Aunt Julia Flashcards
“very loud and very fast”
“I could not … I could not”
Word choice / repetition
MacCaig begins with affectionate childhood memories of Aunt. Repetition of “very” and “I could not” highlight how difficult it was to communicate with his aunt.
“She wore mens’s boots when she wore any.”
Word choice
The fact that she “wears mens boots when she wore any” suggests a woman that is practical. Her work is physically demanding, both outdoors and within her house.
“treadle of the spinning wheel”
Structure
The long line highlights the length of time the spinning process takes or the yarn being drawn out. Aunt Julia is always shown to be moving, emphasising her hard working, active nature.
“drew yarn marvellously out of the air.”
Word choice
Conveys the sense of magic or illusion about the task in the eyes of the poet as a child. It suggests he admired her.
“absolute darkness”
“crickets being friendly”
Word choice
The poet shows affection in his description of his Aunt. Despite the typically frightening “absolute darkness”, the poet seems very comfortable and safe. This is clear when the crickets are shown to be “friendly”
“She was buckets and water flouncing into them”
“She was winds pouring wetly round house ends”
Metaphor
MacCaig feels his aunt is so close to nature that she is a part of it. She is shown to be linked directly to both the wind and the rain.
“a keeper of threepennybits in a teapot”
Word choice
MacCaig links Aunt Julia to a collection of simple domestic objects. These objects show her to be natural, traditional and careful with money.
“Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast.”
Repetition
MacCaig returns to the opening lines of the poem, providing a hint that we are coming to the end of the text.
“Silenced in the absolute black”
Word choice “silenced”
In contrast to the liveliness and activity of Julia’s working life, death has silenced her. “absolute black” is a reminder of the “absolute darkness” in stanza 3 but this time the darkness is of no comfort.
“welcoming me with a seagulls voice”
Word choice of “seagulls voice”
Julia is still so connected to nature in his mind that he hears her in the sounds of nature, even after death.
“getting angry, getting angry with so many questions unanswered.”
Repetition of “angry”
Suggests MacCaig is very frustrated. He is both angry at the questions left by the death of his aunt and he is scared of losing the traditional Scottish way of life.
Key themes
Man’s connection to nature Anger Grief Loss Isolation
