The Poet Uses…

Question 1

Loss

Answer 1

The poet is angry not only that he has lost his opportunity to get to know his aunt in her culture/language because she has died, the poem also implies that the culture is dying.

Question 2

People/place

Answer 2

They represent traditional Scottish culture, which maccaig prefers, thinks more highly of than contemporary Scottish culture. It is more honest/true/desirable

Question 3

Suffering

Answer 3

Refers to the difficult, yet close to nature, life of AJ, representing how hard it was/is to live off the land

Question 4

Isolation

Answer 4

Lack of garlic meant he couldn’t speak to her, she lives alone on this land, will die alone on the island before he can speak to her

Question 5

Nature

Answer 5

AJ and Crofting culture represents a closeness with nature that is to be admires and is desirable. Scotland=nature=AJ

Question 6

Human existence

Answer 6

At time of poem, precious generation of Gaelic speakers was dying off. Represents loss of scoring culture