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How to Start a Career in Dressmaking

Last Updated: January 27, 2019

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If you have some time, creativity, and a lot of drive, starting your own dressmaking business could be for you!

Expert Q&A

• Have fun! Successful business owners love what they do. If you don't love it, don't bother! Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 0
• Always be polite to your customers. People who will order dresses will likely be anxious for a big event (i.e., prom or a wedding), and if you can help them through it they will thank you by recommending you to their friends Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• Be open minded! Styles and fabrics are unique and sometimes strange. You'll be sure to see all of them in your work, so keep an eye out for unusual things that you can use. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0

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4 Tips for Becoming a Successful Dressmaker

July 19, 2017 3 min read

Some of the most enjoyable activities include sewing and dressmaking. Even though in traditional times, dressmaking has been mainly a female endeavor, nowadays, it is not anymore. Nowadays, anyone can become a successful dressmaker, whether male or female.

If you are one of the people who love these activities, you probably know how good it feels to wear clothes that you’ve made for yourself, or to be able to see your friends and family members wearing quality garments that you created especially for them. However, you need to be creative and to get some specific skills to be able to become a dressmaker. And even once you call yourself a dressmaker, you will permanently need to evolve, to learn, and to become more and more inspired and creative.

But now we’re not going to talk for the already successful dressmakers, but for those who are just starting out in dressmaking. So if you are one of those, then this article is for you. One of the first things that you need to know is that in order to become a dressmaker whose creations would be a die-for, you need to learn a few specific techniques. Learning the necessary techniques allows you to create garments that people would consider worth wearing.

However, the basic skills and techniques are just not enough, as you need to constantly improve yourself. How you do this? Simple, by picking up certain tips and tricks, which you will only get by experience. As you’ll start getting better at it, you’ll finally enjoy dressmaking at its maximum.

When you talk about sewing, it is essential to have a good technique. Additionally, you need to practice your techniques and skills, to start seeing the difference between the garments you are able to create. So here you have four important tips that will help you become better in dressmaking.

• Many people tend to overlook this sewing skill. Despite this, marking is one of the most important parts of dressmaking, because you will cut your patterns along the marks you make. Also, marks depend on accurate measurements, so we believe you understand why they are so important. Just think about it: if a fabric is badly marked, it can’t result in anything else but a poorly cut garment, or, even worse, in a lot of wasted fabric. So what you need to do is get some quality chalk and use it to mark your patterns.
• This is one of the trickiest parts of dressmaking because most fabrics have at least some stretch to them. Therefore, the cut made on stretched fabric is possible to not even resemble the same cut on un-stretched material. To make sure that your edges will line up well, you need to ensure that the fabric is taught, but not stretched, prior to cutting.
• It is essential to use the right thread and sharp needles, whether you hand-sew or you sew using a sewing machine. You may want to check a manual for recommendations regarding needles that should be used for specific fabrics.
• Stay informed. If you want to become successful, and your garments to be sought-after and admired, then you need to stay informed in your niche. You need to be aware of fashion trends, know about new tools and techniques. In our days, this is not at all difficult to do, as you can use various magazines and websites to find out the latest news and trends in dressmaking.

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The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham

October 19, 2020

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This blog was updated on 23/10/2020.

2. Historical Context

3. Part 1: Plot

4. Part 1: Quotes and Analysis ‍

5. Themes, Motifs, and Key Ideas

6. Character Analysis

7. Structure

8. Sample Essay Topics

9. Essay Topic Breakdown

The Dressmaker is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Set in Dungatar, a barren wasteland of traditionalism and superstition, isolated amidst the rapidly modernising post-World War II Australia, acclaimed author Rosalie Ham’s gothic novel, The Dressmaker , provides a fascinating window into 1950s Australia. I find it to be one of the most intriguing texts of our time - managing to weave together a historical narrative with humour, wit, and modern-day social concerns regarding patriarchy, class, and the effects of isolation.

The Dressmaker is one of those texts which reinforces why studying English can be so great when you give it a proper chance. This subject isn’t just about studying books and writing essays, it’s also about learning new insight you’ll carry with you throughout your life. Specifically, The Dressmaker offers real insight into some of the most pressing issues that have been around for centuries - how communities respond to crisis, why certain groups are marginalised, and how we should respond to tyranny and intolerance. Ham’s novel is layered with meaning, character development, and a moving plot which really helps us reflect on who we are as people. Not every book can do that - and, seemingly, on a surface level, you wouldn’t expect a novel about fashion and betrayal to do it either. But somehow, it just does, and it’s what makes The Dressmaker one of my favourite books of all time.

Historical Context

Before we move on to looking at The Dressmaker’s plot and delving deep into analysis, it’s really important to understand the main historical context which underpins the novel. By ‘historical context’, all we mean here is the factual background which tells us why Rosalie Ham wrote her novel, and why she chose the particular setting of Dungatar. After all, Dungatar is a fictionalised community, but its references to post-World War II Australia are very real. The main message I want you to take from this section is that understanding 1950s Australia is essential to understanding Dungatar.

Australian Geography and the Great Depression

Before we delve into talking about this historical theme, I’d like to first acknowledge that Australia was colonised against the wishes of its First Nations peoples, and also recognise that sovereignty was never ceded. This discussion broadly reflects the experiences of colonised Australia because that is the frame which Rosalie Ham provides. However, at Lisa’s Study Guides, we acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this study guide was written, edited, and published, and pay our respects to elders past, present, and emerging. 

Ham’s fictional setting of Dungatar is a perfect example, as it is placed in the Australian Outback. The ‘Outback’ doesn’t exactly have any borders, so which regions of Australia count as part of the 'outback' will be slightly different from person to person. A general rule to help us understand the Outback is that it is way out in the centre of the country, far away from urban Australia. Its main industry is pastoralism, which refers to the grazing of cattle, sheep, and other species such as goats. This is a tough lifestyle, and as such small towns and a lot of room for livestock is preferable. These communities are often isolated, and don’t really communicate with the outside world unless it’s about trading their livestock into the cities. Isolation tends to create its own culture, practices, and social standards. For Dungatar, we see massive economic divides and strict expectations around the role of men and women. For instance, the McSwineys live in absolute poverty, yet Councilman Evan and his family are relatively wealthy. Most of the women in the town either care for children or stay at home, reflecting the outdated idea that it is the role of the man to work, and the role of the woman to be a homemaker. As much as we can look at these ideas and realise how flawed they are, for Dungatar it is a way of life to which they’ve stuck for decades. Changing this way of life would be dangerous for them because it means they have to completely reconsider the way they live.

Part 1: Plot

• Myrtle Dunnage arrives in Dungatar after many years, seeking to care for her mother Molly Dunnage. 
• Myrtle, who now wishes to be known as Tilly, reconnects with Sergeant Farrat, Dungatar’s eccentric local policeman who is doing his evening lap in the town. He takes Tilly through the town and up ‘The Hill’, which is where Molly lives. 
• While Tilly is caring for Molly, mental and physical illness causes her to believe that Tilly is an outsider who wishes to poison her. Tilly perseveres in order to shower, feed, and clothe the woman, as well as clear out the house.
• The perspective changes to Sergeant Farrat, who is patrolling the town centre a day later. He sees a returned William Beaumont sitting in a car. Moving into Muriel and Alvin Pratt’s General Store, Farrat claims to be buying fabric for his house. Their daughter Gertrude, who is reading a fashion magazine, realises that the material he is buying fits with the latest skirt designs across Australia.
• After learning about Mr Almanac’s pharmacy, the footballers move into Purl and Fred Bundle’s pub. 
• The readers are introduced to the McSwiney family, who with Edward and Mae as the father and mother, have 11 children. They’re said to live in the tip at the edge of town. 
• The following weekend Tilly and Molly leave The Hill to attend the football match played in Dungatar between the two neighbouring towns, Itheca and Winyerp. Lois Pickett and Beula Harridene give her an immediately negative reaction, taking offence when Molly questions whether their cakes are poisoned.
• After getting medicine from Mr. Almanac and his assistant Nancy, Tilly and Molly run into Irma, his sickly wife. Her arthritis makes mobility difficult, and as such she is found sitting on the bank of the river, where she asks Tilly not to let the town know that she had been cooking meals for Molly in Tilly’s absence.
• Nancy and Sister Ruth Dimm are shown to be having a secret relationship in the back of the phone exchange building before the perspective moves back to Buela Harridene, who demands that Sergeant Farrat investigate the McSwiney children for supposedly pelting her roof with stones.
• Tilly sits on the riverbank, remembering her memories and trauma in Dungatar, with the crucial event being when Stewart Pettyman attempted to headbutt Tilly, but she moved out of the way, causing him to ram into a wall, snap his neck and die.
• Marigold and Evan Pettyman are introduced to the audience, with Marigold being a nervous individual who is put to sleep by Evan with pills every night and sexually assaulted.
• Following Dungatar’s victory in the grand finale, which sends frivolity and celebration throughout the town, a package arrives for Tilly. Ruth reads through all its contents after picking its lock whilst Tilly reluctantly meets with Teddy, who continues to visit her. 
• Tilly and Molly visit the Almanacs for dinner, wherein Tilly’s medicine causes Irma’s pain to disappear. Although Mr Almanac is unpleasant – stating that Tilly can never be forgiven for Pettyman’s death – the night moves on, Tilly returns home and is visited by Teddy yet again. 

Part 1: Quotes and Analysis ‍

“She used to have a lot of falls, which left her with a black eye or a cut lip.”

Here, Ham subtly hints that Irma Almanac’s injuries were not solely due to ‘falls’, as it is also said that once her husband grew old the ‘falls’ progressively ceased. Abuse of women is common in Dungatar, and it is almost expected that women will be subservient to men and do as they demand.

“His new unchecked gingham skirt hung starched and pressed on the wardrobe doorknob behind him.”

Sergeant Farrat subverts social expectations placed upon 1950s men by adoring feminine fashion. However, the fact that he is forced to hide his passion reveals how, in conservative towns such as Dungatar, individuals are forced to suppress their true selves in order to fit in with the broader population. There is no room for individuality or creative expression, as this is seen as a challenge to Dungatar’s social order and the clear separation between the roles of men and women.

“What’s the point of having a law enforcer if he enforces the law according to himself, not the legal law?”

Buela Harridene pretends to care about the enforcement of the law, but her true concern is bending the law to her own will to make those who step outside of their socially defined roles suffer. She is at odds with Sergeant Farrat as he seeks to control the townspeople’s worst instincts, yet people like Buela ensure that vengeance, rumour, and suspicion are still the defining features of Dungatar.

“Well let me tell you if he’s got any queer ideas we’ll all suffer.”

Although this specifically refers to William Beaumont, it alludes to the broader picture that the people of Dungatar believe that any outside ideas fundamentally threaten everything about the way they live. Even before Beaumont has opened his mouth, he is already a threat since he may have witnessed another way of living disconnected from Dungatar’s conservatism.

If you'd like to see the all Chapter plots, their analysis, along with important quotes, then have a look at our The Dressmaker Study Guide.

Themes, Motifs, and Key Ideas

Isolation and modernisation.

One of the central conflicts in The Dressmaker is between the isolated town of Dungatar, and the rapidly modernising surroundings of post-depression 1950s Australia, as we established in Historical Context . Ham uses this dichotomy (meaning when two opposing factors are placed right next to each other) to question whether isolated communities like Dungatar really have a role in the modern world . 

Our clearest indication that Dungatar is not only traditionalistic, but absolutely reviles change and outside influence , is right at the start of the novel, when a train conductor laments that there’s “naught that’s poetic about damn [progress].” Here, we see the overriding contention of Rosalie Ham’s novel - that because a community like Dungatar has been isolated for so long, it has become absolutely committed to maintaining its traditionalism at all costs. There are more symbolic reflections of how stagnant the town has become, such as the fact that Evan Pettyman, the town’s elected Councillor, has been in the role for multiple decades without fail - or that the same teacher who ostracised Tilly as a child, Prudence Dimm, is still in charge of the town’s school. 

Social Class

The Dressmaker speaks extensively about social class. By class, what I mean is the economic and social divisions which determine where people sit in society. For instance, we could say that the British Royals are ‘upper class’, whilst people living paycheque to paycheque and struggling to get by are ‘lower class’. 

It's also important to introduce the notion of a classist society. A classist society is one where all social relations are built on these aforementioned economic and social divides - in other words, everything you do in life, and everything you are able to do , is built on where you sit in the class structure. 

For The Dressmaker , the question then becomes - "how does class relate to Dungatar?" Well, Dungatar is one of the most classist societies around, where societal worth is explicitly based on one’s position in the class structure.

Femininity, Fashion, and Patriarchy

By now, you’ve probably realised that The Dressmaker ’s title is significant. Fashion and ‘dressmaking’ are absolutely essential to understanding the life of Tilly Dunnage, and how she interacts with the people of Dungatar . We’ll go into this further, but Ham specifically delves into the power of fashion as a form of expression which empowers people and their femininity , yet she also examines how, in a community like Dungatar, fashion nonetheless ends up being entirely destructive.  Dungatar and Femininity

The idea of femininity describes, on a basic level, the ability of a woman to express herself independent of any man. Others would describe femininity in more definitive terms, but it’s really in the eyes of the beholder. What’s explicitly clear, however, is  that, in order to suppress femininity, women in Dungatar are repressed and kept under the control of men. Marigold Pettyman is raped by her husband, Evan Pettyman every night, while the “ladies of Dungatar…turn their backs” when they see the Councillor coming - knowing his crimes, but being too afraid to challenge him. Above all else, Dungatar exists within a patriarchal framework, which is one where men hold structural power and authority, and that power relies on keeping women silent and subservient. In such a society, the role of women in Dungatar is vacuous (meaning that they don’t have any real purpose) - they frill about, spread rumours, and otherwise have no set roles other than to be obedient to their husband. 

Fashion as Empowerment

Within this context, Rosalie Ham explores the power of fashion to empower femininity, and, even if it’s in a limited sense, give the patriarchy its first real challenge. Gertrude is a perfect example, as Tilly’s dressmaking sees her eventually transform at her wedding, even though she is initially described as a “good mule” by Sergeant Farrat; symbolically being stripped of her humanity and beauty by being compared to an animal. However, Gertrude becomes the spectacle of the town at her wedding, wearing a “fine silk taffeta gown” and presenting an elegant, empowered image. The townspeople even note that Tilly is an “absolute wizard with fabric and scissors”, and, with the use of the word ‘wizard’, it becomes evident that the women of Dungatar are absolutely unaccustomed to having any form of expression or individuality - a patriarchal standard which Tilly challenges through her work. 

Think also about Sergeant Farrat. Even if he isn’t a woman, he nonetheless is able to embrace his feminine side through fashion. Indeed his “gingham skirt” and secretive love of female fashion is utilised by Ham to demonstrate that, even in a patriarchal settlement like Dungatar , fashion is immensely empowering and important.

Fashion and Destruction

However, as always, Ham elucidates that there too exists a dark side to fashion in a town like Dungatar. Ultimately, the women of Dungatar, in their elegant dresses, end up looking like a “group of European aristocrats’ wives who had somehow lost their way”. What this quote tells us is that, despite a temporary possibility for empowerment, the women of Dungatar did not fundamentally change their identities. As “aristocrats’ wives”, they are still tied to a patriarchal system in which, even if they were better dressed, nothing was ultimately done to overcome their tradition for rumour, suspicion, and ostracising outcasts. Indeed, this becomes most evident at the Social Ball, where, despite wearing Tilly’s dresses, her name is “scrubb[ed] out” from the seating list - symbolically expressing a desire for Tilly’s modernising, urban, outside influence to be removed from Dungatar, even as they simultaneously wear her dresses! 

Character Analysis

Tilly dunnage .

Tilly, or Myrtle Dunnage, is the protagonist of The Dressmaker , and an acclaimed dressmaker trained in Paris . Analysing Tilly requires an understanding that she believes she is cursed: starting with being exiled from Dungatar after the accidental death of Stewart Pettyman, and then finding her “seven month old” baby Pablo “in his cot...dead”, as well as witnessing the deaths of Teddy and Molly. In her own words, she is “falser than vows made in wine”, and does not personally believe she can be trusted. This pessimistic perspective on life inspires Tilly to adopt an incredibly individualistic understanding of the world; believing that the only way for her to survive is embracing her individual worth and rejecting toxic communities. Indeed, although Tilly initially arrived in Dungatar to care for her mother - a selfless act - the town spiralling into vengeance only confirmed Tilly’s pessimism. Her modern dressmaking ultimately could not change a fundamentally corrupt community predicated on “nothing ever really chang[ing]”, and therefore the maintenance of a culture of rumour and suspicion . Indeed, in “raz[ing Dungatar] to the ground”, Rosalie Ham reminds us that Tilly is an unapologetically individually-focused person, and will not tolerate anyone, or anything, which seeks to make her conform to the status quo and repress her individuality.

Molly Dunnage 

Molly Dunnage is Tilly’s mother, a bedridden, elderly woman whose sickness drives Tilly back into Dungatar. Molly is commonly known as ‘Mad Molly’ by the townspeople, but what this hides is the fact that Molly was not born mentally insane. Rather, after being “tormented” by Evan Pettyman into having his illegitimate child and seeing Tilly exiled from Dungatar, the malicious actions of the community drive her into insanity. Even in her incapacitated and crazed state, Molly holds such love for Tilly that she attempts to stop her engaging with the community, and thus the symbolism of Molly “dismant[ling] her sewing machine entirely” was that, due to her experiences, she did not believe that the people of Dungatar would ever accept Tilly, either as a dressmaker or a person . Molly’s death is ultimately a pivotal event, and awakens Tilly to the fact that only “revenge [could be] our cause”, and thus that Dungatar is fundamentally irredeemable.

Teddy McSwiney 

Teddy McSwiney is the eldest son of the McSwiney family, Dungatar’s poorest residents. Teddy is a unique case, as although he’s a McSwiney, he is noted for being incredibly well-liked in the town - even going so far as to be described by Purl as the town’s “priceless full forward” in Dungatar’s AFL team. Nonetheless, as we discussed under the Social Class theme, Dungatar remains an unashamedly classist society, and as such, despite Teddy being valued in his usefulness as a footy player and the “nice girls lov[ing] him”, he “was a McSwiney” - discounted from the town’s dating scene or any true level of social worth. Teddy becomes essential to the plot when he and Tilly spark a budding romance. Whereas the majority of Dungatar rejects Tilly or refuses to stand against the crowd, Teddy actively seeks to remind Tilly of her worth - saying that he “doesn’t believe in curses”. However, his death after suffocating in a “sorghum mill” reiterates a sad reality in Dungatar; it is always the most vulnerable townspeople who pay the price for classist discrimination, ostracisation, and suspicion.  

Sergeant Farrat 

Sergeant Farrat is one of The Dressmaker’s most interesting characters. On the surface, he’s nothing but a police officer who manages Dungatar. However, Farrat’s position is far more complex than meets the eye - as a police officer, he is entrusted with enforcing the “legal law”, yet must also contain the influence of malicious individuals such as Buela Harradine who would otherwise use the enforcement of that law to spread slander about individuals like the McSwineys, who she considers “bludgers” and “thieves”. Despite Dungatar’s complications, Farrat considers the townspeople “his flock”, and this religious, Christ-like imagery here tells us how he is essentially their protector. Farrat is, in essence, entrusted with preventing the townspeople from destroying themselves (by now, we all know how easily the townspeople slide into hatred and division!). Here’s the interesting thing though - at the same time Sergeant Farrat is protecting Dungatar, he is also personally repressed by its conservative standards. Rosalie Ham establishes Farrat as a man with a love for vibrant, expressive, female fashion, and from his “gingham skirts” which he sews in private to his time spent with Tilly while she sews, Ham demonstrates to us that Dungatar’s conservatism affects everyone. Even though he tries to defend Tilly as the townspeople descend on her after Teddy’s death, Tilly destroys his house along with Dungatar anyway - signalling that, no matter how hard Sergeant Farrat tried to reconcile his position as protector of Dungatar and his own person, the town could not be saved.

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The Dressmaker is written in the Gothic style, which means it combines romance with death and horror, particularly horror of the emotional kind. The Dressmaker is divided into four sections, each named after a type of fabric Tilly uses in her work. You can use these in your essays to show how important dressmaking and fashion is to the plot’s progression, especially considering each section starts with fabric. The four types are:

A fabric made from cotton or yarn, with a checkered shape. Gingham is often used as a ‘test fabric’ in designing fashion or for making tablecloths. This gives it a rustic, imperfect feel signifying Tilly’s return to her hometown and complicated past. The name is thought to originate from a Malay word meaning ‘separate’, mirroring Tilly’s feelings of isolation from the rest of Dungatar. In this section of the novel, Sergeant Farrat also buys gingham fabric to secretly make into a skirt, symbolising how the town is still rife with secrets and a disparity between the public and private personas of its inhabitants. 

2. Shantung

A fabric used for bridal gowns. Gertrude is married in this section and her dress, which Tilly makes, is the first instance where the town witnesses her work. Shantung originates from China, matching this notion of exoticism and foreignness which seeing the dress spreads among the townspeople. 

A fabric noted for its ability to be used for a wide variety of purposes. This is the section in which the ball occurs and a variety of Tilly’s dresses are unveiled for the town to see. 

A richly decorative fabric made with threads of gold and silver. Brocade is used primarily for upholstery, drapery, and costumes. This is a reference to the costumes of Dungatar’s play, the climax of the novel which occurs in this section.

Sample Essay Topics

1. “They looked like a group of European aristocrats’ wives who had somehow lost their way.” Fashion is both liberating and oppressive. Discuss.

2. How does Rosalie Ham represent the power of love throughout The Dressmaker?

3. Gender repression is rife in The Dressmaker . To what extent do you agree?

4. “Damn progress, there’s naught that’s poetic about diesel or electric. Who needs speed?” What is Ham’s essential message about progress in The Dressmaker?

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. For more sample essay topics, head over to our The Dressmaker Study Guide to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!

Essay Topic Breakdown

Whenever you get a new essay topic, you can use LSG’s THINK and EXECUTE strategy , a technique to help you write better VCE essays. This essay topic breakdown will focus on the THINK part of the strategy. If you’re unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response .

Within the THINK strategy, we have 3 steps, or ABC. These ABC components are:

Step 1: A nalyse

Step 2: B rainstorm

Step 3: C reate a Plan

Theme-Based Prompt: Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker condemns fundamentally oppressive communities. Discuss.

Step 1: analyse.

We’ve got a theme-based prompt here, which really calls for your essay to be explicitly focused on the theme at hand. That means that we shouldn’t stray from the idea of ‘oppressive communities’. Keep it as the centre of your essay and look at how events relate to this idea - we’ll break it down more in Step 2 so you can properly explore it.

Because there’s a ‘Discuss’ qualifier added to the end of the prompt, a clear and concise contention is really important. What you’re being asked to do is, again, stick with the topic frame. That means that going for the usual “two agree, one disagree” structure is decent, but I wouldn’t suggest it as the most efficient way to go. Instead, what you’ll see that I do with this essay is ‘discuss’ how the topic is present throughout all three of our arguments.

Step 2: Brainstorm

Let’s start by breaking down the key words of the topic.

We have the idea of an ‘oppressive community’, which refers to communities that are built on marginalising certain individuals so the majority can maintain power . This is quite a clear reference to Dungatar, but expect that most essay questions for The Dressmaker won’t directly reference Tilly or the town, even if they’re quite clearly talking about them. Something for which you should look out – don’t let the wording phase you!

The addition of the word ‘fundamentally’ doesn’t change that much, but what it does tell us is that the essay is asking us to agree that Dungatar is oppressive to its core. In other words, its ‘fundamentals’ are based on oppression. I would not recommend trying to disagree with this basic premise, as it means you’re going against the topic in a ‘Discuss’ prompt which, as we discussed above, isn’t the best option in my view.

Step 3: Create a Plan

One of the most logical ways to approach this topic is a chronological structure. By that, what I mean is following the text in the order events occur; before Tilly’s arrival, during Tilly’s time in Dungatar, and the consequences that arise after they make her an outcast once again.

This way, you can stay on topic and look at how Dungatar is oppressive even before Tilly shows up again, how that ramps up as she establishes her dressmaking business, and what Ham’s final message is on rejecting oppressive communities and embracing individual worth.

If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you might want to check out our The Dressmaker Study Guide where we cover 5 A+ sample essays with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your English goals! Let's get started.

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Whether you revel in the ideas and intricacies of poetry or could not think of anything more monotonous to read, grab a tea (or coffee if it’s one of those nights), your favourite late-night snack, and prepare to be amazed by just how simple it is to absolutely NAIL a poetry essay.

Don’t worry, I know that same overwhelming feeling when poetry can seem as if it’s not even in English, but I can ensure you, learning how to write a poetry essay is like learning to ride a bike…. Once you wrap your head around it you’ll be cruising!

To make these tips even more practical, we’ll be focusing on John Donne’s poetry in relation to the topic below: ‍

‘Donne’s poetry explores the many aspects of human experience.’ Discuss.

‍ 1. Start off with a bang!

I’m sure you’ve heard it before… your introduction sets the tone for your essay and this could not be more true. A shallow introduction is like missing the start of your running race, or even worse arriving at a party just before it ends! You’ll just have so much catching up to do! Without being overly hyperbolic, here are a four essential tips that will ensure your assessor sees you as a high-scoring student right from your first sentence.

- Answer the question in your first sentence (even if it is in a broad manner) and always link back to the essay topic – this will show the assessor that you are answering the question given rather than presenting them with a sneaky memorised essay!

- Utilise the right terminology when outlining the type of poet and era they wrote in (i.e. metaphysical poet, Renaissance era, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth)

‍ - Outline the main poetic techniques for which the poet is known for (i.e. playful wit, rich imagery, language, challenging intellectual argument) as well as the ideas and values they endorse (i.e. elevation of reciprocal love, belief in the resurrection of Christ, celebration of eternal life)

- Wow your assessor with unique vocab (i.e. illuminate, emanate, meditate)

And here’s a sample introduction to help you even more:

John Donne’s anthology, “Selected Poetry” illuminates the human condition and thus provides much commentary on life and death. A metaphysical poet of the Renaissance era, Donne combines a playful wit, rich imagery, and perhaps most importantly language, to challenge intellectual argument and celebrate various aspects of sexual desire, mutuality and faith. Immersed in the Christian traditions of his time, Donne’s exploration of Death emanates from the Elizabethan acute awareness of the brevity and vanity of human life; however, with his sensual elevation of reciprocal love and his deep spiritual belief in the resurrection of Christ, Donne meditates upon his belief and celebration of eternal life.

2. Strong topic sentences are Crucial (with a capital C)

Time and time again students fall into one of two traps. They either try to start each paragraph with a lengthy (and often beautiful) phrase trying to encapsulate every idea they plan to introduce in the paragraph. Or on other occasions, they have no introductory sentence and instead launch straight into their poetry analysis. Your assessor may be blown away with your A+ worthy introduction and then reach this weak opening to your paragraph and have to reconsider! Your topic sentence is the frame for the whole paragraph so please, keep it clear, succinct, and relevant to the essay question.

Here are three ‘DOs’ and ‘DON’Ts’ to consider when crafting one of the most important sentences of your essay (again, sorry about the drama!)

- DON’T mention the poem you will use as evidence in your topic sentence

- DO answer and link directly to the essay topic

- DO use linking words to link the ideas in different paragraphs

And here are three STRONG topic sentences for each paragraph of this essay (note how I always link back to the topic of human experiences and link ideas between paragraphs)

- Rewriting the conventional trope, Donne’s oeuvre explores the joy of erotic love and ones’ lustful desire to engage in these sexual experiences.

- While much of Donne’s oeuvre comments on the pleasure of carnal experiences, his more harmonious poems reveal the beauty of relationships in which one can experience a deep sense of mutuality and stability.

- Silhouetted against the backdrop of the Elizabethan reign, Donne’s more metaphysical poems demonstrate the struggle of the process of dying and individual corruption, and the manner in which it leads to the acquirement of God’s love and grace.

3. Organise paragraphs by IDEAS

What makes a poetry essay so unique is that your paragraphs are based on broad ideas rather than the motifs and behaviours of characters in novels. This means that when planning your essay you must ensure that each paragraph has only one idea and that each paragraph is based on a different idea. From there you can work out which poems best represent each concept to work out which poems you will use for each paragraph. This is why I love poetry essays as planning for them is so easy! All you have to do is think of three or four different ideas for the essay topic and then find your textual evidence by working out which poems best reflect these ideas…. Simple! Right?

Here are the three ideas that I plan to discuss in each of my paragraphs of this essay as well as the poems I would use:

- Sexual/physical human experiences

- ‘Elegy 19: To His Mistress Going to Bed’ & ‘The Flea’

- Mutuality and reciprocity as an experience/element of spiritual love

- ‘A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’

- The innately human experience of dying and being embraced by God in heaven

- ‘Hymn to God My God in My Sickness’ ‍

4. Analyse, not summarise

If there was one thing that was playing in my head over and over while writing a poetry essay it was ‘analyse, not summarise’. It is so easy to fall into the trap of simply summarising the poetic techniques and language of the different poems rather than analysing their meaning and linking this directly to the essay question. Even if you have the best plan and ideas going for you, if an assessor notices you going into summary mode they’ll assume you’re just rewriting a memorised essay rather then answering the exact essay question given…. DISASTROUS! To prevent this utter catastrophe, I urge you to please, link to and answer the specific essay topic EVERYTIME you introduce a new poetic technique/piece of evidence. Verbs such as demonstrates, elucidates, illustrates, exemplifies, illuminates and augments are ‘must haves’ in your poetry tool-box as they will ensure that you are analysing not summarising.

Here is a sample paragraph for you to consider (notice how I always link back to the idea of mutual/reciprocal love and experiences every time I introduce a new poetic technique or quote)

While much of Donne’s oeuvre comments on the pleasure of carnal experiences, his more harmonious poems reveal the beauty of relationships in which one can experience a deep sense of mutuality and stability. The poem, ‘’A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning’’ explores the sense of security and harmony which spiritual love and experiences permit. Adopting a hush, reverent tone manifested by the use of sibilance, through the enjambment of the phrase ‘’Dull sublunary lovers love, / (Whose soul is sense) cannot admit / Absence’’, Donne elevates mutual love to a higher plane, one that transcends the lines of poetry. When accompanied by the stability of the ABAB rhyme scheme that works to echo the couple’s settled love, this presents the experience of reciprocity and mutuality of love to be higher than the dull and earthbound nature of love that is solely physical. Hence, Donne reveals the bliss that mutual love permits mankind, given it eclipses the desire for any form of physicality. Further elucidating the strength of mutual love, Donne illuminates how when couples are separated it is ‘’not yet a breach, but an expansion’’, thus celebrating the manner in which deep, reciprocal love not only eclipses the divisions of the clock but how it expands ‘’like gold to airy thinness beat’’ when separated. By connoting spiritual love to the pure and malleable nature of gold, this simile characterizes mutual love to be the prime of human experiences and relationships. Intertwining the elegant conceit of a compass to represent the love that connects the speaker and his mistress, Donne garners the notion that no matter how far ‘’one doth roam’’ the intellectual bond between the couple will remain ‘’firm’’ and enable the pair to overcome any form of physical separation. Hence, Donne illuminates  the complex and impermeable bond that this serene form of human experience can foster.

‍ 5. Vocab and metalanguage are the easiest ways to SHINE

To say it plainly, writing with unique and refreshing vocabulary is enough to send your grade SOARING. It will not only render your ideas and discussion ever more complex, but has the power to enlighten and stimulate your assessor (and this is something we all want to do… right?). Utilising the correct poetic metalanguage every time you introduce a new quote or line of poetry will ensure that your analysis remains both specific and detailed. As seen in the paragraph above, discussing the poetic techniques provided me with another form of evidence (rather than just the quotes from the poem) to elucidate how these different forms of human experience are illustrated in each of Donne’s poems.

To assist you further, here is some metalanguage for the poetic techniques and structures that frequent John Donne’s poetry:

- Sibilance, alliteration, imagery, paradox, conceit, metaphor, simile, personification, rhyme structure, tone, volta, enjambment, metre (i.e. iambic pentameter, trochaic tetrameter), monosyllabic phrasing

- Stanza, verse, quatrain, cinquain

6. Finish with a jaw-dropping conclusion

A mediocre conclusion is like leaving your assessor with an unpleasant aftertaste that unfortunately, will not go away. So please, finally give your conclusion the attention it deserves and follow these five tips to ensure you leave your assessor waiting for that mic to drop!

- Pan out to the broad, abstract ideas that the poet wrestled with

- Discuss the aspects of the poet that set them apart from other poets at the time (i.e. for John Donne that is his intellectual imagery, arresting voice, wit, fusion of passion and logic and the manner in which he challenged intellectual argument and strongly held societal conventions)

- Short and sweet not long and wordy!

- Reinforce the period and society in which the poet wrote

- You can include a secondary quote if you want, however only if it relevant to the essay topic and ideas you discussed

Here is a sample conclusion to assist you:

Railing against the societal value of religion prominent during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the originality of Donne’s ideas about love, death and God along with his strikingly intellectual imagery and rich language incite and interest his more religious readership of the joys of sexual, mutual and religious experiences. The poet and playwright Ben Jonson once wrote that John Donne ‘’was the first poet in the world in some things.’’ Hence, it is through his witty and authentic form of expression that Donne allows us to reflect on and celebrate precisely what it means to be human.

This blog was updated on 21/10/2020.

2. Background

4. Chapter 1 Plot and Analysis

7. Sample Essay Topics

8. Essay Topic Breakdown

The Secret River is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

The Secret River is a historical novel telling the story of William Thornhill, a poor Englishman from the early 19th century who was deported and transported to New South Wales, Australia in 1806 for theft. This novel tells the story of Australia's founding and the moral choices made when  Europeans colonised land that was already inhabited by Aboriginal people.

During 18th century to mid 19th century, 162,000 men and women were transported to Australia, with majority from England. These people, known as ‘convicts’, had committed crimes such as larceny and robbery – acts which were considered severe offenses and demanded heavy sentences. In order to deal with the overwhelming masses of criminals, the government exported crowds of convicts to Australia to serve their term as labourers. The reason driving the deportation included an attempt to decrease poverty and crime in England while concurrently developing the British colony in Australia.

Many of the fleets from England were destined for New South Wales, Australia. Those on the fleets included the criminals, marines, and their families. Living in a penal colony, the criminals were employed depending on their various skills: farmer, boatman, servant etc. The settlers were award a ‘ticket of leave’ if they presented good behaviour during labour. This meant that settlers would become emancipists, where they were set free from the government’s sentence and could begin a life for themselves by making their own living. This suited the government’s goal for a successful and thriving colony since it would only be possible if people were to work for themselves, and not under the terrain of the government.

Although Australia was chiefly populated with Indigenous Australians, the first century of colonisation saw a drastic decline in their population. This was due to a clash of desire for the land; the native’s innate protection of their land and the white settlers struggle to declare their right to an area already inhibited by natives – possibly for 40,000 years. The two cultures failed to ever create a peace agreement or compensation and as a result, the frontier was often marked with blood. Overtime, a successful of the British colony meant that white settlement overpowered any possibility of the natives retaining their land. The Secret River’s exploration of this powerful change in Australia’s history is a poignant reflection of the past, and demands attention to the sensitive issue of Australian and native relationship that is still present today.

Set during the early 19th century. Located in London, Sydney and on the Hawkesbury.

Chapter 1: Strangers

The Alexander , a transport ship for convicts has reached New South Wales, Australia after a travelling across the world for majority of the year. William Thornhill, an Englishman convicted to sentence his ‘natural life in the Year of Our Lord eighteen hundred and six’ [pg 3] will serve as a labourer.

During his first night in New South Wales, where their homes are ‘only a flap of bark, a screen of sticks and mud,’ Thornhill digested the new land with its ‘rich dank smells…restless water…no Pole star’; an environment vastly differentiated from England. The unfamiliar situation is overwhelming as ‘he had not cried, not for thirty years….but now his throat was thickening.’ In his despair, Thornhill describes how being sentenced to New South Wales could potentially be worse than dying itself.

Initially, Thornhill believed his tears are clouding his vision since the ‘darkness moved in front of him’ [pg 5]. However, he then realised that a human, ‘as black as the air itself’ stood before him. The unusual appearance of this human struck Thornhill since ‘his skin swallowed the light…[and] eyes were set so deeply into the skull.’ Although clothed, Thornhill ironically felt ‘skinless’ against the other who was completely naked and holding a spear. Thornhill repeatedly demanded that the man ‘be off’, for fear of his family and himself being attacked. Despite his shouting, this only impelled the man to move closer to the point where they almost touched. The ‘black man’ [pg 6] reproduced ‘be off’ in Thornhill’s exact tone. While Thornhill’s fear of this strange human is prominent, he grappled the strength to exert a bold, intrepid veneer, as ‘he was not about to surrender to any naked black man’. When he glanced back to his wife and children however, the man promptly disappeared, leaving only the darkness behind. Thornhill returned to his hut where he laid back down to rest yet ‘every muscle was tensed…the cold moment of finding that unforgiving thing in his flesh.’

Environmental / Landscape conflict

For Thornhill, who has spent a lifetime in England, the confrontation of a new environment evokes a powerful sense of unfamiliarity. The unknown land presents him with various intrapersonal conflicts, one of which is the difference between England and Australian stars. While the physical distance of this new land from Thornhill’s home is demonstrated by the lack of a ‘Pole Star, a friend to guide him on the Thames, [and] no Bear that he had known all his life,’ [pg 4] the unrecognisable stars above Australia only depict a ‘blaze, unreadable, [and] indifferent.’ His conflict demonstrates his physical and emotional distance from Thames, a place he grown up surrounded by compared to Australia, where learning begins from the very basics, as shown when he absorbs the natural landscape around him. The night described as ‘huge and damp, flowing in and bringing with it the sounds of its own life’ [pg 3] highlights how the Australian land is unique, possessing qualities of existence.

Thornhill’s sense of negligence in the vast forest that continues ‘mile after mile’ is illustrated through the imagery of the ‘trees [which] stood tall over him,’ depicting that nature is a powerful and dominant force over the Europeans. While the trees render him insignificant, it also demonstrates his alienation from the environment. The ‘Alexander,’ a common traditional English name, represents an intrusion of the Europeans onto the Australian land, further highlighting the idea that they do not belong on this island.

The Australian land is depicted to be harsh and unforgiving, as highlighted through the imagery of ‘dirt chill...sharp stab...alien stars' [pg 4] This conflict with the brutal landscape, along with the unknown leaves Thornhill apprehensive of what is to come. His feeling that he was ‘nothing more than a flea on the side of some enormous quiet creature’ [pg 4] depicts the Australian land almost like a monster. Additionally, the words ‘restless’ draw to the idea that the land is at discomfort or uneasy to have new inhabitants.

Racial/Cultural conflict

The conflict between two cultures is shown through the initial encounter between Thornhill and an Indigenous Australian. Without any conversation, the tension between the two is clear, merely through their actions in each other’s prescence. Thornhill notes the Aboriginal male’s tattoos, yet regards them as ‘scars’ since he is unaware to their culture. Even before this man, Thornhill is still infused with a sense of nakedness because of his unfamiliarity.  His feeling that ‘every muscle was tensed…the cold moment of finding that unforgiving thing in his flesh’ highlights the tension of his first encounter of an Australian Aboriginal while it also foreshadows a suffering and anguish for his time ahead.

If you'd like to see the all Chapter plots, their analysis, along with important quotes, then have a look at our The Secret River Study Guide .

Conflict with land quotes

“Now it had fetched up at the end of the earth.” [pg 3]

“…this prison whose bars were ten thousand miles of water.” [pg 3]

“foreign darkness” [pg 3]

“…soughing of the forest, mile after mile.” [pg 3]

“He was nothing more than a flea on the side of some enormous quiet creature.” [pg 4]

Thornhill’s inner conflict quotes

“He had not cried, not for thirty years, not since he was a hungry child to young to know that crying did not fill your belly.” [pg 4]

“But every muscle was tensed, anticipating the shock in his neck or his belly, his hand going to the place, the cold moment of finding that unforgiving thing in his flesh.” [pg 6]

Racism quotes

“It took a moment to understand that the stirring was a human, as black as the air itself.” [pg 5]

“Clothed as he was, Thornhill felt skinless as a maggot.” [pg 5]

“This was a kind of madness, as if a dog were to bark in English.” [pg 6]

“He was not about to surrender them to any naked black man.” [pg 6]

1. William Thornhill is more worthy of our respect than our reprehension. Do you agree?

2. How does Kate Grenville explore hierarchy?

3. How does The Secret River’s symbolism enhance its exploration of alienation?

4. “Fear could slip unnoticed into anger, as if they were one and the same.” The Thornhills’ anger is valid. To what extent do you agree?

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. For more sample essay topics, head over to our The Secret River Study Guide to practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!

Theme-Based essay prompt: T he Secret River depicts many layers of conflict, within but also between its key characters. Discuss

The key term of this prompt is conflict , but I think it’s also important to analyse how it’s discussed—as something that exists in layers , and something that can happen both within and between characters. This seems to hint at the idea that conflict can be internal—that is a single character can feel conflicted about something—as well as external—that is two or more characters can have some kind of dispute. This prompt will require us to think about all these different types of conflict. 

Let’s start with the most internal layer—conflicts with the self. In terms of key characters, consider William but also Sal: what debates do they have with themselves, or what do they say or do that shows they feel conflicted or unsure about something?  

Then, let’s broaden that out to interpersonal conflicts between characters. How do William and Sal, for example, come into conflict with their neighbours—both their white neighbours and their Aboriginal neighbours? How do they come into conflict with each other, even?

Maybe it’s worth separating the racial conflict into another category—conflicts between groups of characters, rather than individual characters. If we make this distinction, we need to be prepared to back it up—in what ways is this conflict of a different nature?

Step 3: Create a plan

I think we can pretty justifiably separate out our layers of conflict into those categories: interpersonal, interpersonal and interracial. This gives us three neat(-ish) paragraphs and a clear, affirmative contention: yes, there are many layers of conflict, and those are the three layers. 

P1: At its most intimate layer, conflict is internal—the moral dilemmas of William and Sal are particularly strong examples.

P2: Conflict can also be interpersonal—we can see this between William and Dan, or William and his neighbours, or between William and Sal even. It’s up to you which way you cut this paragraph.

P3: However, perhaps the central conflict that the novel is built around is interracial conflict between white colonisers and the Aboriginal people whose land they occupied. To extend the prompt a little, we can talk about conflict not just between characters or people, but also between value systems. For example, the way colonisers saw land and property were fundamentally incompatible with how Aboriginal people saw it—this is another type of conflict.

In this sense, we’re largely agreeing with the prompt, backing up the distinction between interpersonal and interracial conflict, and finding a way to extend on it a little towards the end. We can build this into the contention as well: there are many layers of conflict, but they occur not just between characters. They can also exist between the broad cultural values of entire groups of people as well. 

If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you might want to check out our The Secret River Study Guide where we cover 5 A+ sample essays (written by a 50 study scorer!) with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your English goals! Let's get started.

Updated 24/12/2020

Ransom is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

• Plot, Analysis, Important Passages and Quotes

1. Characters

Priam is an elderly king of Troy. As a child, his sister Hesione saved him from slavery, and had his named changed from Podarces to Priam, the name meaning ‘the ransomed one’ or ‘the price paid'. After the death of his son Hector, Priam envisions himself in plain clothing, riding a plain cart to Achilles who is effectively holding Hector ransom. His vision is the catalyst for the novel’s events, for his journey is one of learning and self-development. Though the royal family is doubtful of his plan to save Hector, Priam is resolute and insists that he needs to try his best to confront Achilles as a father, rather than as king. After many decades as king of Troy, Priam is determined to reinvent how he will be remembered; as a king who performed an extraordinary act of heroism in order to save his beloved son.

Achilles is known as the greatest warrior of the Greeks. The death of Patroclus, his closest companion and hinted lover, drives Achilles to insanity. Hector murdered Patroclus and, as a result, Achilles takes revenge by killing Hector. He then drags Hector’s dead body along the walls of Troy for the next 11 days. Achilles loses his sense of humanity as he is possessed by his rage, hatred and grief.

Somax is representative of the ‘common man’ in Ransom . He is chosen to escort Priam to Achilles. His simple and plain presence is contrasted with Priam’s royal status. He often engages in useless chatter and performs daily activities in a way that is foreign to the king. Although Somax is far from royalty, his great deal of affection for his daughter-in-law and granddaughter teaches Priam about love, family and life.

Beauty is Somax’s favourite mule. She accompanies Priam and Somax on their journey to the Greek camp where Achilles resides.

Somax’s other mule who carries the cart to Achilles’ camp.

Hecuba is Priam’s beloved wife and mother of Hector. She is initially uncertain of Priam’s vision to save Hector. However, after hearing Priam’s sentimental reasons, she shows support and urges him to first share his plan with their family and the kingdom’s council before he departs.

Hector is Priam’s son and also the leader of the Trojan army. He is kind, brave and noble without any cruel intentions, unlike his rival Achilles. During a battle between the Trojans and the Greeks, Hector kills Patroclus. This results in Achilles challenging Hector to a battle, resulting in Hector’s death and Achilles’ triumph.

Neoptolemus

Neoptolemus is Achilles’ son. Although he is mentioned throughout Ransom , he makes his first appearance at the end of the novel where he savagely slaughters an old and defenseless Priam in an effort to avenge his father’s death. ‍

‍ 2. Themes

Ransom explores who we are and what it means to have an identity. As the leader of Troy for many decades, Priam has always viewed himself as a king. It appears as though Priam has been unhappy with his identity for quite some time, is physically weak, and feels as though he cannot protect his kingdom as efficiently as he used to. However, the death of Hector is a catalyst for Priam as he realises that he needs to become a ‘father’ rather than the ‘king’ he had become so accustomed to. His search for Hector is also a search for himself, to reinvent who he is and how he wishes others to remember him.

Meanwhile, Somax is designated as the king’s herald, with the name Idaeus. He secretly notes his unhappiness with this name appointment, since he is ‘Somax, not Idaeus'. The name ‘Somax’ is associated with many significant events in his life including his marriage and family, yet the new unfamiliar name strips him of this identity. Somax’s confidence and pride in his identity is starkly contrasted with Priam’s pursuit for an identity transformation.

Malouf demonstrates that it is never too late to change one’s ways. Priam’s determination to change how he is remembered – from just another king leading a regal life to a hero who went to extraordinary lengths to regain his child – demonstrates that change is within our grasp. Even though his beautiful wife Hecuba and the rest of his family have reservations about his desire to confront Achilles, Priam is resolved in taking a ‘chance', rather than achieving nothing by remaining within the walls of his home. Unexpectedly, this one idea propels Priam into a multitude of other changes. His journey with Somax teaches Priam a far greater deal than he had anticipated, for he learns to appreciate the value of the human connection and other daily simplicities in life.

Although Achilles is driven by hatred and anger after Patroclus’ death, as with Priam, he manages to change his ways. He is touched by Priam’s pleas and consequently accepts the ransom and returns Hector’s body. He is able to reach this state of peace by releasing his immoral intentions and even offers to hold a ritual for Hector’s body in the Greek walls that very night. This transformation, from a human who responds to grief with vengeance to someone who releases and forgives, demonstrates the benefits we can gain from amending our ways.

Revenge, Guilt and Peace

Revenge is portrayed as a never-ending vicious cycle until both parties reach a negotiation or peace. After Patroclus’ death, Achilles hunts down Hector in order to avenge his best friend’s early death. Although he is successful in murdering Hector, Achilles does not follow the custom of leaving the body for the grieving family to bury. Instead, Achilles feels the need to mutilate the body day after day without any sense of remorse or regret. His additional need to inflict harm on Hector’s body indicates that revenge will not bring closure. His sense of loss is shown as he reflects feeling empty inside, to the point where he no longer feels like himself, but someone else altogether.

Although Achilles and Priam ultimately find peace within themselves, many years later Achilles’ son Neoptolemus murders Priam, bounded by the same hatred and pain depicted by Achilles. Neoptolemus’ subsequent guilt and regret is carried with him throughout the rest of his life, demonstrating that again, revenge is not the answer to any problem.

Chance and Fate

The role of the gods is heavily woven into the events that unfold in Ransom. Priam only begins his transition and journey after envisioning the goddess Iris, who suggests that he take a ‘chance’ and try to save Hector from Achilles’ camp. During his journey, a jovial young man who joins the travellers is revealed as Hermes, a god who has come to safely guide the elderly men to Achilles. The power of the gods in controlling human fate is illustrated during the scene where Hermes saves the travellers from being swept away by a stream.

Nevertheless, it can also be argued that it is the characters’ decisions that lead them to their fate. Although the gods may have instilled in Priam the idea that he should rescue Hector, it is the king’s determination which is a main driving force for the journey. Even when confronted with doubt and hesitancy from his family, it is Priam who pushes onwards to fulfil his vision. Whether his actions were already predestined or of his own agency is up to you to decide.

Nature Versus Man

Man’s presence on earth is shown to have little significance in comparison to the power of nature. While the events in Ransom teach the characters many valuable lessons, ultimately these meaningful moments in the humans’ lives disappear as one reaches their fate – death. Time moves on beyond our lives as we are forgotten over decades and centuries while nature prevails. Priam’s desire to be remembered by others highlights how little significance a life possesses unless one behaves extraordinarily. Malouf demonstrates that in the end, life just is – we are granted by nature to have a brief existence, yet in the end, nature and time will move forward without us.

Commoners Versus Royalty

Although royalty is portrayed to be blessed with power and authority, it is ironically the commoners in Ransom who appear to have the ‘richest’ (and more fulfilling) lives. For the first time, Priam is exposed to the different interests and values of the common man and is intrigued by the simplicities of life. It is Somax, a mere old man from the marketplace, who teaches Priam more about life than he had imagined possible.

Jove’s Eagle

Jove’s eagle is a representation of a bird renowned for its keen sight. The presence of Jove’s eagle during Priam and Somax’s departure hints that the gods will safely guide their journey as the bird behaves as a lookout. Furthermore, the symbol of the eagle’s powerful vision is contrasted with Priam’s ‘blindness’ at the beginning of the journey since he is yet to experience the outside world. It is during the journey that he learns about himself and others, and thus, improves his ‘sight.’ Coincidently, Jove’s eagle is no longer mentioned when Priam is endowed with his new insight.

The royal cart is ‘a fine new one, the marks of the adze still visible on its timbers. The twelve-spoked wheels are elaborately carved and painted, a wickerwork canopy covers the tray'. On all occasions, the king had used this elegant cart to alert others that royalty was present. The use of this cart demonstrates how Priam has been encapsulated in his own royal sphere since everything is meticulously chosen and designed specifically for the king. Nevertheless, his demand for a ‘common work cart’ depicts his determination for a simple approach to Achilles, as a father to another father. This simplicity highlights Priam’s desire to become just another man and father, anonymous in the plain cart with the hopes of retrieving Hector.

Priam as a Child

At the beginning of the journey, Priam is characterised with childish traits. When Somax urges Priam to dabble his feet in the stream, words such as ‘obedient toddler', ‘three uncertain steps', and ‘happy smile’ reflect the actions of a young child trying new experiences. This childish nature is contrasted with Priam’s old and frail age, which demonstrates that although he has lived a life in royalty, his lack of exposure to ‘real life’ has left him crippled of the simplest experiences such as the cooling effect of feet in water and eating delicious homemade cookies.

The cakes Somax brings along during the journey highlight Priam’s lack of knowledge of even the simplest things. For Somax, the little griddlecakes are a regular and delectable snack, yet Priam 'ha[s] never seen them before'. Priam’s unfamiliarity with the cakes represents his isolation from the ‘real world’ since he has been deprived from things that even commoners view as ordinary.

Futhermore, Somax’s lengthy chatter about his daughter-in-law cooking the cakes with the ‘batter bubbling and setting and turning a golden brown’ prompts Priam to think about the activities in his kingdom that occur behind closed doors. He had previously never noticed that there was so much preparation and work that went into the food that appeared at his table, let alone the ingredients and thickness of a batter. These matters had been of little concern to Priam, yet he realises that even the ‘common and low…activities and facts of life, had an appeal'.

Hector’s Body

Although Achilles drags Hector’s body across the walls of Troy for eleven days, each morning he would return to find Hector’s body healed of any wounds, and absent of any physical damage to his body. This is a cruel reminder of the god’s ability to ‘toy around’ with the Ancient Greeks’ lives. Hector’s body also symbolises how revenge is not the answer to any conflict, since dealing with a tragic loss through revenge does not gain anything but more pain and suffering.

Although Priam initially believes he understands the distress of losing a son, Somax’s experience of losing his son is driven with emotions that Priam had never previously experienced. When sharing the story of his son’s death, Somax sniffles, an ‘odd habit’ according to Priam. The use of ‘odd habit’ to describe Somax’s sadness demonstrates how Priam has never truly felt the loss of his son, but only the loss of a royal relationship between king and prince.

Later on, Somax once again ‘snuffles’ and ‘rubs his nose’ at the thought of the ending to their journey. Similarly, Priam makes ‘small sounds', presumably crying as well. The transformation of Priam from someone who failed to empathise with Somax’s tears at the beginning of the journey to a man filled with emotions demonstrates that Priam undergoes both a physical and metaphysical journey where he undergoes self-development and appreciation of the world around him.

4. Plot, Analysis, Important Passages and Quotes

Achilles, the greatest warrior of the Greeks, stands next to the sea while reminiscing about the past. After his mother’s death he had ‘entered the rough world of men’ (p. 6) where wars and battles prevail. Every morning, he feels the need to ‘tramp to shore’ (p. 10) since he is haunted by the death of his ‘soulmate and companion’ Patroclus, and his raging hatred towards Hector, killer of Patroclus and thus, the ‘implacable enemy'.

When Achilles was a child, his cousin Patroclus came to live with the young Achilles since the former had killed the son of a high official of the royal court due to a ‘quarrel over a game of knucklebones’ (p. 11). In need of asylum, Patroclus came to live with Achilles’ family. As the years passed, the pair grew closer to the extent where Achilles believes that ‘he had mated with Patroclus’ (p. 15).

When the tide of the battle was against the Greeks, Patroclus disguises himself in Achilles’ armour in order to instill fear in the Trojans and cause them to return to the safety of their walls, thus providing temporary relief for the Greeks. In his last act for his closest friend, Patroclus is killed in battle*. The death of Patroclus left Achilles with an overwhelming sense of loss and also burning animosity. Achilles whispers that he will join Patroclus soon, but firstly, he has to avenge Patroclus’ killer, Hector.

Hector, the son of Trojan king Priam and leader of the Trojan army, wore Achilles' armour as a sign of triumph and disrespect for the Greeks. In a dramatic battle between Hector and himself, Achilles was successful in killing his enemy. Achilles’ Myrmidons then stripped Hector of his armour and ‘without pity…plunged their swords into Hector’s unprotected flesh’ (p. 24). For Achilles however, this was not enough. Still fuelled by his pain, Achilles ties Hector’s body to a chariot and drags it ‘up and down under the walls of Troy’ (p. 26) as the dead warrior’s royal family devastatingly watches on. Achilles feels like a ‘dead man…feeling nothing’ (p. 26), unable to seal the void left by his beloved friend.

The next day, Achilles is furious to find Hector’s body ‘smoothly sealed and the torn flesh made whole again'. His men cannot bear to look at him as he drives the chariot with Hector’s body along the walls of the Trojans once again. Afterwards he quickly falls asleep, into ‘oblivion’ (p. 35) as he struggles with the shame and guilt of his actions. He is ‘waiting for a break…something new and unimaginable’ in his life.

The Human Side

Along with the conflict between Greece and Troy, Ransom also delves into the consequences of those affected by the war. As the greatest warrior of all Greeks, Achilles has lived his life as a fighter. Nevertheless, his pathway in life has led him to believe that ‘such a life is death to the warrior spirit’ (p. 7). While warriors are known for sacrificing their lives in the battlefield, Achilles does not literally refer to warriors confronting death each time they fight for their team. In fact, ‘death to the warrior spirit’ means to metaphorically lose what it means to ‘live’ when one experiences bloodshed in each war. Growing up surrounded by ‘the rough world of men’ (p. 6), Achilles develops traits of aggression, cruelty and vengefulness in order to become an implacable man of war. As a consequence, Achilles only knows how to deal with Patroclus’ death with a fighter’s mindset. Instead of grieving openly, ‘he never permit[s] himself to betray to others what he [feels]’ (p. 5), thus detaching himself from the natural human process of grieving. In order to deal with his friend’s tragic ending, Achilles' ‘soul chang[es] colour’ as drags Hector’s body for eleven days without any sense of regret or remorse, and thus, is referred to as ‘death to his human spirit’ since he was no longer ‘a living man’ (p. 27). He faces Patroclus’ death with the same warrior traits of aggression, cruelty and vengefulness, depriving himself of any ability to humanely mourn his close friend’s death.

Furthermore, Achilles grieves for his mother in the opening passages of Ransom . During this time of loss, his mother symbolises Achilles’ need to be nurtured. The imagery of the sea surface as a ‘belly’ and ‘a membrane stretched to a fine transparency’ (p. 3) represents his mother’s pregnancy where he ‘had hung curled in a dream of pre-existence’ for ‘nine changes of the moon’ – or in other words, nine months of pregnancy. Achilles is characterised as a foetus, for his position is ‘chin down, shoulders hunched’ as though he is inside a womb. Although Achilles is a fighter, he hides the fact that he wishes to be ‘rocked and comforted’ by his mother, thus demonstrating that even beneath the surface of a cold-hearted warrior, the current of human emotions can cripple a man’s confident veneer.

If you'd like to read more of my analysis, feel free to access a sample of our ebook A Killer Text Guide: Ransom . In this ebook, I cover Plot, Analysis, Important Passages and Quotes so you can prepare for your SAC and exam. I've also included 5 Sample A+ English essays on Ransom , complete with annotations so you know exactly what you need to do in your next essay to achieve an A+.

All the best for your studies in Ransom!

• Themes, Motifs and Key Ideas
• Comparative Essay Prompt Example

The Crucible is a four-act play that portrays the atmosphere of the witch trials in Salem. As an allegory of McCarthyism, the play primarily focuses on criticising the ways in which innocent people are prosecuted without any founded evidence, reflecting the unjust nature of the corrupted authoritarian system that governs Salem. It starts off with the girls dancing in the woods and Betty’s unconsciousness, which causes the people of Salem to look for unnatural causes. People start scapegoating others to escape prosecution and falsely accuse others to gain power and land, facilitating mass hysteria which ultimately leads to the downfall of the Salem theocracy. The protagonist John Proctor is one of those that decides to defy the courts and sacrifices his life towards the end of the play, ending the play on a quiet note in contrast with its frenzied conflict throughout the acts.

The Dressmaker shows the audience the treatment towards Tilly Dunnage upon her return to fictional town Dungatar years after she was wrongly accused of being a murderess. Rosalie Ham critiques the impacts of rumours on Tilly and Molly, also establishing her condemnation of the societal stigma of this isolated town. Tilly starts making haute couture outfits to transform the lives of the women in the town and help them present themselves as more desirable and elevate their ranks. However, the townspeople still see Tilly negatively, except for some individuals who are able to look past the opinions of others and get to know Tilly themselves. Ham’s gothic novel garners the audience’s sympathy towards the outcasts of the town and antagonises those who find pleasure in creating drama and spreading rumours about others.  

2. Themes, Motifs and Key Ideas

Through discussing themes, motifs, and key ideas , we’ll gain a clearer understanding of some super important ideas to bring out in your essays. Remember, that when it comes to themes, there’s a whole host of ways you can express your ideas - but this is what I’d suggest as the most impressive method to blow away the VCAA examiners. Throughout this section, we'll be adhering to the CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy to help us easily find points of similarity and difference. This is particularly important when it comes to essay writing, because you want to know that you're coming up with unique comparative points (compared to the rest of the Victorian cohort!). I don't discuss this strategy in detail here, but if you're interested, check out How To Write A Killer Comparative . I use this strategy throughout this discussion of themes and in the next section, Comparative Essay Prompt Example.

Similarities and Differences (CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT Ideas)

Social class .

Both The Crucible and The Dressmaker talk extensively about class. By class, what I mean is the economic and social divisions which determine where people sit in society. For instance, we could say that the British Royals are ‘upper class’, whilst people living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to get by are ‘lower class’.

Ultimately, both The Crucible and The Dressmaker are set in classist societies where there is no opportunity for social advancement. Whilst Thomas Putnam steals the land of poor Salemites accused of witchcraft, the McSwineys are left to live in absolute poverty and never leave the ‘tip’ where they have lived for generations. Dungatar and Salem view this social division as a ‘given’ and reject the idea that there is anything wrong with certain people living a life of suffering so others can have lives of wealth and pleasure. As such, for both Salem and Dungatar, the very idea that anyone could move between the classes and make a better life for themselves is inherently dangerous. What we can see here is that class shapes the way communities deal with crisis. Anything that overturns class is dangerous because it challenges the social order – meaning that individuals such as Reverend Parris in The Crucible , or Councillor Pettyman in The Dressmaker may lose all their power and authority.

For The Crucible , that’s precisely why the witchcraft crisis is so threatening, as the Salemites are prepared to replace Reverend Parris and deny his authority. Although Abigail and the group of girls thus single-handedly overturn Salem’s class structures and replace it with their own tyranny, Parris’ original intention was to use their power to reinforce his authority. In The Dressmaker , Tilly is threatening because she doesn’t neatly fit in to Dungatar’s class structure. Having travelled the outside world, she represents a worldly mindset and breadth of experiences which the townspeople know they cannot match.

For this theme, there’s a DIVERGENCE of ideas too, and this is clear because the way that class is expressed and enforced in both texts is vastly different. For The Crucible , it’s all about religion – Reverend Parris’ assertion that all Christians must be loyal to him ensures the class structure remains intact. More than that, to challenge him would be to challenge God, which also guides Danforth in executing those who don’t follow his will. In the case of The Dressmaker , there’s no central authority who imposes class on Dungatar. Rather, the people do it themselves; putting people back in their place through rumour and suspicion. However, by creating extravagant, expensive dresses for the townspeople, Tilly inadvertently provides people with another way to express class.  

Isolated Communities

CONVERGENT:

The setting forms an essential thematic element of The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Both communities are thoroughly isolated and, in colloquial terms, live in the ‘middle of no-where’.

However, what is starkly different between the texts is how this isolation shapes the respective communities’ self-image. For Salem, its citizens adopt a mindset of religious and cultural superiority – believing that their faith, dedication to hard work and unity under God make them the most blessed people in the world. Individuals as diverse as Rebecca Nurse and Thomas Putnam perceive Salem to be a genuinely incredible place. They see Salem as the first battleground between God and the Devil in the Americas, and as such, construct a grand narrative in which they are God’s soldiers protecting his kingdom. Even the name ‘Salem’ references ‘Jerusalem’, revealing that the Salemites see themselves as the second coming of Christ, and the fulfilment of the Bible’s promises.

Not much of the same can be said for The Dressmaker . Dungatar lacks the same religious context, and the very name of ‘Dungatar’ references ‘dung’, or beetle poop. The next part of the name is 'tar', a sticky substance, creating the impression that Dungatar's people are stuck in their disgusting ways. The townspeople of Dungatar are acutely aware of their own inadequacy, and that is why they fight so hard to remain isolated from the outside world. Tilly is therefore a threat because she challenges their isolation and forces the men and women of Dungatar to reconsider why their community has shunned progress for so long. In short, she makes a once-isolated people realise that fear, paranoia, division and superstition are no way to run a town, and brings them to acknowledge the terribly harmful impacts of their own hatred.

On top of that, because Salem is literally the only Christian, European settlement for miles, it is simply impossible for them to even think about alternatives to their way of life. They are completely isolated and thus, all of their problems come from ‘within’ and are a result of their own division. For Dungatar, it’s a mix of societal issues on the inside being made worse by the arrival of people from the outside. The township is isolated, but unlike Salem, it at least has contact with the outside world. All Tilly does, therefore, is show the people of Dungatar an alternative to their way of life. But, for a community used to the way they have lived for decades, it ultimately contributes to its destruction.

3. Comparative Essay Prompt Example

The following essay topic breakdown was written by Lindsey Dang. If you'd like to see a completed A+ essay based off this same essay topic, then check out LSG's A Killer Comparative Guide: The Crucible & The Dressmaker , written by 50 study scorer and LSG tutor, Jordan Bassilious!

[Modified Video Transcription]

Compare the ways in which outcasts are treated in The Crucible and The Dressmaker.

Before writing our topic sentences, we need to look at our key words first. The keywords in this prompt are outcasts and treated .

So, who are considered outcasts in the two texts? Outcasts can be those of traditionally lower classes, they can be characters with physical flaws, those that are different to others or those who do not abide by the standards of their respective societies.

• In The Crucible : Tituba, Abigail, John Proctor or even Martha Giles can be considered as outcasts.
• In The Dressmaker : We can consider Tilly, Molly, The McSwineys, etc.

We also need to look our second key word ‘treated’. How would we describe the treatment towards these characters? Are they treated nicely or are they mistreated and discriminated against? Do ALL members of that community have that same treatment towards those outcasts or are there exceptions? Remember this point because we might be able to use this to challenge the prompt.

We’re going to skip Step 2: Brainstorm today, but if you’re familiar with LSG teachings, including the THINK and EXECUTE strategy discussed in my How To Write A Killer Text Response ebook, then you’ll be good for this part.

Both texts portray outcasts as victims of relentless accusations or rumours, seeking to engage the pathos of the audience towards those who are marginalised.

• In The Crucible , Tituba the ‘Negro slave’ is the first person to be accused by witchcraft in Salem. Her ‘consequent low standing’ is also shown through her use of language ‘You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm’ which is fraught with grammatical errors, compared to Judge Danforth who uses legal jargon and the Putnams who are much more well-spoken.
• Similarly, the McSwineys are also those of lower class and are seen as the outcasts of Dungatar. Their names show us their position in the social hierarchy because they are associated with swines which are pigs. This is confirmed by Sergeant Farrat who said ‘Teddy McSwiney was, by the natural order of the town, an outcast who lived by the tip’. Even when Teddy McSwiney died, the townspeople still did not reflect on the impacts that their prejudice and bigotry had on him, eventually forcing the McSwineys to leave the town because they could not find a sense of belonging living there.
• Tilly is also poorly treated due to the fact that she is fatherless, being bullied by the kids at school especially Stewart Pettyman and also used by William as a leverage to marry Gertrude, threatening Elsbeth that ‘it’s either her [Gertrude] or Tilly Dunnage’
• Also discuss Giles Corey’s death and the significance of his punishment as the stones that are laid on his chest can be argued to symbolise the weight of authority

Miller and Ham also denounce the ways in which outcasts are maltreated due to their position in the social hierarchy through his antagonisation of other townspeople.

• There’s also a quote on this by Molly ‘But you don’t matter – it’s open slather on outcasts'. Herein, she warns the audience of how quickly outcasts can become victims of rumours and accusations as the term ‘slather’ carries negative connotations.
• Similarly, the theocracy that governs Salem dictates the rights of their people and children. He specifically states 'children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak', which explains the girls’ extreme fear of being whipped. Salem is very violent to children, slaves and helpers and it can be seen that this is the result of the social hierarchy and the Puritan ideology.
• For The Dressmaker , also discuss the ways in which they name others in this quote ‘daughter of Mad Molly is back – the murderess!’ Likewise discuss how Goody Osbourne the ‘drunkard half-witted’ and Sarah Good an old beggar woman are the first ones to be named. You can talk about Martha who is accused of being a witch just because she has been ‘reading strange books’, and Sarah Good due to the mere act of ‘mumbling’. The normality of these actions underlines the absurdity of the accusations made against these individuals, furthering Miller’s chastisement of the fictitious nature of the trials and also the ways in which outcasts are the first to be scapegoated.

However, there are still characters that are driven by their sense of morality or remorse instead of mistreating the outcasts of their community.

• Both Sergeant Farrat and Proctor are motivated by their remorse to make amends. Proctor’s evasion of ‘tearing the paper’ and finding ‘his goodness’ is motivated by his desire to atone for his sin (having committed adultery with Abigail), and Sergeant regretted sending Tilly away. He, in his eulogy, says ‘if you had included [Tilly], Teddy would have always been with us’, expressing his regret for the ways outcasts are treated in Dungatar. Similarly, Teddy McSwiney also has a pure relationship with Tilly and treats her differently instead of judging her based on the rumours about her being a ‘murderess’.
• While those who can sympathise with outcasts in The Dressmaker are either outcasts themselves or are remorseful (or both), there are those in The Crucible that are purely and solely motivated by their moral uprightness. Rebecca Nurse is neither an outcast (as she is highly respected for her wisdom) nor remorseful (as she has remained kind and pure from the beginning of the play). She is always the voice of reason in the play and tries to stop authoritative figures from convicting and prosecuting outcasts. A quote you can use would be ‘I think you best send Reverend Hale back as soon as he come. This will set us all to arguin’ again in the society, and we thought to have peace this year'.

4. Sample Essay Topics

1. 'I say—I say—God is dead.' —John Proctor, The Crucible . Explore how communities respond to crisis.

2. People must conform to societal expectations in The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Do you agree?

3. Discuss how The Crucible and The Dressmaker use textual features to convey the author’s perspective.

4. Gender repression is rife in both The Crucible and The Dressmaker . Discuss.

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. If you're interested in reading a 50 study scorer's completed essays based off these 4 essay topics, along with annotations so you can understand his thinking process, then I would highly recommend checking out LSG's A Killer Comparative Guide: The Crucible & The Dressmaker.

This blog has written contributions from Lindsey Dang.

Understanding Context in The Crucible and The Dressmaker

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

For a detailed guide on Comparative, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Comparative.

Why Is the Context Important?

Understanding the context of the texts you are studying is essential if you are to satisfactorily respond to any prompt ( learn about the 5 types of prompts here ). Not only does it provide an insight into the society of the time and their views and values , it also allows for greater awareness of the characters’ motivations, resulting in a richer discussion in your essays. Discussing the context of the texts also makes for an ideal comparison which can be incorporated in the introduction as well as the body paragraphs. Moreover, context paragraphs are a great tool to have up your sleeves, as they can easily be adapted to almost every essay question, a real asset when attempting to write an essay in an hour. 

In this blog post, I will be giving a brief overview of the contexts of the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Rosalie Ham’s The Dressmaker . Further down , I have also provided a sample paragraph as an example of a way in which I would go about writing a context paragraph in response to an essay prompt concerning the two texts. Both of these texts are set in fascinating and significant eras of human history so I invite you to conduct your own research after reading this! 

At first glance, the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 and Dungatar, Victoria in 1950s Australia have little in common; however, both towns exist in stifling geographical isolation, allow myopic and parochial outlooks to flourish, and maintain an irrational but overwhelming fear of ‘the other.’ 

The Crucible, Arthur Miller

The Crucible is set in 1692 in Salem. The provincial, conservative town was established by English Puritans who, fearing persecution, fled from a Britain dominated by The Church of England. The first Puritans to arrive in Salem faced brutal conditions, including 'marauding Indians' and living on a 'barbaric frontier' that lay close to the 'dark and threatening…virgin forest' that they believed to be the 'devil’s last preserve'. In order to overcome these challenges, the people of Salem were forced to unify and remain diligent. In order to ensure efficiency, a strict and rigid way of life was adopted, where work and prayer were championed and individual freedoms and pleasures abhorred. Though this harsh way of life did allow the Salemites to stay alive, it forced them to suppress various natural human emotions such as joy and anger, so as to not detract from work and prayer. Further, the town had limited their interaction with the outside world, compelling them to instead be constantly surrounded by each other. This hazardous combination of repression of emotions and interaction with only a small pool of people spurred private jealousies and vengeance within the townspeople, and it is here that the play commences.

The Dressmaker, Rosalie Ham

In contrast, Ham’s novel takes place in 1950s rural Australia, in the fictional town of Dungatar. Despite being set centuries after The Crucible , Dungatar is rife with the same parochialism (great word to use for both texts, referring to a limited/ narrow outlook), resentment and gossip as Salem. The town’s physical isolation - it is surrounded by 'wheat, yellow plains' and seems to be a 'dark blot shimmering on the edge of flatness' - corresponded with their metaphoric isolation from global events, creating an intense fear of ‘the other’. Further, similarly to The Crucible , the stark physical isolation ensures that each individual’s social interactions are limited to the town’s small population, fostering a breeding ground for narrow-mindedness and prejudice. Ham’s description of the way 'the crowd screamed with lust, revenge, joy, hate and elation' after a local football match win reveals the underlying emotions of the town, repressed behind a veneer of respectability and perceived moral propriety. All it takes is a stimulus, which arrives in the form of outcast Tilly Dunnage, to uncover the malicious undertones of the provincial town. 

Example Context Paragraph

During VCE, I tended to use my first paragraph (in response to an essay prompt) as a way to explore the context of the texts I was studying, and relate the context to the essay prompt being addressed ( learn more about the different types of essay prompts here ). In this case, the prompt I have responded to is:

‍ Compare the ways in which The Crucible and The Dressmaker portray divided societies. 

I was able to adapt much of this paragraph below to whatever essay prompts I came across. 

The geographical isolation of rural, parochial towns can breed a kind of myopia amongst inhabitants and promote binary thinking. Salem is situated on the 'edge of wilderness’, with the 'American continent stretching endlessly West’. The 'dark and threatening' forest which ominously surrounds the town is believed to be 'the last place on earth not paying homage to God’, inciting the irrational fear that 'the virgin’s forest was the Devil’s last preserve' (1) . To combat the imminent threat of the 'marauding Indians' upon their arrival in Salem, the Salemites maintained that 'in unity…lay the best promise of safety’, and hence were governed as 'an autocracy by consent' (2) . Similarly, in The Dressmaker , the town of Dungatar 'stretches as far as the silos' and is described as a 'dark blot shimmering on the edge of flatness’. 'The green eye of the oval' is a physical representation of the town’s predilection for prejudice and endorsement of slyly watching others (3) . The stifling insularity experienced by both towns perpetuates a paucity of culture and 'parochial snobbery’, as well as fostering austere social expectations (4) . The totalitarian regime that governed Salem and their 'strict and sombre way of life' conditioned the people of Salem to repress natural human emotions so as to conform to the conservative and rigid values of society. Indeed, Miller’s description of the 'small windowed dark houses struggling against the raw Massachusetts winter' alludes to the Salemites’ dogmatically narrow-minded outlook and their repression of any individuality. Hence, despite the veneer of propriety upheld by Salem’s 'sect of fanatics’, the town is rife with hidden resentments and 'long-held hatreds of neighbours' (5) . Whilst moral respectability and piety conceal the true sentiments of the people of Salem, clothing is the mask for the 'liars, sinners and hypocrites' of Dungatar (6) . Though on the surface the town appears respectable, the true desires of 'the sour people of Dungatar' are revealed through their desire 'to look better than everybody else’. Their lack of connection with the outside world forces their constant interaction with one another and means that 'everybody knows everything about everyone' (7) . Thus, Miller and Ham postulate that geographical isolation inevitably forges unyielding social norms that repress human emotions and pits individuals against each other (8) .

‍ Annotations (1) In these two sentences, I’ve provided the geographical context of Salem.   ‍ (2) My description of the geographical location is followed quickly by describing the town’s beliefs and values, which have a large impact on the social context.  ‍ (3) Here, I’ve used the geographical context as a metaphor to explain the social context of Dungatar. ‍ (4) I’ve described a similarity between the two towns - remember to use lots of meaningful comparisons in all paragraphs ( LSG’s CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT strategy is a useful strategy for this).  ‍ (5) I’ve detailed how the societal expectations and values of the Salemites (the people of Salem) can impact the behaviour of the characters.  ‍ (6) Here, I’ve outlined a subtle difference (or divergence ) between Dungatar and Salem.  ‍ (7) Once again, I’ve related the townspeople’s values and beliefs, as well as the physical context, to their behaviour. ‍ (8) I’ve ended with a meaningful comparison between the intent of the two authors. 

Looking for more? Check out our other blog posts on The Crucible and The Dressmaker :

Comparing The Crucible and The Dressmaker

We’ve explored historical context, themes, essay planning and essay topics over on our Like a House on Fire by Cate Kennedy blog post. If you need a quick refresher or you’re new to studying this text, I highly recommend checking it out!

[Video Transcription]

Hey guys, welcome back to Lisa's Study Guides. So this week I have another essay topic breakdown for you. So eventually I'm going to get through all of the VCAA texts that are on the study design, but we're slowly going to get there and are just want to say yet again, even though this one is like a house on fire, I am really glad if you've clicked on this video and you're not necessarily studying it because as always with all my videos, I try to give you an overall message for you to take away that can be applied to any single text. So that is the same for this particular text today. And so even though the takeaway message for this video is quite specific to short stories, it's still an important consideration for any text that you're studying. Ideally, you want to use a diverse range of evidence for any text, but in particular, for short stories, you don't just want to rely on a small handful, but to try and make links between the different short stories. So let's see what that means on the other side of this quick overview of the text. Like a House on Fire is a collection of short stories by the author, Cate Kennedy, and unlike a lot of other texts on the study design, this book portrays a lot of very domestic situations, which seems fairly boring compared to some of the other texts that other students might be doing. However, I'm really excited about this text because the short stories are great. Not because they have groundbreaking premises, which they don't, but because of how effortlessly and deeply emotive they are. So the domestic scenarios actually help us relate to the characters in the stories and empathize with the complexity of their experiences. The essay topic we'll be looking at today is in Like a House on Fire, Kennedy finds strength in ordinary people. Discuss. Here, the term which you really have to think about is strength. We already know that she depicts the story of ordinary people, of people like you or me, or even just people we may know, but does she find strength in them? It could be physical strength, but more often than not, it might be other types of strength. For instance, the mental strength it takes to cope with intense pressure or the emotional strength it takes to make a difficult choice or action. It's important to think about how they might actually apply throughout the book. In this sense, our essay will have essentially two halves. The first two body paragraphs we'll look at scenarios of intense pressure, be it through the loss of control in one's life or a domestic situation which has become emotionally tense. The last two body paragraphs will then consider the types of strength that Kennedy evinces in these stories. And we'll contend that she does find strength in the characters who face a difficult decision, but that she also finds a lot more strength in the characters who managed to cope with their situation and grapple with the tensions in their lives.

Paragraph one

In many of her stories, Kennedy portrays characters who experience powerlessness. This loss of power can come a number of ways. For instance, both Flexion and Like a House on Fire tell the story of men who have injured their previously reliable bodies and have thus been rendered immobile. But they also tell the story of their respective wives who have lost some control over their lives now that they have to care for their husbands. On the other hand, there are the kids in Whirlpool whose mother insists that they dress a certain way for a Christmas photo. Her hand on your shoulders, exerting pressure that pushes you down. Kennedy's use of second person really makes you feel this pressure that keeps you from going out to the pool you so desperately desire to be in. Evidently powerlessness is an experience that comes in many shapes and forms in several stories.

Paragraph two

In addition to this, Kennedy explores other emotional tensions across the collection, subverting the idea that the home is necessarily a safe sanctuary. This is where she really goes beyond just the idea of powerlessness, but actually jumps into scenarios that are much more emotionally complex. In Ashes for instance, we see the homosexual protagonist struggle with feeling useless and tongue tied, embarrassed by the floundering pause between his mother and himself. There is a significant emotional hurdle there, which is particularly poignant given that mothers are usually considered a source of safety and comfort for their children. Kennedy's story of domesticity actually subvert or question what we might think of the domestic space shared by family members. If you have the Scribe edition of the book, the artwork on the cover would depict a vase of wilting flowers, an empty picture frame, and a spilt cup of coffee. These are all visual symbols of an imperfect domestic life. A similar rift exists between husband and wife in both Five Dollar Family and Waiting, the women find themselves unable to emotionally depend on their partners. While Michelle in Five Dollar Family despises her husbands startled, faintly incredulous expression, an inability to care for their child, the protagonist in Waiting struggles to talk about her miscarriages with her husband who is already worn down as it is. Kennedy takes these household roles of mother, son, husband, wife, and really dives into the complex shades of emotion that lies within these relationships. We realize through her stories that a mother can't always provide comfort to a child and that a husband isn't always the dependable partner that he's supposed to be.

Paragraph three

However, Kennedy does find strength in some characters who do take a bold or courageous leap in some way. These are really important moments in which she is able to show us the strength that it takes to make these decisions. And she triumphs however small or insignificant that can be achieved. A moment that really stands out to me is the ending of Laminex and Mirrors, where the protagonist rebelliously smuggles a hospital patient out for a smoke only to have to take him back into his ward through the main entrance and therefore get them both caught. She recounts this experience as the one I remember most clearly from the year I turned 18. The two of us content, just for this perfect moment. And their success resonates with the audience, even though the protagonist would have lost her job and therefore the income she needed for her trip to London, Kennedy demonstrates her strength in choosing compassion for an elderly patient. Even the sister in Whirlpool, who wasn't exactly kind to the protagonist in the beginning, forms an unlikely alliance with her against their mother, sharing a reckless moment and cutting their photo shoot short. Bold leaps such as these are ones that take strength and therefore deserve admiration.

Paragraph four

However, more often than not, Kennedy's stories are more about the strength needed to simply cope with life, one day at a time. She explores the minutiae of her characters lives in a way that conveys the day to day struggles, but also hints at the underlying fortitude needed to deal with these things on a daily basis. In Tender, the wife feels as if everything at home is on the verge of coming apart since her husband is only able to cook tuna and pasta casserole for their kids. However, when she must get a possibly malignant tumor removed, her concern of whether there'll be tuna and pasta in the pantry just in case, demonstrates her selfless nature. Kennedy thus creates a character who is strong for others, even when her own life at home is disorderly and her health may be in jeopardy. The strength of gritting one's teeth and getting on with things in spite of emotional tension is a central idea across this collection, and many other examples are there for you to consider as well. And so we come to the end of our essay. Hopefully going through this gives you an idea of how to cover more bases with your evidence. Remember that you don't have to recount lots and lots of events, but it's more important to engage with what the events are actually telling us about people. This is particularly important for prompts like this one, where it heavily focuses on the people involved. That is it for me this week, please give this video a thumbs up. If you wanted to say thanks to Mark, who has been helping me write these scripts up for a lot of the text response essay, topic breakdowns. If you enjoyed this, then you might also be interested in the live stream coming up next week, which will be on Friday the 25th of May at 5:00 PM. I'll be covering the topic of analyzing argument for the second time, just because there's so much to get through. I'll also be announcing some special things during that particular live stream. So make sure you're there so you're the first to hear it. I will see you guys next week. Bye.

Like a House on Fire by Cate Kennedy

How To Get An A+ On Your Like A House On Fire Essay

Close Analysis Of 'Cake' From Like A House On Fire

‍ Read your text several times

Examiners and teachers love nuanced responses. The key to developing a complex response is by reading your text several times (at least three times before the exam). Each time you read it you should annotate, take notes down and you’ll notice more elements and recurring themes. Every student has a different interpretation to an essay question. As long as you  justify  your arguments (using quotes, meta-language etc), there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ interpretation in English.

Do not retell the story & integrate meta-language

Your teachers and tutors harp on this for a reason! Examiners have read the texts before, so you must assume that they know the plot inside out. Text response is an analysis of how the author (or director) constructs a text and the ways they imply a point of view or values. You will analyse the ideas, cultural references, context, narration explored in the text and answer some of the following questions: Why has the author included specific recurring motifs or portrayed the protagonist in a particular manner? What is the author suggesting? How does the author explore the theme of ‘x’?

For example, the themes of love and death are explored in Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. Think about  how  it is explored and  what  the author is attempting to do or convey. Include meta-language (language that describes language) such as ‘imagery’, ‘motif’, ‘juxtaposition’ etc.

E.g ‘Agnes’ crave for love influences her path to execution  (idea and exploration of themes).  All her life, she had lacked love. She recounts through her first-person narrative that ‘everything I love is taken from me’, such as her beloved foster mother, Inga  (evidence).  Kent uses Agnes’ retrospective narrative  (how)  to allow readers to empathise  (why)  with Agnes’ ……

Quote banks

Allocate quotes to specific themes, and memorise them. Have at least 20 quotes up your sleeve! Pick quotes that aren’t the stock-standard and obvious ones as seen in study guide books so that you stand out amongst your peers. You should also be aware of  how  to embed and integrate them into an essay, as well as picking quotes that aren’t too long.

If you are a visual learner, mind maps are a great tool for any subject you are studying and particularly useful for English. Collate all your notes, sort them into sub-categories such as THEMES, CHARACTERS, ELEMENTS and you’ll find overlaps between all sorts of elements.

To read a detailed guide on Text Response (including a sample essay), head over to our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

Updated 19/01/2021

After Darkness is currently studied in VCE English under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

1. Introduction (Plot Summary) 2. Characters and Development 3. Themes 4. Narrative Conventions/Literary Devices 5. Sample Paragraphs 6. Additional Essay Prompts and Analysis Questions to Consider 7. Tips

1. Introduction (Plot Summary)

Christine Piper’s historical fiction, After Darkness deals with suppressed fragments of the past and silenced memories. The protagonist, Dr Ibaraki, attempts to move forward with life whilst also trying to hide past confrontations as well as any remnants of his past wrongdoings and memories. The text consists of three intertwined narrative strands – Ibaraki’s past in Tokyo in 1934, his arrival in Broome in 1938 to work in a hospital there, and his arrival in a detainment camp in Loveday (South Australia) in 1942 after the outbreak of war.

2. Characters and Development

4. Narrative Conventions/Literary Devices

• ‘a mallee tree’ - Aboriginal word for water which symbolises purity, source of life 'if it’s hit by bushfire it grows back from the root with lots of branches, like all the others here. It’s a tough tree. Drought, bushfire…it’ll survive almost anything…I was struck by the ingenuity of the tree in its ability to generate and create a new shape better suited to the environment.'
• The tag with 'the character ko…[with] its loop of yellowed string...The knot at the end had left an impression on the page behind it: a small indentation, like a scar.'

Simile/Imagery:

• 'Felt like hell on earth'
• 'The hollow trunks of dead trees haunted its edges like lost people' - Can also link to the landscape narrative convention
• 'The scene was like a photograph, preserving the strangeness of the moment.'

Description of the hospital atmosphere where the patient next to Hayashi laid

• 'Only the windows were missing, leaving dark holes like the eyes of an empty soul'
• 'The photos reached me first. I leafed through the black and white images: swollen fingers, blistered toes, blackened faces, and grotesque, rotting flesh that shrivelled and puckered to reveal bone. The final photo depicted a child’s chubby hands, the tips of the fingers all black.' - Also foreshadowing death of his and Kayoko’s child

Pathetic Fallacy:

• 'That afternoon, the sky darkened, and the wind picked up…making the world outside opaque.'
• Middlemarch (book) which symbolises Ibaraki and Sister Bernice’s friendship as Bernice was left behind
• Robinson Crusoe
• 'Being able to conduct research in this way has delivered unparalleled knowledge, which we’ve already passed on to the army to minimise further loss of life.'
• 'You haafu fools don’t deserve the Japanese blood in you!'
• 'You bloody racist!'
• 'You fucking Emperor-worshipping pig...!'
• 'Haafu' - Derogatory, racism term used to define those who are biracial (half Japanese):

An interpretation of the language use throughout the text could be Piper’s way of humanising the Japanese people to her readers and notifying them that they also have their own culture and form of communication

Another interpretation of the language use is to show that both the Australians and Japanese are just as cruel as each other because they show no respect to one another and use language in such a brutal way

Ibaraki represents that divide where he can speak both languages, yet still, cannot voice his own opinion or stand up for himself (link to theme of silence)

Personification:

• 'The void seemed to have a force of its own, drawing the meaning of the words into it.'
• 'The engine coughed into life.'

Foreshadowing:

• 'snow was falling as I walked home from the station – the first snow of the season.' - Foreshadowing the storm about to come in his life
• 'A black silhouette against the fallen snow.' - Foreshadowing Kayoko’s death

5. Sample Paragraphs

'But as soon as you show a part of yourself, almost at once you hide it away.' Ibaraki’s deepest flaw in After Darkness is his failure to reveal himself. Do you agree?

Introduction

Christine Piper’s historical fiction, After Darkness explores the consequences that an individual will be forced to endure when they choose to conceal the truth from their loved ones. Piper reveals that when a person fails to reveal themselves, it can eventually become a great obstacle which keeps them from creating meaningful and successful relationships. Additionally, Piper asserts that it can be difficult for an individual to confront their past and move completely forward with their present, especially if they believed their actions were morally wrong. Furthermore, Piper highlights the importance of allowing people into one’s life as a means to eliminate the build-up the feelings of shame and guilt. ‍

Body Paragraph

Piper acknowledges that some people will find it difficult to open up to others about their past due to them accumulating a large amount of regret and guilt over time. This is the case for Ibaraki as he was involved with the ‘experiments’ when he was working in the ‘Epidemic Prevention Laboratory', in which Major Kimura sternly told him to practise ‘discretion and not talk ‘about [his] work to anybody'. The inability to confide in his wife or mother after performing illegal and mentally disturbing actions causes him to possess a brusque conduct towards others, afraid that they will discover his truth and ‘not be able to look at [him] at all'. His failure to confess his past wrongdoings shapes the majority of his life, ruining his marriage and making him feel the need ‘to escape’ from his losses and ‘start afresh'. He eventually lies to his mother by making her believe that he ‘had gone to Kayoko’s parents’ house’ for the break, avoiding any questions from being raised about his job. As a consequence, he fails to tell his family about his horrid past suggesting that he has accepted that ‘[his] life had become one that others whispered about'. Juxtaposed to Ibaraki’s stress relieving methods, Kayoko confides in her mother after she receives news of her miscarriage, highlighting that when one willingly shares their pain with loved ones, it can release the burden as well as provide them with some assistance. In contrast to this, Ibaraki’s guilty conscience indicates that he will take ‘the secret to his grave', making it extremely difficult for people he encounters to understand him and form a meaningful connection with him. Nonetheless, Piper does not place blame on Ibaraki as he was ordered to keep the ‘specimen’ business hidden from society, thereby inviting her readers to keep in mind that some individuals are forced by others to not reveal their true colours for fear of ruining a specific reputation.

Throughout the journey in After Darkness , Piper engendered that remaining silent about one’s past events that shapes their future is one of the deepest flaws. She notes that for people to understand and form bonds with one another, it is extremely important to reveal their identity as masking it only arises suspicions. Piper postulates that for some, memories are nostalgic; whereas, for others it carries an unrelenting burden of guilt, forcing them to hide themselves which ultimately becomes the reason as to why they feel alone in their life.

6. Additional Essay Prompts and Analysis Questions to Consider

• Analyse the role of silence in After Darkness . Compare the ways in which the characters in the text utilise or handle silence. What is Piper suggesting about the notion of silence?
• Discuss the importance of friendship in the text. What is it about friends that make the characters appear more human? How can friendship bolster development in one’s character?
• Racism and nationalism are prominent themes in the text. How are the two interlinked? Explore the ways they are shown throughout the text and by different characters. Is Piper indicating that the two always lead to negative consequences?
• Analyse some of the narrative conventions (imagery, simile, metaphor, symbols, motifs, landscapes, language, etc.) in the novel and what they mean to certain characters and to the readers.
• Explore the ways in which the text emphasises that personal conscience can oftentimes hold people back from revealing their true thoughts and feelings.
• Character transformation (bildungsroman) is prevalent throughout the text. What is Piper suggesting through Ibaraki’s character in terms of the friendships and acquaintances he has formed and how have they impacted him? How have these relationships shaped him as a person in the past and present? Were such traits he developed over time beneficial for himself and those around him or have they caused the destruction of once healthy relationships?

If you'd like to see how to break down an essay topic, you might like to check out our After Darkness Essay Topic Breakdown blog post!

• Be sure to read as many academic articles as you can find in relation to the text in order to assist you with in-depth analysis when writing your essays. This will help you to stand out from the crowd and place you in a higher standing compared to your classmates as your ideas will appear much more sophisticated and thought-out.
• Being clear and concise with the language choices is such a crucial factor. Don’t over complicate the ideas you are trying to get across to your examiners by incorporating ‘big words’ you believe will make your writing appear of higher quality, because in most cases, it does the exact opposite (see Why Using Big Words in VCE Essays Can Make You Look Dumber ). Be careful! If it's a choice between using simpler language that your examiners will understand vs. using more complex vocabulary where it becomes difficult for the examiners to understand what you're trying to say, the first option is best! Ideally though, you want to find a balance between the two - a clearly written, easy to understand essay with more complex vocabulary and language woven into it.
• If there is a quote in the prompt, be sure to embed the quote into the analysis, rather than making the quote its own sentence. You only need to mention this quote once in the entire essay. How To Embed Quotes in Your Essay Like a Boss has everything you need to know for this!

If you'd like to see sample A+ essays complete with annotations on HOW and WHY the essays achieved A+, then you'll definitely want to check out our After Darkness Study Guide ! In it, we also cover advanced discussions on topics like structural features and context, completely broken down into easy-to-understand concepts so you can smash your next SAC or exam! Check it out here .

‍ This blog was updated on 23/10/2020.

3. Character Analysis

5. Symbols and Motifs

6. Quote Analysis

The Crucible is usually studied in the Australian curriculum under Area of Study 1 - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response .

The Crucible , Arthur Miller’s 1953 realist play, is based on the historical events of the 1692 Salem witch hunts. Although partially fictionalised, it depicts the very real consequences of false accusations based on blind religious faith , as Miller displays the dangers of such baseless rumours. However, the play was written during another type of witch hunt: McCarthyism in 1950s America. This was a political movement in which Senator Joseph McCarthy attempted to control the spread of Communism by placing any Communist sympathisers on a blacklist. This resulted in a widespread fear of Communist influences, and a political hunt similar to the Salem witch trials began, as civilians attempted to escape their own charges by accusing other innocent individuals of treason. Thus, given the historical context of the time, Miller uses The Crucible as an allegorical warning for the audience against the dangers of McCarthyism in 1950s America. 

These concepts will be fully unpacked later, but it is important to keep these key notions of hysteria, accusation and blind faith in mind as you study the text. These are the fundamental ideas that the play is based upon, and also the elements which make The Crucible hugely relevant in our society today. One could even say that the development of technology has made it easier for false allegations and social rumours to spread - leading to drastic consequences specific to the 21st century, such as the leaking of critical government information and cyberbullying. Not to mention, the anonymity of technology has enabled individuals to start modern-day witch hunts as a nameless, faceless user behind the comfort and security of their screens!

In varying degrees, every work of literature reflects its historical context , or the social and political conditions that shaped its time period. The Crucible is a four-act play, which presents a dramatised and partially fictionalised depiction of the 1692 Salem witch trials. It was also published in 1953, at the height of the Second Red Scare, or the heightened fear of Communist influences in America. As such, the play is not merely a play based on historically accurate events, but also an allegory of the disastrous consequences of McCarthyism.

John Proctor

Proctor is a strong and hardworking farmer, respected by those in Salem for his power and independence. Possessing a “sharp and biting way with hypocrites”, Proctor is the symbol of autonomous leadership in the play, acting as another source of social authority to the theocratic leaders of the Puritan Church. He is the protagonist of the play, but a flawed individual - while he has great strength of character, he is also presented in The Crucible as an adulterous husband, who is openly defiant of his church. As such, he is described by Miller as a kind of “sinner” - one who experiences an internal moral conflict within himself. Proctor undergoes much personal growth during the plot of the play, redeeming his name and obtaining “goodness” by choosing moral honesty over freedom. This ultimate act of courage symbolises the importance of integrity and honour , and represents the “shred of goodness” in his character. 

Elizabeth Proctor

Although described by Abigail as a “bitter woman”, Elizabeth is the quiet yet resilient wife of Proctor. Her husband’s affair with Abigail renders her resentful towards the former and jealous of the latter, resulting in a wounded and fragile marriage. Her humility is made evident as she blames herself for Proctor’s infidelity, believing she erred in keeping a “cold house”. In tandem with this icy imagery , Miller utilises Elizabeth as a symbol of honesty and strict moral justice , despite it often being mistaken as “coldness” by others - Proctor asserts that Elizabeth’s justice “would freeze beer”. Despite this, Elizabeth proves herself to be a caring source of support for her persecuted husband, believing him to be “a good man”, and ultimately breaking her characteristic honesty in the hopes of his freedom. Her extreme courage is ultimately made evident by her willingness to lose Proctor to the hangman’s noose, rather than for him to lose his moral virtue by signing his name to lies. 

Abigail Williams

Described as “a wild thing”, Abigail is a beautiful, yet manipulative and deceptive adolescent with “an endless capacity for dissembling”. Still in love with Proctor after their brief affair, she lies to the court and condemns Elizabeth as a witch, in a desperate, jealous attempt to win him back and take Elizabeth’s place as his wife. Abigail is the ringleader of the girls, and the progenitor of the false rumours that spiral into the witch hunt. Thus, she embodies falsehood , in a stark contrast to Elizabeth, who is a symbol of truth. Her violent nature is made evident in the play, as she threatens the girls with physical violence and “smashes Betty across the face” in an effort to silence her. Despite this, Miller makes clear that Abigail is a victim of psychological trauma , as she is revealed to have borne witness to the violent death of her parents - partly explaining her disturbed and devious nature. 

Mary Warren 

Mary Warren is a sullen, sensitive and easily manipulated servant of the Proctor household. Her volatile nature makes her an easy target for Abigail, who manipulates her into betraying the Proctors by planting a poppet in Elizabeth’s room, which ultimately becomes the leading evidence in her sentencing. Mary is a symbol of mass hysteria , as her easily exploitable nature and weakness in spirit represent the irrationality of those who are quick to believe rumours, such as the persecutors of the Salem witch hunts, as well as the accusers of the McCarthy era. 

Susanna Walcott, Mercy Lewis, Betty Parris

Referred to as “the girls” throughout the play, these young individuals are manipulated by Abigail to falsely convict Elizabeth and numerous others as practicers of witchcraft. All of these girls possess a common fear of Abigail, and carry out her orders in an attempt to evade their own punishment at her hands. Thus, Miller uses them to emphasise his allegory of the McCarthy trials , in which numerous people accused others of Communism based on their own fear of being charged by the Court. 

Mass Hysteria

Mass hysteria is one of the most significant themes of the play, as Miller depicts the entire town of Salem engulfed by the superstition of witchcraft and devil-worship. The community-wide fear of consorting with the devil is shown to overwhelm any kind of rational thought . As one rumour created by Abigail and the girls leads to dozens of incarcerations and executions in a matter of days, The Crucible depicts the “perverse manifestation of panic” that can occur from unsubstantiated fear . Miller uses this illustration of hysteria to show the effects of a strictly repressive Puritan society . Although some residents of Salem manipulate the witch hunt for their own benefit, such as Abigail, the majority of the townspeople are launched into the terror-fuelled “fever” by their genuine belief that the devil is running amok in Salem. The strict theocracy of the town thus exacerbates the crisis, as joining the accusatory crowd becomes a religious necessity ; a virtuous “plane of heavenly combat between Lucifer and the Lord”. As such, the play demonstrates how uncontrolled religious fervour can lead to the collective indoctrination of “black mischief”, where panic clouds all reason. 

Judgement in The Crucible encompasses three meanings; the legal, personal, and spiritual . The legal judgement in the play is depicted as superficial - mainly illustrated through the characters of Hathorne and Danforth, the theocratical Salem court does not carry out real justice due to its dogmatic focus on its reputation . This is depicted by Danforth’s stubborn refusal to free the innocents accused, due to his belief that it would lead to a tainted esteem of the court. Thus, Miller suggests that the more important judgement is personal - exemplified by the character of Proctor. Believing himself to be a “sinner” against his own “version of moral conduct”, Proctor throughout the play shows limitless remorse and self-hatred for the hurt he has caused Elizabeth by his affair with Abigail. Miller shows the importance of forgiveness through self-judgement , as Elizabeth assures Proctor that there is “no higher judge under Heaven” than Proctor himself, and he ultimately is able to forgive himself and see the “shred of goodness” within him by the end of the play. Furthermore, The Crucible depicts the town of Salem overcome by the fear of God’s judgement, or what Proctor calls “God’s icy wind” . The events of the play unfold due to the town’s collective fear of the higher power of an “Almighty God”. As Hale proclaims, “Before the laws of God we are as swine!”, Miller showcases the extent of the fearsome “power of theocracy” in circumstances of confusion and hysteria .

The events of the Salem witch trials detail various types of accusation. Although all are disguised as the dispelling of witchcraft, the false allegations depicted in the play are carried out with a range of different motives . For example, Abigail’s accusation of Elizabeth as a witch is described to derive from a “whore’s vengeance” due to her passionate jealousy of Elizabeth’s position as Proctor’s wife, and Abigail’s wish to take her place. Similarly, Rebecca Nurse’s charge of “murdering Goody Putnam’s babies” is due to the Putnams’ resentment and jealousy of her numerous children, while they themselves have lost babies “before they could be baptised”.  In contrast to this, the accusation of Martha Corey, Giles' wife, of witchcraft is motivated by Walcott’s desire for revenge , as he resents her for the unhealthy “pig he bought from her five years ago”. Thus, his actions are calculative rather than passionate - a cruel attempt to get “his money back”. In his employment of the play as a historical allegory , this depiction of the blind following of rampant accusations depicted in The Crucible represents the similarly irrational proceedings of the McCarthy trials, many of which were carried out without substantial evidence. 

Honour and Integrity

Honour is one of the most prominent themes in the play, as the majority of the characters strive to maintain their reputations in society . Miller depicts a community in which private and public characters are one and the same, and the consequences of the obsessive desire to uphold the esteem of their name. For example, although Proctor has the chance to undermine the girls’ accusations by revealing Abigail as a ‘whore’, he does not do so in order to protect his good name from being tarnished . Likewise, Parris at the beginning of the play threatens Abigail and the girls due to his fear that hints of witchcraft will threaten his already precarious reputation in the church and banish him from the pulpit. Furthermore, the judges of Salem do not accept any evidence that could free the innocent accused, as they uphold a false reputation to honour the Puritan church. Despite this, Miller shows the importance of prioritising personal honour over public reputation through the character of Proctor. As he ultimately makes the valiant decision in Act IV to refrain from “signing lies” and thus uphold his name, he is able to redeem himself from his previous sins and is able to die with righteousness.

Symbols and Motifs

The crucible.

A crucible is a ceramic or metal container in which metals, chemicals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. As such, Miller in the play employs the violent imagery of a crucible to symbolise the severe and challenging test of the Salem witch hunts . As spoken by Danforth in Act III, “We burn a hot fire in here; it melts down all concealment”, the motif of the crucible represents the merciless nature of both the Salem and McCarthy court proceedings , and their dogged determination to convict, despite the lack of substantial evidence. Crucibles are often used for the chemical process of calcination, during which particles are heated to high temperatures in order to purify them - removing any volatile substances from the compound. As such, Miller also suggests that societal challenges such as those depicted in the play can lead to situations in which the good can be separated from the evil ; as the town is split into those who are “with this court or…against it”, the witch hunts illustrate the distinction between the individuals who possesses moral integrity and those who manipulate the situation for their selfish pursuits . 

In Act III, Abigail and the girls plant a poppet, or doll, in Elizabeth’s house, in an attempt to frame her as an individual guilty of witchcraft. As Abigail stabs the doll with a needle in its stomach before leaving it on Elizabeth’s shelf, she is able to pretend that her own stomach is injured from Elizabeth’s practice of voodoo with it. The poppet is a symbol of childhood and girlhood , and the play’s depiction of it as a tool for malicious revenge represents the loss of innocence and pretence that arises out of the witch hunts . Miller illustrates the danger of mass hysteria , as he depicts the young group of girls, led by Abigail, become manipulated into condemning innocent townspeople to death; thereby losing their innocence and moral virtue . The poppet is also employed as a symbol of deception , as it emphasises the fact that the Salem persecutions are based on lies and falsehood . As the court ignores Elizabeth’s outraged protests that she has not kept a poppet since she was a little girl, Miller chastises a justice system which values convenient deceit over the cumbersome truth . 

Although traditionally associated with knowledge and truth, the motif of paper in the play symbolises morality and individualism . Paper first appears in the play as the judicial list naming the condemned, then as a document of proof outlining Proctor’s alleged crimes as a practicer of witchcraft and agent of the devil. As such, paper initially symbolises the false accusations that run rampant in Salem , and the destructive consequences of such on the lives of the accused innocents. This idea is furthered by Miller’s depiction of the signed, “seventy-two death warrants” of innocents, illustrating paper as a symbol of the unjust punishment and corruption within the Salem court . It is only when Proctor refuses to sign the testimony or have his false confession “posted on the church door”, that the symbol of paper begins to serve as a motif of heroism . As Proctor ultimately refuses to “sign [his] name to lies”, then “tears the paper and crumples” the document denouncing him as a devil-consorter in Act IV, Miller portrays paper as a mode for personal redemption in the face of blind injustice . This advocating for personal salvation is supported by the character of Hale, who undergoes a similar transformation. Although initially described as an intellectual whose paper “books are weighted with authority”, this religious authority loses its value throughout the tragic events of the play, as the injustices of the court lead him to lose his “great faith” in God. Ultimately, like Proctor, Hale is only able to gain personal redemption through his realisation of the immoral nature of the court and his attempts (albeit unrealised) to save the remaining incarcerated innocents from the fate of the gallows.

Quote Analysis

"There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!”

Ann Putnam speaks this line when she admits to interrogating Tituba about the possibility of witchcraft having caused the early deaths of her seven infants. The audience can perceive her hysteria , as she begins to fear that the rumours of devil worship in Salem may be true, and that she may also lose her last surviving child, Ruth. Her sense of paranoia works to foreshadow the mass hysteria that is to overwhelm the town. This quote is also a direct reference to the prophet Ezekiel in the Bible , who compares his vision of God in his chariot to a gyroscope - an instrument of stability and balance. As such, Mrs. Putnam’s allusion to God is a direct reference to the rigidity of the Puritan value s in Salem, disguised as a creed of “unity” , when in reality it’s the root cause of social paranoia and resentment . The quote also illustrates that she believes that there are more complex and intricate forces present in Salem - the “deep and darkling forces” as described by Miller - which work to determine the fates of the townspeople. Combined with its fire imagery , this quote effectively foreshadows the drama that will unfold in the Salem court, in which Abigail and the girls will invent invisible spiritual forces to accuse innocents, in a court of “hot fire”, acting to “melt down all concealment”. 

“We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are as definite as stone.” 

Hale says this to Parris when he first arrives in Salem from Beverley, after he is asked to inspect Betty for signs of witchcraft or possession by the devil. Although Parris is already convinced by the rampant rumours in the town of the existence of the devil and its effect on his daughter, Hale (being a professional “investigator of witchcraft”) is more meticulous in his examination of such a “strange crisis”. By calling the devil “precise”, Hale depicts his true and unflinching belief in its existence, representing the inflexible Puritan mindset . This quote is integral to understanding Hale as a character, and thus the nature of his disillusionment later in the play, as it reveals that Hale does not believe in witchcraft due to the mass hysteria and paranoia of the town, but because he possesses genuine and resolute faith in every word of the Bible . As this faith is shown to “bring blood” later in the play, Miller displays the dangerous “power of theocracy” , as the audience perceives Hale becoming radically disillusioned in his religion and world view. 

1. “For twenty week he preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks til he had them!” Are the leaders of the community misguided in The Crucible ? Discuss.

2. Miller uses fire and ice imagery in The Crucible to denounce the nature of humanity. Discuss.

3. ‘In The Crucible , the characters make decisions based solely on their emotions’. Do you agree?

Now it's your turn! Give these essay topics a go. For more sample essay topics, head over to our The Crucible Study Guide t o practice writing essays using the analysis you've learnt in this blog!

Theme-Based Essay Prompt: In a theocracy, law and religion are bound together. What are the benefits and challenges of this depicted in The Crucible ? 

Step 1: analyse .

Here, we are asked to examine the benefits and challenges of a theocratic system , as depicted in The Crucible . Thus, we must consider both the positive and negative aspects of the binding of law and religion . It is a good idea to delegate two paragraphs to the challenges and one to the benefits , due to the fact that Miller wrote the play with the authorial intention of denouncing the repressive rigidity of its government - this means it is easier to think of negatives rather than positives. 

Let’s break down the term ‘ theocracy ’, as this is the focus of this essay topic. The play shows us various effects of such a system, but what does it actually mean? A theocracy is a form of government in which a religion (in this case, Puritanism) is recognised as the supreme ruling authority . Thus, as mentioned in the essay question, in a theocracy the rules of religion are treated as the law . Now, think of some of the words , phrases or key ideas you think of when you conjure up Salem’s version of theocracy. This may include:

• Strictness of Puritan values
• Unity vs. individualism
• Exploitation of the name of the church for personal gains 
• Societal repression
• Superfluous power given to the court
• Opportunity for individuals to reform 
• Social vs. individual redemption
• Disillusionment

When planning an essay, it is easy to let yourself go off track, discussing another point that is not quite relevant to the topic given. To prevent this from happening, always keep the topic firmly in your mind - glance at it periodically throughout your planning if needed, and check that every body paragraph that you are planning directly relates back to the topic and answers what it is asking . So, keeping the topic and its focus on theocracy firmly in mind, I chose to approach this essay with the following structured plan: 

Paragraph 1 : The Salem theocracy leads to the unjust exercise of power , resulting in a tragedy . 

• Here, our focus is on the overarching injustices that the theocratic nature of the government allows to occur . 
• Focus on the fact that it is because religion is the law , that the crime of witchcraft (believed to be a crime against God) is so severely punished (by death!). 
• Also discuss that it is due to the rigidity of the theocracy that any slight divergence from a complete adherence to Puritanism is perceived as a crime . 
• Examples of this include the witch hunt itself, and the victimisation of innocents who are condemned to be executed for crimes that they did not commit. 

Paragraph 2: The town’s theocratic belief in God is exploited by individuals who use it for their own personal gain .

• Our job here is to highlight the selfish natures of certain individuals, who take advantage of the townspeople’s theocratic mindsets to utilise the town’s mass hysteria for their own motives . 
• Examples of such characters include Abigail and Parris , who participate in the witch hunt out of vengeance and fear respectively.

Paragraph 3: However, the theocratic nature of the government allows opportunity for reform, and the ability to distinguish between morality and immorality.

• Here we are discussing the benefit that arises out of the theocracy, namely the idea that the tragedy that results from such allow certain individuals to be enlightened and reformed .
• Emphasise the fact that the theocracy does lead to disastrous effects , but it is from this hardship that we are able to distinguish the characters of good from the characters of evil. 
• An example of a character who undergoes reform is Hale , who becomes simultaneously disillusioned and enlightened by the tragedy of the Salem persecution.
• An example of an individual revealed by the events of the play to be ultimately immoral is Danforth , who refuses to change and reform , despite realising the injustice and cruelty of his actions. 

If you find this essay breakdown helpful, then you might want to check out our The Crucible Study Guide where we cover 5 A+ sample essays with EVERY essay annotated and broken down on HOW and WHY these essays achieved A+ so you reach your English goals! Let's get started.

Montana 1948 is narrated by David Hayden, now a middle-aged history teacher, reflecting on the summer of 1948 that changed his entire life.

It begins with David noticing that his Native American babysitter, Marie Little Soldier is unwell. Gail and Wesley, David’s parents, attempt to enlist the help of Wesley’s brother Frank, a well-respected doctor in the community. However, Marie reacts to this idea with fear, anxiety and resistance. Gail concludes that something sinister must be happening for her to have such a reaction and she presses Marie for why she is so afraid. Marie then reveals to Gail that she has heard that Dr Frank has been sexually abusing many of his female Native American patients. Gail immediately confides in Wesley who is both the Sheriff of their town and Frank’s brother. This becomes the central source of tension, as Wes must decide between his duty as the Sheriff and his loyalty to his family.

This is all told from the perspective of David, our protagonist, who has to watch his father confront his Uncle Frank about these taboo accusations. Eventually, it seems they reach an agreement with Frank to stop the abuse.

Marie is discovered dead the next day in her bed when Gail goes to check up on her. Later that night, David admits to his parents that he saw Frank go into their home in the afternoon and immediately, Wesley concludes that Frank “is guilty as sin” for murdering Marie. As the Sheriff of the town, Wesley is obligated to arrest Frank, but in order to spare Frank the embarrassment, he keeps Frank in their basement instead of sending him to jail.  

Upon hearing this news, David’s grandfather, Julian, orders Wesley to release Frank. Julian accuses Wesley of arresting him out of jealousy and he threatens to use his power within the community to set Frank free. At this point, Wesley realises that the power of his father would only be matched by the law, and he decides that he must officially prosecute his brother.

That next day, David, Wes and Gail wake up to find Frank dead, having used broken glass to slit his wrists and commit suicide. Young David believes that this was the right action and hopes that everything would go back to normal. But as the story goes, this is not the case.

Prejudice, discrimination and the abuse of power

Another key theme is prejudice, discrimination and the abuse of power. Frank’s abuse of the Native American women is both an abuse of his power and responsibilities as a Doctor and a way to take advantage of his personal belief in White “racial superiority.” Julian and Frank embody the toxic, violent and bigoted mentality prevalent during that time period, which Watson deplores as reprimandable and unacceptable. Even at the novel’s close, Frank’s death is symbolic in two ways. Firstly, it means that Frank managed to escape persecution, public denouncement and jail time. But more importantly, he is still revered in the community as a “respected man” and a “war hero. '' Therefore, while he physically passes away, his ‘legacy’ and façade of heroism remains alive.

Law vs Justice

One of the central themes of ‘Montana 1948’ is the conflict between abiding by the law and doing what is just. Due to the institutionalised racism that existed in the 1940’s, Frank’s actions were not considered technically illegal, however, by intuitive standards of morality , his rape of Natives in his practice and his subsequent murder of Marie clearly warrant punishment. Thus, Watson touches on the failures of the judicial system to consistently hand out judgements that are morally fair and instead reveals the flaws within the legal system of the time that reflect widespread and corrupt social attitudes .

Loyalty vs Morality

Watson also touches on the conflict between loyalty and morality. This, as we know, forms the crux of narrative’s tension . Should Wes arrest and prosecute his brother Frank or not? Should he stay loyal to his family or uphold the moral values that he must stand by as the towns Sheriff? Gail, David’s mother, embodies all the virtues of morality that we all stand by and she is appalled by Frank’s behaviour and demands that he be persecuted regardless of his relationship with Wes. In sharp contrast, Julian believes that Frank can be excused for his actions because the victims were merely “red meat ” Native American women who he views as subhuman.

Characters 

Gail is David’s mother and Wesley’s wife. She is a compassionate, idealistic and courageous woman. This can also be seen as she stands up for Marie, despite the prejudices in the society at the time. She also spends a ‘good deal of energy’ protecting herself and her family.  She also doesn’t take part in Wesley’s racist jokes. For example, when Wesley makes a joke about Marie, ‘never been to anyone but the tribal medicine man’, David responds with ‘my mother didn’t laugh.’

David is Wesley and Gail’s son and is the narrator of the text. He doesn’t share Wesley’s beliefs surrounding race and forms his own moral perspective. This is demonstrated when he makes a fuss about wanting to wear moccasins (which Gail sides with him on) while his father says will make him ‘as flat-footed and lazy as an Indian.’ 

Unlike his father, we don’t see David conflicted with his loyalties and he is particularly critical of his father. This is best demonstrated when he ‘was beginning to already think of Uncle Frank as a criminal’ upon hearing sexual assault accusations against Frank. When Wesley spares Gail the details of his investigation into Frank, David believes it could be because he is ‘trying to protect his brother and keeping the number of witnesses to the accounts of his crime to a minimum’. After Wesley arrests Frank and takes him to the basement for imprisonment, David assumes his father killed Frank despite Wesley not being depicted as a particularly violent person in the novel.  All it takes is an indistinct noise from the basement for David to conjure up ways his father could have killed his Uncle Frank.

Frank is Wesley’s brother and is described as a ‘witty and charming’ doctor, and war hero who is widely loved by the community -particularly by his dad, Julian. In reality, Frank is a criminal who abuses his power - both a white man and a doctor to sexually assault Indian women - which he believes he can get away with.  This is compounded when he states, “I am not concerned about social progress.” Through Frank, Watson demonstrates how some individuals can abuse their positions of power and privilege, and to not lose any sleep over it (‘at smiling ease with his life and everything it’).

Wesley is Julian’s son, Gail’s husband, and David’s father and the sheriff of Mercer county. He dislikes Native Americans and frequently makes jokes about them and stereotypes them. He even uses the fact that Marie Little Soldiers is a Native American to belittle and doubt the credibility of her experience. 

Wesley’s conflicting loyalties become more complex and difficult once you consider the prejudices at the time, his job as an officer of the law, Frank’s station in the family and community, Gail’s strong opinions and his constant need to seek validation from his father. An instance that mirrors Wesley’s conflicting loyalties is when he tells Gail, “I wish you wouldn’t have told the sheriff.” When she told informed him of Marie’s sexual assault allegations against Frank. However, in Wesley’s eyes, Frank’s murder of Marie Little Soldier, is where the latter crosses the line. The magnitude of his brother’s crime is too large for him to let his previous conflicting loyalties as a sheriff and a brother hold him back from arresting Frank. After convicting Frank and having to argue about it with his father, we learned ‘for the first time how this experience with his brother was ruining him physically.’ 

Julian is a bigoted racist man who has an unconditional love for his son Frank and unfairly favours him over his son Wesley. When he learns of Franks charges he exclaims, “What kind of bullshit is this?” He belittles the sexual assaults as Frank just ‘feeling them up’ and ‘assaulting an Indian’. At this point, Julian taking Frank’s side exposes how irrationally loyal he is to his son and suggests that even if the women were not Indian, he may still stand by Frank's actions. He protests that the only reason Wesley convicted Frank was that ‘ever since the war, ever since Frank came home in uniform and he [Wesley] stayed here [home],’ he’s ‘been jealous’. However, this comment seems to say more about Julian’s feelings than Wesley’s - perhaps, this is why Julain felt this inclination towards Frank. After this argument, we see Wesley’s feeling of defeat and heartbreak - that despite Frank being a murderer and a rapist, his father still seemed to pick his side over Wesley’s. 

Quotes on Prejudices, Discrimination and the Abuse of Power

• “He wears those and soon he'll be as flat-footed and lazy as an Indian" - Discrimination is evident in Montana 1948 where Wesley uses stereotypes of Indians to imply they are inferior to them, and that David shouldn’t be like them.
• "She's an Indian- Why would she tell the truth?”  
• “Your mother and I thought we’d have more to show than just one grandchild … and white- we want them we want them white”
• “Screwing an Indian. Or feeling her up or whatever. You don’t lock up a man for that.”
• “You know Frank’s always been partial to red meat.”  
• “Well if Sheriff Hayden says it's so, it must be so.”
• “Wesley, your brother is raping these women. These girls. These Indian girls.”

Quotes on Law vs Justice

• “Why did my grandfather first run for sheriff? … He wanted, he needed power. He was a dominating man who drew sustenance and strength from controlling others.” This quote shows that many people in society at the time held positions of power such as lawyers or sheriff but didn’t enforce the law or worry about the morality of their actions. Thus creating an unjust legal system that would allow these people to shape how the law is enforced with their own prejudices.
• “You know what your Grandad said it means to be a peace officer in Montana? He said it means knowing when to look and when to look away.”  
• “I think the problem has been taken care of. Frank said he’s going to cut it out”

Quotes on Loyalty vs Morality

• "David, I believe that in this world people must pay for their crimes. It doesn't matter who you are or who your relations are; if you do wrong, you pay. I believe that. I have to."
• “I wish you wouldn’t have told the sheriff.” 
• “You don’t lock up your brother. A respected man. A war hero.” “This is a legal matter.” “Bull sh*t. ” “Then why have you got him locked up here and not over at the jail? This is your brother here. My son! ”

Quotes on Destruction of Innocence

• 'I had gone back into the house -to the kitchen, to my room, out the backdoor, I had left the porch and followed frank's steps down the front walk - I never would have heard the conversation between my father and mother, and perhaps I would have lived my life with an illusion about my family and perhaps the human community’ - page 33
• “The shock of hearing this about Uncle Frank was doubled because my mother was saying these words. Rape. Breasts. Penis. These were words I never heard my mother use-ever- and I’m sure her stammer was not only from emotion but also from the strain on her vocabulary.”
• “But I was on a trail that would lead me out of my childhood.”

With contributions from Fae Saberi.

For many VCE Students, Language Analysis is most commonly their ‘weakest’ section out of all three parts of VCE English. Throughout my years of tutoring, when I’ve asked these students  why  they struggle, they usually blame the difficulty in grasping the  most  important component of Language Analysis:

Understanding  how   the author  intends  to persuade their readers.  

You’ll see that I have italicised the words, ‘how’ and ‘intends’ in the above statement to highlight where your focus needs to be. If you’re currently trying to get your head around Language Analysis, or if you don’t understand where you’re going wrong, don’t worry. We’re going to look at the incorrect assumptions students make about Language Analysis, how to avoid it and also what you  should  do instead! So first, let’s have a look at a couple of common student errors. Students (including yourself perhaps) may believe that:

1. Language Analysis is about  finding  language techniques that persuade readers.

Stop right there! This certainly isn’t a treasure hunt ( but that would be pretty awesome right? ). If an essay was just about identifying language techniques, everyone would get an A+ ( we wish! ). Once you’ve had some practice under your belt, you’ll notice that anyone can find rhetorical questions, inclusive language and statistics, so there is a lot more to it than simply pointing out language techniques. Also, steer clear from throwing in all the possible language techniques you’ve found in an article too, because it’s not a competition about who can find the most techniques and even if you did, it doesn’t guarantee you an amazing score on your essay.

2. Language analysis is about  if  authors successfully persuade their readers.

Sorry to tell you, but this definitely isn’t it either. Our job as the student isn’t to figure out whether or not the author successfully persuades their reader. You can’t really speak for all the people reading an article if they do or do not agree with the author’s contention. Just like if you see an advertisement on television for MacDonalds, you can’t tell if the next person who watches the ad will be persuaded to go out and buy a Big Mac meal. That’s why at the end of the day, it’s not up to you to figure out the extent to which the author persuades their readers. So in that case, what should you be doing instead?

The ultimate goal is to demonstrate your understanding of how the author attempts to persuade the reader to agree with his or her contention.

Let’s break up the essential parts of analysing language so we can pinpoint exactly the part that is most problematic and also how we can finally get a strong grasp of how to be successful in this area:

The  TEE  rule

—Technique  – what  persuasive technique  is used?

—Example  – which  text  that shows it?

—Effect  – what is the  intended impact  on readers’ attitudes?

1. Technique 

There are so many persuasive techniques around, once you’ve got your hands on a bunch of language technique lists then you’re pretty much set in this area. Be wary however, as I have mentioned in the past (and above)  how simply ‘labelling’ language techniques is not enough for you to do well in language analysis.

This is quite frankly, the easiest part of Language Analysis! All you need to do is quote your evidence! Straightforward? If quoting is not your forte, you can check out:  how to embed quotes in your essay like a boss

3.  Effect 

Ok, this is the core of most students’ issues. We already know that the author is trying to persuade readers but here, we’re going to look how their choice of words or phrases creates a certain  effect  on readers so that they will be encouraged to agree with the author. When thinking about the effect, the best way is to put yourself in the reader’s shoes – you are after all, a reader! So in order to understand the effect think about the following three points:

• What readers may feel – emotions
• What readers may think – thoughts
• And what readers may want – wishes

Example 1: “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!”

—Think about it realistically. If someone said this to you, how would you feel? There must’ve been a time where you were complimented (whether it be about your clothes, how you did something well, or how friendly you are with others), and you used this experience to your advantage. Each time you analyse a language technique, contemplate on what emotions, thoughts or wishes emerge as a result. When someone gives you a compliment, you probably feel flattered, or maybe even proud. And this is exactly what you need to include in your analysis! You should garner these everyday experiences as a trigger to help you understand how readers may respond to a certain technique. So if we broke it down via the TEE formula:

T echnique: Compliment

—E xample: “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!”

— E ffect: You feel feel proud and as a result want to assist your friend.

And let’s put it all together coherently and concisely:

Analysis: The compliment, “You are my smartest friend, I’m really stuck on this question and I need help!” encourages the listener to feel a sense of pride and this in turn, may encourage them to assist their friend.

Example 2: “The pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air.”

Again, think about the three points – how do you feel? What do you think of this scenario? What do you want as a result? You probably feel sorry for the puppy and want to save it from this situation.

—T echnique: Appeal to sympathy

—E xample: “The pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air.”

— E ffect: You may feel that it is unfair for the puppy to be in such a horrendous and potentially life-threatening situation.

Analysis: Through the appeal to sympathy, “the pet puppy was stuck inside a car on a 32 degree summer day, with no windows left open, and no room for fresh air”, readers may believe that it is unfair for the puppy to be subjected to such a horrendous and potentially life-threatening situation and thus, may be persuaded to take action to prevent further harm to pets.

Ultimately, focus on the potential effect language can have on the reader and as a result, how this may encourage the reader to agree with the author. If you do that, then you’re definitely on the right track. If this study guide has helped you gain further insight into Language Analysis, then you may be interested in my upcoming workshop where I spend a few hours offering advanced advice on Language Analysis! No matter what scores you have been attaining in Language Analysis, whether high or low, my workshop is loaded with tips which will undoubtedly help you achieve the best you possibly can. You are welcome to register here:  VCE English Intensive Spring Break Workshop . Join the Facebook event  here  today to keep updated on all the latest information in the lead up to the workshop and invite your friends!

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Dressmaking for Beginners: How to Get Started

Although we wear clothes every day we often don’t know where they come from or how they get made. 

Making your own dresses can be a fun and rewarding hobby. Initially, dressmaking can be challenging to master. But with practice, you can be creating beautiful dresses in no time.

You don’t even need a high school diploma to become a dressmaker. However, some high-schools offer a sewing or home economics course. Classes like those will give you some dressmaking for beginner’s skills that will help you become a better seamstress.

Learning Dressmaking at Home

There are many online dressmaking courses available that will help you learn the art of dressmaking without leaving your house. You can even learn skills for free by watching videos or reading books that teach dressmaking.

From there, you will have all the knowledge you need to complete beautiful articles of clothing. You will also learn from trial and error with different dress patterns and fabrics.

Dressmaking Supplies to Get Started

It is not too difficult to get started as a dressmaker.

The essential tools for dressmaking are:

• A sewing machine,
• Needles and pins,
• Tape measure,
• Fabric scissors,
• Ironing board and an iron, and 
• Dressmakers chalk.

You will also need different fabrics to make clothes for the garments you want to create. You might want to invest in a mannequin to fit your clothes on while you make them.

Dressmaking Education

If you want to take your dressmaking to the next level, you can either earn a certification or an associate’s degree in sewing, dressmaking, or fashion design. After completing this additional training, it is essential to work in a professional environment.

Working for a tailor or fashion designer will give you a chance to learn extra hands-on skills and grow within the industry. You will now even have the skills to start your own business as a dressmaker or seamstress.

Additional Benefits of Learning Dressmaking

There are many benefits to becoming a dressmaker beyond constructing your dresses.

You can apply the skills learned as a seamster in other ways, including:

• Fixing your clothes,
• Altering existing garments,
• Making precise measurements and cuts,
• Sewing household goods like drapes, slipcovers, and napkins,
• Creating simple gifts, and
• Saving money.

The skills needed to become a dressmaker are easily transferable to other projects that might otherwise be completed by a tailor.

Interested in a Career as a Dressmaker?

Check out Stratford Career Institute’s class focused on dressmaking. You will learn everything you need to know to construct your own dresses from start to finish. You will also learn everything you need to know about a career as a dressmaker, including:

• Introduction to sewing and fabric,
• Special fabrics and special cutting,
• Construction of a garment,
• Cuffs, sleeve finishes, casings, and waistbands,
• Hems and lining a garment,
• Sewing for infants and children,
• Traditional and contemporary tailoring methods,
• Applique, machine embroidery, patchwork, and quilting,
• Decorating style and choosing color wisely,
• Mending, repairing, and recycling,
• Home accessories,
• Teaching others, and 
• Additional practice projects.

Enroll in our dressmaking course today!

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Related articles, should i take an online sewing course, explore a career as a dressmaker.

Are you passionate about making your own dresses? Turn your hobby into a career with Stratford Career Institute’s dressmaking course. Enroll today!

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How to Be a Professional Dressmaker or Tailor

Becoming a professional dressmaker or tailor requires a combination of skills, knowledge, and practical experience. Whether you're interested in creating custom garments, working in alterations, or starting your own business, here are steps you can take to become a professional in the field:

Acquire Education and Training:

Consider enrolling in a formal education program in fashion design or tailoring. Many vocational schools, community colleges, and universities offer programs that cover pattern making, sewing techniques, and garment construction.

Learn Sewing Techniques:

Develop a strong foundation in sewing techniques, including hand sewing and machine sewing. Practice different stitches, seams, and finishes to enhance your skills. Understanding how fabrics behave and the principles of garment construction is crucial.

Master Pattern Making:

Learn pattern making, which involves creating templates for cutting fabric pieces. Understanding pattern making allows you to customize garment designs and make adjustments for different body types.

Gain Experience:

Practice your skills by working on various projects. Consider internships, apprenticeships, or entry-level positions in the fashion industry or at a tailoring shop. Real-world experience is invaluable for honing your craft.

Understand Garment Fitting:

Learn the art of garment fitting. Understanding body measurements, altering patterns, and making adjustments for a perfect fit is a key skill for dressmakers and tailors. Mastering fitting techniques ensures that your creations are comfortable and well-proportioned.

Stay Informed About Fashion Trends:

Keep up with current fashion trends and styles. Attend fashion shows, read fashion magazines, and stay active on social media platforms to understand the latest in the fashion industry.

Build a Portfolio:

Document your work by creating a professional portfolio. Include high-quality photos of garments you've created, showcasing your skills in design, construction, and attention to detail. A portfolio is essential when applying for jobs or promoting your services.

Network in the Industry:

Attend fashion events, trade shows, and networking functions to connect with professionals in the industry. Building a network can open doors to job opportunities, collaborations, and mentorship.

Consider Specializing:

Determine if you want to specialize in a specific niche, such as bridal wear, formal wear, or alterations. Specializing allows you to focus your skills and cater to a specific clientele.

Set Up a Professional Workspace:

If you plan to work independently, set up a professional workspace equipped with the necessary sewing machines, tools, and materials. A well-organized and efficient workspace contributes to productivity and professionalism.

Obtain Certifications:

Consider obtaining certifications or accreditations that validate your skills and expertise. Some organizations offer certifications in specific areas of tailoring or garment construction.

Provide Excellent Customer Service:

If you choose to operate your own business, customer service is key. Ensure that you communicate effectively with clients, understand their needs, and deliver high-quality work on time.

Keep Learning and Evolving:

The fashion industry is dynamic, with trends and techniques evolving. Stay curious, continue learning, and be open to adopting new technologies and methods in your practice.

Market Yourself:

Develop a brand identity and market your services. Create a professional website, use social media to showcase your work, and leverage word-of-mouth referrals. Building a strong online presence can attract clients and opportunities.

Comply with Business Regulations:

If you decide to operate your own dressmaking or tailoring business, ensure that you comply with local business regulations. This includes obtaining any necessary licenses or permits and following local tax and legal requirements.

Remember, becoming a professional dressmaker or tailor is a journey that involves continuous learning and improvement. The combination of education, practical experience, and a commitment to excellence can set you on the path to a successful career in dressmaking or tailoring.

Mykhailo Konet, owner Konsew LTD

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• Written by Carys Thomas
• Published date 11 May 2022

Although many clothes are now produced in factories, 200 years ago every garment was made by hand. The art of tailoring in fact dates back to the early medieval period, when all clothing was made by hand. Tailors often worked to a unique sewing pattern and their designs had a signature style which established their reputation.

A high-quality custom-made piece of clothing can transform an outfit and create a smart, polished look. London’s Savile Row is often regarded to be the centre of tailoring expertise, and a bespoke two-piece suit from one of the best-known tailors in the area can set you back around £5,000 (or more!). Bespoke suits from these tailors are made using an individual paper pattern that is made for the customer and refined over several fittings to achieve the perfect fit.

Are you interested in a career as a tailor or dressmaker? We spoke to specialist technician and tailoring expert Siaw Lee Priddle, to find out how sewing enthusiasts can improve their skills and build a career in this area. Siaw currently teaches on our Professional Sewing Skills Short Course at London College of Fashion. In this guide we'll explore how the two roles compare and share some useful advice on how to get started.

Take a look at our guide on how to start a career in fashion for some more top tips from our experienced tutors and talented students.

What do tailors and dressmakers do?

Tailors create bespoke items of clothing for clients, and often specialise in suits, jackets, coats and trousers. Clients will be measured and clothing made to fit their proportions perfectly. Their role also involves repairing and adjusting clothing to meet a client’s specific needs. They may be required to resize garments by hemming trousers to make them shorter or taking in seams to make clothing smaller, for example. Tailors may work for textile manufacturers, department stores and dry cleaners, or they may be self-employed and have their own business. They often work closely with clients and customers to help them choose the best fabrics and colours for a particular piece.

A dressmaker’s practice is generally focused on the creation of new clothing items for women, including dresses, suits, blouses, formalwear, wedding dresses and sportswear. Like tailors, dressmakers may also offer alteration services for clients and customers.

Tailors and dressmakers should have an eye for detail, excellent sewing, pattern and cutting skills, an interest in textiles and the ability to communicate effectively with customers and clients.

So you’ve decided you want to be a tailor or dressmaker? Read on for our 5 steps to success:

1# Look for work experience

One of the best ways to start your career as a tailor or dressmaker is by looking for work experience. Tailoring is a craft and one of the best ways to learn is from a professional tailor with industry knowledge and expertise. Look for apprenticeships and ask local tailors and businesses about work possibilities. Speak to as many people in the industry as you can and be persistent – you might not find the perfect placement for you straight away but it’s important to stick at it. Employers will value your passion and commitment. Securing work experience will give you the opportunity to use the tools and equipment professional tailors use to build your confidence and skills. This kind of experience will also be ideal to add to your CV and use as a platform for future growth and development. Read about what Caroline Andrew, tailor at London’s Savile Row, has to say about the value of work experience in the industry .

2# Take a course

To be a tailor or dressmaker it’s important to have excellent sewing skills. Taking a course or studying for a qualification in tailoring will be beneficial for your career prospects and technical skills. Our Professional Sewing Skills Short Course is designed to develop your basic sewing skills to a professional standard and explores the techniques used in top-quality ready-to-wear pieces. You may want to look at a course in textiles or pattern cutting or study for a degree in bespoke tailoring. An apprenticeship in tailoring or garment making may also be a good option as you’ll have the opportunity to learn on the job. The Savile Row Bespoke Association (SRBA) offers a prestigious apprenticeship scheme which can take between 2 and 6 years to complete, depending on what you choose to specialise in.

3# Practice sewing techniques

If you want to become a professional tailor, you’ll need to put the hours in. They say practice makes perfect, and this is certainly true in the world of tailoring. If you plan to be self-employed one day, practising on your own time will also be a good way to learn self-discipline as you’ll need to manage your own workload. Practice sewing techniques as much as possible, and refer to online tutorials, books and craft channels that demonstrate small projects to develop your skills and confidence. Even simply listening to a podcast on sewing or tailoring can help you learn the terminology and understand what’s involved in a career in the industry. Experiment with different fabrics and techniques to improve your technical skills and establish which area or type of garment you are most interested in. Practice working on professional-level sewing machines to familiarise yourself with the different settings and needle types that you’re likely to be working with in future roles. It's worth investing in your own sewing machine to practice on if you can. Ask around and think about looking for a re-conditioned model to save costs.

4# Build a portfolio

Sharing a portfolio of your best work is a great way to attract future clients and get noticed by potential employers. If you can, include photographs and samples of your work to showcase your abilities. You’ll want to show a selection of garments and styles to reflect your range of skills. Be sure to include sketches and mock-ups that illustrate your design process. It can also be helpful to include a brief written commentary that summarises the project brief and shows how you produced the garment. Record the making process in as much detail as you can. You may want to refer to your notes during job interviews or client consultations, so it’s essential to record the design process from start to finish. Try to mention any adaptions you made to the design and how you overcame any issues along the way. Make sure your portfolio is clearly formatted and well-presented. Remember, a strong portfolio takes time to produce, so don’t be tempted to rush the process.

Networking is an essential part of a career in the creative industries. Join a professional organisation or follow tailoring groups online for an insight into life in the industry. Take any opportunity you may have to meet with professionals in the industry and work on building meaningful connections. Connections can lead to potential new jobs, projects and professional opportunities.  Research shows that as much as 80% of jobs are filled through personal and professional connections , so networking can be a great way to land your first tailoring job if you’re just starting out. Try sharing a portfolio of your work online or building a website to highlight your skills, projects and goals and make connections with other like-minded creatives. LinkedIn is also a helpful networking tool that can be a great way to share professional achievements, build connections and search for job openings.

Are you looking to build a career as a tailor or dressmaker? Discover how a pattern cutting short course can help you build your foundation in fashion design .

If you want to expand your knowledge and skills in the area, taking a short course could be a good option for you. Our range of fashion making and pattern cutting short courses can help you enhance your sewing skills and learn how to design and make your own garments. Take a look at our upcoming short courses for more details.

Related courses

The Complete Sewing and Garment Making Short Course

Contemporary Dress Design and Making Short Course

Professional Sewing Skills Short Course

Degree Finders

How to become a dressmaker, what does a dressmaker do.

Dressmakers create, fit, and alter clothing according the requirements and needs of customers. They often make clothing for women including dresses, evening gowns, and blouses. They assist customers with the design, style, and fabric and take the required measurements. Some times they make their own patterns and other times they use patterns that are already made. Dressmakers often have customers try on the garment a few times to ensure it is constructed correctly and fits right. They also perform alterations and repairs such as hemming, fixing zippers, or reattaching buttons. Some dressmakers specialize in a specific type of clothing such as wedding gowns, custom dresses, undergarments, or costumes. Others specialize in accessories such as handbags. Most dressmakers work in department stores, small shops, and dry-cleaning facilities. Some own their own business and some work from home.

What kind of training does a dressmaker need?

Dressmakers typically have at least a high school diploma and strong sewing skills. Some dressmakers complete formal training at a vocational and technical school or community college to remain competitive in the field. Aspiring dressmakers typically complete courses in fashion design, apparel manufacturing, dress construction methods, sewing techniques, and alterations. Most employers provide on the job training to enable new dressmakers to gain the necessary skills and experience. Most new dressmakers work under the supervision of experienced workers until they become proficient in the field to complete independent tasks. Many dressmakers join professional associations such as the American Sewing Guild or the Association of Sewing and Design Professionals. Dressmakers sometimes complete additional training throughout their careers to improve their skills and keep their techniques up to date.

What are the prospects for a career as a dressmaker?

Employment of dressmakers is expected to experience little or no change from 2008 to 2018 (1).

Job prospects are expected to be fair. Dressmakers with extensive experience and specialties will have the best job opportunities. Some job openings will arise from the need to replace dressmakers that retire, transfer, or leave the field for other reasons.

How much do dressmakers make?

As of January 2010, the average annual salary for dressmakers is $18,000; average dressmaker salaries are 72% lower than average salaries for all nationwide job postings (2).

A career as a dressmaker is an excellent choice for people with a strong interest in creating a variety of custom garments for many different purposes. Dressmakers must have a solid understanding of dress design and construction and a variety of sewing techniques. They must also know all about different types of styles and fabrics. Strong sewing skills, detail orientation, creativity, and good eye-hand coordination are necessary characteristics. Dressmakers must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills because they work with a variety of customers.

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A professional dressmaker also referred to as a seamstress, can work in a variety of positions, ranging from freelance bridal dressmaking to being employed by a fine clothier. Professional dressmaking involves the ability to be precise (i.e. for measuring and marking); good communication skills for working with clients, co-workers and apprentices; adeptness concerning measurement; proficiency regarding trade tools as well as the ability to evolve both technologically and artistically.

What Is Dressmaking?

As its name suggests, it refers to the assembly of specific types of dress, or clothing items, particularly women’s clothing. Dressmaking is an age-old profession that dates back thousands of years. Some historians would even argue that the history of dressmaking goes back as far as the invention of the needles. Once woven fabrics, like linen and silk, became the norm, dressmaking as a career became very popular and commonplace. Many dressmakers would cater mostly to wealthy aristocrats who, creating clothing based on illustrations of the latest styles.

Traditionally, dressmaking was a career for women. Along with writing and painting, it was deemed to be a socially acceptable and proper way for women to earn a living wage. Today, however, dressmaking is an acceptable career for both women and men alike. Modern dressmakers might make a variety of different types of clothing, from elegant gowns to business suits.

What Does a Dressmaker Do?

As mentioned above, a dressmaker makes and sews clothing. Although the term dressmaker might imply that these professionals make only dresses, this is a misconception. The word dress traditionally referred to all types of clothing. While modern dressmakers will still make women’s dresses, the might also make other types of clothing as well, including skirts, skirts, and pants.

Some dressmakers specialize in making specific types of clothing, like wedding apparel, for instance. Other dressmakers might specialize in altering existing pieces of clothing in order to make them fit better or look different.

Dressmakers must have a number of specialized skills. Sewing skills are essential in order to pursue a career in dressmaking. Because measurements play a large part in garment making, math and measuring skills are also essential. Communication skills are also a must.

Dressmakers often work closely with clients in order to create custom or tailored pieces. This generally involves choosing a particular style or pattern, as well as several fittings. Before and during the creation process, a dressmaker will often measure the client’s body several times. A dressmaker will also usually have the client try on the custom piece several times during the creation process to help ensure a perfect fit.

Before a garment can be made, a specific type of fabric must also be chosen. The type of fabric chosen will usually be partly based on the wants and needs of the client, and partly based on the type of fabric that is best for making the garments.

To create a custom piece of clothing, a dressmaker has two options. First, she may create a garment from an already existing pattern. Most dressmakers have access to several different patterns, but some clients may even bring their own pattern to a dressmaker. A very skilled dressmaker might also be able to design a garment and create a pattern to make it. This generally involves patternmaking skills as well as sewing skills.

Dressmaker Education & Training Requirements

Aspiring dressmakers should at least complete their high school education. Other than that, there are no real specific education requirements for this career. A college degree, however, can help aspiring dressmakers fine-tune their skills. Some colleges and universities offer courses in apparel maintenance, sewing, and dressmaking particularly. Attending a fashion design school and earning your degree is another path for individuals who wish to pursue a dressmaking career.

Some individuals who wish to pursue a career in dressmaking may also be able to secure an apprenticeship. A dressmaking apprenticeship involves aspiring dressmakers working alongside skilled and established dressmakers, which allows them to hone their skills and gain experience at the same time.

Learn More: Textile Design Schools

Helpful Organizations, Societies & Agencies

American Sewing Guild Association of Sewing & Design Professionals Sewing and Craft Alliance

Related Careers in Fashion

Consider these related careers in Fashion.

Fashion Consultant Fashion Designer Fashion Merchandiser Fashion Model Jewelry Designer Makeup Artist Pattern Maker Shoe Designer Textile Designer

The Dressmaker (Novel)

By rosalie ham, the dressmaker (novel) analysis.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by Timothy Sexton

The front cover of the first edition of Rosalie Ham’s novel The Dressmake r—before Kate Winslet co-opted future editions for an indeterminate amount of time—somewhat notoriously described it as “an Australian gothic novel of love, hate, and haute couture.” Love and hate are covered in depth and goodness knows there the couture is quite haute, but is it really a gothic tale? When one thinks of gothic novels one likely calls to mind stories featuring dank castle, ghosts, isolated settings, a notably absent amount of great intellect in the characters, and a dank castle and ghosts. Yep, it is those castles and ghosts—whether real or imagined—that seem to be the essential qualities of a gothic novel. Since castles and ghosts are in very short supply in the novel, one has to question whether it really qualifies as a gothic novel. But that would make for a very mundane work of analysis.

More interesting is one particular choice the author makes that really seems to capture the idiosyncratic spirit of the novel. One can very easily find out enough information to write a paper about the gothic qualities of the novel just as easily as one can construct a compare/contrast thesis unifying the novel and Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible as examples of stories that deal with the social disease of extreme conformity and rejection of the threat of independent thinking. If it is truly fascinating topic for an analytical paper that has already been covered from just about every angle, however, one should read The Dressmaker with special attention paid to Shakespeare.

Ultimately, the novel becomes a story of revenge. To that end, Shakespeare is responsible for writing the most famous revenge tragedy of all time: Hamlet . Hamlet’s mother is name Gertrude and there is a major character in the novel called Trudy which is short for Gertrude. So, of course, the Shakespearean tragedy that is central to the revenge which the main character carries out at the end of the novel could only be… Macbeth .

Wait, what? Macbeth ? Macbeth is not even a revenge tragedy. And if the author already had the Gertrude name in mind, she could easily have avoided Hamlet and gone with another of Shakespeare’s revenge stories. Like, say, Titus Andronicus , which features enough blood to make Pulp Fiction look like A Midsummer Night’s Dream .

The genius at work in The Dressmaker is the author’s willingness to set up expectations and then subvert them. (Starting, perhaps, on a puckish note of claiming it is a gothic novel and then not delivering on that promise. But that is, as indicated, a pursuit best left to each individual taste.) The title does not indicate the incendiary revenge story it becomes. The revelations about the secret life of Farrat are such that one is reluctant even to mention them lest they be spoiled. Foremost among the subversion of expectations, however, are the introductions of Gertrude Pratt and her husband William. The name Gertrude, as mentioned, will immediately bring to mind allusions to Hamlet for anyone remotely familiar with literature. And the characterization of her husband whom she so easily and manipulates also calls to mind the very subtle way in which Gertrude manipulates her brother-in-law turned king and husband. At the same time, however, William also features personality traits which draw a direct connection between him and guess who: Hamlet! Let’s put it this way: William has mommy problems, too, and these problems drive him to marry Gertrude. So he is basically trying to move away from being a mere prince to becoming a king through marriage only to find that he is just as much at the mercy of a wife as he was a mother. The relationship that that is portrayed between Gertrude and William looks a heck of a lot like something from Hamlet and not much at all like that between the Macbeths.

That circumstance will change, however, as the author makes good on her deliver to subvert expectations by going all-in on the Macbeth connection. What make it all so fascinating, however, is not the connection between Gertrude, William and the Macbeths, but the far more intensely satisfying complexity of the juxtaposition with Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius and the ghosts of the past which haunt the characters in the present. Dig deep into that pattern and the potential exists to stitch together some really impressive literary couture at the highest levels of haute.

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The Dressmaker (Novel) Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Dressmaker (Novel) is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Study Guide for The Dressmaker (Novel)

The Dressmaker (Novel) study guide contains a biography of Rosalie Ham, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Dressmaker (Novel)
• The Dressmaker (Novel) Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Dressmaker (Novel)

The Dressmaker (Novel) essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Dressmaker (Novel) by Rosalie Ham.

• How Envy Drives Unfair Judgment: Comparing The Crucible (Drama) and The Dressmaker (Novel)

Wikipedia Entries for The Dressmaker (Novel)

• Introduction

Essay Prompts

The crucible and the dressmaker.

‘I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be made public?’ (Proctor, The Crucible) Compare how both texts explore that the judgement from others influences our understanding of ourselves.

Both texts suggest that the primary reason people lie and gossip is to protect their own secrets and motives. Discuss.

Compare the presence of discrimination and prejudice in both texts.

Discuss the different representations of women in each text.

Both texts highlight a reliance on friends and family in order to feel accepted. Discuss.

‘Then Sergeant Farrat left Tilly’s side to stand and deliver a sermon of sorts. He spoke of love and hate and the power of both…’ (The Dressmaker) Compare how in both texts, the emotions of love and hate mutually exist and continue to war with one another.

‘Molly Dunnage came to Dungatar with babe-in-arms to start a new life. She hoped to leave behind her troubles, but hers was a life lived with trouble travelling alongside…’ (Sergeant Farrat, The Dressmaker) ‘I see now your spirit twists around the single error of my life, and I will never tear it free!’ (John Proctor to Goody Proctor, The Crucible) Compare how both texts suggest that it is impossible to break free of your past.

Discuss how The Crucible and The Dressmaker celebrate being different but suggest it is not widely accepted in society.

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Essays About Fashion: Top 5 Examples and 9 Prompts

If you are writing essays about fashion, check out our guide of helpful examples and exciting writing prompts to get started.

Fashion is individuals’ way of expressing their personalities. They do this through clothes and accessories that display their tastes and preferences. There are different fashion styles and trends, and anyone can choose anything they want to follow. Additionally, fashion has various benefits, such as boosting self-confidence, lightening moods, and developing creativity. Our fashion choices also help us send messages and present our beliefs. Thus, fashion can also be political .

Below are five essay examples and nine writing prompts to help you create an eye-catching essay about fashion:

5 Top Essay Examples

1. why fashion is important by george k., 2. fashion: an important part of life by ankita yadav, 3. fashion as communication by eunice summers, 4. fashion 2022 by edudwar, 5. the effect of fashion on teenagers in school by anonymous on newyorkessays.com, 1. fashion trends and women, 2. fashion evolution, 3. fashion and starting a business, 4. effects of fashion on society, 5. the best fashion styles for men, 6. fashion trends in different countries , 7. careers in the fashion industry, 8. cultural fashion vs. modern fashion, 9. the best and worst of fashion trends.

“The clothes we wear has become more than merely a way to cover our nakedness; instead it has also become one of the primary ways in which people express themselves.”

George K explains that fashion separates individuals from the rest. A person can introduce himself to others for who and what he is through style choices. Further, the author expounds on how fashion is a very competitive industry that depends on one’s search for identity. The author also points out that every person is unique and thus needs a distinct style to fit them. However, because of constant peer pressure and criticism, an individual’s fashion picks can’t be entirely their own. Ultimately, George K reminds the reader that it’s not just the clothes but how individuals wear and feel in them.

“…if we can do something then it is choosing the right stuff like entertainment, adventure, fashion, etc. All these things can make us happy and are also an important part of life. Fashion always attracts and it is available for all,”

Yadav considers how fashion originated from people’s traditions and cultures and became what it is today through individuals adopting each style and making it their own. In the following sections of the essay, she defines fashion and lists its importance, including how it developed new employment options and how styles speak for the wearer. 

In her conclusion, she encourages everyone to choose their styles and not to mind their age. Fashion helps everyone live life to the fullest.

“Fashion is an industry based on creating a need where there is none and nowadays, due to the current recession, I can understand that fashion may not be people’s biggest concern. But we cannot qualify it as ‘trivial’ since we are surrounded by it; each new generation of customers is highly exposed to commercial influences.”

Summers gives her opinion about the book “Fashion as Communication” by Malcolm Barnard . She identifies points in the work and shares her thoughts on them. The first point being those working in the fashion industry aren’t smart. As a Fashion Marketing student, Summers vehemently disagrees with this statement and recounts her experiences to counter it. She continues to analyze Barnard’s other arguments and agrees with some of them. Summers ends her essay by highlighting that fashion is too essential in modern culture and economic organization for it to be considered “trivial.”

“…the youth cares more about what they wear and how they look which could affect their status in their peer group and meddle with their mental health. Following trends and doing what everyone is doing like a sheep is never a good idea. Fashion is there to reflect your personal style, not copying what other people think is trendy.”

User Edudwar reminds people that fashion is not simply following what’s currently trendy. Fashion is there to give people the chance to show off their individualism and personalities and not present a fake version of themselves to be accepted by society. Additionally, he mentions that youth nowadays are more sensitive to what people think of them, so some will always do everything to follow trends, even if they’re not presentable or appropriate.

“Youths of the present times have indulged themselves in so much fashion that they do not receive sufficient time for other work… The time spent on studies is being used in watching TV programmes, reading fashion articles, or even finding the recent trendy outfits on the Internet.”

The essay discusses the real effects of fashion on today’s youth. The author focuses on kids zeroing in on finding the latest style instead of caring for their studies that directly affect their future. The essay also delves into how youths of yesterday had ambitions and goals in life compared to today’s youths, who prefer to have fun rather than study hard.

See our best essay writing tips to help you write an attractive, attention-grabbing essay.

9 Writing Prompts For Essays About Fashion

To assist you with your essay, we’ve compiled nine exciting writing prompts you can use:

Some women follow fashion trends religiously. They are also more conscious of their physical appearance. Some even go to the extreme and do plastic surgeries to look better in clothes. In your essay, discuss what you think these trends do to women’s perception of their worth and beauty. Add which trends you believe are unhealthy and why there’s more societal pressure for women to be fashionable.

Each era had its styles that directly resulted from that time’s circumstances. Make a timeline of how fashion evolved and the factors that influenced them. At the end of your essay, pick what you think is the best fashion era and explain why.

For this prompt, include the relevant things a future fashion clothing boutique owner should bear in mind. For instance, they should always be on top of the fashion trends and know how to balance demand and costs. Then, find a boutique owner and interview them about their experience to make your essay more fun to read.

Tackle what makes people choose the clothes they wear daily. Some prefer their fashion to display their personalities while others merely follow what they think is popular. To make your essay more interesting, you can do a simple experiment: Go out in public on two occasions: while wearing your fashion picks and donning the latest fashionable clothes. Then, add your findings and how people reacted to you.

Fashion for men is different from women. Although most brands dedicate their line to women, men also deserve to know what makes them look fashionable; this essay lists styles that are excellent for men depending on the setting and event. 

What could be considered fashionable in one country can be seen as disrespectful in another. For this prompt, compile fashion trends many do but are unacceptable in other places. Reasons why may include religion or tradition. Use research data and cite reliable sourcing for a compelling piece.

In this essay, identify the career opportunities available in the fashion industry, including the steps to get there. Next, list the different job roles within fashion, and describe the responsibilities for each. Then, add tips on succeeding in that job and standing out from the rest. For an intriguing essay, conduct interviews with professionals within the industry and include this in your piece.

Our ancestors’ culture greatly influenced today’s fashion. Meanwhile, modern styles are those that the current generation uses. Write an essay about cultural and contemporary fashion’s differences, similarities, advantages, and disadvantages. 

Fashion trends come and go. However, not all popular fashion is pleasing to the eyes. For this essay, compile a list of what is, in your opinion, the best and worst fashion trends. Then, describe why you have formed these opinions and describe the details of each outfit.

Are you looking for your next essay subject? Check out our list of the best writing topics for students .

My Career Choice: Fashion Designer Essay

In life I want to become a fashion designer. My goals are to create clothing that is for all sizes, ages, and genders. In my clothing I want t show a creative side of my art ability and I want to make my clothing affordable for all as well. I think I influenced myself to wanting to become a fashion designer because I have a passion for art and wanting to become a fashion designer. I enjoy making sketches of clothing that one day will hopefully be available in stores all over. Fashion designing in my opinion is a way to express the unique side of your creativity, also fashion designing is a career that I believe I can achieve in so highly if I stay focused and continue to putting forth effort in my creations. I could see interior …show more content…

It shows different ways to wear an outfit or what piece of apparel can go with another piece of apparel. It is a magazine that is like a guide to fashion around the country. To become a fashion designer there are many duties to take on. One is attending a college that consists of 1 to 4 years of learning for that specific career. Other duties are Learning about textiles, fabrics, and how to make different apparel such as shoes, coats, or clothes and more, having good communication skills and a sense for trend setting as well as a vibe for mix and matching apparels and making them look right. I probably would be working a full time schedule due to the great amount of work there would be. The work setting would be a warm environment and safe. It would be a place to let you mind wander and would leave you to want to move on to your next achievement in that work place. This career would lead your future into becoming something successful for you and you life. You would be making the amount of about ($30,000.00 to $70,000.00) or more or maybe even less. The thing is about this job if your clothing creations aren’t a success you wouldn’t be making the amount of money that you were hoping for. If plan A doesn’t work out then this is were my plan B comes in. My plan B is wanting to become an interior designer. Becoming an interior designer is of interest to me because Interior designing consists of having the ability to be coordinate in many ways

Fashion College Application Essay Examples

Having a fashion sense is only a stepping stone in the industry. I believe I am currently building my foundation for success in the fashion industry. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree focused in Fashion Merchandising and an Associate’s degree in Advertising and Marketing Communications from FIT will give me a phenomenal foundation to be competitive. This is my story and the pages are still being

Stitch Fix: Starting My Own Business

Starting my own business was a dream come true. Designing and creating my product has given me tremendous satisfaction. Although the business is part of my passion, something else was missing. Since I can remember I have always had a love for fashion and design. The feeling I have when assisting friends and family find their style, and the clothes that compliment them perfectly is a feeling that is incomparable.

Interior Design Admission Essay

My interest in Interior Architecture has expanded on a daily basis since about the age of ten. Although I may not have fully understood what an Interior Designer or Architect did, it sounded cool. As I have grown, however, I have also grown to understand that this is more than just an interest but a life passion. Through love and hard work, not only have I achieved scholastic excellence, but I also hope to carve a path of excellence as an Interior Architect. It is my goal after I graduate college to pursue a career as a Junior Designer in a large, global hospitality or corporate design firm. Through perseverance and years of experience, I hope to be able to grow as a designer in that firm or amongst a similar firm in the industry. Many of these large, global design firms have the greatest impact on the world we see today. It would be a great feat to have my designs seen by thousands if not millions of people on a yearly basis. My eventual goal is to become Principal of a design firm and be content

Why You Shouldn T Skip Fashion Design School

Fashion design schools teach students how to appropriately combine fabrics and textiles. They help with pattern development and the entire creation process. Fashion design schools have teachers who are well versed in the industry and have the technical knowledge that is highly sought after in the market.

Career Compass

After doing the Career Compass, I gained a lot new understandings about my future career. It provided me with more information about Fashion Designer – which is my ideal job by providing courses and training requirements. Moreover, I also explored that I am more suitable to be an Interior Decorator than an Interior Designer, which I had mistaken for a long time before carrying out the Career Compass. However, I will still keep Interior Design in my top 2 ideal careers because it is more practical and stable to ensure my future. Besides, I also find out a job that seems to be really interesting and suits my strengths– Graphic Designer. Overall, after the JIICAL, I realised that my ideal career choices depend a lot on my own interests, which

College Admissions Essay: What Would I Do As My Career

As the day would pass by I would think what I would want to do as my career. A doctor I could not be. I was not fit in seeing blood all over the place or of thinking the amount of germs just a single cough might give out. One of my main options would be math. I would do so good in all my math classes and ace all of my test with no problems. Why not become an Accountant? That was one of the questions I asked myself. I could take care of people money. I would administrate all different types of business. Why not? Is it really my passion? Do I want to do it?

Sample Essay About Fashion Merchandiser

Since I was little, I always knew that I wanted to be a part of the fashion industry in some way or form. So, as I got older I decided to take on the path of becoming a fashion merchandiser. Though that path has not been easy, I knew that being a Fashion Merchandiser was a right fit. Fashion Merchandising is defined as the promotion of apparel sales and evolves the tasks necessary to deliver the clothing requests and meet the needs of designers and customers. A Fashion Merchandiser can determine future style trends and must have a strong sense of style. Understanding what people want is what makes any fashion brand successful, especially a Fashion Merchandiser. Deciding to become a Fashion Merchandiser has led me on to the right path in which

College Admissions Essay: Studying Fashion In College

As a little girl I never would have thought I would even consider studying fashion in college. It was already registered in my brain that I would study medicine, law or engineering, but as I got older I began to develop a liking for fashion. I began reading fashion magazines, paying attention to what people wore, discovered the fashion channel, where designers would display their latest collection. My favorite designer was always, Betsey Johnson for her showcases of colorful and unusual designs. It was like a whole new world that I had never come across.

I Believe In Purpose Research Paper

When I was younger I was 100% sure I wanted to go to New York and be a fashion designer because as a child that is what I was interested in, but as I grew up I realized I didn’t feel passionate about that idea

Major Assignment : People And Organizations

I thinking for women, clothes designing is the best business, and it’s a good idea to start up.

Tech Career Goals

Interior design has always been at the top of my list for potential careers, with architecture following closely behind. Considering the two professions fit closely together, I would like to pursue both. In graphic arts, plans and layouts are drawn for interior and architectural designs. I believe that taking graphic arts would help cultivate more skills that could be used in these professions.

Fashion Photography Research Paper

Fashion photographers are people who have the job of photographing things such as clothing, accessories, hair, and makeup. They usually take pictures for advertisements, fashion magazines, or fashion blogs and websites. Fashion photographers need to be very creative to get the perfect photo. A designer may want a certain feeling to be expressed by the clothes and the photographer needs to understand what they want and be able to show it in the photos. A fashion photography also needs work well with others, because they need to interact and communicate with many people, such as models, designers, editors, and art directors, and the entire creative team. Understanding fashion and tends is also very helpful in being a fashion photographer. Being a

The Goals And Philosophy Of Art

My art is inspired by popular culture, the work of other artists in similar fields, and the work of surrealist artists. The prospect of being able to have a job that comprises of creativity and a unique perspective motivates me to pursue a career in art and design. I want to be able to have a job that I feel is rewarding and where each day is somewhat different from the next which is possible with visual merchandising because retail is always changing visually to keep up with trends and seasons.

The Fashion Industry And Manufacturing Process

The fashion industry is certainly not for the faint of heart. It is an industry full of ups and down. And it is one that is quite labor-intensive. Fashionable apparel begins as the aesthetic brainchild of a designer (or team of designers). And as the item(s) gain life, each works its way through the many facets of the manufacturing process.

Interior Designer

There are several attractive features in the career of interior design. “Most people feel a great sense of satisfaction when completing a project that they have personally planned.” Also, if you are a people-person, you will enjoy working with a variety of individuals. You will also have opportunities to work in many different settings and will

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Dressmaker Resume Example & Writing Guide

Use this Dressmaker resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.

If you’re passionate about fashion and design, and have an eye for detail, you might be interested in becoming a dressmaker. As a dressmaker, you’ll create custom clothing, often working directly with clients to help them create a look that reflects their unique sense of style.

Before you can begin working as a dressmaker, however, you’ll need to write a resume that showcases your skills and experience. Here are some tips and an example to help you do just that.

Talented dressmaker with 10+ years of experience in the fashion industry. Specializes in creating high-end, couture-level garments for a discerning clientele. Passionate about working one-on-one with clients to bring their vision to life and exceed their expectations.

• Created and altered garments based on customer specifications, taking measurements and using a sewing machine to create the garment.
• Provided customers with fabric recommendations for their projects and assisted in fitting rooms by measuring customers’ body dimensions.
• Maintained knowledge of current fashion trends and styles, fabrics available, and pricing information for various items.
• Assisted other tailors as needed when there was an increase in business volume or during busy times such as prom season or wedding season.
• Performed basic alterations on garments including hemming pants/skirts, shortening sleeves, etc., following specific instructions from customers regarding desired changes to be made to the garment(s).
• Created and maintained a database of clients, orders, fabrics and patterns to ensure efficient workflow
• Maintained an inventory of over 100 different types of fabric for client consultations
• Tracked all incoming and outgoing materials in order to maintain accurate records
• Prepared garments for alterations by marking them with the appropriate size labels
• Followed company dressmaking policies and procedures at all times (dress code included)
• Cut fabric according to pattern, using scissors, straightedge, or measuring tape.
• Sewed fabrics together by hand or machine to form garments.
• Finished raw edges of garment parts to prevent unraveling, using hand-sewing stitches or sewing machine.
• Sewing Machine Operator Certificate
• Certified Sewing Machine Operator

Industry Knowledge: Sewing, Fabric Selection, Pattern Drafting, Pattern Cutting, Garment Construction, Garment Alteration Technical Skills: Sewing Machine, Overlock Machine, Serger, Pattern Drafting, Pattern Cutting, Pattern Grading, Garment Construction, Garment Alteration Soft Skills: Communication, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Time Management, Organization, Attention to Detail, Initiative

How to Write a Dressmaker Resume

Here’s how to write a resume of your own.

Write Compelling Bullet Points

Bullet points are the most effective way to showcase your experience and qualifications. But rather than simply listing your responsibilities, you can make your resume more interesting by using bullet points to describe the results of your work.

For example, rather than saying you “designed and produced clothing for clients,” you could say that you “designed and produced clothing for clients, resulting in 100% customer satisfaction rate and 10% increase in sales over previous year.”

The second bullet point paints a clearer picture of what you did and provides specific numbers to demonstrate your impact.

Identify and Include Relevant Keywords

When you apply for a job as a dressmaker, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This system will scan your resume for specific keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t include enough of the right terms, the ATS might not rank it highly enough for you to be considered for an interview.

One way to make sure your resume contains the right keywords is to look at job postings and take note of the terms that are used most often. You can then use those same terms on your resume. Here are some common dressmaker keywords to get you started:

• Pattern Making
• Fashion Design
• Alterations
• Creative Sewing
• Fashion Sewing
• Sewing Techniques
• Fashion Manufacturing
• Merchandising
• Sewing Machine Operation
• Production Sewing
• Sewing Instruction
• Pattern Drafting
• Fashion Shows
• Customer Service
• Hand Sewing
• Machine Sewing
• Time Management

Showcase Your Technical Skills

As a dressmaker, you need to be proficient in the use of technology in order to create beautiful and well-fitting garments. You should list any relevant technical skills you have, such as experience with CAD software, patternmaking software, and sewing machines. You can also list any other relevant skills, such as experience with fabric selection, draping, and tailoring.

Client Onboarding Specialist Resume Example & Writing Guide

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How to Become a Fashion Designer: Tips, Tricks, & What It Takes to Succeed

Last Updated: July 24, 2024 Fact Checked

Honing Your Skills

Choosing a design field, is the fashion industry right for you, setting yourself up for success, creating your fashion portfolio, expert interview, expert q&a.

This article was written by Christina Santelli and by wikiHow staff writer, Savannah Vold . Christina Santelli is the Owner and Founder of Style Me New, a wardrobe styling concierge based in Tampa, Florida. She has been working as a stylist for over six years, and her work has been featured in HSN, the Pacific Heights Wine and Food Festival, and the Nob Hill Gazette. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,087,450 times.

Fashion design is a fabulous industry perfect for those with a passion for fashion and a creative eye. While it may seem challenging to begin a career as a fashion designer, it’s totally possible with a lot of dedication and commitment to the craft. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about the ins and outs of becoming a fashion designer, so you’ll feel ready to take on the world with your daring designs in no time! This article is based on an interview with our professional stylist, Christina Santelli, founder of Style Me New. Check out the full interview here.

How to Get Started as a Fashion Designer

Develop your drawing, sewing, and design skills, and work towards your bachelor's degree in fashion design. Try to choose a specific fashion field you want to design in, and look for internships at companies in that area. In your free time, practice making original designs.

• Even if you’re already an exceptional sewer, keep honing and practicing your skills by experimenting with a multitude of different designs, patterns, and fabrics. Being able to sew with difficult fabrics under challenging conditions like limited time will serve you well in this career path.
• Start learning about how fabrics move, drape, breathe, react when worn, etc., as well as where to source them from. Your in-depth knowledge of fabric is essential to understanding what fabric works best for specific designs.

• Learn how to create storyboards and product ranges. Research fashion trends by paying close attention to runway shows, popular looks on social media, and displays at retail outlets.
• The earlier you can start honing your fashion designing skills, the better. A little bit of learning every day will help you gain a deep understanding of the fashion industry over time—trying to learn everything at once will be overwhelming.

• Get a degree in fashion design. Most programs are 3-4 years long. FIDM and Parsons are two of the most popular design schools in the United States. You will study drawing, color and composition, pattern-making, and draping, among other useful skills.
• In addition to learning practical skills, you will also be working with industry professionals who may serve as important contacts in the future and can give you first-hand advice and feedback on your work.

• Don’t be discouraged by seemingly small tasks— the connections you make through your internship or apprenticeship will be vital as you pursue your career in fashion. Plus, working with industry professionals will allow you to pick up important skills first-hand. [4] X Research source

• Women's daywear, women's evening wear
• Men's daywear, men's evening wear
• Boys' wear and girls' wear; teenage wear
• Sportswear/fitness/leisure wear
• Outdoor, adventure, outerwear
• Bridal wear
• Accessories
• Costume design for theaters and the film industry

David Reeves

Keen observation is crucial in fashion design. Really immerse yourself in the textures, movements and colors you see in the real world around you. Draw inspiration from the nuances you observe, and think about how your designs will translate from sketch to actual fabric.

• Pay particular attention to best-sellers. These “favorite” items are a success for a reason. It’s up to you to determine what makes these items great and employ those characteristics in your own designs.

• Being a fashion designer is probably for you if: You want to devote your life to this career (it's your "vocation"), you don't mind uncertainty or insecurity, you are willing to stand up for what you believe in, you have distinct ideas about what’s important in fashion, you listen to clients well, you know the fashion industry inside out, and you live, eat and breathe fashion.
• Being a fashion designer is probably not for you if: You can't manage stress well, you don't like uncertainty or instability, you don’t want a career with constant highs and lows, you need other people to praise your efforts, you need a lot of guidance, or you hate being financially unstable.

• Many fashion design programs include courses in marketing and financial literacy. Some programs/majors highlight these helpful courses more than others, so be sure to do ample research on the coursework involved in the program you choose.
• Learn beyond design. There is an entire supply chain involved in the fashion industry, and you need to understand each person's job so that you can see things from their perspective too, to make compromises, meet demands and understand where things get held up.
• Research what others do, such as buyers, merchandisers, pattern cutters, garment and fabric technologists, quality controllers, graders, sample machinists, salespeople, PR and marketing people, fashion journalists, retailers, event organizers, stylists, and so forth.
• Know how much your customers spend, their lifestyles, where they like to shop, how they like to shop, and what they like and dislike. This will make you a more competitive designer because you’ll know what the customer wants.
• Always keep an eye on what other fashion designers in your area of interest are doing.
• Trade fairs are an excellent place to better understand how the fashion industry works behind the curtain, like supply chains and manufacturing plant operations.

• Existing fashion houses and designers with open listings like internships, entry-level paid positions, assistants to designers, etc.
• Costume positions with movie studios, theaters, costume stores, etc.
• Online advertisements through various online job platforms like Linkedin.
• Word of mouth––use your college or fashion industry contacts to get you through the door. This is a good way to get started in an industry that values what well-positioned people have to say.

• Don’t forget that you can always work as a designer for a fashion house instead of running your own label if you don’t want to run your own business.

• Consider the power of selling online . With great stock photos and a user-friendly webpage design, you can sell to anyone, anywhere.
• Paris, France
• London, England
• New York, US
• Milan, Italy
• Tokyo, Japan
• Barcelona, Spain
• Madrid, Spain
• Seoul, South Korea
• Toronto, Canada
• Sao Palo, Brazil
• Berlin, Germany
• Mumbai, India

• Hand-drawn sketches or photographs of your sketches
• Computer-drawn designs
• Mood or concept pages
• Color or textile presentation pages
• Any other pieces that reflect what you're capable of or are evolving into.

Develop your own point of view as a designer. "It is important always to have really original talent. There are lots of good designers that make attractive clothes and make women look beautiful. But at the same time, one doesn't want to lose the idea that there is someone out there who can change the way you look at fashion."

Kickstart Your Fashion Design Career with this Expert Series

• Accept criticism gracefully. Constructive criticism can take your designs to the next level. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you plan to launch your own fashion line instead of designing for an existing one, start out with your own online shop. You can then spread your designs across sites like ASOS marketplace (where budding designers sell their creations) and Etsy (where people sell handmade goods such as clothes, jewelry, candles, and artwork). Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Try to practice your artistic works every day, no matter how busy you are. Take a few minutes to sketch out design ideas or sewing a new pattern.
• If you're able to, try to live in a main fashion city, like New York or Los Angeles, to increase your chances of finding a good design job.

• Working as a designer can be a physically strenuous career. You must be willing to work consistently long hours to meet deadlines. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• The fashion industry is extremely competitive; only pursue a career in fashion if you’re 100% devoted to the field. Thanks Helpful 5 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about fashion design, check out our in-depth interview with Christina Santelli .

• ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/top-skills-required-to-become-a-successful-fashion-designer-as-a-student/
• ↑ Chloée Ohayon-Crosby. Fashion Stylist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
• ↑ Susan Kim. Professional Stylist. Expert Interview. 20 April 2019
• ↑ https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/workplace-talent/how-to-find-an-internship-in-fashion/
• ↑ Christina Santelli. Professional Stylist. Expert Interview. 22 April 2019.
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/types-of-designers-in-fashion
• ↑ https://hbr.org/2018/06/5-surprising-findings-about-how-people-actually-buy-clothes-and-shoes
• ↑ https://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/know-your-customers--needs/
• ↑ https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/four-strategies-for-making-concessions
• ↑ Sarah McDonald. Certified Stylist & Image Consultant. Expert Interview. 26 August 2021.
• ↑ https://www.robertwalters.cn/insights/career-advice/blog/finance-career-in-fashion-industry.html
• ↑ https://www.marieclaire.com/career-advice/a7896/how-to-start-your-own-clothing-label/
• ↑ https://thevou.com/fashion/fashion-capitals-of-the-world/
• ↑ https://education.seattlepi.com/prepare-portfolio-fashion-design-school-1459.html

About This Article

If you want to become a fashion designer, enroll in a school for fashion design, where you can study fabrics, sewing techniques, and the history of fashion. If school isn’t for you, apply for an apprenticeship or internship working for a fashion designer. As you’re completing your training, design and create clothing for customers to build your portfolio. Once you’ve completed school or your internship, you can either apply for jobs with different clothing manufacturers or you can start your own clothing label. For tips on assembling your fashion portfolio, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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What Are the Requirements for a Career in Fashion Design?

Are you ready to discover your college program?

From swimwear to runway looks, fashion designers create styles for diverse consumers. However, fashion careers require more than just a good eye and sewing skills.

A fashion designer creates original apparel and accessories. Drawing on fashion trends and a deep knowledge of textiles and style, designers turn their vision into a reality.

Careers in fashion design also require business training. Successful designers blend creativity with solid skills in marketing, sales, and management. Most fashion designers hold a bachelor’s degree.

The fashion design career offers above-average salaries. But how do fashion designers start their careers? Like other art and design careers , fashion designers often put in long hours before breaking into the industry. This page explores how to become a fashion designer.

What Do Fashion Designers Do?

Fashion designers create and design clothing and accessories. They may specialize in high fashion, ready-to-wear apparel, mass-market clothing, sportswear, evening wear, accessories, or footwear.

Designers research fashion trends to create forward-looking designs. They often rely on design software to create pieces, and they collaborate with designers on projects. At the beginning of a design project, fashion designers make sketches, evaluate textiles, and create a prototype.

Some designers create collections or fashion lines that showcase a theme or trend. They design pieces to show during fashion weeks in New York, Paris, Milan, and London. Other designers work for major brands, where they pitch ideas to creative directors and design seasonal lines for the brand.

In addition to fashion training, many designers learn marketing and business skills. Fashion merchandising experience helps designers get their pieces in retail establishments and market their work to customers.

Where Can Fashion Designers Work?

Fashion designers work for major fashion brands on the wholesale and manufacturing sides. In these roles, they create apparel and accessories that brands distribute to retailers. Nearly a quarter of fashion designers work in freelance roles, where they contract with clients to create pieces. Some of these designers launch their own clothing lines or create high-end custom apparel.

The career often requires long hours and travel. Designers who work on production deadlines or put together fashion shows often work long hours. Most fashion designers based in the U.S. work in New York or Los Angeles.

Fashion careers require a variety of skills. Designers draw on their creativity and artistic sensibilities to create designs. The career demands strong communication skills, an ability to collaborate, and a detail-oriented outlook. Hard skills like the ability to use design software, clothing construction training, and a deep knowledge of textiles and color also help designers.

Students planning to run their own fashion business also need strong marketing, sales, advertising, and management skills. Self-employed designers draw on sales and product development skills to understand their consumers and create in-demand designs. Overall, fashion designers must balance their passion and creativity with technical and business know-how.

Fashion Designer Skill Sets

Human skills.

• Communication
• Detail-oriented
• Collaborative

Hard Skills

• Computer-literate
• Clothing construction techniques
• Color theory
• Textile training
• Design software

Steps to Become an Fashion Designer

Earning a fashion design degree can help designers launch their careers. But a degree alone does not guarantee success. Fashion designers also need a strong portfolio, work experience, and a professional network to break into the fashion industry. Career success also depends on skill. Designers must know their brand identity, aesthetic, and niche in the industry.

Successful fashion designers work their way up. Many start building skills long before entering a fashion program. Learning how to sew, following fashion trends, and practicing with design softwares all help future designers gain admission to competitive fashion programs. After earning a degree, designers often work as stylists, fashion buyers, and assistants to established designers. These roles help designers expand their skills and build a network.

1. Complete a Fashion Design Degree Program

Most fashion designers hold an art and design bachelor’s degree . During a fashion design program, students study fabrics, fashion theory, and color theory. They also learn how to create styles using computer-aided design (CAD) software. Fashion design courses use project-based assignments to help students strengthen their skills and build their portfolios.

Fashion design degree programs incorporate coursework in fashion merchandising, business, and marketing. Designers draw on these skills to launch a line, evaluate customer demand for styles, and earn a profit. At the conclusion of a fashion design program, seniors may design a line for a school fashion show.

2. Gain Hands-On Experience

A fashion design or fashion merchandising degree provides valuable training for a career in fashion. However, designers also need hands-on experience.

During school, fashion designers should pursue internship opportunities. Many colleges connect aspiring designers with companies hiring interns. During an internship, students work under the supervision of an experienced fashion designer. Internships provide practical experience with the business side of the fashion industry. While students hone techniques and aesthetics in class, an internship provides career training.

In addition to internship experience, students should consider part-time or contract work opportunities. Working for a small brand helps students build their portfolio and potentially launch their own line. Experience with a major brand helps designers build their resume and make valuable connections in the industry.

3. Network Within the Industry

Like other artistic fields, networking helps fashion designers find professional opportunities, secure clients, and advance their careers. Designers should begin networking as early as possible, even before entering a fashion program. Networking events in school offer a valuable resource for meeting fashion professionals.

Connect with other designers, suppliers, buyers, and everyone else in the industry. Those connections can pay off once you begin freelancing or applying to full-time positions.

4. Build Your Design Portfolio

Careers in fashion require a strong design portfolio. Many fashion designers start building their portfolios before entering fashion programs. Students expand their portfolios to showcase their designs and skills. For example, designers might want to show range in their portfolio by including ready-to-wear looks and custom high fashion looks, or they may emphasize their technical skills.

Throughout a fashion career, designers update their portfolios. Internships, entry-level jobs, and stylist positions all help designers add to their portfolio.

5. Stay Up-to-Date on the Fashion Industry

Fashion designers need to stay on top of trends and keep up with fashion news. In an industry that changes seasonally, designers must devote time to following fashion cycles.

Several resources help fashion designers stay current. Professional associations, fashion magazines, and fashion shows showcase trends and industry information. Following other fashion designers and watching red carpet events also help designers keep up with trends. Designers can then incorporate new styles into their upcoming projects.

Popular Fashion Design Programs

Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.

Things to Know Before Becoming a Fashion Designer

Considering a career in fashion? Wondering how to become a fashion designer? Before applying to design schools, make sure you have done your research. Here are three things to know before becoming a fashion designer.

Fashion Designer Salary Information

Fashion designers earn an above-average salary, with the highest paid designers making more than $145,000 per year. Salaries vary depending on the industry and location. As the tables below show, designers in manufacturing and specialized design services report average salaries of over $100,000.

Fashion Designer Annual Wages in 2020

$38,570 Lowest 10%

$75,810 Median Annual Wage

$146,300 Highest 10%

Source: BLS

Ask a Fashion Designer

Carolina Dalfó

Carolina Dalfó is a fashion designer based in New York. Her academic career includes a BA in fashion and textile design from UADE in Buenos Aires and a MA in critical theory and the arts from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has experience working for leading brands such as Ralph Lauren, Robert Geller, Opening Ceremony, and Gustav Von Aschenbach. She has also worked with companies such as Lululemon and Dreamworks on special projects and collaborations. Dalfó is also the founder and chair of LATA — the Latinx Alumni Together in the Arts Association at the School of Visual Arts — and the owner and designer of DALFO.

What are the most rewarding aspects of your career?

The most rewarding aspect of being a designer is seeing people feel good in something I’ve created. Clothes should ultimately enhance the human experience, and when one gets to a point of creation where garments contribute to someone’s confidence, it’s something to be proud of.

What are the most challenging aspects of your career?

Fashion design is a competitive, busy, and fast-paced industry. The nature of it can be exhausting, even frustrating at times.

When the road to becoming a fashion designer was challenging, what kept you going?

Working in fashion in New York is a dream come true, but being far from home is very hard sometimes. The key for me was to always look at the bigger picture, aim for that image I created for myself, and put in the work to get there. I now know that not everything will go as expected, but everything will be a learning experience on the way to where I want to be.

Granted, this is hard to understand when something doesn’t go as planned, but the best way is through. Letting all the effort I’ve put in go to waste was never an option for me, so I’d allow myself to feel my feelings and keep going.

What type of person is successful and thrives in a fashion career? What type of person may not be the best fit?

Many different types of people are successful in fashion. What they all have in common is that they haven’t only perfected their skills, but they’ve developed their own taste and aesthetic preferences and understand them really well.

Knowing how to take criticism is a big part of this job. If someone struggles with this, it doesn’t mean they are not a good fit for fashion — just that they might need to work on accepting critique on their work.

What’s a typical day for a fashion designer? What tasks do you typically work on?

I work on every step of the design process, from the initial research and designing a collection to fitting the sample garments and making corrections with the technical designers.

I prefer sketching by hand to get my ideas flowing, but I do my job sketching in Illustrator and sometimes in a 3D program. It’s a lot of screen time and a lot of editing and reviewing.

The installed idea that fashion is a glamorous world is not entirely true. It’s a very hands-on career.

Who do you communicate with?

I communicate with several different teams permanently every day. I mostly work closely with product developers and technical designers, who are in charge of the construction of a garment and setting up fittings for designers.

I also work with a graphics team and a prints team, as well as with other design teams, such as woven shirts and outerwear.

Besides communicating with creatives, my team also works close to the merchandising team, who dictate the seasonal collection needs. It really is a huge team effort.

What kind of hours do you keep?

Sometimes it gets busier, and you might need to put in some extra time, but most days, even working from home, 9am-6pm are my hours.

I used to work during Fashion Week, and those days were longer. Producing a runway show takes a lot of preparation because there are a lot of parts moving together, so the schedule can get a bit out of control. There was always something to do, but it was a lot of fun. I loved it.

Who are your coworkers?

My coworkers are mostly other fashion and textile designers, but also illustrators, graphic designers, and product designers. We all come from different places and we all have our own strengths we bring to the table. It’s great to work with people you can also learn from.

What knowledge do you utilize?

A designer needs to know how to read a brand’s DNA every season in order to come up with new ideas that will push the brand forward and reach new customers without turning the brand into something it is not. For this, it is important to pay attention to social shifts and customer behavior.

Technically, knowledge of garment construction is necessary, especially because you’re going to be participating in fittings and you need to know how to modify that garment in order to solve any issue that might come up.

Personally, even if you’re just starting, knowledge of Adobe Illustrator is a must for me. You can always learn and improve your skills, but a good foundation is always good.

Since becoming a fashion designer, has there been anything about the role that you didn’t expect or anticipate?

Absolutely! Fashion design school does not reflect the reality of being a fashion designer accurately. It is very idealistic and abstract. It surprised me to see how much weight departments like merchandising have, for example.

At the end of the day, you need to make money to keep your company in business, and contrary to that, designers are trained to look to the future and experiment. It took me a while to find the right balance between pushing for newness through experimentation and creating something that makes a profit without feeling like a “sell out.”

What would you recommend that students do, in addition to their fashion design degree programs, in order to stand out to employers?

Anything they genuinely find interesting [that] they could use to fuel their designs. When interviewing, I was always drawn to candidates who had something they were passionate and knowledgeable about, which they could take elements from to add to their own creations. It’s about differentiating yourself and bringing something new to the table.

Fashion Designer Professional Organizations

Association of textiles chemists and colorists, the fashion group international, council of fashion designers of america, united states fashion industry association, common questions about fashion designers, how can i learn fashion designing at home.

Yes. Online fashion design programs train students for careers in fashion design without going to campus. Prospective designers can also enroll in online courses and practice their skills at home.

How Many Years Does It Take to Be a Fashion Designer?

About four years. Most fashion designers hold a bachelor’s degree. During a fashion design program, students study textiles, fashion history, and fashion merchandising.

Can I Design Clothes Without Making Them?

Yes, some fashion designers create designs without constructing pieces themselves. Designers can outsource construction to other professionals.

Do Fashion Designers Travel a Lot?

Yes. Most fashion designers travel regularly to attend fashion shows, meet with suppliers, and network. The majority of fashion designers live in New York or Los Angeles.

Genevieve Carlton

Genevieve Carlton holds a Ph.D. in history from Northwestern University. After earning her doctorate in early modern European history, Carlton worked as an assistant professor of history at the University of Louisville, where she developed new courses on the history of science, Renaissance Italy, and the witch trials. Carlton has published five peer-reviewed articles in top presses and a monograph with the University of Chicago Press. She also earned tenure with a unanimous vote before relocating to Seattle. Learn more about Carlton’s work at genevievecarlton.com .

Header Image Credit: xavierarnau | Getty Images

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Essay on Dress Code

Students are often asked to write an essay on Dress Code in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Dress Code

What is a dress code.

A dress code is a set of rules about what you can wear. Schools, offices, and clubs often have dress codes. They help people look neat and proper for different places. For example, your school might ask you to wear certain colors or types of clothes.

Why Dress Codes Matter

Dress codes are important because they create a sense of unity. When everyone wears similar clothes, it can make people feel like they belong to a group. In jobs, it helps customers know who to ask for help.

Pros and Cons

Having a dress code means everyone knows what to wear without thinking too much. But, some people feel dress codes limit their freedom to express themselves through their clothes.

Dress Code Tips

When you follow a dress code, make sure your clothes are clean and fit well. If you’re not sure what to wear, ask a teacher or a friend. Always try to look your best within the rules.

250 Words Essay on Dress Code

Types of dress codes.

There are many types of dress codes. For example, in school, you might have to wear a uniform. This is a special set of clothes that all students wear. At a party, there might be a fancy dress code, which means you need to wear your best clothes. In offices, the dress code is often formal, which means suits for men and dresses or suits for women.

Dress codes are important because they help people know what is okay to wear. They can make sure that no one’s clothes cause a problem or distract others. In school, a dress code can help students focus on learning instead of what everyone is wearing.

Dress codes have good and bad sides. A good side is that they can make everyone feel equal. A bad side is that sometimes people feel they can’t express themselves with their clothes. It’s important to find a balance so that people can feel comfortable and still follow the rules.

Dress codes are about wearing the right clothes for the right place. They help keep things fair and respectful. It’s good to follow the dress code, but it’s also important to feel good in what you wear.

500 Words Essay on Dress Code

A dress code is a set of rules about what clothes people can wear. Schools, offices, and different events often have dress codes to make sure everyone looks proper and respects the place or event they are at. For example, your school might ask you to wear certain colors or types of clothes so that all students look alike and no one feels left out because of what they wear.

Why Do We Have Dress Codes?

There are many kinds of dress codes. Some are very strict, like a uniform that all students must wear. Others are more relaxed, just asking people to wear smart clothes or avoid certain items like flip-flops or hats. At formal events, you might have to wear a suit or a dress. Each dress code is made to fit the place or event it is for.

Pros of Dress Codes

There are good things about having a dress code. It can make choosing what to wear easier because you know what is expected. It can also make everyone feel like they belong to a group, like their school or company. Dress codes can also teach us about respect and how to dress appropriately for different situations.

Cons of Dress Codes

Following dress codes.

When there is a dress code, it’s important to follow it. If you’re not sure what you can or can’t wear, it’s a good idea to ask a teacher or someone in charge. They can explain the rules to you. Remember, dress codes are not there to make life hard but to make sure everyone is dressed right for the place or event.

Dress codes are all around us and they play a big role in how we dress for different places and events. They have good points, like making everyone feel equal and looking proper, but they can also have downsides if people feel they can’t be themselves. It’s important to understand why dress codes exist and to follow them while also thinking about how they affect everyone. Whether you’re going to school, work, or a special event, knowing about the dress code can help you fit in and feel comfortable.

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99 Dress Code Essay Topics & Examples

Welcome to our list of topic ideas! Here, you will find dress code research questions, titles for dress code essays, and bonus samples. Explore the importance of school uniform, arguments for and against it, and much more with our dress code argumentative essay topics!

🔝 Top 10 Dress Code Titles for Essays

🏆 best dress code topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ good research topics about dress code, 👍 simple & easy dress code essay titles, ❓ dress code research questions, ✅ most interesting titles for dress code essays.

• How to Dress for Special Events
• Dress Codes and Gender Equality
• Dress Codes in Religious Institutions
• Uniforms in the Hospitality Industry
• Workplace Diversity through Traditional Attire
• Trends in Entertainment Industry Dress Codes
• Individual Expression in Workplace Dress Code
• Impact of School Dress Codes on Student Behavior
• Brand Representation through Sports Dress Codes
• Where Is the Line between Formal and Casual Attire?
• Dubai’s Food, Dress Code and Culture Religion is an important in aspect in Dubai because it influences the lifestyle of the people and forms the foundation of their culture.
• School Dress Codes and Self-Expression Being urged to wear only approved clothes, students are deprived of an opportunity to understand the differences between social groups and the unique problems of their social class.
• A Support for Dress Code Policy Dress codes issues in America have been serious to an extent that students have historically taken school administration to courts because of infringing on individual free expression contained in the 1st and 14th amendments.
• Dress Code and Modesty in the Society In modern cultures, dressing controls and conveys a special message to the society. Dress code and modesty in the society should conform to the moral rules regardless of a person’s religion or culture.
• Workplace Dress Code Rules and Their Failure As it has been mentioned before, it seems to me that a company must offer a certain dress code or, at least, certain boundaries in terms of clothes, for its employees.
• A Dress Code Policy as a Discriminatory Practice A dress code is an organizational policy of a school, university, company, or community organization that prescribes prohibitions and rules for the wearing of clothing.
• Organizational Manual for Dress Code: Attire and Grooming The figure below illustrates the contents of this manual: The organization will create an environment to help the workers and other stakeholders optimize their productivity. However, the employees will still be expected to groom in […]
• Legal Issue: A Working Dress Code The manager, in turn, replied that heels are part of the dress code that complements the image of the waitresses and attracts customers.
• Altman Corporation’s Dress Code Policy Memorandum In line with the recent dress code policies developed by the communication manager, the following previews and revisions have been made for the effective implementation of the policies.
• Altman Corporation Dress Code Policy They are civilian ware and not professional. Underwear should not be visible above the waistline of the clothing.
• Consultant to an Organization: Dress Codes The reason for changing a dress code policy is to ensure that employees dress appropriately to the work place. However, not all employees respond positively to a change in the dress code.
• Dress Code and Social Norm Violations In my opinion, this norm is not appropriate in the modern world due to several reasons: first, people are free to make decisions and consider their interests; second, fashion is a current issue that cannot […]
• Medical Assisting Vocational School: Dress Code First and most obvious, the establishment of the standards in accordance with which the dress code will be altered will have to be considered.
• Dress Code Implementation Into the NBA
• Religious Beliefs and Dress Code Policies in the Workplace
• The Dress Code and Its Effect on the Safety of Students at School
• Arab Women Freedom and the Dress Code
• Restrictions in Business Casual Dress Code for Managers
• Effectiveness of Student Dress Code in American Schools
• Casual Dress Code vs. Business Casual Dress Code
• Increased School Safety and the Dress Code Policy
• School Uniform: Improving the Dress Code
• Dress Code Dilemma: School Education Clothing
• Feminism and the School Dress Code for Girls
• Body Piercing, Tattooing, and the Public School Dress Code
• Discriminatory Dress Codes in Male-Dominated Industries
• Applying the Dress Code Policy
• Business Casual Dress Code: Formal or Informal
• Dress Code Violation and Discrimination
• Jesuit Dress Code and Hair Restrictions
• Business Casual Dress Code of the Workplace
• Uniform and Dress Code Policies: To Provide a Safe and Orderly Environment
• The Debate Around the Dress Code in Schools
• How Dress Code Takes Meaning and Life Out of Clothes
• Islamic Dress Code and Its Restrictions
• Dress Code for Expats Who Visit Qatar
• Understanding Company Dress Code: Appropriate Work Attire
• Arguments for Reversing the Dress Code for High School
• School Dress Code and Limit Students Freedom of Express
• Nursing Uniforms: Why There Should Be a Mandatory Dress Code for Nurses
• Establishing Employee Dress Code: Suit up or Ship Out
• Dress Code and Uniforms Code: What Is the Difference in Restrictions?
• What Not to Wear: Avoiding Dress Code Discrimination
• Dress Code for Public Schools: Pros and Cons
• Enforcing the Dress Code Policy for Nurses
• Arguments for and Against School Dress Codes
• Dress Code Arguments for High School
• Anti Dress Code Arguments for Public Schools
• Wearing Dress Code for Female Workplace
• Dress Code Policies for Public Schools: Teachers and Students
• Sexual Harassment, Dress Code, and Attendance Policy
• Business Dress Code and Image of the Company
• School Uniforms, Dress Codes, and Free Expression
• Should School Dress Code Be Enforced?
• Why Should Dress Code Not Be Enforced?
• What Does the Dress Code Be?
• How Dress Code Takes Meaning and Life Out of Clothes?
• Does Dress Code Prevent Certain Events?
• Does Your Dress Code Address Flip Flop?
• What Are Some Examples of Dress Codes?
• What Is Called the Dress Code?
• What Are the Four Types of Dress Codes?
• What Are the Three Levels of Dress Codes?
• Is It Against the Dress Code to Not Wear a Bra?
• Why Is a Dress Code Necessary?
• What Is a Nice Casual Dress Code?
• What Are the Dress Codes for Work?
• What Is the Formal, Casual Dress Code?
• What Is a Formal Dress Code for Ladies?
• What Is the Most Formal Dress Code?
• What Is the Fanciest Dress Code?
• All Schools Should Have a Student Dress Code?
• How Arab Women’s Freedom Enforced the Dress Code?
• What Is the Difference Between a Casual Dress Code and Business Casual Dress Code?
• What Is Dress Code for Expats Who Visit Qatar?
• Which Is Dress Code for Teachers in Public Schools?
• What Are the Pros and Cons of the Dress Code?
• What Is the Connection Between Dress Code Violation and Discrimination?
• Why Should There Be a Mandatory Dress Code for Nurses?
• The Role of Dress Code in Impression Management
• Do School Uniforms Restrict Students’ Self-Expression?
• How Dress Code Correlates with Gender Identity
• The Link Between Dress Code and Consumerism
• Ways to Avoid Cultural Appropriation in Dress Code
• Body Shaming and Size Inclusivity in Dress Codes
• Dress Code Policies and Their Effect on Employee Morale and Productivity
• How Workplace Fashion Reflects and Shapes Societal Perceptions
• From Traditional Attire to Contemporary Fashion: The Evolution of Dress Codes
• Ways to Balance Discipline and Personal Expression at School
• Personal Ethics Titles
• Cultural Identity Research Topics
• Deontology Questions
• Pedagogy Topics
• Sexism Essay Ideas
• Wellness Essay Topics
• Cross-Cultural Management Research Topics
• Safety Essay Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Suit Yourself: How to Dress for a College Presentation

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From clicking through slides of that randomly assigned group project you spent far too long putting off, to unveiling a semester’s worth of research at an end-of-year senior showcase, there comes a time in every student’s life to give a college presentation. It may be a thesis months in the making, a business pitch to potential employers, or an informal introduction to a freshman seminar you nearly skipped over on syllabus day. No matter the case, however, the way you present yourself is often as important as the presentation itself.

For first-time presenters, navigating elevated classroom attire is a daunting beast to tame. Even the most oratorically inclined may question where to begin the clothing search, how to afford and style quality garments, and the list goes on. And while it’s tempting to rely on the classic 8:00 am cozy sweats and worn-out sneakers uniform, dressing professionally does not have to be a scary undertaking. Below, we’ve compiled words of advice and outfit ideas perfect for presenting your next big project.

Fuse Professionalism and Personal Style

If you’re stumped on what to wear, reflecting on your ideal professional identity is a useful place to start. “When you walk into a room, what’s the impression you want to leave?,” asks incoming Cornell University law student Avalon Fenster, known across social media as Internship Girl .

“Don’t completely scrub the things you would wear every day, but wear something you can feel confident in [that] suits what you want to project into the world,” said Kirsty Ward , designer and professor of fashion at Savannah College of Art and Design. Far too often, she observes young people going to great lengths to avoid being perceived as amateurish, to the point of “ending up in suits with no personality at all.” But to both Ward and Fenster, dressing professionally simply means showing up as an elevated version of oneself, without sacrificing personal taste.

It’s often those individual touches to an ensemble that make it all the more memorable, reinforcing the impact of a college presentation. Got a lucky best friend bracelet and necklace that’s been in your family for decades? Or a pair of conversation-starting shoes? Lean into these novel pieces that add flair to a more understated outfit.

TREATMENT BY SKYLI ALVAREZ. JEWELRY FROM IGIRL.

Work With What You Have

It’s quite easy to feel as though you’ve got to purchase an entirely new set of clothes to be lecture-ready, but some of the best pieces are likely already in your closet. “Before you shop for anything, before you add to your wardrobe, look for what you can repurpose,” said Fenster.

Resist the urge to buy everything you think you may need all at once by swapping items with friends, doing thrift-flips, and styling hand-me-downs from older siblings and relatives. Frequenting thrift stores and estate sales remains a budget-friendly alternative to spending on new items and can offer one-of-a-kind, affordable substitutes.

“It's way better to get fewer things that are higher quality than lots of things that are just falling apart. The last thing you want is to be at a meeting and [have] threads start coming out of your pants,” said Fenster.

Comfort is Key

You want to be able to command the space you’re presenting in and not be preoccupied with two-sizes-too-long dress pants and pumps that leave ankles sore for days. When it comes to closet staples, Fenster and Ward both stress the importance of comfort. “Whether it’s a great [pair] of cigarette pants or good flats you can walk in,” as per Ward, feeling and looking put together go hand-in-hand.

Ditch the no-support high heels for a clean pair of sneakers ; opt for soft, lightweight fabrics such as cotton; and layer for extra warmth when you know a classroom will be chilly. “Dress for focus,” says Fester, “so that you can not only look fantastic, but [also] be present in the task at hand.”

TREATMENT BY SKYLI ALVAREZ

Mix and Match Classics

Consider assembling a capsule wardrobe of versatile basics that can be easily thrown on for any college presentation. “I would definitely recommend having good button-down shirts, ones that you can either [wear] as they are or style in a fun way. If they’re oversized, play around with the proportions,” said Ward. She recommends Uniqlo for affordable apparel, especially noting its recent collaborations with JW Anderson and Marimekko .

To Fenster, the ideal professional closet for a college student includes two pairs of pants, two blazers, several shirts, a bodysuit, and a functional bag. Aritzia is her go-to for businesswear, and she swears by its front-knife pleated Effortless Pant and cropped Babaton Arbus Blazer . She embraces trends but advises starting out with timeless silhouettes.

The Bottom Line

College is prime for style experimentation and pushing beyond your comfort zone, both through the ensembles you wear and the academic opportunities you pursue. “Don’t pressure yourself to have it all sorted out, [as] you’re just at the start of your learning and career,” said Ward. The outfits won’t always work, though perhaps therein lies the excitement. With time, you’ll learn what compliments you, so long as you make a continued effort to push out of your comfort zone.

“If you’re someone who’s still navigating how to dress professionally, the best thing you can do is put yourself in as many situations as possible to dress up,” said Fenster. “Go to those conferences, go to those networking meetings, make coffee chats with upperclassmen, put yourself in classes where [presentations] are part of the syllabus.”

Shop several uni presentation-approved pieces below:

Soft Lawn Gathered Blouse

Babaton Equilibrium Top

Chiffon Skirt

The Effortless Pant™ Wider

The Greta Ballet Flat

Jeffrey Campbell

City-Boy Mule