Basking Shark: Form and Structure

Basking Shark: Form and Structure

‘Basking Shark’: Form and Structure

Overview

  • ‘Basking Shark’ is a poem penned by Norman MacCaig, providing an intriguing perspective on the poet’s encounter with the creature.

Form

  • ‘Basking Shark’ is a narrative poem, characterised by the author’s first person account of an event.
  • The poem employs traditional verse, adding to the timeless, reflective and universal nature of the themes it explores.

Structure

  • The poem is split into four distinct stanzas, with each chronicling a different stage of the encounter and mutative emotions therein.
  • Progressive revelation runs through the stanzas, building suspense and depth as the poem develops.

Shifts in Focus

  • Turn of focus occurs within the different stanzas, starting with the mundane activity of swimming, moving to the sudden encounter with the shark, and eventually transcending to deep introspective thoughts.
  • These shifts in focus serve to effectively communicate the poet’s evolving emotions and realisations, reflecting MacCaig’s introspective journey.

Rhyme and Rhythm

  • The consistent aba rhyme scheme and rhythmic pattern throughout the poem endow it with a controlled, cyclical feel.
  • This rhythm is momentarily disrupted when the shark appears, representing the jolting impact of the encounter on the poet.

Use of Enjambment

  • Enjambment is extensively employed in the poem, allowing thoughts and sentences to flow across line breaks, thus creating a natural, conversational style.
  • These flowing lines and running thoughts imitate the ebb and flow of the sea itself, reinforcing the oceanic setting of the poem.

Summary

  • ‘Basking Shark’ is a powerful narrative poem, that uses consistent rhyme and rhythm, shifting focus, and effective enjambment to portray MacCaig’s contemplative journey, ignited by an encounter with nature’s remarkable creature. The form and structure of the poem serve to reinforce its timeless themes of man’s insignificance in the grand scheme of existence, and human evolution.