Aunt Julia

• Very loud and very fast

  Poet has an affectionate tone as he remembers his aunt. Emphasises her bold manner of speaking and how difficult he found it to talk to her.
• I could not 


  Highlights the inability he had to talk with her as he did not speak Gaelic.
• She wore men’s boots

  Practical, masculine, strong and physical. Suggests she does physical labour and she is unconcerned with her appearance.
• Marvellously 


  Connotations of magic and illusion. He looks at her with childlike wonder even when doing basic everyday tasks.
• Absolute darkness 


  Contrast as we expect darkness and crickets to be frightening to a child when in reality the poet feels comfortable and safe which emphases his affection toward aunt Julia.
• Box bed


  Image of cozy, warm surroundings shows us he feels safe in her home.
• Buckets and water flouncing into them

  she becomes the bucket and the water pouring into them. Shows her practicality and strength. Flouncing implies fast movement of both the water and Aunt Julia.
• winds outing Welty round house ends

  She is free spirited and strong. Moves in a fluid way. Harsh weather shows challenging environment.
• Brown eggs… keeper of

  Volume and variety of memories he has of her. Suggest physical labour and full colour reflects her traditional/ practical personality.
• Very loud very fast

  Turning point of poem same lines as beginning but now with a tone of regret and sadness.
• Silenced 


  He regrets that she is dead and he will never be able to speak with her again. Contrast to noisy and active aunt Julia from the rest of the poem.
• Absolute black


  Echos the idea of darkness from earlier but this time the darkness is bleak. Final lonely and empty again contrats to noisy life force she was.
• Sandy grave


  Places her in natural world. Makes us stop to think her life had came to an end.
• Seagulls voice


  Emphasises her loud shrill voice and how clearly he remembers it. Common everyday bird suggests the memories are clear and familiar. theme if nature relates to her rural life.
• getting angry 


  Building of frustration conveys strong emotions and sums up their inability to communicate and how’s his feelings of regret with a pessimistic end.