Assisi

• "Dwarf" has connotations of small and disabled which suggests the beggar's physical appearance is striking and noticeable to the speaker, thereby making the reader feel sympathy for him.
• "tiny twisted" has connotations of warped and distorted which suggests the beggar's legs are unable to support his body and he is sitting at an awkward angle which may be painful for him. This also further develops sympathy from the reader.
• "outside" has connotations of rejection and being unwelcome which suggests that not only is the dwarf not being welcomed into the church but also society.
• "half-filled sack" just as a half-filled sack is misshapen and lumpy so the beggar is almost hunched over and is in some way incomplete. This suggests his physical disabilities are significant and dehumanize him as he is being compared to an inanimate object.
• "the three tiers of churches" just as a wedding cake is usually made in tiers and associated with being extravagant and fancy so the church is expensive and elaborate. This suggests that no expense has been spared in building the church despite it going against all of St Francis's morals and that they are more interested in making money through the church rather than helping those in need.
• "a rush of tourists, clucking contentedly, fluttered after him" just as chickens aren't the most intelligent animals and are easily led so the tourists are mindlessly wandering around following the priest paying no attention. This suggests that despite having visited the church the tourists have learnt nothing about St Francis' true values and ignore the beggar.
• "whose eyes wept pus, whose back was higher than his head, whose lopsided mouth" is written with a repetitive structure that puts more emphasis on the beggar's condition and reminds the reader how desperately he is in need of help.
• "the suffering of His Son. I understood" has both a caesura and enjambment. The caesura acts as a reflective pause before the speaker passes judgment on what he sees (how the church teaches others about Christian values but doesn't follow them themselves). The enjambment helps to highlight the word choice of "suffering" to draw attention to the fact that suffering is happening right in front of the priest and yet does nothing to help the beggar.
• "brother of the poor, talker with birds, over whom he had the advantage of not being dead yet" contains enjambment, the rule of three and word placement. The rule of three helps to build a picture of St Francis that contrasts with the church built in his honour to allow MacCaig to introduce a sense of irony. St Francis would have hated the church as he would rather use the money to help those in need. He would have helped the beggar outside. The word choice of “yet” at the end of the line reminds us the beggar’s poor physical condition means that he will likely die soon if he is not helped.