1. Workbook Questions and Answers
AUNT JULIA
Workbook Questions and Answers

2. 1. Many of the main ideas or concerns of the poem are established in the first two stanzas. a) Identify TWO of the main ideas or concerns from the first two stanzas (Summary)
Barriers to communication: MacCaig could not speak Gaelic and so was unable to talk to his Aunt and ask the many questions that he had about life in the Highlands… nor could he respond to the questions she asked. Aunt Julia also spoke very quickly and loudly in her native Gaelic which confused him and also made understanding her more difficult for the young MacCaig.
Survival/Environment: harsh, isolated conditions, no modern facilities. Image of Highland people as hardworking, practical
Traditions : spinning/weaving/farming … traditional activities that now are slowly being lost to industrialisation.

3. b) Choose one of the ideas you have identified
b) Choose one of the ideas you have identified. Show how TWO examples of the poet’s language in these stanzas help you to understand his meaning.
Barriers to Communication:
“Aunt Julia spoke Gaelic very loud and very fast”
Gaelic – dialect of the highlands.
Very –means excessively
Effectively shows how the language difference, her speed of speaking and excessive volume confuse the young MacCaig preventing him from understanding and responding to her.
“I could not answer her –
I could not understand her”
Parallel structure/repetition of “I could not”
Repetition effectively reflects his frustration at their inability to communicate with each other. He could not respond to her questions nor could he understand what she had said.

4. Survival / Environment
“…see her strong foot
Stained with peat”
Siblance/alliteration of S sound
Peat is decomposed vegetation and mud often dried and used for fuel.
Stained means to be discoloured by something that is not easy to remove.
Effectively uses siblance to reflect the sound of her bare feet squelching in the wet mud. The bare feet reflects her strong, hardworking character. The use of peat suggests a heavy reliance on the environment for resources/fuel.
“men’s boots”
stronger/hardier quality of footwear/practical/not for fashion
Effectively reflects her strength of character/work ethic/lack of vanity/determination to function and survive within this harsh environment.

5. Traditions “paddling with the treadle of the spinning wheel” Very long line/Rhythm “Paddling” a rhythmic movement of hands and/or feet Effectively reflects rhythm and movement of working at a spinning wheel and pumping the treadle. The long line is a metaphor for the long thread as it is spun and stretched. Helps us to see the intricate work of this tradition which is integral to the culture of the highlands. “While her right hand drew yarn Marvellously out of the air” Marvellouslly suggests a sense of wonder and awe/almost a magical process Effectively reflects MacCaig’s fascination at watching the (now fading) tradition of spinning and weaving cloth.

6. 2. Show how the poet’s use of language in stanzas three and four effectively contributes to your understanding of his Aunt’s personality or situation
Ie. Comment on her character and personality … or her lifestyle/cultural and environmental setting “..in a box bed, listening to Crickets being friendly” Box bed – traditional, makeshift bed Crickets – grasshopper-like insect. Connotations of sounds of nature Suggests a simple, peaceful lifestyle in a rural or isolated area/situation. “She was ….she was Parallel Structure Metaphor Used to emphasis the busyness of her actions and all the things she does (personality) as well as reflecting how much she is connected to her traditional situation. She is as much a part of her environment/culture as the wind and rain.

7. “She was buckets and water flouncing into them
“She was buckets and water flouncing into them.” Metaphor Flouncing – to dance about – onomatopoeia/personification Effectively emphasises her personality (strength/work ethic) … how often he saw her carrying water. Reflects his fascination watching her draw water from a pump or perhaps a stream or well. (situation – traditional) “Flouncing” gives the impression of the water moving and bouncing as if alive, overflowing out of the buckets as it is carried. Sense of rhythm of Aunt Julia’s movement as she swings the buckets to help carry the weight. “She was winds pouring wetly Round house ends” Metaphor / alliteration of “w” describing sense of her constant movement (personality) perhaps carrying water. Alliteration reflects the sound of the situation she lives in - changeable Highland climate. Effectively reflects Survival, traditions and living the simple Highland crofting lifestyle. “She was brown eggs, black skirts and a keeper of threepenny bits In a teapot” Reflects her personality as thrifty, frugal, careful - making the most of what she has. Brown eggs – collecting food from her livestock – traditional countryside living. (situation Crofting – living to survive) Black skirts – long, traditional crofting clothes. Respecting of traditions – women wearing skirts in contradiction with her also wearing practical men’s shoes.

8. 3. How effective do you find the final stanza as a conclusion to the poem? You answer should deal with the poet’s ideas and language.
“Aunt Julia..Gaelic …. Very loud and very fast Cyclical conclusion/repetition. The conclusion effectively suggests he wishes he had understood more about her and her traditional lifestyle as she was a powerful presence in his childhood. Repetition of opening lines suggests even as an adult, this is a dominant / constant / recurring memory - was a significant presence in his childhood - and that he continues to live with the regret of his inability to communicate with her. “By the time I had learned a little, she lay Silenced in the absolute black” Enjambment of “lay” makes us linger the significance of final word (no movement) Contrast: movement and sound of first stanzas contrasts with stillness (“lay”) and silence of her death. Absolute has connotations of finality – an end. Blackness has connotations of death, darkness and depression. Conclusion effectively suggests the extreme change in his memories/account of Aunt Julia and his regret that he took so long (“by the time I had learnt a little”) to make the effort learn her language. Because her death is “absolute”, he can not rectify the situation /no further opportunities/ too late.

9. “But I hear her still, welcoming me With a seagull’s voice” “But” – alternative/change in thought to a more positive tone “Still” suggests continuing “welcoming” is a pleasant greeting Conclusion effectively shows how MacCaig is finally able to reconcile/find comfort in familiar sounds … “Seagull’s voice” is harsh, incomprehensible and loud – like Aunt Julia – effective metaphor which comforts him.

10. “…and getting angry, getting angry
“…and getting angry, getting angry .. Repetition of angry emphasises his negative mood Angry repeated in the conclusion effectively reinforces his disappointment in himself for missing an opportunity to learn more about a remarkable woman and her unique culture. Angry that in youth he did not respect these traditions as he now does = too young to recognise the importance (of dying traditions) Now he is perhaps storing and recording his memories of these traditions to pass on to future generations.

11. The Final Question: 10 marks
With close textual reference, show how the ideas and/or language of this poem are similar OR different to another poem or poems by MacCaig which you have read.
C H O O O

12. C.H.O.O.O 10 MARKS
C = Commonality. What is the common idea/theme and why is it significant. i.e. what do we learn/understand? (2) H = Home Poem The poem given to you in the exam. Find an example of commonality in THIS poem first – “Q”+C+E (analyse it well) (2) O = Other Now find an example of the commonality in at least one other poem - “Q”+C+E (analyse it well) (2) O = Other Find ANOTHER example - “Q”+C+E (analyse it well) (2)