aunt julia

• (#1) aunt julia spoke gaelic / very loud and very fast


  enjambment: runs off the line to give signs of aunt julia's incomprehensible speech
• i could not answer her - / i could not understand her


  repetition + parallelism: the repeated phrase shows his frustration and anger, the use of a dash makes the next line stronger
• she wore men's boots

  word choice: she is practical and hardworking
• - i can see her strong foot / stained with peat


  present tense: shows the author's memory
• paddling with the treadle of the spinning wheel


  free verse: shows the lengthiness of her process + her movement + activity
• while her right hand drew yarn / marvellously out of the air


  enjambment + assonance + word choice: emphasises it, elongates the line to display the impression of the wool being stretched out, shows the magic
• hers was the only house


  word choice: 'hers' shows his affection to her
• box bed


  word choice: a 'box bed' is really uncomfortable, showing his tolerance just to spend time with his aunt
• she was buckets / and water flouncing into them


  metaphor + transferred epithet + symbolism: gives a sense of movement and the way she acted, she was the one flouncing, shows aunt julia's way of life
• she was winds pouring wetly / round house-ends


  metaphor + symbolism + pathetic fallacy: she is remembered as natural forces, aunt julia is part of nature, 'winds' shows she is one with the wind
• she was brown eggs, black skirts / and a keeper of threepennybits / in a teapot


  metaphor + symbolism: she is remembered in still objects displaying her work ethic, she is one with nature
• she was buckets / and water flouncing into them. / she was winds pouring wetly / round house-ends. / she was brown eggs, black skirts / and a keeper of threepennybits / in a teapot.


  personified anaphora: highlights aunt julia's practicality and closeness to nature
• (#2) aunt julia spoke gaelic / very loud and very fast

  repetition: returns to the opening lines of the poem, indicating the beginning of a conclusion to the poem
• she lay / silenced in the absolute black


  tone: the poem becomes darker since his aunt passed away
• at luskentyre


  word choice: she was buried at the beach
• but i hear her still, welcoming me


  tone: a bit lighter as he's moved on a little
• with a seagull's voice

  metaphor: aunt julia was incomprehensible and one with nature to the author, so he's connecting her to a bird
• across a hundred yards / of peatsrapes and lazybeds


  metaphor: connects aunt julia to nature
• getting angry, getting angry


  repetition: emphasises his guilt + fear