'On Lachie's croft' (SQA National 5 English): Revision Note

Below is a guide to Norman MacCaig’s poem ‘On Lachie’s croft’ in preparation for the SQA National 5 English exam. It includes:

• Overview: a breakdown of the poem, including its possible meanings and interpretations

• Writer’s methods: an exploration of MacCaig’s techniques and methods

• Understanding the poem: an exploration of the themes and ideas within MacCaig’s poem

• Linking the poems: an understanding of how ‘On Lachie’s croft’ connects to MacCaig’s other prescribed poems for the Scottish text section

Overview

In order to answer questions on any poem it is vital that you understand what it is about. This section includes:

• An overview of the poem

• A ‘translation’ of the poem, section-by-section

• A commentary of each of these sections, outlining Norman MacCaig’s intention and message

‘On Lachie’s croft’ overview

‘On Lachie’s croft’, written by the poet Norman MacCaig, uses the extended metaphor (opens in a new tab) of an aging chicken to represent and mirror the sad decline of an unnamed, possibly elderly, man. The man questions the frustrating state of his existence, with the speaker using comparisons to his younger self to emphasise the effects of getting older. 

‘On Lachie’s croft’ translation

Lines 1-2

Translation

• The reader is immediately presented with an image of a rural, farm setting, with a chicken resident on this “croft”

MacCaig’s intention

• Setting and character are established within five words, with the verb “stands” suggesting that the “cock” might be an assertive character

• However, this idea is immediately challenged with the chicken described as being “under the wheelbarrow”, highlighting its desire to stay concealed

• This positioning seems a puzzle to the speaker, so he asks a question: “What’s wrong?” 

• After a pause for reflection, indicated by the hyphen, the speaker observes that the bird is “bedraggled”, which suggests a tattered, unkempt appearance

Lines 3-5

Translation

• The speaker continues to question the dilapidated state of the chicken, suggesting its present appearance is starkly different to its younger days

MacCaig’s intention

• The speaker asks a question in the form of a list, with the contents of the list suggesting what the speaker might expect a chicken to resemble

• Individually, the phrases suggests uniformed sophistication (“military elegance”) and unbearable vanity or arrogance (“insufferable conceit”)

• A “gauleiter” was a Nazi official in Adolf Hitler’s Germany, suggesting in this context that the chicken is cruel, authoritarian or bullying

• The list, however, is used ironically (opens in a new tab), for the rhetorical question (opens in a new tab) implies that the chicken is no longer any of these things

• Instead, the speaker downgrades the “cock” to a “rooster”: the latter description suggests an older chicken (compared to a cockerel, which are chickens aged under one year)

• The closing statement of the verse, “it seems more fitting”, affirms that the description of “rooster” is appropriate given the condition of the bird

Lines 6-7

Translation

• The speaker makes a direct comparison between himself and the chicken, acknowledging that he has come to share similar characteristics

MacCaig’s Intention

• The word “bedraggled” was originally used to describe the bird, but is now associated with the speaker, and again suggests dishevelment:

  • In addition, "haphazard" suggests a character that is disorganised or chaotic

• A tone of sadness is then created, with the speaker unable to understand how this change has come about, with the use of the word “something” to indicate that puzzlement

• The informal “filched” suggests that the “something” has been stolen or deliberately taken away, with the image of a compass suggesting that the speaker lacks a sense of direction

• Now the speaker is left “breathing black air”, suggesting his depression and dark emotions

• The alliteration (opens in a new tab) of “breathing” and “black” creates a sense of slow suffocation, which is suggestive of decline and despair

Lines 8-11

Translation

• The speaker’s observation continues, with the focus turning to the busy actions of the croft’s “hens”

MacCaig’s intention 

• The comparison with the speaker is emphasised through the parallel of the two phrases in Line 8: “I look at that rooster, I look at me.”

• The narrator then proceeds to describe the activities of the “hens”: they busily “scratch” and then “peer” at the ground, suggesting a confused innocence

• The birds make “motherly sounds”, suggesting youth, vitality and warmth, with the words “cosy” and “fireside” further creating a safe, wholesome scene

Lines 12-14

Translation

• Having described the vitality of the “hens”, the speaker offers a contrasting presentation of the “rooster” as old, sick and voiceless

MacCaig’s intention

• The opening word, “But”, is a discursive marker, highlighting a shift or contrast from the subject matter of the previous verse

• The description of “eyes” being “gummy” suggests illness and infirmity

• The word “barren” is ambiguous, but typically associated with infertility or an absence of life, while “croak” suggests a voice that is broken and barely audible

• Like in lines 3-5, when MacCaig contrasts the expectations and reality of the bird, here he uses “tortured trumpet”, which suggests loudness and dominance, to compare the bird’s past and present

Lines 15-19

Translation

• The extended metaphor continues, but the speaker now focuses on himself, painting a sad image of old age

MacCaig’s intention

• The reference to “black air” reiterates a sense of bleakness and depression

• The speaker describes his movements as a “poke”, which feels like a purposeless, vague movement, while the reference to “rumpled” on the following line suggests neglect

• The physical limitations of the speaker are then explored with the matter-of-fact admission that “I can't stand on tiptoe”:

  • The speaker is no longer able to “stand” tall in a literal or metaphorical sense, suggesting a loss of pride and dominance so strongly associated with a “cock”

• The anaphora (opens in a new tab) “How I miss” is then used to convey a nostalgic tone, while also suggesting a sense of loss and disconnect to a better past

• The language that follows (“cosy brown hens”, “motherly clucking”) emphasises what the speaker has lost: simple comforts, the company of others, and possessing purpose

• The poem then ends on a melancholy note, with the speaker declaring that he is “master of nothing I survey”:

  • This frank admission acknowledges how old age means a loss of control and ability to influence the world

Writer’s methods

Although this section is organised into three separate sections — form, structure and language — it is always best to move from what the poet is presenting (the techniques they use; the overall form of the poem; what comes at the beginning, middle and end of a poem) to how and why they have made the choices they have. 

Focusing on the poet’s overarching ideas, rather than individual poetic techniques, will gain you far more marks. Crucially, in the below sections, all analysis is arranged by theme and includes Norman MacCaig’s intentions behind his choices in terms of:

• Form

• Structure

• Language

Form

The speaker in ‘On Lachie’s croft’ uses a monologue (opens in a new tab)to offer a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of someone who has grown old or past their best, with a “cock” used to mirror their sense of alienation and physical decline.

Structure

‘On Lachie’s croft’ is a four-verse poem, of varying line and verse lengths, to represent the speaker’s realisation that they are not what they once were, and the isolation that comes as a consequence.

Language

Word choice and imagery is principally used to portray the mutual ageing of the speaker and the “cock”, with the associations typically negative and linked to depression.

Understanding the poem

For the SQA National 5 English exam, it’s important to show a clear and thoughtful understanding of the poem’s themes and main ideas, as well as how the poet’s techniques and intentions help to convey meaning. This section focuses on two main themes that MacCaig examines in ‘On Lachie’s croft’:

• Ageing

• Isolation 

Ageing

• ‘On Lachie’s croft’ does not immediately seem to be a poem about ageing, but within the context of the entire poem it is clear that the loss of the bird’s identity described in the first verse is as a result of old age

• In the chicken, the speaker observes a fellow traveller in life, both of whom are somewhat shambolic in appearance

• Through nostalgic references to the past, MacCaig emphasises old age through a comparison of what they were able to once influence, to now being the “master of nothing”

• MacCaig ultimately conveys a bleak image of old age: an era in which you are isolated, physically incapable, and left with only nostalgic memories to cherish

Isolation

• ‘On Lachie’s croft’ is similar to ‘Old Highland Woman’ in the sense that it presents isolation as an inevitability of old age

• In a similar way to ‘Old Highland Woman’, the “cock” and speaker are introduced as alone:

  • Both “miss” the vitality of having people around them, and in the present both are unable to find or retain that circle

• The depiction of failing mental health further emphasises a sense of isolation: the speaker is lost in his own dark thoughts that have a poisoning effect

• The word “nothing” stands out in the final line of the poem to summarise MacCaig’s ideas about isolation:

  • The speaker has been reduced to a shell of the person he once was, and must now contemplate the remainder of his life as a lonely man who is unable to influence events

Linking the poems

Most students who study MacCaig’s poetry for the SQA National 5 exam use it to answer the Scottish text section. However, you can choose to write your critical essay on MacCaig’s poetry.

If you choose to study MacCaig for the Scottish text section, you’ll need to demonstrate a broader understanding of her poetry in the final question, as required by the SQA. This means referring to ideas, themes, or techniques from at least one of his other poems.

The six prescribed poems by Norman MacCaig are:

• ‘Aunt Julia’

• ‘Hotel Room, 12th Floor’

• ‘Old Highland Woman’

• ‘On Lachie’s croft’

• ‘Landscape and I’

• ‘Basking Shark’

The final question will likely concentrate on an aspect of content, such as theme or characters in the poems, or on a technique, such as use of imagery or contrast.

Below are some useful comparisons between the six prescribed poems.