Aunt Julia Flashcards
“Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast”
The simple statement of the first line immediately establishes aunt Julia’s voice the word choice of “Gaelic” connotes an uncommon language that not many people speak. This highlights the alien nature of her voice and the language and emphasises the communication barrier between them as MacCaig only spoke English.
The repetition of “very” emphasises how incomprehensible his aunts language was to him
Word choice of “loud” and “fast” both have connotations of speaking in an energetic and active way. This establishes aunt Julia’s character as someone who is a big lively character
“I could not answer her I could not understand her”
The repetition of “i could not” emphasises the frustration and helplessness the speaker felt as a young boy at not being able to understand what his aunt was saying or not being able to respond to her
“She wore men’s boots when she wore any”
Word choice of “men’s boots” connotes practicality and masculine which suggests her ability to engage in labour where masculine strength is needed. It also suggests she is less bothered about her appearance and more about the practicality and protection the boots offer which helps to create an image of a no nonsense women who gets the job done
“When she wore any” further develops this by suggesting she dispenses shoes all together sometimes which highlights her closeness to nature as there is no barrier between the soil and her skin.
“I can see her strong foot stained with peat”
‘Strong foot’ is a synecdoche
The foot is used to represent all of the aunts strength which highlights she is a women who is very powerful and has a lot of strength
Word choice of “stained” connotes something that will last a long time or forever. This highlights the permanent mark the land has made on the aunt both physically and metaphorically and suggests she feels very close and bonded to the landscape
“While her right hand drew yarn marvellously out of the air”
Word choice of “marvellously” connotes doing something in a wonderful and extraordinary manner. This highlights the boys amazement at what is happening and the skill shows by his aunt
The long vowel sounds in the word choice also mirror the pattern of the aunt pulling the yarn
“Hers was the only house where I’ve lain at night in the absolute darkness”
Word choice of “absolute darkness” connotes completely black and away from any source of light. This suggests that the aunts house is very remote and far away from any towns or cities like MacCaig is used to.
Despite the primitive location and darkness, which children often fear, the young boy feels very safe and secure in his aunts home suggesting his closeness to her even though he couldn’t understand her.
“Listening to crickets being friendly”
This phrase is anthropomorphism (when animals or objects are given human traits) which adds to the tone of the safety and security he feels as he is not scared or frightened by the crickets
Also suggests the the speaker is growing to feel happy and at peace when surrounded by nature, just like his aunt.
“She was buckets and water flouncing into them”
Word choice of “flouncing” connotes moving in an angry or impatient manner. This helps to create a vivid character as it suggests she works at a quick pace and is constantly on the move
“She was winds pouring Welty round house ends”
metaphor
Compares aunt Julia to the harsh weather conditions where she lived. The ‘wind pouring’ is a peculiar description as wind isn’t usually considered to pour. This helps to highlight the extreme weather as the wind is full of water and the rain is being driven rapidly by the gale.
This is an effective comparison as they add to the young boys image of the aunt as someone who is full of action, drive and energy
“She was brown eggs, black shirts and a keeper of three penny bits in a teapot”
Another metaphor, this time comparing her to mundane objects the speaker associated with his aunt.
The earthy colours used further tie her to the landscape, the eggs help to highlight her self sufficient way of living and the black shirts were traditional clothing worn in the Hebrides.
By comparing her to everyday objects we get a further sense of the simple yet hardworking life she lived and also the small details the young boy remembers her by
“Getting angry, getting angry with so many questions unanswered”
The repetition of “getting angry” emphasises the amount of frustration felt by the speaker at his inability to communicate with her and how he now feels he has lost his chance to learn more about her and her way of life before she died.
The solitary word of “unanswered” in the final line of the poem draws attention to the finality of death and also his frustration as he realises these questions will now forever remain unanswered.
“She lay silenced in the absolute black”
Word choice of “silenced” connotes being prevented from speaking. This is the first indication we get she is dead.
This creates a vast contrast between the loud and vibrant character she was when she was alive and the silence that comes with her death.
The word choice of “absolute black” at the end of the line draws attention to the finality of death as it contrasts to stanza 3 where the speaker felt comforted by the “darkness” but this has now changed to “black” highlighting the empty void she has left and the discomfort caused by her death
“But I hear her still, welcoming me with a seagulls voice”
The word of “but” at the start of the sentence helps to indicate a change in direction of the poem as the speaker moves on to describe his vivid memories of her and the poem changes to present tense.
“I hear her still” suggests she will forever live on in his and his families memories.
“With a seagulls voice” is a metaphor as just like a seagulls cry is very loud, shrill and unintelligible, so too was his aunts voice to the young boy because he couldn’t understand what she was saying. By comparing her to something of the natural world it further highlights her closeness to nature and the landscape of where she lived.
Key themes of Aunt Julia
Isolation
Loss
Nature
Communication
