Hotel Room, 12th floorHotel Room, 12th floor

This morning I watched from hereThis morning I watched from herea helicopter skirting like a damaged a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect the Empire State Building, thatinsect the Empire State Building, thatjumbo size dentist's drill, and landing jumbo size dentist's drill, and landing on the roof of the Pan Am skyscraper. on the roof of the Pan Am skyscraper.

But now midnight has come inBut now midnight has come infrom foreign places. from foreign places. Its uncivilised darkness is shot at by Its uncivilised darkness is shot at by a million lit windows, a million lit windows, all ups and acrosses.all ups and acrosses.

But midnight is notBut midnight is notso easily defeated. I lie in bed, betweenso easily defeated. I lie in bed, betweena radio and a television set, and heara radio and a television set, and hearthe wildest of warwhoops continually the wildest of warwhoops continually ululating through the ululating through the glittering canyons and gulches glittering canyons and gulches police cars and ambulances racing police cars and ambulances racing to the broken bones, the harsh screamingto the broken bones, the harsh screamingfrom coldwater flats, the blood from coldwater flats, the blood glazed on sidewalks.glazed on sidewalks.

The frontier is neverThe frontier is neversomewhere else. And no stockades can somewhere else. And no stockades can keep the midnight out.keep the midnight out.

Norman MacCaigNorman MacCaig

• What is this poem about?• From whose viewpoint is it written? What is the

effect of this?• List all the images of technology and civilisation.• List all the images of violence and the wild-west.• What does midnight represent?• What is this poem saying about modern

(American/western) civilisation?• What is this poem saying about human nature?• Find examples of poetic techniques: alliteration,

simile, metaphor, contrast...

IDEASIDEAS TECHNIQUESTECHNIQUESStrong, confident picture of civilisation/ technology "This morning"Protecting us from what we fear skyscrapers/helicopter/dentist's drillDarkness seen as threatening/alien "But"

An enemy to be fought with technology

"Midnight has come in from foreign places" – meta “shot at by a million lit windows" - meta

How difficult it is to get away from what we fear "But" - contrastEven using technology "between a radio and a television set"How the violence in the city is like the wild west "wildest of warwhoops" -allit/meta

"glittering canyons and gulches" - metaAgain we look to civilisation/technology to defend us "police cars and ambulances"But it is struggling to do so "broken bones" – allit

"coldwater flats" - double meaningViolence/decay/all the things we fear, are part of us

"frontier" - meta for line between civ/non-civ values

We cannot protect ourselves completely from them

"stockades" - meta for protection against fear"midnight" - meta for fear – violence /decay