Brooklyn cop



Brooklyn cop

By Norman MacCaig

Built like a gorilla but less timid,

thick-fleshed, steak-coloured, with two

hieroglyphs in his face that mean

trouble, he walks the sidewalk and the

thin tissue over violence. This morning,

when he said, ‘See you, babe’ to his wife,

he hoped it, he truly hoped it.

He is a gorilla

to whom ‘Hiya, honey’ is no cliché.

Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through

into violence, what clubbings, what

gunshots between Phoebe’s Whamburger

and Louie’s Place.

Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick,

whose home is a place

he might, this time, never get back to?

And who would be who have to be

his victims?

What is the poem about? 

Norman MacCaig depicts the character of a corrupt, thuggish American cop. A policeman is meant to be trusted and is employed to 'serve and protect'. Instead the, "Gorilla with a nightstick", is insensitive, violent and appears to enjoy the murderous nature of his job. However, despite his tough exterior, there is a gentler side to the cop, who loves his wife and fears for his life. The poem asks us to consider the violence that takes place within a city like New York, and whether the cop is partly responsible. 

Imagery 

“built like a gorilla” - tells us he is big and strong and is a stereotypical image of a New York cop. 

“..but less timid”- suggests he is brave, but brutal

“he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence” - the divide between civilisation and violence is only ever paper-thin.

“two hieroglyphs in his face that mean trouble” - he is seeking out violence

MacCaig uses the simile at the start of the poem, "built like a Gorilla", but towards the end of stanza one he changes the comparison to a metaphor, "he is a gorilla". This strengthens the image and emphasises the savage, bestial and primitive nature of the cop. 

Word Choice 

“Phoebe’s Whamburger” and “Louie’s Place” – sound like they might be mafia diners or places where gangsters might hang out. 

"nightstick"- It is significant that he has chosen a nightstick, because stereotypical police would have a gun. The Brooklyn Cop has a nightstick, perhaps because he enjoys being able to use it to violently beat up criminals. 

Plunge” - suggests falling quickly. It has connotations of falling, uncontrollably, perhaps from a great height into something terrible, like the “thin tissue” into violence

“honey” - has tender associations, and his fear that his “home is a place he might, this time, never get back to” tells us that he is vulnerable. 

Structure 

Stanza One - builds the cartoon-like image of a stereotypical cop. 

Stanza two - shows how how quickly the cop could be thrust from safety into chaos and how violence is always present in his world.

Stanza Three - written as a rhetorical question and is ambiguous. It leaves the reader to question his policing, and his "victims".

It is important to note the stanzas become shorter and much more condensed. This reflects the poet grasping at different ideas and becoming lost. Norman MacCaig's hope of proper justice is disappearing the more he thinks about it. 

Setting

‘Brooklyn’ tells us that the poem is set in a poorer part of New York, and it is generally known that crime is more common in poorer parts of the city. The setting emphasises the violence and corruption in the poem.

Overall

The poem explores the relevant and important issue of police brutality. Should we feel sympathy for a family man who has been hardened by everyday violence, or instead be disgusted by his brutal policing, which seems to have little effect? Perhaps you found the poem effective because it describes a realistic character who is both vulnerable, and violent.

Important Quotations

“Built like a gorilla but less timid, thick fleshed, steak coloured”

Imagery: comparison of cop to gorilla. Suggests he is tough / large / fearsome. The addition of “but less timid” is a playful idea: a gorilla doesn’t necessarily make you picture a shy creature. Some might acknowledge the shy nature of animals around humans but the fact that the cop is ‘less timid’ might show that he is fearsome and fearless.

“Two hieroglyphs in his face that mean trouble, he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence”

Metaphor: this creates a somewhat ‘dark’ / pessimistic tone. The Cop’s life is a delicate balancing act: his job (as he ‘walks the sidewalk’) brings him into contact with the less-desirable parts of society. ‘tissue’ is a particularly ambiguous image: is the cop close to violence or is he himself close to becoming violent? Again we see that he is a complex character.

“This morning when he said “See you babe” to his wife, he hoped it, he truly hoped it”

Repetition: ‘hoped’ reveals the cop’s feelings (his humanity that seemed hidden by the ‘hieroglyphs’). Though the clichéd use of ‘babe’ seems simple, this repetition of ‘hoped’ emphasises the genuine emotion behind it. He seems like a caring and loving husband who just wants to be safe to go home to his wife night and night.

“He is a gorilla to whom “Hiya, honey” is no cliche”

Metaphor: as the stanza develops, so does the impression of the cop: he is no longer ‘like’ a gorilla, he is one. This is negative: it is a comment on society and the demand for violence to control violence.

Word Choice: ‘Hiya, honey’ links with ‘See you, babe’. It is a cliché: the cop becomes a sympathetic figure due to his simple emotions. The reader may see him as a product of the needs of society. He is hardened by his job, but still has the same genuine feelings as anyone else.

“Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through into violence, what clubbings, what gunshots between Phoebe's hamburger and Louie's Place.”

Word choice: the delicate balancing act is explored in detail. ‘tear’ suggests destruction. ‘violence’ ‘clubbings’ ‘gunshots’ ‘Wham’ are build an impression of aggression. ‘plunge’ suggests a rapid descent. The cop’s descent into savagery seems certain should he give in to violence.

Metaphor / repetition: the tone here is negative. The speaker considers the cop’s job and the consequences if he gives in to violence. The return to the ‘tissue’ hints that there is a fine line separating the cop and savagery.

“Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick,”

Rhetorical question: nobody would want to be described like him. The metaphor shows him as an animal with authority: ‘nighstick’ is a symbol of American policing.

“whose home is a place he might, this time, never get back to?”

Word choice: ‘home’ is both the cop’s life / place in civilised society and the cop’s humanity itself. This emphasises the dangerous nature of the cop’s job and returns to the delicate balance. The rhetorical question suggests the speaker’s sense of wonder.

“And who would be who have to be his victims?”

The word choice of ‘victims’ is a negative view of the cop and his role in society. Criminals seem to become the innocent subjects of the cop’s brutal duty. This is possibly a comment on society itself and the way it stops violence with more violence. The question addresses an idea: the subject of the poem is not the cop himself but the divide between civilisation and savagery

Analysis and Annotation tasks

1

a) Copy: “Built like a gorilla but less timid”

b) What figure of speech is this?

c) What does the image of the gorilla suggest?

d) What do the words “less timid” suggest?

2

a) What does the word “thick-fleshed” suggest about the cop?

b) What does “steak-coloured” suggest?

3

a) Copy: “with two

hieroglyphs in his face that mean

trouble.”

b) What is the meaning of “ hieroglyphs”?

c) What are they used to describe in the poem?

d) What figure of speech is this?

e) What kind of person does this suggest the cop is?

4

a) Copy: “He is a gorilla”.

b) What figure of speech is this?

c) How has using this figure of speech changed the meaning from the first line?

5

a) Copy: “gorilla with a nightstick”.

b) What is a “nightstick”?

c) What type of language is this?

d) Comment on the inclusion of the word “gorilla”.

6

a) Copy: “See you, babe”.

b) What does this usually mean?

c) What is its deeper meaning, here?

d) What is a cliché?

e) What other impression of the cop do these lines give us?

7

a) Copy: “the thin tissue over violence”.

b) What figure of speech is this?

c) What does the word “tissue” suggest?

d) What is does the word “thin” add to this?

8

a) Copy: “Should the tissue tear, should he plunge through

into violence”.

b) What figures of speech is “tissue tear”?

c) What does this suggest could happen? Answer in detail. Give your own example.

d) What does the choice of the word “plunge” suggest the cop does?

9

a) Copy: “what clubbings, what gunshots”.

b) What parts of speech are “clubbings”and “gunshots”?

c) What do these words have in common?

d) What poetic device is used in the quotation?

10

a) What figure of speech is “Whamburger”?

b) Why is it an appropriate name for the café?

11

a) Copy: “Whose home is a place

he might, this time, never get back to”.

b) Why has the poet used two commas?

c) In detail, explain what this quotation suggests.

12

a) Copy: “And who would be who have to be

his victims?”

b) In detail, explain what this suggests. Ensure you comment on the use of the word “victims”.

c) Why has the poet chosen to end the poem with two rhetorical questions?

Questions – Answer in full sentences

1a) Look at lines 1 – 4. Do you think that this is a stereotypical image of a policeman?

1b) Choose two quotes, and explain why they make you feel this way. (3)

2) Quote the line that shows that the divide between civilization and violence is only ever paper-thin. (1)

“he walks the sidewalk and the thin tissue over violence”

3) What technique is this? (1)

4) Consider what you learn about the cop at home. Quote a line that shows the difference between his personality at work, and that at home. Explain your answer fully, including how you feel about the character. (3)

5) The poet changes from saying the cop is “like a gorilla” to being “a gorilla”. Explain fully how the techniques have changed, and why you think the poet does this. (2)

6) Think about the place names – what kind of area is he policing? (2)

7) Explain how the word “plunge” is effective. Include comment on what the word actually means and what it makes you think of. (2)

8) How does stanza two remind us of the themes of the poem? (1)

9) What do you notice about the structure of this stanza? Think about sentence structure and punctuation. (1)

10) Explain the importance of the phrase “gorilla with a nightstick” (2)

11) Show how the poet tries to get us to sympathise with the cop (4)

12) Who is the poet referring to as “victims”, and why do you think they are referred to as such? (2)

13) Why do you think we never learn the name of the Brooklyn Cop? (1)

14) How successful do you think this poem is in conveying a complex picture of the cop? (4)

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