Comin Back Ower The Border

Mary McCabe uses archaism to set the setting and context of her poem “Comin Back Ower The Border” which is then Scotland and it emphasizes the point of the poem, which is coming back home. The dialect helps the reader relate more with the poet’s journey because the usage of language creates a deeper bond between the latter and their home. Mary uses a bc rhyming scheme to highlight the “hame” and “stane”, the stone that characterizes her home. She uses alliteration when talking of the “craggies, cleughs an corries” to show that it wasn’t easy coming home, past the rocks and over the cliffs. The imagery of the pastels and the weather-gleam and the wind create a peaceful, windy atmosphere that carried freedom along with the wind. She has crossed the border and has traipsed through a hard and arduous journey to come back to the freedom of her haven, her home.