Memorial: Stanza 2

Memorial: Stanza 2

‘Memorial’: Stanza 2

Main Ideas

• This stanza describes the grandeur and immortal quality of Assyrian architecture.
• The speaker contrasts this with the frailty of human life, presenting the inevitability of human mortality.

Symbolism

• The ‘immortal’ architecture symbolises the aspiration of humankind to permanence and legacy.
• The word ‘unageing’ implies a desired immunity from the course of time and decay, that architecture seems to possess while humans do not.

Imagery

• The image of the ‘grooved columns’ and ‘time-defying gateways’ present the enduring aspect of the Assyrian architecture.
• This is counterbalanced by ‘the dumb went on praising’ - a poignant depiction of humanity’s mute and transient existence in contrast.

Language

• ‘Time-defying’ exposes humans’ endless struggle to cheat death and decay.
• ‘Dumb went on praising’ illustrates peoples’ continuing but ineffective attempts to immortalise themselves through monuments.

Context

• MacCaig delivers an introspective examination of human essence, revealing the contrast between transitory human life and seemingly timeless human creations - architecture. -In ‘Memorial’, the poet clearly conveys his fascination and absorption with Assyrian art and culture, and his contemplation on mortality and human legacy.

Summary

• The second stanza of ‘Memorial’ by Norman MacCaig emphasises the dichotomy between eternal Assyrian structures and the temporary nature of human life. Through the lens of Assyrian architecture, MacCaig reflects on the human yearning for immortality, contrasting it sharply with the inevitable transient mortality of human existence.