Sea Defences

I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen "Sea Defences" af Hilary Taylor, som har været brugt til en skriftlig eksamen i Engelsk A på STX den 28. maj 2020. Ud over analysehjælpen kan du finde idéer til din fortolkning af teksten.

Hvis du har brug for hjælp til Assignment 1-3 fra skriftlig eksamen på STX A den 28. maj 2020, kan du finde vores vejledning her.

Præsentation af teksten

Titel: “Sea Defences” (2018)
Forfatter: Hilary Taylor
Genre: Short story

Hilary Taylor er en britisk lærer og forfatter, som er bosat i Suffolk. I 2018 vandt Hilary Taylors novelle “Sea Defences” en tredjeplads i The Bath Short Story Award.

Uddrag

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Metaphors

One metaphor that stands out in the story is that of the wound: “It was a wound – what had happened to our house” (l. 8). This metaphor is Michael’s way of describing what Storm Angus did to his house. It suggests Michael’s devastation at the damage and foreshadows the tragic events in the story.

In the flashback, Michael uses the metaphor of “the edge of the world” (l. 81) when he describes the way in which his bedroom was moved because of the hurricane and because of coastal erosion. This metaphor also illustrates Michael’s child-like naivety and his lack of understanding of coastal erosion.

At the end of the story, Michael describes “a giant wave (…) black and shining” (ll. 157-158) that towers over him. This is the moment when Michael finds out about his mother’s death and, consequently, becomes traumatized by the event. The metaphor points to Michael being about to have a breakdown caused by the guilt he has been feeling over Hannah’s death, as well as by the death 0f his mother. It also shows that he is perhaps overwhelmed by having to deal with the police’s accusations without his mother to back him up.