1)

a)In poem ‘Milking Before Dawn’ the poet uses a Simile to show how black and shiny in the rain the cows are. It also compares the cows to rocks because they are not moving because it is cold.

b)This comparison is a simile because it uses as in it. It is a direct comparison unlike a metaphor.

2)A metaphor in the first stanza is ‘The shed is an island of light and warmth’. The poet means that the shed is like an island in an ocean that is the night.

3)The Simile ‘its history wiped away / like the tears of a child. this simile means that it is a new start, a new day to go on in.

4)She is content with her life because it is warm and all she needs, it provides for her.

5)The language is that of an early New Zealand English speaker, it is still close to the British English and quite different from modern New Zealand English. The point of view is first person and compares the life of the narrator to the life of a city man. the Narrator uses language techniques to help the reader to feel the setting and feelings of the narrator. The poem also uses a beat to so it has a rhythm that creates sounds such as a milking machine.