In the sixth line of the first stanza, “Hotel Room, 12th Floor” McCaig refers to the invasion of “midnight” from “foreign places”. The phrase “midnight” stands for uncivilised ways and violence. The phrase “foreign places” stands for unknown feelings from deep inside us that we don’t show during the daylight as we are trying to be civilised.
The last stanza in “Hotel Room, 12th Floor” basically summarises the poet’s attitude to the city. These lines state his feeling that no matter how civilised a place may seem or how technologically advanced it may be, there is no way that the primitive urges can be covered over and stopped.
McCaig contrasts the sophisticated modern technology of the city with the Wild West. The Wild West dominates over the technology of the city and the technology of the city is being used as a cover for uncivilised ways. McCaig uses time structure of day and night as contrasts and metaphorically personifies midnight in the phrase “but now midnight has come in” because midnight doesn’t literally “come in” as such. The fact that the second stanza begins with “But midnight is not so easily defeated” indicates that despite the technology making places civilised, there is still a native and primitive, uncivilised midnight in us all. The phrases “warwhoops continually ululating”, “broken bones”, “blood glazed on sidewalks” and “harsh screaming” emphasises the brutality of the frontier. The statement “not so easily defeated” exaggerates the sense that this native reaction is always with us and could be unleashed at any time.
Even though the poem “Brooklyn Cop” by McCaig is essentially about a person rather than a place, it shares the same idea as “Hotel Room, 12th Floor”. The cop himself seems so civilised at home, but when he is working and is provoked, he simply cannot hold back the violent streak.
This poem is typically American. The phrase “sidewalk” and the names of the fast-food restaurants “Phoebe’s Whamburger” and “Louie’s Place” are American terms expectedly used by the type of citizen that partakes in everyday civilised habits.
McCaig uses specific language to emphasise the violent nature beneath the surface of this civilised modern city. McCaig describes the line drawn between civilised ways and violence as a “thin tissue”, and “should the tissue tear” the cop would “plunge through into violence”. He emphasises violence through the words “clubbings” and “gunshots”, these are purposefully added in to scare the reader.
The poem “Autumn Journal” by Louis McNiece reflects how McCaig feels. “Though yet her name keeps ringing like a bell in an under-water belfry” summarises how the poets feels towards his place. He uses a second person pronoun “to you Ireland” then a first person pronoun “my Ireland”, yet then goes on to personify his place, Ireland, as “both a bore and a bitch”.
My Favourite of these poems is “Hotel Room, 12th Floor” because it describes civilisation as it appears and not as it is. We appear to have changed, due to advances in technology, but we haven’t, we are still the same savages as before and always will be. The idea of civilisation not existing appeals to me, technology is a cover up of reality, technology is all around us and created by us, but it means nothing in out uncivilised world. the poet feels towards his place.
Due to how McCaig describes the violent side of the city, it makes me think that he has a distant relationship with his place. The phrase “Odi Atque Amo” by Louis McNiece defines the poets feelings in this case, it means to be attracted to and repelled by something at the same time.
