Summer+Farm

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** Summer Farm ** ** Norman MacCaig ** The Poem Straw like tame lightnings hang about the grass And hang zigzag on hedges. Green as glass The water in the horse-trough shines. Nine ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines.

A hen stares at nothing with one eye, Then picks it up. Out of an empty sky A swallow falls, and flickering through The barn, dives up again into the dizzy blue.

I lie, not thinking, in the cool soft grass, Afraid of where a thought might take me – as This grasshopper with plated face Unfolds his legs and finds himself in space.

Self under self, a pile of selves I stand Threaded on time, and with a metaphysic hand Lift the farm like a lid and see Farm within farm, and in the centre, me.

1. Understand the basics of metaphysical poetry... Literally meaning 'above the physical level' it is a term used to describe poetry that asks philosophical questions that is often witty and intellectual. Questions asked in such poems often concern life and existence and can contain rather far-fetched views of reality. Such questions are not easily answered in factual terms and try to investigate the ultimate nature of the world and man's role within it.
 * Introductory Activity**

2. Look carefully at the last stanza and draw a diagram of it in order to explore its meaning.



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 * Study Questions**
 * Where is the poem taking place?
 * Make a list of the things the narrator sees in the poem. In what ways are these typical of a farm scene?
 * Explore the effects created by the following descriptions from the poem:
 * Tame lightnings
 * Hang zigzag
 * Green as glass / The water ... shines
 * Ducks go wobbling by in two straight lines
 * Swallow falls..flickering through
 * Dizzy blue
 * Grasshopper with plated face
 * Finds himself in space
 * A pile of selves
 * Threaded on time
 * Metaphysic hand
 * Lift the farm like a lid
 * How does the narrator of the poem appear to be feeling? Explain your answer.
 * How does the sequence of the poem mirror the ideas of the final stanza? How does the narrator arrive at a contemplation of himself?
 * Explore the effect of rhyme in the poem.
 * Find two juxtaposing ideas from the first two stanzas. What is the effect of this juxtaposition?
 * Find words which suggest movement and pace. Examine their use.
 * Which words suggest a stillness and tranquility? What is the effect of this language and the contrasts between movement and stasis within the first two stanzas?
 * What do you find particularly interesting about the syntax of this poem? How does the poet use enjambment as a way to make you read beyond the line ending?
 * Who is ‘I’?
 * What mood is the persona experiencing and why? What do we learn about their sense of identity in the poem?
 * Considering the explanation given for metaphysical poetry above, how does this poem fit as a metaphysical poem?