Aunt Julia

• "Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast"


  "Gaelic"- Gaelic isnt a very common language which shows Aunt Julia is different

  "Loud"- extrovert, not shy
• "I could not answer her" "I could not understand her"


  Repetition empashises MacCaigs helplessness
• "she wore mens boots when she wore any"


  hard wearing for hard work, not feminine, doesnt care about her appearence
• "strong foot stained with peat"


  feet never clean because she is always working
• "Paddling with the treadle of the spinningwheel"


  suggests movement and activity during her work
• "where i've lain at night"


  despite the darkness and primative accomodation, he feels secure and safe
• "listening to crickets being friendly"


  suggests that he has gotten used to the sound of crickets and finds them to be of comfort.
• "threepennypits"


  hard life, didnt have much money but worked very hard
• "by the time i had learned"

  It is too late by the time he had learnt his Aunties language, he couldnt communcate with her
• "she lay silenced"


  the only thing that could silence Aunt JUlia was death
• "absolute black"

  Death=Darkness
• "seagulls voice"


  mimicking her voice

  Aunt Julia still lives through nature, as he still hears her through the seagulls voice
• "getting angry with so many questions unanswered"


  Both are getting angry. Aunt Julia is angry because he could not understand her questions. But he is frustrated because he could not get to know her better