Margaret Atwood- Feminism - 1227 Words

Jennifer Yeomelakis Major Author Rough Draft 2/13/12 Feminism in the Works of Margaret Atwood Feminism is the belief and advocacy of equal rights for woman. This belief is shown through Margaret Atwood’s works, although she doesn’t believe so â€Å"Every time you write from the point of view of a woman, people say it’s feminist.† Critics all of the world disagree with her and say that Atwood’s novels are blatantly feministic. Margaret Atwood uses time, male chauvinism, and jealousy to display her belief that women aren’t treated fairly, yet they deserve to be. Atwood’s mute female roles create the setting for her In Atwood’s works, time is vital is showing that her feminist beliefs sets the outline in which she displays that belief.†¦show more content†¦They were always destined to be in the situations that they end up in and they spent their whole lives preparing for that situation. Men were meant to become the leaders and women were to be kept in the shadows, but Atwood purposefully changes those destinies for her characters. In the societies built around Atwood’s novels, women are destined from birth to become a certain attribute in the world. Such as in the case of The Handmaid’s Tale, women are destined to become only six things, wives, daughters, handmaids, aunts, marthas, or econowives, they never had the choice of being anything else. In Margaret Atwood’s novels, the characters try to change each other’s destiny, but will find out that no one can change one’s destiny. â€Å"He who could master the hearts of men and their secrets is well on their way to mastering the fates and controlling the thread of his own destiny, not that any man could really do that, not even the Gods† (43) the characters of The Penelopiad believe heavily that the fates control what happens in their life, especially the bad things, and are well aware that they cannot change each other’s destiny. Margaret Atwood’s societies are chauvinistic to show that there was no universal law on how to behave towards other people. Her male dominated, male chauvinistic societies add emphasis to her belief of feminism. Through male chauvinism, the sanctity of marriage or of other relationships is dissolved. Men seem to be allowed to commitShow MoreRelatedFeminism And Gender Roles By Margaret Atwood1518 Words   |  7 PagesIn Surfacing by Margaret Atwood, there are numerous portrayals of feminism and gender roles. There are underlying hints of distaste towards the female sex role and the predatory, aggressive behaviour of men towards women. The suppression of women is portrayed and analyzed, and Surfacing manages to tackle the theme of gender roles by exploring through the perspective of the female narrator how women are marginalized in many aspects of their lives. . Surfacing makes a case for strong women that defyRead MoreEssay on Feminist Ideas in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale1199 Words   |  5 PagesFeminist Ideas in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale For this essay, we focused strictly on critics reactions to Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale. For the most part, we found two separate opinions about The Handmaids Tale, concerning feminism. One opinion is that it is a feminist novel, and the opposing opinion that it is not. Feminism: A doctrine advocating social, political, and economic rights for women equal to those of men as recorded in Websters Dictionary. This topic is prevalentRead MoreThe Life and Achievements of Margaret Eleanor Atwood Essay1687 Words   |  7 PagesMargaret Eleanor Atwood, one of the most acclaimed and idolized writers’ to date. Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario, on November 18th, 1939 in the Ottawa General Hospital. Two and a half months after the beginning of the Second World War (Atwood). She is a renowned novelist and poet; furthermore writer of short stories, critical studies, screenplays, radio scripts and books for children (Gale). Margaret Atwood is a living inspiration to many writers today. Atwood is a fiction, and non-fiction writerRead MoreShort Story By Margaret Atwood1031 Words   |  5 PagesMargaret Atwood once said, â€Å"I spent much of my childhood in northern Quebec, and often there was no radio, no television - there wasn’t a lot to entertain us. When it rained, I stayed inside reading, writing, drawing.† Born on November 18, 1939, she spent half her childhood moving to different places for her father’s study of entomology (insects). She obtained her love of writing through the different experiences that traveling provided as well as the encouragement of her parents. Though she didRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1357 Words   |  6 PagesHow does one define feminism? It means many things to many people. For some it’s more personal, for others it’s the Oxford definition: â€Å"the advocacy of women s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes† (Oxford dictionary). In the novel The Handma id’s Tale, Margaret Atwood explores feminism through the themes of women’s bodies as political tools, the dynamics of rape culture and the society of complacency. Margaret Atwood was born in 1939, at the beginning of WWII, growing up in a timeRead More Feminist Issues in The Handmaids Tale Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood, can be classified as a distopic novel. The Republic of Gilead in The Handmaids Tale is characteristic of a distopia in that it is not intended as a prediction of the future of our society, but rather as a commentary on current social trends. Atwood has created this nation by isolating what she might consider the disturbing aspects of two diametrically opposed factions of our society (namely the religious right and radical feminism) as a theory as to what wouldRead More Feminism In The Handmaids Tale Essay1588 Words   |  7 PagesFeminism In The Handmaids Tale      Ã‚  Ã‚   Feminism as we know it began in the mid 1960s as the Womens Liberation Movement. Among its chief tenants is the idea of womens empowerment, the idea that women are capable of doing and should be allowed to do anything men can do. Feminists believe that neither sex is naturally superior. They stand behind the idea that women are inherently just as strong and intelligent as the so-called stronger sex. Many writers have taken up the cause of feminismRead MoreFeminism Lost in Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale Essay1527 Words   |  7 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, the human spirit has evolved to such a point that it cannot be subdued by complacency. Atwood shows Gilead as an extremist state with strong religious connotations. We see the outcome of the reversal of women’s rights and a totalitarian government which is based on reproduction. Not only is the government oppressive, but we see the female roles support an d enable the oppression of other female characters. â€Å"This is an open ended text,†¦conscious of the possibilitiesRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1249 Words   |  5 PagesDystopian Research Essay: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood In the words of Erika Gottlieb With control of the past comes domination of the future. A dystopia reflects and discusses major tendencies in contemporary society. The Handmaid s Tale is a dystopian novel written by Margaret Atwood in 1985. The novel follows its protagonist Offred as she lives in a society focused on physical and spiritual oppression of the female identity. Within The Handmaid s Tale it is evident that through theRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale Of Women1858 Words   |  8 Pageskeepers, the Commander’s wife, and other red handmaids One major reason for banning The Handmaid s Tale is sexism. Offred, the main character, explains in her journal; We are for breeding purposes: we aren t concubines, geisha girls, courtesans (Atwood 136). Clearly the handmaids are only used to make babies because the wives of the commanders cannot reproduce. These women are forced into this sexist act solely because of their social class and gender. They are treated unfairly not by just males

Critique of a Research Article about Incarceration in the...

Background In a study of children that had a family member or family associate incarcerated prior to their 18th birthday, Loper Nichols (2012) attempted to address the impact that such incarceration had on such children. It was expected, consistent with previous literature, that household incarceration would have an impact on academic outcomes. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship between household incarceration and two outcomes: failure to graduate high school and extended school absence. Loper and Nichols (2012) examined three factors: 1. If youth with incarcerated household members experienced more social and economic adversity and worse school outcomes than the rest of the sample. 2. Whether household member†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, this influence is not only related to the parents’ influence, but is extended to other close relationship’s in the child’s household. Other theories that may explain how incarceration has an impact on children are strain, attachment, social control, and stigma. Loper and Nichols hypothesized that household incarceration would have a great impact on academic outcomes of the children in the household. Methods There were several relevant variables used in this study. The control variables used were demographic, socioeconomic, and other adversity variables such as sex, ethnicity, poverty status, mother’s educational attainment, cognitive ability, and home environment quality. The dependent variables in this study were related to academic outcomes such as extended absences and failure to graduate from high school. The independent variables used were parental incarceration, sibling incarceration, and other household member’s incarceration (Loper and Nichols, 2012). The study by Lopers and Nichols was a longitudinal, study design using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, Child and Youth survey (NLSY 2010), which included women and their children. According to Lopers and Nichols, â€Å"Out of the sample, 585 met criteria for the household incarceration status, to be compared to 2,753 individuals who did not experience household incarceration† (p. 5). Furth ermore, itShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Parental Incarceration On Children3942 Words   |  16 Pages The Effects of Parental Incarceration on their Children Darlene Oliver May 4, 2016 The University of the District of Columbia Introduction The number of children with incarcerated parents continues to increase, thus the long-term ramifications of parental incarceration has become a topic of interest to many concerned people. In addition to understanding the effects of parental incarceration on children, school officials and penal institutions must be involved

Sound of Night Maxine Kumin free essay sample

Maxine Kumin recalls an experience outside with other people at night time when a whole other world comes out. She describes the many animals that thrive in the night and make noises that can be interpreted as threatening. The author appears scared of the unknown and what could be lurking in it’s dark depths. The title, â€Å"The Sound Of Night†, makes the reader begin to ponder what sounds they associate with night. I associate night with chirps and whistles and creaks and rain drops. Many people may think of night as silent and serene while actually a lot happens during the night. As in the poem, animals such as birds, frogs, bats, fish, and others continue their lives impervious to the setting sun or come out to begin their days in nocturnal happiness. Kumin uses her title to relate to her theme of fearing the unknown that can be hiding where you can’t see. We will write a custom essay sample on Sound of Night Maxine Kumin or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In her poem, Kumin uses the literary device of imagery to create the fearful vivid picture in the mind of the reader. For example, Kumin describes the as â€Å"our firework bright and hot† in a stark contrast against the cold dark night she has described so far. The author also uses imagery while describing waiting for â€Å"the crease of first eye-licking light†, or sunrise. Again, the appearance of light and warmth is such a contrast to the night that the rays would lick the author’s eyes. The author also uses the device of personification to make the night seem more alive than it already is. In having the dark doing the action of coming on, Kumin makes the dark something capable of action or â€Å"verbing†. The active dark is suddenly more frightening than the stable, stagnant one. Again, the dark is personified when Kumin says â€Å"we defend ourselves from dark. † Now that dark needs defending against, the night is even more foreboding and unwelcome to Kumin and her fellow adventurers. Kumin’s poem explores the night that we don’t know. She enlightens us to the kind of animals thrive after the sun goes down, the different noises sounding through the seemingly quiet blanket of dark, and feelings of fear and wariness. In her poem, Kumin reveals about humanity that we all fear the unknown and whatever we think could be lurking where we can’t see.

Teen Depression in Catcher in the Rye free essay sample

An examination of teen depression resulting in alcoholism as illustrated by the character of Holden Caulfield in J.D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye. This paper provides a thorough explanation of the concept of teen depression as well as describes symptoms which could lead to alcoholism. Using the character of Caulfield, the writer looks at the process this youth went to in order to reach the lows of chronic depression and alcoholism. Various scenes in the novel are analyzed to provide a link between the character and this condition. Depression is a serious problem facing many in our society, but especially poignant when dealt with by youths. Depression often leads to other serious disorders such as alcoholism. J.D Salinger in his coming of age novel The Catcher in the Rye accurately portrays the mental chasm many teens fall into as a result of depression. The depression and subsequent alcoholism his protagonist Holden Caulfield experiences are unfortunately not just a work of fiction for many teenagers. We will write a custom essay sample on Teen Depression in Catcher in the Rye or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page

Narrative Paragraph Rubric free essay sample

COM 0105 Writing Sentences and Paragraphs Writing Assignment 1: Narrative Paragraph General Instructions and Deadlines Assignment Overview †¢ †¢ The final draft of your paragraph, along with all supporting work (prewriting notes, outline, and first draft), is due via www. turnitin. com and the course digital dropbox by Sunday, 11:59 p. m. ET. Please upload a single document containing all your work. Your paragraph should have between 250–350 words. Step 1: Prewriting A narrative paragraph tells a story. Your first step is to decide what story you would like to tell. See pages 346–348 for possible topics. Once you have a topic, spend about 10 minutes to gather your thoughts about your topic. See pages 322–325 for tips on prewriting. Ask yourself, †¢ What is the main point of the story? †¢ What are the important details? Step 2: Planning Consider the material you gathered in your prewriting and create an outline for your paragraph. Organize your ideas chronologically. Below is a template you can use. We will write a custom essay sample on Narrative Paragraph Rubric or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page See page 332–333 in your textbook for an example. Main idea/Topic sentence First event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Second event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Third event †¢ Detail 1 †¢ Detail 2 Check your outline for unity, support, and coherence by asking yourself, †¢ Is my main idea or topic sentence clear? †¢ Do my supporting points actually support the main idea? Delete anything off-topic. †¢ Do I have enough supporting points/examples? You should have at least three. †¢ Are my supporting points organized in a logical order? Step 3: Drafting Using your outline, write the first draft. †¢ â€Å"Flesh out† the ideas from your outline. Include transitional words and phrases to create a flow between sentences. Page 339 of your book provides a list of transitions for a narrative paragraph. †¢ Compose a title for your work. Step 4: Polishing Ask yourself, †¢ Are my sentences too long or too short? †¢ Do I have enough sentence variety? †¢ Are my words appropriate? †¢ Do I have any major grammatical errors (such as fragments, comma splices, or run-on sentences)? †¢ Do I have any spelling or mechanical errors? Running the spell-checker is not a substitute for proofreading your work carefully.

How to Write Outstanding College Level Book Reports

How to Write Outstanding College Level Book Reports Theres nothing quite like enjoying a really solid piece of literature. Hours can pass while youre diving into a new world that the author has created. Your enjoyment of your novel may dissipate slightly when you are trying to figure out how to write a college level book report about it- but it doesnt have to be that way. Analyzing (and maybe even critiquing) novels is a useful skill that will help you both in and outside of the classroom. In this post we will outline the best strategies of painlessly writing a book report. Its important to note that there is no one generic book report assignment. This isnt necessarily a step-by-step guide, but it can help get you started thinking about the specific requirements that your instructor has for you.Know the assignmentWhen you start out your book report assignment, its important that you know exactly what your instructor is requiring. Does your instructor want you to explore the books theme and write a five-paragraph essay on it, or are yo u supposed to be writing an essay about a particular character? Read through the assignment sheet very carefully and make sure that you understand all of the instructions. If you have questions or are uncertain about something, be sure to ask your instructor.Actually read the bookEven though it may be tempting to take a shortcut and watch a movie adaptation of your book or even to read the Sparknotes, definitely resist that urge. Not only will your report be more thorough if you read the book the whole way through, but reading and understanding themes and outlining a novel plot is an invaluable experience. Youll be able to understand books on a completely new and more appreciative level. When you are reading the novel for your book report, write down page numbers or passages that pertain to the assignment or that you think might be interesting to mention.Try to really sink into what the author is trying to say by asking yourself the following questions:What is the main theme of the book? The theme is the meaning or the entire reason behind writing the book. An author doesnt typically write just to write something down. What motivated them to pen this novel?What is happening to the characters? Typically novels are told from the perspective (either in the first or third person) of the main character, though some novels have multiple perspectives. Is this character a good character or are they flawed? What kinds of obstacles is the character going through? What did they learn during the course of the story?What is the plot of the book? There are several different kinds of plots, and its helpful to know what kind your chosen novel has in order to help you analyze it better. Some stories are quests: that is, the main character is on a journey to accomplish a goal (think Lord of the Rings). Some stories are overcoming obstacles- whether thats internal or external. What kind of plot does your novel have and why do you think the author chose that particular type?Write a good introductionAfter youve read your book thoroughly and youve thought about the characters, themes, plot, and some good quotes, youll be ready to start writing the book report. Like any other paper, a good book report needs an explanatory introduction that is easy to understand. When writing the introduction, be sure to include the title of the work, the author, and a sentence or two on what you will be overviewing in the report. Even though it may not be required to have a thesis statement in your book report, writing one in your paper might keep it more focused and help you narrow down what you will be writing in the body paragraphs.For example, if we were writing an introduction about a book report over Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird, we might write something like this:In Harper Lees iconic coming of age novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee confronts the audience with the idea that systemic racism was rampant in the U.S. court system in the early 20th century in the South. She illustrates this idea with the unfair trial of convicted rapist Tom Robinson, whose lawyer Atticus Finch handily proves is innocent, yet is still sentenced with a crime he did not commit. Through the eyes of the young main character, Scout Finch, the audience is able to learn about these injustices with the innocent eyes of a child.As you can see, we mentioned the name of the book, the author, and we also outlined what we would be discussing throughout the body paragraphs in the book report. Not only will this let the reader know what this report is about, but itll also help you stay organized when you are writing the paper. Note that nowhere in this paragraph does it say that we really liked the book. Whether or not we liked the book is irrelevant in the report. What the book report is trying to do is to objectively understand a books relevance and importance wit themes, characters, motifs, etc. (Though of course its perfectly okay and encouraged to like the book that you are r eviewing.)Implement the ideas in the body paragraphsThe meat of your book report will be in the body paragraphs. These paragraphs will expand on the ideas that you brought up in your introduction paragraph and allow you to introduce the novel in depth to your reader.SummaryThough no two book report assignments are the same, its likely that your instructor is going to want to see some summarization in your book report. Your summary of the novel shouldnt be too lengthy (this is a report after all, so its typically quite short). If your instructor has assigned a five-page book report, dont summarize the book in four and a half pages. As a general rule, commit about 1/3 of the paper to a summary just so you can make sure the reader understands your analysis of it without having read it.AnalysisOnce you are done writing the summary of the novel, then you can get into your actual analysis of it. You may remember that we brought up systemic racism in the U.S. court system in the South in o ur essay on To Kill a Mockingbird. In our summary, we would then explore those ideas that we brought forth to the reader. How does Lee illustrate this idea throughout the novel? A good way to show how the author is making this point is through direct quotations from the book that you believe are a good showcase.In your analysis, you should also be discussing theme (or what was the authors purpose behind writing this book) and character. No two analyses are the same, which is what makes book reports and literary criticism so interesting. Everyone will read the novel through their own personal lenses and experiences and come up with a completely different interpretation of what the author intended for us to come away with.Again, its crucial to keep looking at your instructions for your book report so that you know exactly what you need to be discussing. Even if you write a brilliant report over the theme of systemic racism in the court system in To Kill a Mockingbird, it wont do you a ny good when you were actually supposed to write about the relationship between Scout and Atticus Finch and why it mattered. Paying attention to instructions is one of the biggest keys to success in writing a book report.ConclusionAs with all other conclusions, focus on wrapping things up neatly. Though you may be tempted to just say in the conclusion that you either loved or hated the book, this doesnt make for a very interesting paragraph. When you are writing your conclusion on your book report, think about why this novel matters. If you didnt like it, think about why you didnt like it. Think about how well the author gets his or her point across. Should this book be read widely to gain a critical understanding of a subject? Why or why not? Would you recommend this book to others? The genre of book reports generally seeks out the opinion of the writer, so make sure that you let your voice be heard.RevisingLike any other paper that you write, its crucial to go back through and rev ise if you are turning in the final copy. Its extremely rare that youll write something that doesnt have any mistakes or reworking to do. Once you have written the first draft, take a short break to get your eyes off the paper for just a bit. Come back to the paper after the break with a set of fresh eyes and try to read through it for grammar and spelling mistakes (spell check doesnt get everything!) and then once again for content. Make sure that everything makes sense and is very explanatory. After all- you have to assume that your audience hasnt read your book yet so you want to make sure that you are explaining it well enough to someone who has never read a sentence of it and still be able to understand.If you are uncertain about sentences or even entire passages of your book report, ask a friend or your instructor to take a look at your work. Sometimes it helps to get an outside opinion since youve been closely working with the text.Book reports teach us more than just how to write a reportThough we do a lot of research and studying about subjects that may not be applicable after college, book reports may be one of the only exceptions to that. Novels, no matter how abstract the concept, teach us about human behavior and life through plots and characters. Understanding how to break down an authors intent on their stories will absolutely be relevant to your life. Having the curiosity and the skills to understand a novel with a more complex understanding will undoubtedly enrich your reading experience.Remember than an effective book report will have an introduction that mentions the book title, author, and include the points you will be making throughout the body paragraphs. Your body paragraphs will expand on those ideas that you brought up in the introduction, using quotes from the book, analysis, and summary to aide you.Finally, be sure that once the book report has been written that you are carefully looking at spelling, grammar, and the content of your paragraphs. Get a friend, your instructor, or even a professional editor to look at your book report to make sure you are on the right track.

Act and rule utilitarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Act and rule utilitarianism - Essay Example When accounting for happiness, no individual or entity is given precedence over the other. The â€Å"Rule Utilitarianism† theory states that the acts of individuals will be judged as morally right or wrong with reference to the rules that are developed keeping in mind the principle (Rachels). Therefore, the principle is used to select a set of rules which then determine whether an action is right or wrong under a given situation. This theory has been criticized as attaching more significance to â€Å"rules† than they deserve. As opposed to this, â€Å"Act Utilitarianism† states that the principle is directly used to determine whether an action is right or wrong under a given situation without first applying that principle to select a set of rules (Rachels). Hence, this approach is referred to as â€Å"direct† utilitarianism, whereas the former is referred to as â€Å"indirect† utilitarianism. Furthermore, act utilitarianism is also referred to as the classic or original utilitarianism. For instance, in a society whereby killing someone i s prohibited by law, a rule utilitarian would argue that killing is morally incorrect because if the law is followed, everyone shall be free from the fear of being killed. Act utilitarians, on the other hand, would not accept legal considerations. This view would state that the killing is morally correct if it benefits most people in the society. Hence, it would be justified to kill a criminal, for example, as he/she would pose a threat to the society. The act utilitarianism approach propagates a hedonistic view of finding the best alternative course of action. The best action is therefore, one which produces the highest pleasure. However, rule utilitarianism counters this by claiming that actions that produce the highest utility for an individual may not be morally correct. For instance, human rights violation is not justified even if it results in net welfare for the