Hotel Room 12th Floor

• how does the poem display contrast?

  Man’s sophistication and wealth vs savage and violent nature
• how does the poem display loss?

  Loss of life due to man’s savagery
• how does the poem display suffering?

  Suffering of those in the city due to savage violence of man
• how does the poem display relationships?

  Between civilisation and savagery
• how does the poem display characters/surroundings?

  The speaker isolated from the surroundings below
• how does the poem display symbolism?

  Night symbolises man’s violent savagery and light symbolises civilisation and wealth
• Contrast quotes

  • “blood / glazed“
  • “wildest of warwhoops continually ululating”
  • “But now midnight has come”
• “blood/glazed“

  WC connotes gruesome savage violence which is a contrast to the grand advanced civilisation described in first stanza Enjambement emphasises “blood” and the violence and destruction to again shows contrast
• “wildest of warwhoops continually ululating”

  WC warwhoops connotes primitive non verbal war cry. Suggests savage violence and uncivilised like old tribes that used to make warwhoops. Metaphor comparing savage cries to ambulance and police sirens. Again highlights need for contant aid for violence. All contrasted to civilised city at day
• “But now midnight has come”

  Conjunction at start signifies quick change, highlights contrast between dark savagery to civilised city. Personification suggesting has physically travelled. The dark coming in symbolising savagery in humanity and violence in contrast to civilised day.
• Loss quotes

  • “blood glazed“
  • “shot at by a million lit windows,”
  • “wildest of warwhoops continually ululating”
• “shot at by a million lit windows,”

  Metaphor compares light from windows into darkness to war and gun shots. Suggests violence and savagery and death like war and guns, echoing situation below. WC millions emphasises number of casualties and victims of savagery. Dark symbolises savagery and evil and the battle light has with it.
• Suffering quotes

  • “blood glazed“
  • “shot at by a million lit windows,”
  • “wildest of warwhoops continually ululating”
• Relationships quotes

  • “a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect”
  • “But now midnight has come”
  • “But midnight is not/so easily defeated.”
• “a helicopter skirting like a damaged insect”

  Simile comparing machine often symbolising wealth to a broken injured creature. Suggests like the insect humanities pursuit of material wealth has become broken and has spiralled out into a savage and violent state.
• “But midnight is not/so easily defeated.”

  Midnight symbolising savagery suggests human savagery cannot be easily avoided as it is inherently part of us and will always re-emerge despite attempts of civilisation. Continues idea of battle between civilisation and savagery in mankind
• Character and surroundings quotes

  • “glittering canyons and gulches”
• “glittering canyons and gulches”

  Metaphor comparing streets seen from speakers perspective to natural features. Highlights to speaker this place is less civilised than thought like nature is less civilised.
• Symbolism quotes

  • “But now midnight has come”
  • “shot at by a million lit windows,”
  • “But midnight is not/so easily defeated.”
• Themes of Hotel Room 12th Floor

  • Despite advances humanity still maintains evil savage past
  • Thin line between modern society and basic human instincts of violence and destruction