think about:
-
What does the poet start thinking about?
-
What is the effect of the word “shoggled”
-
What is “family tree” a reference to?
He displaced more than water.
He
shoggled
me
Centuries back
- this
decadent townee
Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree.
Idea of shark making
him rethink his life
and man’s position
in it.
Shark in control again – shark
moving him. Self deprecating
Use of colloquial words.
Enjambment –
Draws
attention to
the words.
Shows he is
thinking back
to prehistoric
times.
Decadent townee –
Moved far away from his origins
Decadent --
he has lost a sense of
purpose in his life and become too
immersed in the pursuit of
hedonistic pleasures
He is reminded that this
shark too is part of our own
family tree and is
inextricably linked to us in
much the same way as any
other ancestor.
Stanza Three
Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring
Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling,
Emerging from the slime of everything.
Stanza Four
Think about:
-
What point is he making in first two lines?
-
What is “slime” a reference to?
Swish
up the
dirt
and, when it settles, a spring
Is all the clearer. I saw me, in
one fling
,
Emerging from the slime of everything
.
An analogy is made at the opening of this stanza between
stirring up dirt in a spring and the water then being all the
clearer, and the present situation the speaker finds himself in.
The
onomatopoeic
swish of the
water also
alludes to the
idea of
displacement
in the
previous
stanza
.
The dirt in this case is the murky thought of how humans
evolved into what they now are. The idea of dirt in our origins
continues with the choice of the word slime
Stanza Four
Emphasises the
sudden nature of
his thoughts/how
one encounter can
change your point
of view
Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring
Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling,
Emerging
from the
slime of
everything
.
Emerging –
moving/developing from
prehistoric times
Also highlights the
epiphany and clarity of
vision he now has.
The primeval slime from
which we and all other
living organisms were
created, linking the
evolution of humanity
once more with that of
the shark.
How the poet (and
us) is connected to
every animal
through evolution
Stanza Four
So who's the monster? The thought made me grow pale
For twenty seconds while, sail after sail,
The tall fin slid away and then the tail.
Stanza Four
Think about:
-
Why does the poet ask this question? What is his
reaction to the question?
-
Has his opinion of the shark changed from stanza one?
So who's the monster?
The thought made me grow
pale
For twenty seconds
while,
sail after sail,
The
tall fin slid away
and then the tail.
Not so confident as
to who the superior
being is
This magnificent, awesome creature is
monstrous simply because of its relative
size, but in the metaphorical sense it is
clear the speaker now considers
humanity to be the true monster.
Doesn’t think about it for long
– emphasises how man is the
monster
Shark is an elegant being –
contrast to at the start of the
poem
Stanza Five
•
Stanza One
– MacCaig describes the chance meeting with the
shark and makes it clear it has happened before.
•
Stanza Two
– the meetings have had an effect on him and he
thinks back to one particular meeting.
•
Stanza Three
– he begins to question his position in the
evolutionary process.
•
Stanza Four
– explains how indistinct humans were from other
species at the beginning of the evolutionary process.
•
Stanza Five
– his opinion of the shark changes and the poet
reveals that he is not so sure of his own superiority over the rest
of nature.
An Overview of the Stanzas
Revision Tasks
To help you remember the key points of the poem you should:
Write a summary of the poem showing how the poet moves
from experience to reflection.
Identify a key quote for each of the following points:
The poet views the shark as an unthinking animal
The poet begins to question his beliefs because of this
incident
The poet realises that it is not the shark who is dangerous
By the end of the poem the poet sees the beauty in the
animal
Write down and analyse any images used
Norman MacCaig's "Basking Shark" is a reflective poem about a unique encounter with a basking shark that leads the poet to contemplate evolution, humanity's role in the natural world, and the concept of monstrosity. Through structured stanzas and reflective themes, MacCaig explores the complex relationship between humans and the environment, raising questions about identity, evolution, and perception.
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Presentation Transcript
POETRY OF NORMAN MACCAIG BASKING SHARK ANNOTATION
Poets Main Idea This poem is about a strange and unsettling encounter that MacCaig has with a Basking Shark A Basking Shark is a very large shark - reaching sizes in excess of ten metres and weighing several tonnes. They are harmless - having no true teeth - and therefore this shark wouldn t have been a real threat to MacCaig. As you can imagine encountering a shark like that in a small boat would be unnerving and scary. The subject of the poem is never mentioned in the body of the poem itself, instead we infer from the title what the poet's small boat collided with that day.
Reflective Nature of the Poem In the interview A Metaphorical Way of Seeing Things , MacCaig maintained that poetry is a psychological Optrex, it clears your eyes and you see things . Like many of MacCaig spoems, Basking Shark moves from description to reflection. This experience leads the poet to reflect on his own and humanity s relationship with the natural world and to ponder Who s the monster? .
Theme This encounter with a Basking Shark started him reflecting on evolution. He thinks about how each species took a different evolutionary path: A shark unchanged for millions of years Humans who have evolved and changed vastly over a short period of time He then thinks about who is the monster in this encounter. Is it the shark who looks as large as a monster? Or is it himself, as a representative of the human race and all the evil that humanity is capable of? The thought remains with the poet, unresolved, as the shark swims off.
Structure This poem is set out in five stanzas. Each stanza has three lines, and each line being end-rhymed with the others in the stanza. The meter of the poem is also fairly regular: the first two lines of each stanza have five stressed syllables, while the final one has four. The effect of the final shorter stressed line is to create a sense of fitting closure to the stanza. In this poem the tightness of structure serves to encapsulate the uniqueness of the experience, and the regularity of rhythm and rhyme matches the rhythmic quality of the rise and the fall of the sea itself, and likewise the steady pulling of the oars.
Stanza One To stub an oar on a rock where none should be, To have it rise with a slounge out of the sea Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me. Think about: - What happens in this stanza? - What is your impression of the shark? - What is the effect of the parenthesis? (too often)
Stanza One Metaphor comparing the shark to a rock bulky/solid without feeling or intelligence Infinitive verbs helps to capture the readers attention. To stub an oar on a rock where none should be, To have it rise with a slounge out of the sea Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me. Slounge onomatopoeia noise of waves, clumsy movement Although the poet is frightened he tries to inject humour to make light of the situation Shark that it is in charge
Stanza Two But not too often - though enough. I count as gain That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain, That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain. Think about: - What point the poet is making about the encounter - How the writer creates the sense of rain - The impact of the description of the shark
Dash indicates no rush. While it is frightening at first, he now thinks experience is worthwhile Stanza Two Emphasises experience is worthwhile explains reasons why in rest of poem But not too often - though enough. I count as gain That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain, That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain. Met experience is now not a shock. He can now think about what is happening Visual/aural imagery Can see and hear the rain on the sea (now that shock has passed he can concentrate on small details
Stanza Two There is clever use of long and short vowels in this final line too: the long vowels in roomsized monster appropriately extend and elongate the expression to reinforce the size of the shark in contrast to the short, clipped vowels of matchbox brain. But not too often - though enough. I count as gain That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain, That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain. Basic animal - large animal with small brain like a dinosaur. Opposite to us Contrast shows difference between physical and mental capacities Roomsized emphasises size Monster low down on evolutionary scale
Stanza Three He displaced more than water. He shoggled me Centuries back - this decadent townee Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree. Think about: - What does the poet start thinking about? - What is the effect of the word shoggled - What is family tree a reference to?
Stanza Three Idea of shark making him rethink his life and man s position in it. Shark in control again shark moving him. Self deprecating Use of colloquial words. He displaced more than water. He shoggled me Centuries back - this decadent townee Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree. Enjambment Draws attention to the words. Shows he is thinking back to prehistoric times. Decadent townee Moved far away from his origins Decadent -- he has lost a sense of purpose in his life and become too immersed in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasures He is reminded that this shark too is part of our own family tree and is inextricably linked to us in much the same way as any other ancestor.
Stanza Four Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling, Emerging from the slime of everything. Think about: - What point is he making in first two lines? - What is slime a reference to?
Stanza Four An analogy is made at the opening of this stanza between stirring up dirt in a spring and the water then being all the clearer, and the present situation the speaker finds himself in. The onomatopoeic swish of the water also alludes to the idea of displacement in the previous stanza. The dirt in this case is the murky thought of how humans evolved into what they now are. The idea of dirt in our origins continues with the choice of the word slime Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling, Emerging from the slime of everything. Emphasises the sudden nature of his thoughts/how one encounter can change your point of view
Stanza Four Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling, Emerging from the slime of everything. The primeval slime from which we and all other living organisms were created, linking the evolution of humanity once more with that of the shark. How the poet (and us) is connected to every animal through evolution Emerging moving/developing from prehistoric times Also highlights the epiphany and clarity of vision he now has.
Stanza Four So who's the monster? The thought made me grow pale For twenty seconds while, sail after sail, The tall fin slid away and then the tail. Think about: - Why does the poet ask this question? What is his reaction to the question? - Has his opinion of the shark changed from stanza one?
Stanza Five Not so confident as to who the superior being is This magnificent, awesome creature is monstrous simply because of its relative size, but in the metaphorical sense it is clear the speaker now considers humanity to be the true monster. So who's the monster? The thought made me grow pale For twenty seconds while, sail after sail, The tall fin slid away and then the tail. Doesn t think about it for long emphasises how man is the monster Shark is an elegant being contrast to at the start of the poem
An Overview of the Stanzas Stanza One MacCaig describes the chance meeting with the shark and makes it clear it has happened before. Stanza Two the meetings have had an effect on him and he thinks back to one particular meeting. Stanza Three he begins to question his position in the evolutionary process. Stanza Four explains how indistinct humans were from other species at the beginning of the evolutionary process. Stanza Five his opinion of the shark changes and the poet reveals that he is not so sure of his own superiority over the rest of nature.
Revision Tasks To help you remember the key points of the poem you should: Write a summary of the poem showing how the poet moves from experience to reflection. Identify a key quote for each of the following points: The poet views the shark as an unthinking animal The poet begins to question his beliefs because of this incident The poet realises that it is not the shark who is dangerous By the end of the poem the poet sees the beauty in the animal Write down and analyse any images used
