Sidste engelsk stil - Jeres mening og råd (meget gerne rettelser) :)

Hej. Her er min sidste engelsk stil. Det er engelsk b. Håber folk vil komme med rettelser eller påpege fejl:) mange tak

The society is under constant development. In the last century the focus has moved from groups to individuals. Thereby important relations between families and friends loose. It interferes with the traditional family structure in advantage for individuals and ego. The individuals become lonely and extreme materialistic. In search for identity they search refuge - for instance in dresses.
The dress is a short story written by Julia Darling. It presents the modern family: divorced parents where the two daughters live with their mother. The reason for the separation is unknown. The mother is forty years old and having birthday. Through the whole story we sense the mother’s lack of capability handling her daughters – this could be in connection to the divorces: “Did you take Rachel’s dress, Flora?” asked her mother in a thin voice… Communication between her daughters was often like this: barbed and dangerous. She coughed.” It is obvious that the mother neglects her children and especially Flora. Rachel is presented as the educated and conscientious one while her sister Flora is Rachel’s rather opposite, presented as a mess who does not even clean her dishes after eating. Maybe it is consequently that the mother tends to takes Rachel’s side. The mother is a bereavement counselor and she suggests leaving her job. This hangs maybe together with the fact that she wishes to step into character and gather her small family. Perhaps she has not adapts to the fact that she is single now and therefore she feels lonely. This is clearly to be seen at the restaurant. Every time the mother tries to light up the mood, the conversation changes course towards Rachel’s dress. This gives the mother a feeling of trifle.
When the mother raises her glass to make a toast to herself (because nobody else does it), Julia Darling creates an atmosphere that fits into the mood of the two daughters by letting the mother get interrupted by the birthday party next to them and in a way this confirms the mother’s feeling of insignificants.
The relationship between mother and her daughters is clearly not good. In the end when Flora admits that she stole the dress, the mother freaks out. She should and could have dealt with the situation in a much better and more constructive way especially because she does that by profession. She is very straightforward and degrades her daughter immediately to a thief instead of hearing her of.
Rachel and Flora are probable of the same age. Thiers relationship can be characterized by intrigues and jealousy. The story is structured in a way that it presents each woman separately. Julia Darling takes advantaged of describing Rachel - the good daughter first.
Thereby she puts a dark shadow over Flora. Flora wants intense to be as her sister Rachel – maybe because she wishes more attention from her mother and because the mother tends to take Rachel’s side because of her qualities. The dress is described as very beautiful and it becomes a symbol for Rachel.
Flora wants to put on Rachel’s identity “It seemed to Flora that the dress was meant for her, not Rachel. It made her feel taller, braver, cleverer, and Rachel was all those things already”. Maybe the reason why Rachel becomes angry with Flora for taking her dress is the fact that she disturbs Rachel’s plans. Thereby the parts get changed.
On the other side it can be interpreted as Flora is screaming for attention. She steals her sister’s dress, socializes with an Italian guy called Alberto. Flora is rebelling and this tendency is often to be seen when children are fighting about attention from adults.
It all becomes too much Rachel and it culminates with Rachel moving to her father. The mother blames Flora and again she does not attempt to understand why Flora took the dress. She orders her to dig it up, but Flora refuses. The fact that Flora has buried the dress instead of just being honest shows again the lack of communication between the two sister’s. The mother shows again the lack of capability handling her daughters and wants her last daughter to leave too. Instead of doing everything she can to gather the family she just splits it even more.
Julia Darling uses symbols to emphasize atmospheres, feelings and motives. The dress symbolizes the positive qualities. Some Rachel already restrains but Flora wishes. The interruption from the birthday next to the mother’s birthday emphasizes the atmosphere appropriated for the situation. It makes also a contrast by the fact that the other birthday is the perfect definition of what a real birthday should be like “In the centre of the room there was a coluorful, boisterous party, who kept exploding into wild shouts and shrill laughter.”
The dress deals with the theme lack of communication. This is also very characteristic for individuals. It destroys many relationships. And in this short story it has destroyed very likely a married and hereafter a relationship between mother and daughters.
 

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