The Meaning of Clouds

Her får du hjælp til at analysere novellen “The Meaning of Clouds” (2019) af Natalie Cox. Novellen har været anvendt ved den skriftlige eksamen i Engelsk A på STX den 31. maj 2021. Ud over hjælp til analysen finder du også et summary samt idéer til at fortolke novellen.

Hvis du har brug for hjælp til Assignment 1-3 fra den skriftlige eksamen på STX A den 31. maj 2021, kan du finde vores vejledning her.

Uddrag

Her kan du læse et uddrag af vores study guide:

Simile and metaphors

Mags holds her kite “like a failed Theseus” (l. 54) after Bella goes missing. This simile is a reference to the ball of thread the mythological Greek hero Theseus used to find his way through a labyrinth. The important word here is “failed” as Mags believes she has failed in her task. Having lost Bella, she feels useless, without a purpose or identity, just as she might have felt when she lost her job: “One minute ago I was a stepmother and now I am a woman alone in a craft shop holding a ball of string” (ll. 54-55). This suggests how much Mags values a sense of purpose or a task , and that she feels she has no identity without one.

Mags refers to Bella’s disappearance as “a magician’s trick” (l. 53). This metaphor highlights Mags’ subjective perspective. As Mags was distracted and not paying attention to Bella as that particular point in time, her sudden disappearance takes Mags by surprise, and she cannot imagine how it could have happened.

Mags refers to Bella as “an accidental child who has steamrollered into your life” (ll. 171-172). This metaphor shows that Mags’ attachment to Bella was not planned or cultivated, it was something which happened unawares, almost despite her own plans. It is likely that this is why it has taken Mags so long to realize how fond she is of Bella.