Quotes - Aunt Julia Flashcards
“very loud and very fast”
Repetition of very suggests she is very loud and not very shy.
Repetition of “I could not”
emphasises MacCaigs helplessness and frustration as he does can’t communicate with her. Establishes the main theme of frustration due to the barriers of communication
“men’s boots”
word choice her masculine characteristics
“strong foot”
Word choice shows she is burley and shows a sense of power and strength
“stained with peat”
WC of ‘Stained’ shows that Julia doesnt mind getting dirty, also shows she is linked to nature.
metaphors in stanza 4
he compared her to a series of metaphors to do with nature and objects linked to home. This shows the close connection he has with his aunt
“threepennybits in a teapot”
W.C suggests is was a hard life, she did noy have a lot of money but worked very hard.
alliteration of ‘l’ in stanza 5
draws attention to his source of frustration. It is too late, by the time he had learnt the language she was dead.
“silenced”
seems forced, against her will and character contrasts with the loud Julia. Death is emphasised here
“absolute black”
death– darkness she is gone from his life and he will never see her again
“getting angry, getting angry”
Repetition, both are frustrated. Aunt Julia is angry because he could not answer her questions but MacCaig is frustrated as he couldn’t get to know her
“questions unanswered”
final word left on a line of its own, serving to reinforce the enduring sense of frustration MacCaig feels.
