English Department

Kelso High School

Norman MacCaig

Sounds of the Day

Familiarise ourselves with the poem.

Develop our understanding of the form and structure of the poem.

Develop our understanding of the poetic techniques used in the poem.

Develop our understanding of the themes in the poem and the way in which they are conveyed through an effective use of poetic techniques.

Learning Intentions

When a clatter came,it was horses crossing the ford.When the air creaked, it wasa lapwing seeing us off the premisesof its private marsh. A snuffling pufften yards from the boat was the tide blocking andunblocking a hole in a rock.When the black drums rolled, it was waterfalling sixty feet into itself. 

Sounds of the Day

When the door

scraped shut, it was the end

of all the sounds there are.

 

You left me

beside the quietest fire in the world.

 

I thought I was hurt in my pride only,

forgetting that,

when you plunge your hand in freezing water,

you feel

a bangle of ice round your wrist

before the whole hand goes numb.

 

Norman MacCaig

 

This poem is written in free verse made up of four irregular stanzas.

The division between each of the stanzas helps to focus the reader on the specific idea that is contained within each one

The poem is organised in a fairly straightforward chronological order.

Form and Structure

• In stanza one the speaker describes natural sounds: horses, a bird, waves and a waterfall.

• This stanza creates a pleasant picture and conveys the speaker’s delight in nature.

Form and Structure – Stanza One

• The shut door is the turning point of the poem.

• Here, the ideas move from a delight found in a variety of natural sounds to a reflection upon one specific experience – a parting.

Form and Structure – StanzaTwo

• The speaker addresses the person who has left.

• We get the impression of a figure, suddenly alone, faced with the consequences of a separation.

Form and Structure – Stanza Three

• Conveys how deeply the speaker has been affected by the experience.

• The relationship has meant a lot to the speaker and the separation, painful enough during the moment itself, has left a lasting impression.

Form and Structure – Stanza Four

‘Sounds of the Day’ - Stanza One

When a clatter came,

it was horses crossing the ford.

When the air creaked, it was

a lapwing seeing us off the premises

of its private marsh. A snuffling puff

ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and

unblocking a hole in a rock.

When the black drums rolled, it was water

falling sixty feet into itself.

Title seems straightforward as poem begins by listing the

“sounds of the day” . Sound indicates life.

Word Choice - the precision in the way these

sounds are described convey MacCaig’s observational skills

The fact such delicate sounds can be heard

suggests a still, practically silent environment. Here

silence is something enriching which allows the

speaker to hear and appreciate the natural

world.

Stanza One

When a clatter came,

it was horses crossing the ford.

When the air creaked, it was

a lapwing seeing us off the premises

of its private marsh. A snuffling puff

ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and

unblocking a hole in a rock.

When the black drums rolled, it was water

falling sixty feet into itself.

Inverted list – it is the sound that comes first rather than the subject or object that makes the sound. In this way, the speaker emphasises the sounds. It is therefore the sounds that are most memorable about this day.

Stanza One

When a clatter came,

it was horses crossing the ford.

When the air creaked, it was

a lapwing seeing us off the premises

of its private marsh. A snuffling puff

ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and

unblocking a hole in a rock.

When the black drums rolled, it was water

falling sixty feet into itself.

Poet uses a range of sound techniques to emphasise vitality and energy of nature.Onomatopoeia - ‘clatter’ / ‘creaked’ /’snuffling puff’. Onomatopoeia of ‘clatter’ emphasises loud noise of horses hooves / Onomatopoeia of ‘creaked’ conveys energy of location / variety of sounds surrounding narrator.Alliteration – ‘Clatter came” - emphasises expected quality/ordinariness of the soundRepetition – ‘blocking’ / ‘unblocking’ - echoes continuous everyday soundsVowel sound of ‘a’ echoes rattle of horses hooves on stones.’O’ sounds in second line are mellow and non-threatening just like the horses. Sibilance of ‘horses crossing’ in second line conveys soothing tone to emphasise his feelings of contentment. Nature is shown to be alive and full of sound in contrast to the next stanza.

Word Choice ‘us’ suggests that speaker is not alone or isolated at this point in the poem

Repetition of ‘f’ in ‘snuffling puff’ suggests the sound as the froth of the waves splashes into the rock

Stanza One

When a clatter came,

it was horses crossing the ford.

When the air creaked, it was

a lapwing seeing us off the premises

of its private marsh. A snuffling puff

ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and

unblocking a hole in a rock.

When the black drums rolled, it was water

falling sixty feet into itself.

Humorous image – personification. Bird becomes territorial like a landlord or gamekeeper ushering the speaker from its domain.

Air creaked – very detailed description of the sound – emphasises how still and quiet the poet must have been

Stanza One

When a clatter came,

it was horses crossing the ford.

When the air creaked, it was

a lapwing seeing us off the premises

of its private marsh. A snuffling puff

ten yards from the boat was the tide blocking and

unblocking a hole in a rock.

When the black drums rolled, it was water

falling sixty feet into itself.

Stanza finishes with the first hint that the poem may have a darker meaning than the first stanza suggests

CK – Sound consonance/harsh sounding words

Metaphor- ‘Black drums rolled’ – creates a strong image of a storm coming. Roar of the sea illustrates the strength and power of nature. Connotation ‘black’ represents grief and death. Drums rolling creates sense of impending doom and difficulty that lies ahead for the speaker.

Stanza Two – turning point in the poem

When the door

scraped shut, it was the end

of all the sounds there are.

Shutting door is a metaphor for the end of relationship and suggests a barrier that cannot be crossed.

SENTENCE STRUCTURE - Object rather than sound comes first . Establishes CONTRAST between first

stanza and lines that follow. Idea of the cessation of all that has gone before, Helps to emphasise that it was

‘the end /of all the sounds there are’.Word choice ‘shut’ emphasises finality. ENJAMBMENT emphasises ‘end’ and conveys the absolute nature of

the change.Hyperbole / Word Choice of final statement – underlines the significance of the moment.

No pleasure in sitting listening to sounds . Due to the parting, nothing will ever be the same

again. This intensifies the impact of the loss he is feeling.

Change in tense at end of stanza makes clear impact on speaker as immediacy invites reader

to share his distress

Scraped – Same harsh sound as at the end of stanza one

Scraped has connotations of pain and hurt

Clear sense of the despair and pain that follows a parting

Idea that nothing will be the same again. Though a door can be reopened, speaker appears convinced there is no hope of a reunion.

(links to Memorial)Single sentence stanza contrasts with previous

one.

Stanza Three

You left me

beside the quietest fire in the world.

Poem moves away from sounds to

feelings and emotions

This single sentence stanza explains the

reason for this shift in mood between stanza one and the rest of the

poem.

The speaker implies the impact of the parting is that he is no longer to hear and

take pleasure in sounds – the huge impact of the loss.

Stanza Three

You left me

beside the quietest fire in the world.

Use of personal pronouns / Second person makes clear

who the speaker blames. ‘Us’ of first stanza is no more.‘You’ emphasises

blunt, accusing tone (similar technique used in Memorial)

Unambiguous statement

Word choice ‘quietest’ – again emphasises the lack of sound. Again creates a contrast with stanza one and a contrast in

feelings of speaker.

Hyperbole conveys extreme emotional pain of the parting. Being alone should exaggerate the sound, but fact that it appears to mute it, conveys that the impact of the parting is that he is no

longer able to hear or take any pleasure in sounds so profound is his sense of

loss.

Sentence Structure – single sentence adds impact to this statement.

Imagery of silent fire. Fire should be seen as full of warmth, lightbut silence of fire suggests life without warmth, light or life about it.This symbolises how speaker now feels due to his loss/separation. He has lost the ‘You’ of the first line.

Enjambment emphasises ‘me’ and conveys sense of isolation andabandonment felt by the poet.

Stanza Four

I thought I was hurt in my pride only,

forgetting that,

when you plunge your hand in freezing water,

you feel

a bangle of ice round your wrist

before the whole hand goes numb.

Final stanza conveys the complexity of

emotions that comes when there is a parting.

There is the initial jarring pain of the

experience and the subsequent feeling of

numbness it is replaced with.

The final verse is utterly bleak

and totally contrasts with the pleasant imagery of first stanza

The focus of the poem

moves from sound to touch as he equates the effect of

the parting to immersing a

hand into freezing water

Stanza Four

I thought I was hurt in my pride only,

forgetting that,

when you plunge your hand in freezing water,

you feel

a bangle of ice round your wrist

before the whole hand goes numb.

Repetition of ‘I’ shows he is only concerned about himself.

Word Choice ’pride only’ suggests his reaction was

initially on a superficial level. Positioning ‘forgetting that’ signals that he then realises

emotional effects of loss will be on a much deeper level.

Word Choice – ‘plunge’

emphasises the impact of his loss will be

much greater than he might have thoughtPositioning of ‘you feel’

conveys how his positive emotions have been

overtaken and shut down as a consequence of the

parting.

Metaphor - ‘a bangle of ice’ . Just as hand thrust into cold ice will take moment to react, impact of loss

will change from initial shock to

closing down of all feeling. emphasises the raw and painful

sense of loss of a breakup. Word

Choice ‘freezing’ creates bleak tone

highlighting his pain

Contrast

• Speaker’s life / feelings before the loss contrasting with his feelings now.

• Idea of contrast connects with ‘Aunt Julia’ – noisy life force that is Julia contrasts with silence after her death / ‘Visiting Hour’ – professionalism of nurses contrasts with raw suffering of visitor / ‘Assisi’ - external grotesqueness of dwarf contrasts with his inner beauty

Themes

• Loss / Separation

• Connects with ‘Aunt Julia’, ‘Memorial’ , ‘Visiting Hour’.

Themes

• Loss / Separation

• Closing door IMAGE introduces the theme of loss and parting.• The speaker feels his

life has been changed and his senses altered forever.

Themes

• Loss / Separation

Poem captures initial, difficult pain of a loss and also the lasting effect such experiences can have on us.

• We are comfortable with the poem.

• We can explain the form and structure of the poem.

• We can identify and explain the effectiveness of the poetic techniques used in the poem.

• We can identify the themes in the poem and explain the way in which poetic techniques are used to convey these themes.

• We understand the way in which the themes of this poem link to other poems by MacCaig

Success Criteria