Para 3 - safety around Aunt Julia Flashcards
Point
In stanza three, MacCaig portrays the memory of the speakers Aunt through the use of word choice and imagery. In this stanza readers are made aware of how special Aunt Julia was to the speaker as he felt secure and safe around her.
Quote + analysis
The quote “hers was the only house where I’ve lain at night in the absolute darkness of a box bed, listening to crickets being friendly” emphasises how the speaker felt safe and content around his Aunt. Opening this quote with the word “hers” shows the significance of Julia to the speaker. The uses of the word “only” suggests that the speaker and his Aunt had a special relationship, they had a deep bond that wouldn’t be broken. Moreover, the contrast of the phrase “absolute darkness” and the metaphor “listening to crickets being friendly” shows that even in situations where the speaker should have felt unsafe, he didn’t because he knew that his Aunt would be there to comfort and look after him. This emphasises the affection that the speaker had for Aunt Julia.
