Assisi

• the dwarf with his hands on backwards 


  imagery - dehumanises beggar
• sat, slumped like a half filled sack


  sibilance, simile - creates a mocking judgemental tone, dehumanises the beggar. dismissive attitude that the tourists give him
• outside the three tiers of churches


  "outside" - beggar is marginalised, kept out. contrast between description of the person and the beauty of the church
• in honour of St Francis, brother of the poor


  The irony lies in the absurdity of an architecturally stunning church built at great expense, 'in honour' of a priest who devoted his life to the poor, especially since he would have helped is begging outside the basilica.
• he had the advantage of not being dead yet


  implies that death will inevitably come for him and people see this as the only positive outcome for him
• a priest explained


  hypocrisy - inside the church, the priest tells simplified versions of Bible stories to satisfy tourists. He is a hypocrite as he should be helping the suffering of the beggar outside
• i understood the explanation and the cleverness 


  the line breaks up after 'understood' to suggest that he doesn't agree - mocking tone
• clucking contentedly 


  alliteration - shows their lack of intelligence, unaware and naïve
• scattered the grain of the word

  extended metaphor - the grain is gods teaching that the priest is "scattering"
• ruined temple 


  the meaning behind the creation of the church to begin with is ruined as tourists now look passed the beggar
• Grazie in a voice as sweet as a child's


  cyclical structure starts and ends with the beggar but now we see him as a human worthy of sympathy. being compared to a child it shows his innocence and purity and well-meaning manner