Aunt Julia

• What language did Aunt Julia speak?

  Gaelic
• How did Aunt Julia speak?

  Very loud and very fast
• What could the poet not do with Aunt Julia?

  Answer her
• What does the poet remember about Aunt Julia's foot?

  It was strong and stained with peat
• Where did the poet lie at night?

  In a box bed
• What sounds did the poet listen to at night?

  Crickets being friendly
• How is Aunt Julia metaphorically described in the poem?

  As buckets and water flouncing
• What happened by the time the poet learned Gaelic?

  Aunt Julia had died
• What does the poet hear that reminds him of Aunt Julia?

  A seagull's voice
• What emotions does the poet express regarding unanswered questions?

  Anger and frustration
• What are the key themes explored in the poem "Aunt Julia"?

  • Death
  • Loss
  • Relationships
  • Nature (including human nature)
  • Human experience/condition
  • (Lack of) communication
• What is a key quotation related to death from another poem?

  “Who would be him, gorilla with a nightstick”
• What is a key quotation related to loss from another poem?

  “Into an arm wasted of colour”
• What is a key quotation related to relationships from another poem?

  “See you, babe” to his wife
• What is a key quotation related to nature from another poem?

  “Swish up the dirt and, when it settles”
• What is a key quotation related to human experience from another poem?

  “I will not feel, I will not feel”
• What is a key quotation related to communication from another poem?

  “They who had passed the ruined temple”