basking shark

• To stub an oar on a rock where none should be


  metaphor: unexpected occurrences can happen in waters displaying the difficulties in life
• rock


  word choice: hard and immobile object
• rise with a slounge out of the sea


  metaphor: the oar floats out to sea slowly
• slounge


  word choice: neologism as it is a combo of slouch and lounge with connotations of laziness
• Is a thing that happened once (too often) to me


  parenthesis + metaphor: links forward to the guilt felt by the poet as humans have intruded upon wildlife too much, he dislikes his situation
• I count as gain


  tone: optimistic + bright, as he is focusing on the benefits of his encounter
• sea tin-tacked with rain


  onomatopoeia: noises of the rain hitting the metal boat
• That roomsized monster with a matchbox brain


  juxtaposition: compares the large shark that is idiotic
• He displaced more than water


  metaphor: the shark moved the poet harshly both physically and mentally
• he


  word choice: assumption that the shark is a male solely due to how large and scary it is to the poet
• shoggled


  word choice: connotations of shaken and moved
• Centuries back - this decadent townee


  dash: provides extra information about the poet's views on himself as a corrupt citizen due to the actions of his ancestors
• decadent


  word choice: corrupt, morally incorrect
• wrong branch

  double entendre: ambiguous expression as it can be seen as something went wrong in human evolution that caused us to be able to harm wildlife or we feel superior towards wildlife that we don't recognise we are related in evolution
• Swish up the dirt


  onomatopoeia + word choice + metaphor: 'swish' sounds like the movement of the water as the sand is being stirred, 'dirt' shows how the water is murky, murky water can never be clean or 'swished' up so it is referring to the poet's revelation and discovery upon the truth of human civilisation and how we intrude on wildlife
• when it settles / a spring / Is all the clearer


  metaphor + enjambment: the poet sees that humans are bad people that act superior and harm wildlife, 'settles' and 'spring' are amplified
• I saw me, in one fling


  metaphor + enjambment + emotional resonance: poet is reflecting upon his actions, the pause allows the reader to understand his pensive moment which signifies the important of the reflection, an emotional moment created when the poet lingers onto the connection to the natural world
• Emerging from the slime of everything


  metaphor: he saw through evolution when we used to be equal to the shark prior to becoming corrupt
• So who's the monster?


  rhetorical question: reflects upon the actions of humanity and sparks the reader to enter a pensive state leaving us thinking
• The thought made me grow pale


  metaphor: he is in shock because of his revelation
• sail after sail / The tall fin slid away and then the tail


  repetition + assonance + metaphor: 'sail' repeated twice which has a rhythmic and emphatic effect, drawing attention to the repeated action, repetition of vowel sounds contributes to the musical and harmonious quality of the lines, the shark has a graceful and elegant movement displaying its nonviolent nature