Selected Poetry of Norman MacCaig National 5 - Specified Texts “Aunt Julia”

The Big Picture During the course of this unit we will: Study a range of poems by the Scottish poet Norman MacCaig. Look at the poems in detail (both in your group and individually), analyse the techniques used and their effectiveness. Complete a variety of textual analysis questions on the poems in preparation for the Critical Reading exam. Compare and contrast the poems.

Learning Intentions I will: Develop my understanding of MacCaig’s work by studying, in detail, the techniques used by the poet and their effectiveness. Identify how the writer’s main theme or central concerns are revealed and can recognise how they relate to my own and others’ experiences identify and make a personal evaluation of the effect of aspects of the writer’s style and other features appropriate to genre using some relevant evidence and terminology.

Success Criteria I can: Confidently discuss aspects of MacCaig’s work (such as language and imagery) using supporting evidence with my group. Confidently answer a variety of questions on the work of Norman MacCaig Confidently contribute my opinion and encourage others to express themselves

Why study these poems? The national 5 course requires that each student has previously studied one of a selection of Scottish texts before they sit the exam. The following slides show section 2 of the final National 5 exam

Section 2: Critical Reading This section has two parts. In each part, one question will be chosen from a range of questions set to cover the genres of drama, prose or poetry. In each part, you must cover a different genre and cannot use the same text twice. This Section will have 40 marks. Each Part will have 20 marks.

Part A: Critical Essay You will answer one question from a range of questions. You will provide an extended written response, based on a previously studied text.

Part B: Scottish Texts You will answer one question from a range of questions, based on a list of specified Scottish texts. One extract from a previously studied specified Scottish text will be selected.

The poems of Norman MacCaig will be our Scottish text. Part B: Scottish Texts You will answer one question from a range of questions, based on a list of specified Scottish texts. One extract from a previously studied specified Scottish text will be selected. The poems of Norman MacCaig will be our Scottish text.

Background to the Poet Born in Edinburgh in 1910. Although he spent all his childhood and his later life in Edinburgh, his mother's Highland past was a great influence. MacCaig's mother was from Harris and the Gaelic heritage inherited had an enduring effect on MacCaig.  MacCaig's attended the Royal High School and then Edinburgh University where he studied Classics and then trained to be a primary school teacher. During the war MacCaig refused to fight because he did not want to kill people who he felt were just the same as him. He therefore spent time in various prisons and doing land work. In 1967, MacCaig became the first Fellow in Creative Writing at Edinburgh University, and later at the University of Stirling. 

Background to the Poet As he became older, MacCaig's fame spread and he received such honours as the O.B.E. and the Queen's Medal for Poetry, yet it was at home in Edinburgh and Assynt where he was probably most appreciated. This was evident at his 75th, 80th, and 85th birthday parties when the cream of the Scottish literati and musicians came together for readings and musical performances.  By the time of his death in January 1996, Norman MacCaig was known widely as the grand old man of Scottish poetry.

Specified Poems Assisi Visiting Hour Aunt Julia Basking Shark Memorial Sounds of the Day

“Aunt Julia” by Norman MacCaig

Before Reading Task One The poem is called “Aunt Julia” and is about the poet’s memorable aunt. Do you have a very memorable member of your family? Someone who stands out from the crowd for some reason?

Before Reading Task Two What made them memorable? Was it their appearance, a mannerism or the way they spoke? Do you have any objects, places or events that they associate with them?

“Aunt Julia” by Norman MacCaig We are now going to listen to Norman MacCaig read the poem “Aunt Julia” aloud. Listen carefully and follow the poem in your workbook. Try to understand what this poem is about.

“Aunt Julia” Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast. I could not answer her — I could not understand her.

“Aunt Julia” She wore men's boots when she wore any. — I can see her strong foot, stained with peat, paddling with the treadle of the spinning wheel while her right hand drew yarn marvellously out of the air.

Hers was the only house where I've lain at night in the absolute darkness of a box bed, listening to crickets being friendly.

She was buckets and water flouncing into them 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.

Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast. By the time I had learned a little, she lay silenced in the absolute black of a sandy grave at Luskentyre. But I hear her still, welcoming me with a seagull's voice across a hundred yards of peatscrapes and lazybeds and getting angry, getting angry with so many questions unanswered.

New Words and Phrases Gaelic – any one of a number of Celtic languages spoken throughout the British Isles Threepenny bit – a coin worth 3 old pence (Just over 1p in modern value) Peat – decayed vegetation, compressed which is dug up from the peat bogs and used as fuel. Peatscrapes – scars in the bog where the peat has been removed Lazybeds – the correct name for large beds of earth after the peat has been removed.

New Words and Phrases Box bed Threepenny bit

New Words and Phrases Peat

First Impressions Now that we have heard the poem through once, you will re-read it yourself and answer the questions in your workbook. These will help us to understand the poem further.

Questions 1. Look at lines 1-4 of the poem. How does the poet use language to immediately capture the attention of the reader? 2. Look at stanza two. In your own words, how would you describe what Aunt Julia was like? 3. Look at stanza three of the poem. (i) What does “absolute darkness” suggest about the poet’s experience? (ii) What is strange about the description of crickets in this stanza?

Questions 4. Look at stanza four. The poet uses many metaphors to describe his aunt. In your own words, what do you think the poet is saying about his aunt here? 5. Look at Stanza five (lines 24-25). (i)What do you notice about the first two lines of this stanza? (ii) Why might the poet have chosen to do this?

Questions 6. Look at stanza five of the poem. In your own words what does the poet regret? 7. Look at the poem as a whole. What poetic techniques can you see being used?

What did we come up with?

Answers 1. Look at lines 1-4 of the poem. How does the poet use language to immediately capture the attention of the reader? Repetition of ‘very’ and ‘I could not’. Abrupt opening line. 2. Look at stanza two. In your own words, how would you describe what Aunt Julia was like? Hard working, practical, active, tough, worked the land… 3. Look at stanza three of the poem. (i) What does “absolute darkness” suggest about the poet’s experience? He is in a very remote place (ii) What is strange about the description of crickets in this stanza? Crickets are insect; not likely to be ‘friendly’

Answers 4. Look at stanza four. The poet uses many metaphors to describe his aunt. In your own words, what do you think the poet is saying about his aunt here? She is close to nature/ almost a part of nature. 5. Look at Stanza five (lines 24-25). (i)What do you notice about the first two lines of this stanza? They are exactly the same as the first two lines. Repetition. (ii) Why might the poet have chosen to do this? To signal the end of the poem (returning to the starting point). OR To emphasise the fact she is always on his mind.

Answers 6. Look at stanza five of the poem. In your own words what does the poet regret? Regrets not being able to speak to and understand his Aunt. 7. Look at the poem as a whole. What poetic techniques can you see being used? Metaphor, personification, repetition, alliteration, onomatopoeia…

A closer look at the poem Now we are going to look at the poem in more depth in groups. Each group will look at a different section of the poem.

Group Activity Each group will be given some lines of the poem to study. In your group, discuss each question carefully and answer as fully as you can. When each group has completed their questions, we will create posters displaying what we have learned. These posters will be used to complete the analysis grids on the following pages of your workbook.

Stanza one and two Look at lines 1-2 of the poem. 1. (i)How does the poet immediately capture the attention of the reader? (ii)What do these lines tell us about Aunt Julia?  2. Look at lines 3-4 of the poem. (i) What phrase does the poet repeat in these lines? (ii) What does this repetition tell us about the poet’s experience? How do you think he felt? 3. Look at lines 5-6 of the poem. What does this description suggest about the kind of woman Aunt Julia was?

Stanza one and two 4.Look at lines 7-8 of the poem. What does a “strong foot” that is “stained with peat” suggest about the activities Aunt Julia would be doing on a daily basis. 5. Reread lines 9-11 of the poem. (i) What kind of entertainer do you think the poet is comparing his Aunt to in these lines? (ii) Explain your answer with reference to the passage. (iii) Quote the word in these lines that suggest the poet admires the skill his Aunt has using the spinning wheel.

Stanza one and two- Answers Look at lines 1-2 of the poem. 1. (i)How does the poet immediately capture the attention of the reader? Abrupt opening and use of repetition ‘very’. (ii)What do these lines tell us about Aunt Julia?  She spoke Gaelic and was not willing to make any changes to her communication, even if she was not understood. 2. Look at lines 3-4 of the poem. (i) What phrase does the poet repeat in these lines? “I could not” (ii) What does this repetition tell us about the poet’s experience? How do you think he felt? He feels a sense of failing, perhaps disappointed/frustrated with himself.

Stanza one and two- Answers 3. Look at lines 5-6 of the poem. What does this description suggest about the kind of woman Aunt Julia was? Extremely tough and practical. Not afraid of hard work and difficult conditions. Experienced in working outdoors. 4.Look at lines 7-8 of the poem. What does a “strong foot” that is “stained with peat” suggest about the activities Aunt Julia would be doing on a daily basis. They are physically demanding and closely connected to the land.

Stanza one and two-Answers 5. Reread lines 9-11 of the poem. (i) What kind of entertainer do you think the poet is comparing his Aunt to in these lines? Magician/Conjuror (ii) Explain your answer with reference to the passage. Yarn appears to be appearing from nowhere just as a magician might make cards/animals appear from nowhere. (iii) Quote the word in these lines that suggest the poet admires the skill his Aunt has using the spinning wheel. ‘marvellously’

Stanza three and four 1. Read lines 12-16. “listening to crickets being friendly.” What is strange about this image? 2. Reread lines 17-20. The poet uses metaphors (“She was…”) here to compare his Aunt to buckets and heavy rain. (i)Why might the poet have chosen to use a metaphor here rather a simile? (What difference does it make – she was like buckets/ she was buckets) (ii) What do these metaphors tell us about Aunt Julia? (What were her living conditions like? What does this tell the reader about who Aunt Julia was as a person?)

Stanza three and four 3. Look at the words used to describe nature in these lines. What sound techniques does the poet use in these lines to make nature come to life? Quote examples of each sound technique used in these lines. 4. Read lines 20-23. What do these metaphors suggest about the character of Aunt Julia? (E.g. did she have an easy life? Was she modern or old-fashioned?) 5. Look at your answers to questions 1-4. The poet describes “crickets”, “buckets of water”, “winds pouring wetly” and “brown eggs”. What overall point do you think the poet is trying to make about Aunt Julia?

Stanza three and four-Answers 1. Read lines 12-16. “listening to crickets being friendly.” What is strange about this image? Crickets are insects, so cannot show friendliness 2. Reread lines 17-20. The poet uses metaphors (“She was…”) here to compare his Aunt to buckets and heavy rain. (i)Why might the poet have chosen to use a metaphor here rather a simile? (What difference does it make – she was like buckets/ she was buckets) It connects Aunt Julia even closer to nature. (ii) What do these metaphors tell us about Aunt Julia? She lived so closely to nature that she is a part of it.

Stanza three and four-Answers 3. Look at the words used to describe nature in these lines. What sound techniques does the poet use in these lines to make nature come to life? Quote examples of each sound technique used in these lines. Onomatopoeia – ‘flouncing’ ‘winds’ Alliteration – ‘winds pouring wetly’ 4. Read lines 20-23. What do these metaphors suggest about the character of Aunt Julia? (E.g. did she have an easy life? Was she modern or old- fashioned?) She is an old-fashioned traditional woman, careful with money. 5. Look at your answers to questions 1-4. The poet describes “crickets”, “buckets of water”, “winds pouring wetly” and “brown eggs”. What overall point do you think the poet is trying to make about Aunt Julia? She is surrounded by the countryside/nature. She is close to nature.

Stanza five 1. Look at lines 24-25. (i) What do you notice about these lines? (ii) Why do you think the poet has chosen to do this? 2. Read lines 24-30. Explain the irony contained within these lines in your own words. 3. Look at the poet’s word choice in lines 26-30. What do the poet’s words “silenced in the absolute black,” suggest about his own feelings on death?

Stanza five 4. Explain in your own words what you think the poet means when he says “but I hear her still, welcoming me with a seagull’s voice”.  5. Look at the final lines of the poem- “and getting angry, getting angry with so many questions unanswered.” (i) On a simple and ordinary level, why are questions left unanswered when the poet lived with his Aunt Julia? (ii) What deeper, more important questions are not being answered?

Stanza five - Answers 1. Look at lines 24-25. (i) What do you notice about these lines? Repetition of the first two lines. (ii) Why do you think the poet has chosen to do this? To signal the end of the poem (returning to the starting point). OR To emphasise the fact she is always on his mind. 2. Read lines 24-30. Explain the irony contained within these lines in your own words. Now the poet can speak some Gaelic he has no need to as she has died.

Stanza five - Answers 3. Look at the poet’s word choice in lines 26-30. What do the poet’s words “silenced in the absolute black,” suggest about his own feelings on death? He believes that after death the body just decomposes/ does not believe in an afterlife (An atheist).

Stanza five-Answers 4. Explain in your own words what you think the poet means when he says “but I hear her still, welcoming me with a seagull’s voice”.  He still thinks of his Aunt when he hears the sounds of nature. 5. Look at the final lines of the poem- “and getting angry, getting angry with so many questions unanswered.” (i) On a simple and ordinary level, why are questions left unanswered when the poet lived with his Aunt Julia? He could not understand her – she spoke in Gaelic. (ii) What deeper, more important questions are not being answered? Who was she? What did she want? Why did she work so very hard? Was she happy with her life?

Deeper thinking… On a simple level, this poem is about the poet remembering his aunt. However, could the poet be saying something more? Does Aunt Julia represent something more to the poet that he is sad for losing? Discussion: What could Aunt Julia represent to the poet?

Key Themes Facing Death (either the dying person, or the relative) Nature and man’s connection to nature