Revelation - Liz Lochhead (SQA Higher English Scottish Set Text)

Black Bull

Alliteration of harsh B represents the intimidating bull

Eggs and Milk

Femininity, contrast of dark bull vs light foods

Only black

Connotations of evil and darkness, bull is mysterious and revealed in stages

Hot reek

Mixing senses, suggests the bull is overpowering and unpleasant, uses her smell before her eyes adjust to the darkness

Immense

Suggests his power and size

Roar

Emphasises how threatening and frightening the bull is, onomatopoeia

Roared his rage

The masculinity is wild and chaotic and must be controlled

Nostrils gaped like wounds

Simile suggests that the bull is violent, threatening and could cause damage to the young girl

Oblivious hens

Oblivious suggests hens are unaware and blissfully innocent, hens has connotations of femininity

Straining

The bull is fighting to escape, its masculinity threatening to break free of its chains

Antidote/Anti-Christ/Anarchy

Antidote used as opposing value or belief rather than a cure, Antichrist used as the opposite of the man of love and forgiveness, anarchy used as in chaotic

Threatened the eggs

Threatens the speakers innocence

placidity of milk

Calm and not easily angered

My pigtails thumping

Personification of pigtails shows how horrified speaker is

Pulled the wings from butterflies/blew up frogs with straws

Men are violent and threatening, masculinity is terrifying

eggs shattering

Her innocence could be taken away, shattering as a result of the bull

In case milk should spill

Speaker is desperately clinging to her last shreds of childhood innocence