1. Basking Shark
Norman MacCaig

2. Learning Intention: We are learning how to read the poem for UNDERSTANDING So that I can Understand the basic points of the poem before I study the poet's techniques Success Criteria: I can... Comment on the title of the poem Identify and define any unfamiliar vocabulary words Identify the speaker, setting and subject of the poem Summarise what happens in the poem

3. Basking shark
First, let’s consider the title. Write it down in the middle of your page and construct a mind map using the various prompts to help you . What do we think about when we read these words? What do we already know about these words? What do they suggest about the poem?

4. Basking Sharks Watch the clip and note down any facts about the shark.
Watch the clip and note down any facts about the shark.
What words can you use to describe the colour/size/shape/movement?
Ms Kirkwood

5. Mind map
Ms Kirkwood

6. Activity: Getting to know a basking shark
Read the following slides about Basking Sharks and take notes on:
Appearance
Feeding
Name
Characteristics
Habitat
Ms Kirkwood

7. Before Reading Task One
Basking Shark Facts
the basking shark is the second largest fish in the world.
Basking sharks can grow to a maximum length of 30 to 33 feet and a body weight of around six tons.

8. Before Reading Task One
These gentle giants are non-aggressive and are harmless to humans
The decline in their population is mainly due to human hunting, for their fins and liver.
Now add some of this information to your mind map.

9. Before Reading Task One
The name basking shark is derived from their habit of frequenting the warmer water on the surface, as if they're basking in the sun.

10. Before Reading Task One
Distinguishing features
Basking sharks have a large, wide mouth that is an adaptation for their feeding behavior.
They swim with their mouth wide open and sieve the water to retain food.
They have no teeth
A frequent predator of these sharks is killer whales
Despite their size, basking sharks feed only on very small fish. NOT humans.

11. Before Reading Task One
Habitat
The basking shark inhabits all oceans of the world,
but it prefers the subpolar seas and in general
cold and temperate waters of the continental shelves.
Basking sharks are born travellers, covering large
distances in search of food, at the very leisurely
pace of only three miles per hour.
A few places in Scotland are particular hotspots
for seeing them. They are fish of open waters but move
closer to shores in summer to feed.

12. Before Reading Task Three
Norman MacCaig wrote this poem about an encounter with a basking shark. What do you think an encounter like this would make you think about?
Write any ideas in the box in your worksheet.

13. This chance meeting with the shark leads to MacCaig reflecting on his own and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. MacCaig’s ‘Basking Shark’ offers the reader a fresh way of looking at the animals and birds that inhabit the landscape.

14. Key Themes Nature and man’s connection to nature
Man’s position within evolution

15. Reading
You will listen to a recording of the poet or you will read ‘Basking Shark’ on your own. Close your eyes and listen carefully.
Listen to the poem:
What are your first impressions of the poem?
How do you feel?
You will now read the poem again. As you read it for the second time I want you to make a list of any unfamiliar vocabulary words that you come across and any questions or thoughts/observations that you may have and fill in the table on the next slide.

16. “Basking Shark”
To stub an oar on a rock where none should be, To have it rise with a slounge out of the sea Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me. But not too often - though enough. I count as gain That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain, That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain. He displaced more than water. He shoggled me Centuries back - this decadent townee Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree.

17. “Basking Shark”
Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring Is all the clearer. I saw me, in one fling, Emerging from the slime of everything. So who's the monster? The thought made me grow pale For twenty seconds while, sail after sail, The tall fin slid away and then the tail.

18. Feedback
Vocabulary
Definition
Questions
Answer
Thoughts

19. Problem solving
Working with a study partner or on your own, try to generate definitions for all the unfamiliar vocabulary words. You can use dictionaries or dicationary.com to help you! Make sure to look up every word you're not sure of and write it down in the table. I will be testing your knowledge of the vocabulary later in the lesson. Now, do the same for any questions you may still have. Remember to use your notes on basking sharks to help you!

20. Now!
Working in the same pairs, read the poem again and take notes under the following headings
What (happens in the poem)
Where (do events takes place)
When ( do events take place)
Who ( is mentioned in the poem)

21. Consolidation
Now use your notes to write a diary entry where you pretend to be the poet reflecting on the day’s events. Dear Diary, Today I had a shocking encounter…

22. Questions on Understanding

23. Understanding Questions
1 Look at lines 1-2. In your own words, where is the speaker of the poem?
2 Reread lines 1-6. Write in your own words exactly what has happened- describe the scene and the events that take place.
3 Look at line 3. What is the poet’s attitude towards his experience?
4 Read line 4. How does he feel about the encounter here?
5 How does he describe the appearance of the shark? b)what does he mean by this?
6 What does he mean when he says ‘he displaced more than water’?

24. Questions 7 Who is the ‘decadent townee’ from line 8 ?
8 What is he describing in lines 10-11? b) What might he be comparing this too?
9 What does he mean by ‘slime of everything’?
10 ‘So who’s the monster?’ Who is MacCaig referring to here?
11 What emotion is he experiencing when he says ‘made me grow pale’?
12 What final two impressions of the shark are you left with in the final two lines?

25. What did we come up with?

26. Understanding Questions
1 Look at lines 1-2. In your own words, where is the speaker of the poem? In a rowing boat out at sea. It is raining.
2 Reread lines 1-6. Write in your own words exactly what has happened- describe the scene and the events that take place. He hits what he thinks is a rock, but it is actually a basking shark. The shark rises out of the water.
3 Look at line 3. What is the poet’s attitude towards his experience? regrets it
4 Read line 4. How does he feel about the encounter here? Appreciative/grateful
5 How does he describe the appearance of the shark? b)what does he mean by this? ‘a roomsized monster’ The shark is huge in size and threatening but not very intelligent
6 What does he mean when he says ‘he displaced more than water’? The poet has been physically moved by the shark, but his thoughts have also moved.

27. Questions
7 Who is the ‘decadent townee’ from line 8 ? The speaker. He sees himself as a self centered, indulgent individual who is distanced from the natural world.
8 What is he describing in lines 10-11? A pool of water b) What might he be comparing this to? compares stirring up dirt in a spring to his thoughts - were initially confused and upset by his frightening encounter with the shark, but now he can understand the shark and their relationship more clearly
9 What does he mean by ‘slime of everything’? The evolution of life – the primordial ooze/swamp where life began.
10 ‘So who’s the monster?’ Who is MacCaig referring to here? Humans. The poet is not sure if this shark is truly a ‘monster’ compared to a human.
11 What emotion is he experiencing when he says ‘made me grow pale’? He has been scared/worried by the experience and the thoughts he is left with.
12 What final two impressions of the shark are you left with in the final two lines?
Its sheer size is breath-taking/awe inspiring.

28. Consolidation
The subject of the poem is never mentioned in the body of the poem itself, instead we infer from the title what the poet's small boat collided with that day.
This encounter sparked in him a reflection on the comparative paths of evolution such differing species took: basking sharks on the one hand, relatively unchanged for millions of years, and humans on the other, vastly changed since the days when marine life first crawled ashore and adapted to a life on land.
This train of thought leads to a disturbing question: who is the monster? Is it the shark, literally monstrous in size and aspect to the human; or is it the poet himself, representative of the human race and all the dark, monstrous deeds of which our race is capable?
The thought remains with the poet, unresolved, as the shark swims off.

29. Learning intention Learning Intention:
We are learning WHY MacCaig chose to write this poem
So that I can
Understand the message that he is trying to convey to the reader
Success Criteria
I should be able to give one reason why MacCaig wrote the poem
I could also be able to offer another reason why the poem was written
I might also be able to identify what makes the poem universal

30. Why?
Now that we have a good basic understanding of the poem, we have to think about the WHY question.
Why did the poet choose to write this particular poem about this particular incident?

31. In groups, consider the following quotation
“poetry is most often based on a singular, personal experience
but the beauty in poetry is what makes it universal”
What is the ‘singular personal experience’ that MacCaig had?
Is this JUST a poem about a memorable experience?
What makes the poem universal i.e. something that many people can relate to?

32. Key Themes Nature and man’s connection to nature
Man’s position within evolution
Man’s superiority/humanity

33. Basking Shark
Analysis

34. Stanza 1 and 2
These stanzas set the scene for the rest of the poem where we are given physical details about the surroundings. The oar and the rain appeal to the senses and help the reader to visualise the experience. MacCaig describes his experience in great detail and these stanzas allow us to imagine the emotions experienced by MacCaig as he witnessed this spectacle.

35. The Encounter lines 1-6 Technique Line reference Quotation comment
Word choice 1
‘stub’
1 and 2
‘to stub/to have’
Unusual sentence structure. Infinitive “to have” at the beginning suggests an unstoppable force. The effect is to create a tension and suspense until the meaning is completed 2
‘rock’
‘slounge’
Parenthesis
The alarm caused in the poet is neatly shown with the humorous aside (too often) implying this is not an encounter he wishes to repeat.

36. The Encounter lines 1-6 Technique Line reference Quotation comment
Word choice
‘gain’
‘met’
Metaphor
alliteration 5
‘on a sea tin tacked with rain’
‘tin tacked’
Metaphor/contrast 6

37. Stanzas 3 and 4
These stanzas are where he recounts his initial reaction to his encounter. The experience sparks a train of thought that ends with the overreaching question posed in the final stanza. He is moved (both literally and figuratively) by his encounter with the shark and this forces him to reassess his place in the world and his relationship with the natural world. In these stanzas the writer has an epiphany – he realises something that he had not thought about before and this changes him profoundly.

38. Reaction 7-12 Technique Line reference Quotation comment Metaphor 7
The poet has been physically moved by the shark, but his thoughts have also moved.
Word choice
‘shoggled’ 8 9
” suggests that it is humans that have gone “wrong” and their evolution has been harmful, perhaps because they have become so removed from the natural world.

39. Reaction lines 7-12 Technique Line reference Quotation comment analogy
10-11
onomatopoeia
refers back to the idea of being displaced . Gives an impression of fast, sudden movement, suggesting his thoughts were quickly confused but now he can better understand.
dirt
fling
Word choice 12

40. Stanza 5
This stanza opens with the question the poem has been leading to: “So who's the monster?” By this stage it seems clear to the poet his initial, dismissive response to the shark as a brainless, inferior creature has been reversed. The tail of a basking shark as it swims awayThe tail of a basking shark as it swims away. This magnificent, awesome creature is monstrous simply because of its relative size, but in the metaphorical sense it is clear the speaker now considers humanity to be the true monster. The sheer size and majesty of the creature is conveyed through a number of techniques.

41. Reflection lines 13-15 Technique Line reference Quotation comment
Word choice
Enjambment
13-14
‘monster’
‘pale’
Throws focus on word ‘pale’ leaving the reader time to focus on the next line. Time frame is given more importance and significance. The time it takes for the shark to pass him by highlights the scale of the animal.
metaphor
‘sail after sail’ 15
The shark’s leaving shows poet's deep admiration of the animal (again, this is in contrast to his description in stanza 2). ‘slid’ implies a smooth, fluid movement. MacCaig now sees this ‘rock’ as something graceful.
assonance

42. Annotation
Basking Shark

43. To stub an oar on a rock where none should be
“To stub an oar” – oar sets scene of a row boat. 
“Stub” is an unusual term to use for an oar, you stub your toe.  This suggests tripping over something, which highlights a theme of the poem, the idea that this is the shark’s territory, not the human who belongs on land. .  He is intruding on the shark’s territory.  In contrast, the shark is perfectly adapted to the deep water and sails away majestically in the final lines.
“on a rock where non should be” – an air of mystery is introduced – no rocks suggests deep water away from the coast so there is a suggestion that the boat is in deep water away from the coast.  The rock is the basking shark
Metaphor of “rock” emphasises how large and hard and immovable the shark is. Also implies that it is an inanimate object with no intelligence.
“none should be” – clearly this was a shock for the poet. He is confused and disorientated by this unexpected event.

44. To have it rise with a slounge out of the sea Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me.
“to have it rise with a slounge out of the sea” – “rise” -this suggests an element of surprise, the poet is taken aback by the moving “rock”,  which appeared out of nowhere.
“Slounge” is a neologism – a new word created by the poet. It combines slouch and lounge and suggests the heavy, slow, sloth-like movements of the shark. It also introduces the relatively light and comic tone that is a feature of this poem.
Parenthesis used for a humorous aside. The poet is suggesting that this was a frightening experience and not one he wants to go through again.
Unusual sentence structure infinitive “to have” at the beginning suggests an unstoppable force.
Surprise is emphasised by the use of “slounge”, a made up word, to suggest the sound and scale of the creature rising from the depths.  There is a sense of awe connoted in the term “slounge” which suggests power and majesty.
“a thing that happened once, too often, to me.” The poet reveals a humorous aside with “too often” and shows that the experience shocked him.  Even once was too much. 

45. But not too often - though enough
But not too often - though enough. I count as gain That once I met, on a sea tin-tacked with rain,
Repetition of “too often” from earlier highlights the contradiction in MacCaig: he is now glad he had this experience.
Word choice of “gain” highlights that he feels he benefitted /was enriched by the experience. MacCaig celebrates the experience and nature.
W/C “met” suggests that MacCaig imagines some reciprocal element to this encounter; he sees humans and animals as having an equal relationship rather than mankind being superior.
•Metaphor / alliteration – “tin-tacked with rain”. The calm/flat surface of the sea is compared to a sheet of metal with the raindrops drilling little holes into it. Sound clearly evokes the drops of rain falling onto the sea. They make a perfectly round imprint on the surface of the sea, while the hard repetition of “t” also suggests the sharp splashing noise they would make.

46. That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain.
“roomsized monster” reinforces the sense of scale of the creature but this is contrasted with the tiny image of a “matchbox brain”.  Here there is an element of fear, that this huge creature could damage him, perhaps even unwittingly rather than a planned attack due to the tiny brain. The poet doesn’t take the shark seriously.
Contrast – “roomsized monster” makes clear that the shark’s body is huge and threatening, but this strength is instantly undermined by comparing its brain to a matchbox, making clear that it is very small and therefore harmless. This is obviously exaggeration and creates a humorous tone.
Implication that it is small in intellect/development
Word choice of ‘monster’ – this creature is enormous and has evolved this way because it lives supported by water.  Monster suggests an undefined danger, something lacking definition, underdeveloped but dangerous – and therefore low on the evolutionary scale.
The alliteration of “m” in the two phrases helps to highlight this incongruity
This contrast is also highlighted by the long vowels of roomsized monster and the short, clipped vowels of “matchbox brain”

47. He displaced more than water. He shoggled me Centuries back
"displaced more than water" -The poet has been physically moved by the shark, but his thoughts have also moved back to the early stages of evolution. Metaphorical meaning in that he was sent back in time to appreciate evolution and how man and shark have developed.
W/C “shoggled” describes the way he has been moved by the shark. It’s a silly word that maintains a light and humorous tone. He thinks back to what he believes to be the early evolutionary stage and reflects on his belief that the shark and humans have the same evolutionary start.
The onomatopoeic “shoggled” reveals how his was disturbed physically but also mentally – his assumed arrogance as a superior being has been challenged. Quite a violent action – shaken literally in boat/shaken as in had a shock and shaken awake – sees things clearly and comes to his senses.
The poet was upset in his boat by the movement of the huge fish, but the shock and danger of the experience drew a link between the poet and basic survival skills – all the progress humans have made through evolution are useless against the might of this creature in its territory.  He is the inferior species here.

48. this decadent townee .
W/C: “decadent” suggests a desire for an excessive amount of things – more than he needs from life.
•W/c: “townee” is a derogatory term used by people from the countryside to describe people who live in urban areas. Highlights how MacCaig feels that by living in the city he is removed from nature. This slightly insulting term to describe himself is self-deprecating and develops the light tone of the poem but also a sense of regret.
The poet is reduced to a powerless state, before the modern technologies that make him feel vastly superior (decadent townee) to the matchbox brain.  The shock of being so close to the creature has given him a newfound sense of awe.
connotations of arrogance and affluence.  He has everything he needs, yet by referring to himself as decadent he is putting himself down – self deprecating and this is a positive aspect to the speaker’s personality suggesting a reflective nature

49. Shook on a wrong branch of his family tree.
“wrong branch” suggests that it is humans that have gone “wrong” and their evolution has been harmful, perhaps because they have become so removed from the natural world.
“family tree” makes clear the biological connection between humans and basking sharks. All species evolved from the same organisms billions of years ago.
the accident of evolution, the branch of the family tree, means that humans consider themselves superior to other creatures according to the size of brains.  WE all share the same evolutionary roots, we all climbed out of the slime. 

50. Swish up the dirt and, when it settles, a spring Is all the clearer
Analogy: compares stirring up dirt in a spring to how his thoughts have been challenged. Initially when you stir up dirt it would make the water muddy and difficult to see through but then it would settle and the water would be clearer than it had been previously. Equally, the poet’s thoughts were initially confused and upset by his frightening encounter with the shark, but now he can understand the shark and their relationship more clearly.
w/c of “dirt” also links to the idea of human corruption and – the dirt of creation. The idea of “dirt” in our origins continues with the choice of the word “slime” - the primeval slime from which we and all other living organisms were created, linking the evolution of humanity once more with that of the shark.
Onomatopoeia: “swish” refers back to the idea of being displaced . Gives an impression of fast, sudden movement, suggesting his thoughts were quickly confused but now he can better understand. The onomatopoeic “swish” of the water also alludes to the idea of displacement in the previous stanza. While initially the dirt would muddy the water and make it dark, opaque, and impossible to see through, eventually once settled it would be clearer.

51. I saw me, in one fling Emerging from the slime of everything.
The word “fling” is comic here. It suggests a quick short movement or casual encounter, which is a great understatement as his thoughts are going back billions of years where MacCaig imagines himself right back at the beginnings of human life.
One fling of the creature’s tail would reduce the poet to nothing.  His capacity for survival has been reduced .
“Emerging” reinforces the idea that MacCaig is having an epiphany – a moment of great clarity
“slime” refers to the primordial swamp that all single cell beings are believed to have developed from and lived in before they evolved over billions of years into all life on earth. It is obviously an unpleasant word, suggesting that humans should not see themselves as superior as we did not develop from a superior source.
The word “emerging” in the final line of this stanza reinforces this new, almost epiphanic sense of clarity associated with coming out of the dark into light, while the word “everything” again reinforces our similarity with every other species at the start of this process.

52. So who's the monster? The thought made me grow pale
Poet reconsiders use of word ‘monster’ in light of his realisation– he is the monster for being surprised that the creature is there – he is intruding, he doesn’t belong.
Question clarifies the poem’s key idea – that mankind should not think itself as superior to animals as we, as a species, can be monstrous and commit terrible acts.
Word choice of ‘monster’ refers back to MacCaig’s description of the animal in stanza 2 when he ridiculed it. This repetition highlights the change in his thoughts.
poet's realisation that humanity is true monster and not the shark. This was also indicated in the word choice of “dirt”, indicating immorality, and “decadent townee”, indicating a divorce from nature and a luxurious lifestyle.
‘grow pale’ suggests that Maccaig has been deeply affected by this encounter and is horrified at the thought of all the terrible things that human beings have done.
he is reflective and responds physically to his misjudgement.  This allows us to sympathise because he corrects his prejudice.

53. For twenty seconds while, sail after sail, The tall fin slid away and then the tail
Comic contrast between the seriousness of the question and the profound impact it seems to have on the poet compared to the amount of time that he appears to think about it; “twenty seconds” is no time at all. A criticism of himself and humanity. After saying that the basking shark had a “matchbox brain” he makes it clear that he too is not as engaged with these important questions as he should be.
The shark’s leaving shows poet's deep admiration of the animal (again, this is in contrast to his description in stanza 2). ‘slid’ imples a smooth, fluid movement. MacCaig now sees this ‘rock’ as something graceful.
•Assonance: Long vowels of “sail”, “tall”, “away” and “tail” suggests grand and majestic movements
•Metaphor: the poet compares the shark’s fin and tail to the sails on ships. This suggests their triangular shape and the fact that they are pointing out of the water, but also that they are tall, powerful and beautiful.
Poet’s opinion of shark has changed throughout poem.

54. Themes
The central theme that emerges during this poem deals with our accepted ideas about the process of evolution and our own place in it. The encounter with this enormous, almost primeval beast at the opening of the poem acts as a catalyst to consider the relationship between this creature and humans, and the comparative paths such differing species took. On one hand, basking sharks, have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years, while on the other, humans have vastly changed since the days when marine life first crawled ashore and adapted to a life on land. Through the reflection of the speaker, we are reminded that we have much more in common with the shark than we may initially believe, and by rewinding time back to the origins of evolution itself he creates a direct link between it and us. In doing so, he forces us to revise our understanding of exactly what we mean when we use the term “monster”, suggesting it is humanity and not creatures like the shark that are capable of true monstrosity.