Visiting Hour by Norman MacCaig notes

Alternative transcript:

in the stanza final word. Structure, the unusual order is emphasising the number of nurses he sees A 'metaphor, not carrying around something. only sad feelings. contrast. no colour, metaphor the white hospital sneets are Ward 7. She lies cave - like, shows the isolation of the woman. in a white cave of forgetfulness. A withered hand - metaphor, suggests the womans budy is trembles on its stalk. Eyes move flower) sprittle and frail (compared to clying behind eyelids too heavy dehumanising word. to raise. Into an arm wasted of colour a glass fang is fixed, metaphor suggests the drip is not guzzling but giving, poets greit. vampire-like. Htorror image, shows And between her and me aiteration emphasises. metaphor, cuntrast in distance shrinks till there is none left colours 2mphasises but the distance of pain that neither she nor I distance, black fiquit can cross. Could relate to 'grim' 'reaper death. enjambement, portures the gap between lines to empharise distance repitition between patient and visitor. emphasises how much She smiles a little at this distance there is between them. black figure in her white cave word choice 'little' Show, who clumsily rises - word choice, in the round swimming waves of a bell how much her illness is limiting her, she cant and dizzily goes off, growing fainter, respond fully. not smaller, leaving behind only books that will not be read and fruitless fruits. 'Swimming 'Clumsity "dizzlily' waves' Suggest he is struggling with emotions. pun, growing fainter 'suggests he is growing fainter in the vision of the patient & the poet oxymoron, the patients in ability feels faint. to eat the fruit or read the books establishes lack of life.