Please, explain me the meaning of a sentence.

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Anonymous

#360318 Fri, 04 May 07 06:18 PM

I didn't know where to place such a question, but finally I've chosen this section of Your forum. I hope that it wasn't a big mistake Smile [:)] If yes - I'm really sorry. This is a paragraph from Miss Potter review.

"...Beatrix becomes friends with Norman’s sister Millie (Emily Watson), another free spirit who always speaks her mind. Millie isn’t married, and together the women discuss the joys of being single and not being bossed about by a man — until Beatrix accepts Norman’s proposal of marriage. So much for sisters doing it for themselves."

I don't understand the last sentence and I've got to translate the review into my mother tongue.

I've got yet another question concerning the same review.

"There are no rough edges to her personality; nothing dark or revealing is on display. But this film wants it both ways: to show us a modern woman who dares to break with convention, but not to give her stance any consequences."

I wonder who in the above paragraph doesn't want to give Miss Potter's stance any consequences. She herself or the film? For me this sentence is quite ambiguous

Please, help me if You can. I'd appreciate especially native speakers' replies, but all ideas are welcome Smile [:)]

Thank You in advance!

Judyta.

Anonymous

Paragraphs, Marriage

Grammar Geek

#360342 Fri, 04 May 07 07:55 PM

Hi Judyta,

Just a quick note - "explain the meaning of a sentence to me" rather than "explain me the meaning."

Anyway,

There is a song - it has been recorded by more than one group - called "Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves." The song talks about how women don't need men to help them - they can do just fine without a man in therr lives. So In Miss Potter, it seems great when Millie and Beatrix are happy in their unmarried state - they are "sisters doing it for themselves" - succeeding without the help of any men. But then, Beatrix decides to marry Norman, so she will no longer be a woman on her own. The writer of the review seems to think that the opinions of the two women that a woman CAN do just fine without a man rings false if one of them is eager to get married.

Usually, when someone "takes a stand" (which means to have an opinion and back it up, even though it's not popular) against what is commonly thought to be true, the person faces consequences. It didn't go so well for Galileo, for example, when he said that he earth was not the center of the universe. Because Beatrix defied convention by not marrying someone "suitable," the reviewer seems to think that she should have been shown to suffer consequences from that. I would say the review is blaming the people who wrote the movie for not showing her life being harder than it was. (Although if I had had to live with her mother the way she was portrayed, I would have found it pretty big hardship!)

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Barbara, who answers in American English.

Possibilities

#360354 Fri, 04 May 07 08:28 PM

Thank You very much! You helped me a lot Smile [:)] As for my second question, I'm happy that Your reply is what I assumed. As for the first one, I didn't expect that it could be a part of lyrics, although I think that my assumptions concerning the sentence' s meaning were also right. So, once again thanks a lot!

Best wishes,

Judyta

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Joined on Fri, May 4 2007

Poland

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Grammar Geek

#360356 Fri, 04 May 07 08:32 PM

I'm glad it was helpful. Smile [:)]

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