Basking Shark Textual Analysis

Basking Shark is a poem in which Norman MacCaig reflects upon Evolution. He uses his encounter with a shark to meditate upon the entire evolutionary process and his own place in it.

1. With reference to language, show how the opening line effectively reveals the setting of the poem. (2)

  • “oar” in a boat
  • “hit a rock where none should be” far out at sea

2. What happens in the opening stanza? (1)

  • Out at sea rowing, the poet sticks his oar in the water and disturbs/hits a shark

3. The speaker has a mixture of feelings towards the shark. By close examination of language of lines 2-6, show what these feelings are, and how they are revealed. (4)

  • “Once (too often)…” frightening/scary experience. Unpleasant.
  • “not too often though enough”/ “I count as gain” valuable experience
  • “roomsized monster with a matchbox brain” humorous, ie not that scary!

4. Comment on the sound and visual effect of “a sea tin-tacked with rain” (2)

  • “tin tacked” alliterative, mimics the sound of water
  • “tacked” dimpled/pitted with drops of rain

5. Comment on the humour in line 6 (2)

  • “Roomsized” exaggeration, great contrast with “matchbox brain”
  • Makes the shark sound ridiculous.

6. With close reference to language, how does MacCaig develop the idea of ‘He displaced more than water’ in the rest of the stanza (stanza 3) and how does this further develop the idea of the evolutionary process (2)

  • “displaced” “shoggled” “shook” “fling” – only a small difference in meaning between each word but displaced to fling a big leap!
  • Mimics evolution, only very small changes mount up to great difference

7. What has the shark displaced more than water? (1)

Either

  • In evolutionary terms, humans from the sea

Or

  • The poet’s certainty about his civilized ‘decadent townee’ ways. Feelings/thought processes about humanity and the difference between different creatures.

8. ‘Shook on the wrong Branch of the family tree’ (line 7)

What connection does the poet make between himself and the shark (2)

  • Literally, in the primordial sludge, they would have been related. Fluke of evolution that they are different.

9. Explain what is meant by the image:

‘Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring

Is all the clearer.’ (2)

  • Disturbance of the water (mirrors disturbance of thought processes)
  • Once water settles, all is clear (as with his thought processes)

10. Comment on the sound and word choice of the final two lines and say how they help to get across the poet’s purpose in the last description of the shark. (4)

  • Repetition of ‘sail’
  • Rhyme of ‘pale’ ‘sail’ ‘tale’ suggests gracefulness of the shark.
  • The length of last sentence and delayed final rhyme suggests the length of the sharks body before the tale finally disappears

11 The encounter with the shark caused the poet to reflect upon some big ideas. Comment on two phrases which suggest the poet reflected upon serious issues. (4)

  • “I count as gain” something valuable came from experience
  • “he displaced more than water” caused him to think/reflect
  • “decadent townee” thinks of his own position culturally
  • “slime of everything” makes him think of his own origins
  • “who is the monster?” reflection on civilization

12. With reference to the poem’s structure (rhyme scheme, no. of stanzas, syllables in a line etc…) and punctuation, explain how these elements added to your overall understanding/enjoyment of the poem. (4)

  • Rhyming triplets ABACD – light hearted/merry
  • Incidences of punctuation increase as poem becomes ore ponderous/thoughtful

“I saw me, in one fling,

Emerging from the slime of everything”

  • Punctuation used to reflect the size/gracefulness of the shark

“For twenty seconds while, sail after sail,

The tall fin slid away and then the tail”