 Rush remembers his Grandmother standing at the kitchen sink trying to hold back an asthma attack.

 Rush recalls the scene vividly ◦ ‘I’ shows that the poem will be personal ◦ ‘her’ the subject of the poem has made a lasting impression

 Syntax of metaphor is unusual to place emphasis on ‘frailty’  Onomatopoeia – ‘wheezing’ implies breathing difficulties ◦ ‘grey’ connotations of old age and hair colour ◦ ‘frailty’ connotations of old age, weakness and a delicate thing

 Metaphor – shows that she is struggling to not have an asthma attack/spends a great deal of time at the kitchen sink ◦ ‘clutching’ – connotation of desperation and a struggle ◦ ‘kitchen sink’ – juxtaposes the seriousness of the event with a mundane object

 Simile – breathing rises and falls like the waves and sounds rough/  Alliteration – mirrors the sound of the sea

 Alliteration caries on image – her breathing sound like the noise the sea makes is rough and harsh ◦ ‘sucking’ breathing carefully ◦ ‘shingle’ technical term linked with the sea. Sound of soft sibilant “sh” with harsh guttural “g” sound creates the sound shingle being washed back by the sea and asthma attack

 Shows the strength of his Grandmother and how present she was in Rush’s early years

 Alliteration – emphasises her close link with the sea working, living beside etc. and relates to breathing in waves of asthma  Metaphor – she lived by and worked with the sea in partnership  Syntax – inversion places emphasis on “was she” ◦ “was she” – speaking directly to the reader, reminiscing and confirming that she is no longer alive

 Metaphor – shows she is a strong character who would not give in to her condition ◦ “fought” shows it was a constant struggle ◦ “asthma” confirms that this is why she has breathing problems

◦ “ standing there” – a strong and constant figure ◦ “while I grew up” – she was always there for Rush, teaching him and helping

 “tides” is ambiguous – represents the passing of time or that her breathing difficulties came and went

 Describes the grandmother’s role as a fishwife, gutting and preparing the fish.

 Alliteration – shows the quickness and deftness of her gutting the fish  Metaphor – the knife seems to be part of her showing that she was skilled and had worked on it for years

 Metaphor – the knife was so sharp it made quick work of the gutting ◦ “gullie” – Scots word for large knife, his Grandmother is passing on the Scots language and her knowledge to Rush ◦ “terrible” – ambiguous as it means that it was terrible for the fish (it was gutting them) and that it seemed out of place in the grandmother’s hand

 Metaphor – shows that she was comfortable with the sea and like she was a part of it  List of fish shows how much of her time was spent at work – syntax stresses the amount of fish there seemed to be

 Rush recalls his fear of the crabs that his grandmother used to cook in a pot to the extent that he had nightmares

 “red” symbolising violence and fear

 Rush’s grandmother helping to calm his fears – reassuring even though the crabs would be dead

 Alliteration – stresses how frightened rush was ◦ “crawling” shows Rush’s fear and how the crabs move to create a tense atmosphere

 Metaphor – shows that Rush had nightmares about the crabs but his grandmother helped to stop them  Shows that Rush was young/ childish when this happened

 Rush goes into further details of his nightmares as he imagines the crabs tearing him to pieces. Rush states that his grandmother was able to stop these nightmares

 Alliteration – highlights how scary found the eyes of the crabs  Metaphor – underlines that Rush thought the crabs as evil creatures and the way their eyes move seems unnatural ◦ “stalks” – the eyestalk of the crabs seem thin and delicate

 “gobbets” = a piece of meat  Rush describing the content of the nightmares ◦ “gobbets” guttural ‘g’ sound emphasises the unpleasantness of the dream

 Repetition stresses the boy’s fear and powerlessness over the situation and the fact that he struggled for breathe when awaking from the dream  His grandmother was able to stop the nightmares ◦ “terrors” show how scared Rush was and another word for nightmare or metaphor where the crabs are the “terrors” that are being taken away by his grandmother

 Rush’s grandmother teaches him about the fish she is gutting and her generosity is shown.

 Emphasises the old age of Rush’s grandmother and her knowledge of the fish  She is teaching rush about traditions and the ways of the sea ◦ “St Peter’s” – patron saint of fishermen

 Rush’s grandmother was affectionate and caring

 The grandmother is in pain every night because of her asthma and cries

 Metaphor – demonstrates the oneness Rush’s grandmother had with the sea as brine is another term for salt/sea water  “washed me” – implies that as Rush hugs his grandmother the tears fall onto him

 Alliteration – ‘sh’ soft sibilant sound that mirrors the sound of the sea creating a peaceful scene

 Personal reflection to show how much knowledge was passed from one generation to another.