Rebellion in The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood Essay

Rebellion in The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood Rebel is a term, which is highly weighed down with emotion. In society today we perceive a rebel to be a figure opposing a much stronger majority. We distinguish the rebel to be a character who fights for his/her own ideals. We see a person that will do anything almost being ruthless to destroy the boundaries set up against him/her by the stronger mass. We witness the rebel as an individual who deliberately defines a battlefield and two fighting fronts. The rebel is constantly is resisting. The only way he/she can defend his morals and values are to strike the greater that condemns his/her values and morals. Unfortunately today there are many misconceptions and†¦show more content†¦As one can see from the name, this societys absolute moral backbone is formed by Christian fundamentalism. Radiation and chemicals have contaminated the physical world in which this society dwells. As a result the fertility rate has drastically reduced the fertility rate. The government has introd uced handmaids, who are young fertile females whose job is to act as surrogate mothers. They basically are wombs on two legs. If they fail to conceive three times, they guaranteed death by working at the colonies. The reader follows the life of a handmaid called Offred. We witness how Offred distances herself from the system day to day. Our protagonist Offred is a character, which we can easily categorise. It is hard to perceive Offred as a rebel. However if Offred is at all to be labelled a rebel she must belong to the class of rebels that act passively. During the novel there are only a small number of occasions where Offred acts actively. There is great contrast set up by Atwood to emphasise Offreds inert behaviour. Atwood presents to us the character called Moira. Moira is Offreds best friend. I feel that I recognise Moira to be the active rebel. Moira is the one who goes on demonstrations. Moira is the one who from the first step into the red centre wants to leave it. Moira cannot see any boundaries. She is the one who escapes the red centre. She is character that does not respect authority. Moira is aShow MoreRelatedThe Handmaids Tale Gender Inequality Essay1067 Words   |  5 PagesHandmaid’s Tale and Women in Modern Day Society Picture being in a world where women no longer have the freedom to purchase items, instead all of their money can be found in their husband’s account. This is the life of the Handmaids; their lives reflect those of slaves because they can’t go anywhere alone, have no money of their own, and live in constant fear of being sent to the Colonies. Small parts of gender equality can be seen in today’s society. The overall theme of The Handmaid’s Tale is genderRead MoreEssay about The Handmaids Tale889 Words   |  4 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste. Fear is powerRead More Essay on A Society of Oppression in A Handmaids Tale745 Words   |  3 PagesOppression in A Handmaids Tale      Ã‚   As the saying goes, history repeats itself. If one of the goals of Margaret Atwood was to prove this particular point, she certainly succeeded in her novel A Handmaids Tale. In her Note to the Reader, she writes, The thing to remember is that there is nothing new about the society depicted in The Handmaidens Tale except the time and place. All of the things I have written about ...have been done before, more than once... (316). Atwood seems to choose onlyRead MoreMargaret Atwood s The Handmaid Tale Essay1318 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresented in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale. The novel is set in the Republic of Gilead, a dictatorship, formerly known as the United States of America. The government controls all aspects of the lives’ of its citizens, with its harshest regulations directly affecting women. Gileadean women are divided into seven classes based on hierarchy and identified by the color of their clothing. However, â€Å"They are not divided into functions. They have to do everything; if they can† (Atwood 24). The commanders’Read MoreThe Handmaids Tale Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesIn Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Handmaids Tale’, we hear a transcribed account of one womans posting ‘Offred’ in the Republic of Gilead. A society based around Biblical philosophies as a way to validate inhumane state practises. In a society of declining birth rates, fertile women are chosen to become Handmaids, walking incubators, whose role in life is to reproduce for barren wives of commanders. Older women, gay men, and barren Handmaids are sent to the colonies to clean toxic waste. Fear is powerRead MoreThe Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood And Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins1522 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Dystopia is an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad typically in a totalitarian or an environmentally degraded one† (www.oxforddictionaries.com).The text, The Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins deal with the main idea of societal restraint. Both authors portray a protagonist who is living in a totalitarian society. The protagonists in both novels have harsh limitations which they must abide to. The authors use setting, oppression, andRead MoreEssay on The Dystopia in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale1098 Words   |  5 PagesThe Dystopia in Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale Offred is a Handmaid in what used to be the United States, now the theocratic Republic of Gilead. In order to create Gileads idea of a more perfect society, they have reverted to taking the Book of Genesis at its word. Women no longer have any privileges; they cannot work, have their own bank accounts, or own anything. The also are not allowed to read or even chose who they want to marry. Women are taught that they should be subservientRead MoreFeminism In The Handmaids Tale1709 Words   |  7 Pagesdystopian world with a patriarchal society, is displayed in Atwood’s, The Handmaid’s Tale. More specifically, the novel takes place in what used to be considered the United States but is now being called the Republic of Gilead where freedoms and rights have been excluded, especially for women. The society nurtures a â€Å"theocratic, patriarchal, nightmare world created by men, with the complicity of women† (â€Å"Margaret (Eleanor) Atwood†). The separation of the freedoms between the genders created female victimizationRead MorePower Struggle In The Handmaids Tale By Margaret Atwood1373 Words   |  6 PagesRenowned playwright William Shakespeare, and contemporary novelist Margaret Atwood both explore power struggle from a feminist perspective. Shakespeare in ‘King Lear’ and Atwood in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ explore varying power struggles and their correlation to gender through their respective texts. Shakespeare and Atwood use the genders of their central characters to focus on power in historical and dystopian settings. Both authors explore religious frameworks, the types of power in a patriarchalRead MoreThe Handmaid s Tale By Margaret Atwood1357 Words   |  6 Pagesdictionary). In the novel The Handmaid’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 time of fear. In the autumn of 1984, when she began writing The Handmaid’s Tale, she was living in West Berlin. The Berlin Wall had not yet fallen and in her travels â€Å"behind the Iron Curtain† (Atwood, 2017) she experienced â€Å"the wariness

The Usefulness Of The Canadian Senate - 1687 Words

David C. Docherty’s scholarly journal responds to the continual controversy and debate of the usefulness of the Canadian senate in 2002. Docherty’s article does an amazing job at analyzing the current Canadian senate and argues that the senate is a failing Canadian institution because of two democratic deficiencies: the undemocratic nature of senator selection and the inability of senators to represent provinces properly (45). These two features of why the senate is a failing Canadian institution can be compared to how Rand Dyck defines democracy in Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches. Docherty looks at several previous senate reforms and answers the question of why these senate reforms failed, in doing so Docherty lays down a framework for a possible successful senate reform but acknowledges the obstacles. Docherty does a very good job at accessing the problem of the senate, accessing the problem of previous reforms, and suggesting a plausible type of reform for the senate. This provides the reader with the knowledge of why the Canadian senate is a failing institution but also the possible solutions of how the senate can be reformed in order to maximize its democratic potential. Although, Docherty fails to provide an exact reform that needs to be taken, he just draws upon other failures and hypothesis that this may be the right solution for reform. Rand Dyck’s chapter 11 fills in the missing gap of reform that needs to be taken by drawing upon one of the best attempts atShow MoreRelatedSenate Reform2136 Words   |  9 Pagescountry. Conversely, the upper house, the Senate, according to Section 24 of the Constitution Act (1867), states: â€Å"The Governor General shall†¦ summon qualified Persons to the Senate; and†¦ every Person so summoned shall become†¦ a Member of the Senate.†[1] This has amounted to almost 800 Canadians being appointed to the Senate since Confederation. However, as Canadians have grown to deman d transparency and reject government action without accountability, the Senate and its antidemocratic actions have allowedRead MorePolitical Parties Essay3091 Words   |  13 Pagesto an unwillingness to compromise, making for inflexible relations within the network, with potential supporters, and, it goes without saying, with the opposing party. The result is that the direction ideology ordinarily gives to a party and its usefulness in rallying support becomes a source of bitter conflict. Goal Direction An example of how candidate selection can affect a party’s goal direction is when an individual who has gained fame in some other capacity, like sports, then turns to runRead MoreMethods of Qualitative of Data Collection19658 Words   |  79 Pagesethnographic film for its obvious strengths. Visual samples enhance the value of any record. Film documents life crises and ceremonies, transmits cultural events to successive generations, and documents social conflicts (court proceedings, public speakers, Senate sessions, and so on). The film researcher is 04-Marshall-4864.qxd 2/1/2006 3:16 PM Page 121 Data Collection Methods 121 limited by what the mind can imagine and the camera can record— significant limitations because they involve ideology andRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pageswhat somebody says simply because they raise their voice, and narrowly thinking about a problem without bringing in the most relevant information. This first chapter explains what it means to be logical—to reason logically. It demonstrates the usefulness of logical reasoning as a means to making more effective decisions about your own life—decisions about what to believe and decisions about what to do. The chapter begins a systematic program of study of all the major topics regarding logical reasoningRead MoreProject on Risk Management46558 Words   |  187 Pagesbased on financial statements (capital adequacy ratios) can be misleading because some emerging market economies do not follow international accounting standards and accounts are not properly audited. Supervision and regulation can also affect the usefulness of financial statements In line with the preceding, Rojas-Suarez (2004) shows that the traditional measures of banking health most commonly used in industrial countries, such as the capital/asset ratio, have performed poorly as indicators of bankingRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesWisconsin concluded that there was an association between iron deï ¬ ciency and the length of time that a child is bottle-fed (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 26, 2005). Describe the sample and the population of interest for this study. 1.5 The st udent senate at a university with 15,000 students is interested in the proportion of students who favor a change in the grading system to allow for plus and minus grades (e.g., B , B, B , rather than just B). Two hundred students are interviewed to determine theirRead MoreMarketing and E-commerce Business65852 Words   |  264 PagesUniversity of Denver Tom Critzer, Miami University Dursan Delen, Oklahoma State University Abhijit Deshmukh, University of Massachusetts Brian L. Dos Santos, University of Louisville Robert Drevs, University of Notre Dame Akram El-Tannir, Hariri Canadian University, Lebanon Kimberly Furumo, University of Hawaii at Hilo Karen Palumbo, University of St. Francis Wayne Pauli, Dakota State University Jamie Pinchot, Thiel College Kai Pommerenke, University of California at Santa Cruz Barry QuinnRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pagesserving as departmental computers, handling specific tasks such as Chapter 2 †¢ Computer Systems 31 The Smallest PCs: Smartphones Smartphones are here to stay, with the Apple iPhone and various BlackBerry devices (from Research in Motion, a Canadian company) leading the way. Smartphones combine the functions performed by conventional handheld PC, or personal digital assistants (PDAs), with the ability to make phone calls. These devices permit the user to make phone calls, pick up and send e-mail

Defining the Soul in Walt Whitmans Song of Myself Essay

Every sentence in Walt Whitmans Song of Myself tends to either repeat or contradict. He even says of himself, I contradict myself (Lauter, p. 2793). This can make Whitmans poetry a little confusing to some. In his many stanzas, definition of the soul is ambiguous and somewhat contradictory. Whitman says, Clear and sweet is my soul....and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul (Lauter, p. 2745). What I believe Whitman is saying here is that his soul and everything else that is not his soul, including the souls of others, is clear and sweet. He goes on to say in the lines following, Lacks one lacks both... (Lauter, p. 2745). In other words, a soul cannot be clear if it is not sweet and a soul cannot be sweet†¦show more content†¦This line is an example of his use of contradiction because he also says that his soul cannot exceed the other parts of himself. Whitman writes that he, as a poet, represents the body and that he is the poet of the soul (Lauter, p.2759). In other words, his poetry represents the body and the soul, but since we are more interested in the soul, we will focus on that. Remember, also, Whitmans poetry is often contradictory. He says in the following lines, The pleasures of heaven are with me, and the pains of hell are with me (Lauter, p. 2759). I believe what Whitman is saying here is that his soul includes both pleasure and pain. But, in the very next line he says that he has brought pleasure on himself and the pain he feels he translates into a new tongue (Lauter, p. 2759). The tongue refers to here is his poetry. To tie this altogether, his poetry represents the soul, particularly pleasure and pain. He takes the pain from his soul and translates it into poetry. Therefore, his poetry represents his soul. According to Whitman the soul neither completes nor delights a person. He reiterates this by saying, All forces have been steadily employed to complete and delight me, Now I stand on this spot with my soul (Lauter, p. 2787). Here the soul is separate from delight - the soul does not make man happy. Nor does it complete a person. Rather, it is waiting to be completed. Whitman writesShow MoreRelatedWalt Whitman And Allen Ginsbergs Poetry1332 Words   |  6 Pagesyour inner moonlight; don t hide the madness. You say what you want to say when you don t care who s listening.† Walt Whitman was a brilliant writer of his time, a writer that created a voice for the masses to no longer be a mass, but an individual. He was truly a pioneer of his generation, a revolutionary in thought, and this is not his quote. Due to his paralleled lifestyle to Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg learned and drew inspiration from such works as â€Å"Leaves of Grass† to apply towards his ownRead MoreEssay on Whitmans Music as a Means of Expression2414 Words   |  10 PagesWhitmans Music as a Means of Expression In his verses, Walt Whitman eradicates divisions of individual entities while simultaneously celebrating their unique characteristics. All components of the universe are united in a metaphysical intercourse, and yet, are assigned very distinct qualities so as to keep their identities intact. Often times, Whitman demonstrates these conceptions through elements of song. â€Å"Walt Whitman caroled throughout his verse. For the Bard of Democracy, as America cameRead MoreWalt Whitman: An Omnisexual Poet2586 Words   |  11 Pages The homosexual themes displayed in Walt Whitman’s works, especially in his most famous collection of poems Leaves of Grass, raise the question of his own sexuality. Many of his poems depicted affection and sexuality in a simple, personal manner, causing nineteenth century Americans to view them as pornographic and obscene. Based on this poetry, Whitman is usually assumed to be homosexual, or at least bisexual. However, this assumption does not account for major influences of his writing suchRead MoreDefining The American Poet Through Leaves Of Grass : Walt Whitman3117 Words   |  13 Pagesnathan Reed Andrew Walker AML3041-0001 02 August 2015 Defining the American Poet through Leaves of Grass: Walt Whitman Walt Whitman s Leaves of Grass define the aspects of democratic poetry. Early reviews of Leaves of Grass claim that Whitman is the original American poet. This is due to how Whitman practices the democratic view of human equality. For example, if we take a look at a review published in the New York Daily Times that was written in 1856, less than a year after leaves of grass wasRead MoreTranscendentalism : The Philosophical Movement1786 Words   |  8 Pagestranscendentalists acknowledged women as sharing that same soul, but women still had to fight for their equality in a patriarchal society. Emerson gives the open definition of Transcendentalism as, â€Å"a whole connection of spiritual doctrine† (â€Å"Defining Transcendentalism†). Emerson, however, fails to wholly connect all; because of Emerson’s exclusion of women, â€Å"he did not fully endorse the aspirations of the women in his milieu† (Cole 413). Walt Whitman, on the other hand, was an exceptiona l transcendentalistRead MoreHow Fa Has the Use of English Language Enriched or Disrupted Life and Culture in Mauritius15928 Words   |  64 Pagesburied house, this word choice has a very different connotation. If the afterlife, whether it be Heaven or Hell, is thought to be that house, and Dickenson has been waiting outside for an eternity, would it not imply that no one can get in? That the soul has no place to go after dying? Of course, the fact that the poet can relate this information after being dead implies that spirits are capable of reporting back to the living in one way or another, giving them a sense of agency that would not

King Lear Disruption of Order in King Lear and t Essay Example For Students

King Lear Disruption of Order in King Lear and t Essay he CausesShakespeares King Lear is a play which shows the consequences of one mans decisions. The audience follows the main character, Lear, as he makes decisions that disrupt order in his Kingdom. When Lear surrenders all his power and land to his daughters as a reward for their demonstration of love towards him, the breakdown on order in evident. Lears first mistake is to divide his Kingdom into three parts. A Kingdom is run best under one ruler as only one decision is made without contradiction. Another indication that order is disrupted is the separation of Lears family. Lears inability to control his anger causes him to banish his youngest daughter, Cordelia, and loyal servant, Kent. This foolish act causes Lear to become vulnerable to his other two daughters as they conspire against him. Lastly, the transfer of power from Lear to his eldest and middle daughter, Goneril and Regan, reveals disorder as a result of the division of the Kingdom. A Kingdom without order is a Kingdom in chaos. When order is disrupted in King Lear, the audience witnesses chaotic events that Lear endures, eventually learning who truly loves him. At the start of the play, Lear decides to divide his Kingdom into three. Give me the map there. Know we have divided In three our Kingdom and tis our fast intent to Shake all cares and business from our age. (I,i,37-39) This is the first indication that order is disrupted. Dividing up a Kingdom politically has many disadvantages that Lear does not realize. A Kingdom divided mens there will be more than one ruler and a difference of opinion will occur. There will always be disagreements and arguments which may end in haste, creating tension between the rulers. Also, the pieces of land will eventually have to be divided again as generations pass, which allows for easy attacks. Although Lear may feel he had a good reason to divide his land, there really is no rational reason for his action. He only divided his land so he could be showered with loving words from his daughters. His desire to fuel his ego by abdicating his throne and using his property as a reward eventually causes him to lose everything, including his family. Dividing the Kingdom is not the only indication that order is disrupted. The separation of Lears family also provide evidence that disorder is inevitable. The banishment of Cordelia and Kent is a harsh act carried out by Lear while blinded by anger. By banishing the only daughter who truly loves him, and a loyal servant who refuses to stand around and do nothing while Lear makes a big mistake, Lear surrounds himself with people who only loved him for his money and power. As Lears family breaks apart, one must wonder if Lear is capable of ruling a country when he cannot even keep his family together. Again, Lears desire to fuel his ego is the cause of the separation of his family. When Cordelia refuses to speak lovingly, Unhappy that I am. I cannot heave My heart into my mouth. (I,i,92-94), Lear becomes angered and banishes her. As an act of loyalty, Kent stands up for Cordelia and questions Lears decision, because he feels that Lear is making a big mistake. For that reason, Lear also banishes Kent and as a result, the people who truly love him are kicked out of his life, leaving him vulnerable to Goneril and Regan. As the play proceeds, Regan and Goneril rise in status in the Kingdom, while Lears presence and authority as King becomes insignificant. .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .postImageUrl , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:hover , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:visited , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:active { border:0!important; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:active , .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud33050ede4fd03a449c153b229a81ade:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: History No title got an A on it! A case for Essay This is an indication that order is disrupted, because traditionally the oldest person in the family is in control. Only when the King dies, do his children take over his reign. Lears insignificance is shown in a conversation with Oswald, a servant to Goneril. Lear: Who am I, sir? Oswald: My Ladys father. Lear: My Ladys father! My lords knave! (I, iv, 74-76) Lear is greatly insulted by that comment as he is the King of England, not just his daughters father. Oswalds comment suggests that Gonerial has a higher rank than Lear. Lears insignificance is a result of his own actions. When he banished Cordelia and Kent, he allowed himself to be vulnerable to Goneril and Regans conspiracy, which was indicated in their conversation. Pray you let us hit together. If our father Carry authority with such disposition as he bears, this last surrender of his will but offend us. (I, i, 322-324) Predicting that their father will likely pose a threat for them, Goneril and Regan plot against their father so he becomes helpless like a young child. Lears flaw to believe every word his daughters speak was a contribution to his downfall. As order is important to a Kingdom, so is the ability to maintain that order. As demonstrated in Acts I and II of King Lear, order is disrupted as a result of Lears decision to divide the Kingdom, banish his daughter and loyal servant, and his daughters rise to the top. All these factors contribute to the disruption of order as Lear act on foolish mistakes. As the audience watches, Lear struggles through hardships to try and get the order back into the Kingdom he once ruled.