churning day

• After the hot brewery of gland, cud and udder


  'brewery' - suggests length of process by which milk is made + makes cow seem like a machine

  'gland, cud and udder' - rule of 3 + alliteration outlines stages of process + slows pace, enabling reading to consider each step

  TRADITION, FARMING, RURAL
• when the hooped churn was scoured

  with plumping kettles and the busy scrubber

  echoed daintily on the seasoned wood.


  'busy scrubber echoed daintily' - oxymoronic description

  'was scoured... kettles... busy scrubber... seasoned' - sibilance emphasises smoothness of process

  'plumping kettles' - onomatopoeia + personification suggests great amount of hot water used + familiarity of process / work

  TRADITION, FARMING, RURAL
• where finally gold flecks

  began to dance. They poured hot water then,

  sterelised a birchwood-bowl


  'finally gold flecks' - alliteration highlights moment of change + hard work

  'gold flecks began to dance' - personification stresses change in colour + connotes luxury, wealth, status + suggests it is joyful

  'birchwood-bowl' - simple items reflect country life

  TRADITION, FARMING, RURAL
• My mother took first turn, set up rhythms

  that slugged and thumped for hours. Arms ached. 


  'My mother' - Heaney is proud / admires her

  'slugged and thumped' - highlights hard task

  'Arms ached.' - simple statement emphasises effect of labour

  FAMILY