She sits all day by the fire
Monosyllabic, mundane life/unchanging. Fire suggests warmth, tone is depressing
How long
Long period of time, immeasurable
How long… stepped outside”
Physical limitations of old age, confined to a sedentary lifestyle
Since she opened the door and stepped outside
Metaphor, door is shut, she has emotionally retreated from life,
Scuffling hens and the collie
Vivid picture of rural life
Dreaming of sheep
Dream suggests no longer real or plausible
She has come through centuries
Suggests epic journey/adventure that shes has been through
Connection to her past
Labour and loves
Alliteration shows how gaelic culture is preserved
Rainy funerals
Hardship, pathetic fallacy used to emphasise sadness.
Funeral could symbolise death of a culture
Her people are assembled in her bones
Ownership of ancestry, all who have come before are a part of who she is.
Shes their summation
Representative of her people and history, all who have come before are a part of who she is
Before her time almost has no meaning
The Saying does not apply, as if she has lived for all time, such is her link to her ancestors
When neighbours call
Vague time frame highlights loneliness, may suggest that she has no family to carry on her ways, or suggests she is at the heart of her community
Laughs a wicked cackle with love in it
Joy/Mischief/warmth about the woman, she delights in the company of others
Old in body but not in spirit
Sly
Cackle
Malice
Somewhat deceitful and certainly not perfect
Bristle
Taking offence, could suggest ill will towards neighbours
Relishing
Repeated
Shows how much she delights in company and talking, looks forward to it, brings her purpose to her life
Hands lying in lap like holy psalms
Comparison highlights juxtaposition of mischief and spirituality
Connects her to something sacred-she herself is a book of prayer/worship
Once
Repeat
Things are no longer as they used to be
Noble with tunes
Noble contrasts “cackle” or “gossip” highlighting the change in her
Used to sing long ago
Psalms no longer hold the meaning they used to-loss of religion
Woman is now silenced, symbolic of a decline in way of life, erosion of a way of life that she had been the “summation” of
