Aunt Julia key quotes and analysis Flashcards
“very loud and very fast. I could not answer her - I could not understand her”
Word choice/repetition/tone
Blunt and simple word choice/language suggests he is quite young
Repetition of ‘very’ emphasises her personality. Creates image of confident and extroverted woman.
Repetition of ‘I could not’ highlights the inability he had to communicate with her.
Establishes main theme of frustration at barriers in communication.
Tone is affectionate and emphasises that Julia is a dynamic, vigorous and forceful character.
“her strong foot, stained with peat”
Word choice of ‘strong’ suggests her tough, powerful, hardy nature . Creates image that she is capable of doing lots of different things and she does many jobs.
‘stained with peat’ suggests she is steeped in her environment, also shows her deep connection to the earth, emphasises the traditional simplicity of her lifestyle.
Word choice of ‘stained’ suggests everlasting, unchangeable. The writer chose this word to emphasise that this connection she has with the land isn’t temporary but it is a permanent part of her life.
“absolute darkness”
emphasises just how dark it is but despite this there is no indication of him being scared. ‘darkness’ suggests that they are cut off from society and in a rural area. This would make it a quiet and calm atmosphere as there would be very little light pollution and no loud or disruptive noises.
“listening to crickets being friendly”
Use of anthropomorphism suggests that it is the speaker who is happy, enjoying the closeness with nature. Links him to the land which is Aunt Julia’s lifestyle.
Insects are typically known for being frightening so this reinforces that he feels comfortable and happy staying with his aunt and how secure he feels in and otherwise scary environment.
“she was buckets and water flouncing into them”
Metaphor - indicates her deep personality.
Transferred epithet - the water mirrors Aunt Julia’s erratic movements and lively ways.
Metaphor - the poet feels his aunt is so close to nature that she is a part of it, her connection to the land is so strong that nature reminds people of her.
“She lay silenced in the absolute black of a sandy grave”
Contrasts to the cosiness of the ‘absolute darkness’ Shift to black, connotations of death/grave. Conveys the frightening bleak void of death; contrasts to talkative and active life she had as she is no longer doing anything.
“with a seagulls voice”
She has left such a strong impression that he can still imagine her welcoming him.
Metaphor - used to connect Aunt Julia to the natural world.
- mimics her voice and how loud and incomprehensible it was.
Highlights the language barrier.
Contrasts to the literal silence.
