Aunt Julia

• "men's boots"?

  • Word Choice

  "Men's boots" has connotations of being sturdy and masculine which suggests that Aunt Julia defied gender stereotypes and was a strong, practical, capable woman.
• "marvellously"?

  • Word Choice

  "Marvellously" has connotations of magic and wonder which suggests the young Maccaig was in awe of his aunt's spinning skills, something he may not have seen before as he is from the city and only occasionally visits his aunt.
• "Silenced"?

  • Word Choice

  "Silenced" has connotations of being cut short unwillingly which suggests that Aunt Julia, a larger than life and boisterous character is unsuited to death and would not have wanted it. This creates a contrast to her life and makes her death even more sad.
• "Unanswered"?

  • Word Choice

  "Unanswered" has connotations of ignored or unsatisfied which suggests that Maccaig was upset and frustrated by the end of the poem as he never got answers to the questions he would've liked to ask his aunt about her lifestyle, first because of the language barrier and secondly because of her death.
• "listening to crickets being friendly"?

  • Imagery

  Crickets -> the human trait of friendliness

  The personification gives the crickets friendly human qualities, which gives the idea of comfort and familiarity, and suggests Aunt Julia’s home was secure and inviting for the young MacCaig. 
• "She was buckets and water flouncing into them"?

  • Imagery

  Aunt Julia -> Buckets

  Just as a bucket is a useful and sturdy tool, so is Aunt Julia a practical, stoic and capable person. The word choice of "flouncing" also has connotations of lively and energetic, which suggests Aunt Julia is always busy doing jobs around her land.
• "Welcoming me with a seagulls voice"?

  • Imagery

  Aunt Julia -> Seagull

  Just as a seagull has a loud and unintelligible squawk so did Aunt Julia have a booming voice that Maccaig could not understand. This suggests that Maccaig could not communicate with Aunt Julia, just like he could not communicate with a seagull.
• "Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast"?

  • Repetition of Intensifier

  Emphasises key parts of Aunt Julia's speech and suggests she was particularly booming and rapid when she spoke.
• "She was brown eggs, black skirts and a keeper of threepennybits in a teapot"?

  • Rule of three

  Emphasises the simplicity of Aunt Julia's lifestyle, that she is self sufficient, practical and has little money so keeps every coin safe. The tone is admiring, which suggests although she had a simple life, it was full with love.
• "Getting angry, getting angry"?

  • Repetition

  Emphasis the extent of Maccaig's frustration that he never got to communicate with his aunt, even after learning her language, because of her death.