Brooklyn cop

• What does "timid" have connotations of?


  shy, quiet and easily scared which suggests that the cop is actually the opposite of this because of the word “less”. Gorillas are not known for being timid so if the cop is “less timid” than it, he must be particularly fierce and threatening. 
• What does "plunge" have connotations of?


  diving in deeply and with speed which suggests the cop launches into situations and immerses himself in the violence, perhaps without considering the consequences.
• What does "Nightstick" have connotations of?


  arming and weaponry as well as darkness which suggests the cop is even more dangerous because he also has violent tools that help him to keep order on the streets. This word choice intensifies or strengthens the gorilla metaphor to make the cop seem worse.
• What does "Victims" have connotations of?


  has connotations of helplessness, vulnerability and mistreatment which suggests those who encounter the cop are perhaps treated unfairly by him or are forced to commit crime due to their poor circumstances, so deserve our sympathy. 
• "Built like a gorilla" - The cop is being compared to a gorilla


  Just as a gorilla is powerful, fierce and unpredictable, so the cop is big and tough.  This suggests the cop is very physical and threatening and may be difficult to read.
• “Two hieroglyphs on his face that mean trouble” - the cop’s eyes are being compared to hieroglyphs. 


  Just as hieroglyphs are characters from the Ancient Egyptian language, so the cop’s eyes are like a strange language we can’t read. This suggests we cannot figure out what he is thinking, that he is indecipherable.
• “The thin tissue over violence” - the peaceful state of the neighbourhood is being compared to a tissue.


  Just as a tissue is made of a thin material and is easily ripped or torn, so violence on the streets could break out at any moment without warning. This suggests the cop has a difficult job because the streets are dangerous and violence happens often. 
• “He hoped it, he truly hoped it.” - repetition - emphasises the genuine feeling of fear the cop has that he won’t survive the day, highlighting the dangerous nature of his job. 
• 1. “And who would be who have to be/ his victims?” - rhetorical question - invites the reader to consider the irony of the situation, how the cop who is supposed to be enforcing laws uses violence against criminals who may only be committing crime because they live in poverty and have no choice. He is questioning how civilised our society really is. 
• “Whose home is a place/ he might, this time, never get back to?” - rhetorical question, parenthesis, enjambment. 

  
  

  Parenthesis of “this time” makes the phrase stand out and reminds the reader again how much danger the cop is in as he goes about his job. He could easily be hurt or killed. 

  
  

  Rhetorical question forces the reader to stop and think about the nature of the cop’s job and consider the dangers he faces on a daily basis. MacCaig wants us to feel sympathy for the cop by making us think deeply about his work.