Ms. Margaret Eleanor Atwood is... free essay sample

Ms. Margaret Eleanor Atwood is an internationally celebrated novelist, literary critic, and poet. As a child, Atwood spent her time between Ontario, her familys primary residence and sparsely settled bush country in northern Canada, where her father, an entomologist, conducted research. Because of her fathers ongoing research Atwood spent most of her childhood in the woods of northern Quebec and traveled continuously between Ottawa, Sault Ste. Maire, and Toronto. She did not attend school full time until she was eight years old. Because of her upbringing, her works often have themes of the dangers of the ideologies of sexual politics and civilization vs. wilderness. Although, Atwood embeds feminist ideals in her writing as she rallies to empower women, she also cautions her readers by writing dystopian works that touch upon the darkness that is present in humanity.She studied at the University of Toronto where she began publishing her poems in the college literary journal. We will write a custom essay sample on Ms. Margaret Eleanor Atwood is or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In 1961, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and minors in philosophy and French. In 1961, she printed a book of poems, Double of Persephone, and was named he winner of the E.J. Pratt medal. She then went on to obtain her masters at Harvards Radcliff. She planned to pursue higher degrees at Hardvard University, but did not finish her dissertation. Her first significant work was a book of poetry, The Circle Game published in 1964, which was highly praised worldwide and honored in 1964. After that, she wrote numerous novel, screenplays, short stories, children books, and e-books. Atwood also had a distinguished career as a professor. She held positions at the University of British Columbia from 1964-1965, Sir George Williams University from 1967-1968, and York University from 1971-1972. Atwood continued writing some of her most celebrated novels including the Handmaids Tale, the Blind Assassin she continued writing some of her most celebrated novels including The Handmaids Tale, the Blind Assassin, The Penelopiad, Alias Grace, The Edible Woman and many more.In her works, Atwood continually pits civilization against wilderness and society against savagery. She often considers these opposites to be some of the defining characteristics of Canadian society. By pitting civilization against the wilderness, she can create metaphors for the divisions between human personality. Society, civilization, and culture all represent the humanity of all humans while wilderness, irrational, carnal thoughts and actions all represent the savagery of our inner beings. In one of her most famous novels, The Handmaids Tale is about a futuristic totalitarian society called the Republic of Gilead. Gilead rose to power because they wanted to put a stop to prostitution, porn and violence toward women. They also wanted to raise the declining fertility rates caused by pollution and chemical spills which lead to radiation sickness. The main characters name is Offred which isnt her real name, but symbolizes the ownership that a man has over her. Offreds job as a andmaid and her job is Gilead is to be assigned to married couples to bear their children. Offred is assigned to the Commander and his wife, Serena Joy. During the Ceremony Offred is obligated to have sex with the Commander while Serena holds her hands down. The Handmaids Tale is interesting because it uses many of Offreds flashbacks to tell the story of how Gilead began. By doing this we are able to find out that Offred had an affair with a married man and ends up marrying him. After they marry they have a daughter together. In the novel, Offred has a best friend named Moira who refuses to become a victim to Gileads oppression. Offred had a best friend named Moira who was a rebellious who refuses to stand down against Gilead. As Gilead takes over womens rights are virtually non-existent. They are not allowed to own property, have jobs, or vote. When Luke and Offred realize how horrible their life will be they try to escape to Canada, but are captured at the border and separated. Offred is then banished to the Rachel and Leah Re-education center where she is educated as a Handmaid. Moira unable to take stand down escapes and leaves Offred alone. Moira soon escapes leaving Offred alone. Offred is then assigned to the Commanders house. Her only freedom is to go shopping which she must be accompanied by Ofglen.One day the Commander tells his Chuffer to let Offred know to meet him in the study secretly. After that, Offred visits him regularly and he allows her to play Scrabble and read vogue which is forbidden. Serena Joy begins to notice that Offred is not getting pregnant and tells Offred that in exchange of having sex with Nick and then passing off the baby as the Commanders she will bring Offred a picture of her daughter. One night the Commander takes Offred to Jezebel where Commanders meet prostitutes. While there she meets Moira who explains that she was captured after running away from the red center she was captured and chose to be a prostitute rather than being sent to the Colonies. Later that night, the Commander takes Offred to a hotel room and has sex with Offred. After returning home Serena brings Offred to Nicks room and they proceed to have sex with each other. There secret affair continues for weeks after that. Offred gets very involved in the affair and strays from collecting information about the Commander for Ofglen. Offred then finds out that Oglen hanged herself after she realized that the secret police were coming for her. Later, Serena finds out about Offreds trip to Jezebel and sends Offred to her room. As she is waiting in her room a black van pulls up with the same logo as the Eyes. Thinking she is about to get moved to the Colonies, Nick quickly reassures her that the van is taking her to safety, but she doesnt really trust Nicks word. Despite her skepticism she gets on the van going either to freedom or prison. One of the overarching themes in The Handmaids Tale is using women as pawns in a political war. The aim of the founders of Gilead is to stop the decreasing fertility rates, violence, and pornography by creating a completely new political structure. They completely removed democracy for all the people especially women and replaced it with Totalitarianism and theocracy. Womens political freedom was stripped away including their rights to vote, own property, acquire a job, or read. Previously, these rights empowered women to become independent and educated members of society and know they are reduced to nothing but a womb. In one of the novels key scenes, Offred lies in the bath and thinks about a time where her body was her own and not the property of Gilead. Often in Atwoods writing her themes involve an awareness of the struggles within a power structure whether it be democratic structure or a totalitarian structure. Atwood often explores the different ways where individuals became involved in power relationships that are often reduced to domination and victimization. By exploring domination and victimization Atwood crosses into the complicated world of religion. In Gilead, the Sons of Jacob are the aggressors and eventually the victors against democracy and totalitarianism and oppression masked as religion into the lives of millions. As Atood explains how capable humans are to inflict cruelty and darkness she places Biblical references throughout her novel. Before every Ceremony where Handmaids like Offred are raped in an effort to bear children, a passage from Genesis is read to the whole household specifically Genesis 30:1-3. The passage reads, and when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said unto Jacob, Give me children or else I die (Genesis). And she said, Behold my maid, Bilhah. Go unto her and she shall bear upon my knees so that I might also have children by her. And she gave him Bilhah, their Handmaid, to wife, and Jacob went unto her (Genesis). Sons of Jacob use religion as a way to dominate women by explaining that it is within the Bible. The ceremony is about the power relationship between women and men. As she is being held down by the commanders wife, the Handmaid is made to lay between them as she provides her womb to the couple. The result of the ceremony further implicates that the seed she carries belongs to the man she should be honored to carry.One of the highlights of the Handmaids Tale is when Offred finally realizes that power lies within her sexuality. During one of her glimpses of freedom through a shopping trip, Offred fantasizes about having a sexual relationship with a guard. She says, as we walk I know theyre watching, these two men arent yet permitted to touch women. They touch with their eyes instead and I move my hips a little, feeling the full red skirt sway around me†¦. I enjoy the power of a dog bone, passive but there. I hope they get hard at the sight of us and have to rub themselves against the painted barriers, surreptitiously†¦(Atwood, 30). As the pair walk away Offred brings along their carnal desires with her. Offred later says, its difficult for me to believe I have power over him, of any sort, but I do; although its of an unequivocal kind (272). By realizing the extent of her relationship with the Commander she now has power over Serena. She says, now that I was seeing the Commander on the sly, if only to play his games and listen to him talk, our functions were no longer as separate as they should have been in theory. I was taking something away from her, although she didnt know it (208). In this quote Offred explains how she is entangling in her web of power without either of them realizing it. Everytime she goes to see the Commander he allows her to read vogue and play scramble in exchange for a kiss. This clearly displays how he isnt a fan of the impersonal and worthless sexual ritual they have every month rather he is yearning to have a passionate woman beneath him. As she writes about the power struggles between men and women she also highlights the struggles within women themselves. Atwoods says, women will gang up on other women. Yes, they will accuse others to keep themselves of the hook: We see that very publicly in the age of social media, which enables group swarmings. Yes, they will gladly take positions of power over other women, even- and, possibly, especially in systems in which women as a whole have scant power. All power is relative, and in tough times any amount is seen as better than none (New York Times). In The Handmaids Tale, men ostracize some women and raise others to a pedestal. The wives and aunts are loved and praised as they imprison other women who they deem as lower status. One of the most alarming aspects of Atwoods dystopia that the society justifies sexist tyranny through feminist ideals. Citizens of Gilead make all sorts of remarks about how their social structures protect women from rape and violence and encourages respect for motherhood while the dehumanize women and take away their right to seek pleasure in their most basic rights.

Japan Index Fund

Japan Index Fund When we talk about Japan we think of one of the most affluent technological and industrial leaders in the world. We think of high-end electronics and highly educated and expertly trained professionals. Throughout the last few years, financial eyes have been on the Japanese stock market as it slowly makes its economic recovery. ‚“Japan‚s stock market has been locked in a bear market since 1989,‚” (Waggoner, 2004) hitting its peak in January 1990. In 2003, the Tankan survey found that ‚“business confidence had weakened‚” with much of the blame on rising oil prices and a stronger yen. Despite all of this, their stocks have risen 12.4% in 2004 while unemployment fell. Financial analysts also reported that Tokyo‚s real estate prices were rising.BBC News reports ‚“Japan owes its change in fortune to booming export demand from China.‚” Toyota, who gets most of its sales from the United States have been seeing higher revenues.United Sta tes

Effective Persuasion Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Persuasion Skills - Essay Example However, in order to persuade him effectively, I had to listen to him elucidate the year’s theme for the show and the manner that he wanted me to communicate the theme to the audience using the hairstyle. One important lesson that life has taught me pertains to the importance of listening in order to give a well thought-out response. Allow me to briefly explain my journey towards working with Mr. Clark. I used to be a performer in the show choir directed by Mr. Clark throughout high school. Typically, a show choir has forty performers who can sing and dance at the same time. Nonetheless, I attended Aveda Fredric’s school, a cosmetology school, after my high school graduation and learnt the skills important to a hairstylist. Upon completing the course, I obtained a license with the Ohio State Board of Cosmetology to practice cosmetology and, fair enough, I became the hair stylist for my high schools show choir under Mr. Clark. As the choir’s hairstylist, I have to design a new hairstyle each year r epresenting the year’s theme using my creative skills. In this regard, Mr. Clark approached me with this year’s theme. He explained the idea behind the year’s show, the design and concept of the costumes, all-important aspects that should go with the hairstyles design. Moreover, Mr. Clark informed me that the group would be participating in the World Choir Games this July at Cincinnati. It is important to point out that each year has a new concept and theme for the show and it requires creativity (a skill I have perfected overtime) to incorporate the hairstyle to the show’s theme. In this regard, the theme to this year’s show was â€Å"Around the World in 80 Days† and the hairstyle had to match the theme. Once he explained every detail of the future show, I knew that the time had come to assert my authority and use my creativity in designing the year’s hairstyle. However, I knew this was a herculean task, although not an insurmountable one. I said to him, â€Å"With all due respect, sir, there is need for us to be more creative and think beyond the horizon this year. We need to come up with different hairstyles representative of each country’s cultures and ethnicity where the group will be performing.† Knowing Mr. Clark as a conservative who likes maintaining things in a neat, clean, and uniform approach, I had to ask him to allow changes that will make the group more successful this year. In my previous two years of working in the group, I had noticed that designs have been uniform and easy all through for both groups. This formed my opinion to have a different hairstyle this year. You realized that I mentioned two groups; it is pertinent to point out that Mr. Clark is an accomplished director in charge of another group, known as Pure Elegance, an all-girls high school group well in their fourth year of performances. I had to convince Mr. Clark that we had to ha ve a different hairstyle for this year’s shows. In this regard, I told him that we had two choices to consider. As for option number one, I explained to him that we would have to go with the conservative approach of the usual uniform hairstyle with no changes. However, this was not the ideal situation, since it would be challenging to the audience to understand the relationship between the theme and the hairstyle. The second and the ideal option to my mind, as I explained to him, was a suggestion of moving and thinking

Architects of building with gargoyles in New York City Research Paper

Architects of building with gargoyles in New York City - Research Paper Example Gargoyles is a Gothic design which accentuates many buildings in New York. Although some views gargoyles as more on having a superstitious relevance, some say that it is merely used as a water diversion. Schermerhorn Building is one of the most popular gargoyle accentuated building and was designed by a great architect named Henry J. Hardenbergh. He was born in New Jersey and worked as an apprentice in New York with a architectural firm for five years before opening his own practice in 1871. Many refer to Hardenbergh as the architect who â€Å"left his indelible ink† in the world of architecture. (Gillon, 1988) Henry Vaughan is an Anglo-American architect who is claimed to be the one who the Americans owe the revival of Gothic designs to. His designs consists of churches, chapels and school buildings. One of the more famous designs of Vaughan is the St. John the Divine in New York known for its gargoyles. He was in America for approximately 36 years between 1881 to 1917 and hi s contributions to the architectural field is vast and known for being highly original. (Gillon, 1988) Vaughan was just becoming established in Boston, when he came into contact with Charles Perkins Gardiner of Brookline, Massachusetts and was, at the time, dedicating himself almost exclusively to church and church-related buildings. Vaughan, as a man, had deep religious conviction who was quite totally devoted to the Anglican and Episcopalian worship as well as to the English Gothic architecture which he perceived as their true and proper architectural expression.Vaughan's scheme for handling cluttered contexts were brilliant. Although he was attached to the English Gothic religiously, bordering on fanaticism, he remains, to this day, as one of the best architects. (Gillon, 1988) The Chrysler building, designed by the architect William van Allen, is among the last skyscrapers in the Art Deco style. The gargoyles of the said building depicts Chrysler car adornmenys and the spire is sculptured on a radiator grille. Since the building's restoration in 1996, the building once again shines as it must have way back in the 1930s. Despite the magnificence of the exterior of the building, the interior is even more so. Marbles floors and a generous display of Art Deco patterns as well as the stylishly designed elevator doors makes the Chrysler Building as one of the most beautiful office towers in New York. However, as an architect, van Alen was majorly dismissed by contemporary critiques of architecture. They claim that design of spire was pure folly and ostentatious. His design of the Chrysler Building has grown in popularity despite the many criticisms and is now considered as one of the greatest buildings in America, which frequently features magazines and covers of architectural books.(Gillon, 1988) James Bogardus, architect of the 75 Murray Street Building gargoyles pioneered cast-iron architecture. He is one of the most famous architects of New York although he personally did not consider himself as an architect. He considered himself more as an inventor in the 19th-century tradition who patented cotton-spinning machinery, grinding mills, gas meters, clocks and printing apparatus.Starting by 1848, he initiated the promotion of iron buildings as fireproof, mobile and efficient. He sold his ideas to developers up until 1860's before he shifted his attention to other work interests. (Gray, 1995) A common distinguishing factor of Bogardus' design is the Medusa-head keystones which were also used in Bogardus' ill-fated Laing Stores. The said design is believed to protect homes from the entering of evil. The Greeks, similarly, sometimes used the figure of Medusa's terrible gaze in order to protect objects which includes the windows and doors considered as the eyes of the buildings. Oswald Wirz', also a gargoyles architect, uses the same concept with his use of Green Men and numerous gargoyles. (Gray, 1995) Wirz is a designer a few New York City buildings in the Gilded Age. Among those of his buildings that have survived are now land-marked

Rhetorical Question Essay Example for Free

Rhetorical Question Essay In the story â€Å"Nineteen Thirty-Seven† Edwidge Danticat presents Josephine, a Haitian girl who often visits her mother at the Port Au Prince prison. In the process of Josephine’s visits the reader comes to understand that pain surrounds her life. Not only does it surround her life, however, pain is a prominent factor in all of her contemporaries’ existence. The oppressed nature of Josephine, her mom, and the woman of the river cause them to create an artificial sense of hope for their life full of suffering. Suffering seems to be a common component inherent of all Haitian women. This can be seen when Manman states â€Å"We were saved from the tomb of this river when she was still in my womb. You spared us both, her and me, from this river where I lost my mother† (Danticat, 40). Josephine was born on the day of the massacre by El Generalissimo’s soldiers representing that she is birthed from pain, as a lot of Haitians died that day. One of those who died was Manman’s mother, in an effort to alleviate her pain Manman takes Josephine as a replacement of the existence of her mother. Not only does Josephine emanate from suffering yet she carries the connation of false hope, as life can’t be replaced. The effect of suffering is once again seen when Manman mentions â€Å"Keep the Madonna when I am gone†¦Maybe you will have some flesh to console you. But if you don’t, you will always have the Madonna† (Danticat, 43). Once again Josephine’s mom creates hope for her daughter. Given that pain surrounds her life, her mother hopes that Josephine can deal with her suffering in the same way that she dealt with her mom’s death. The aforementioned quotes emphasize the repetitive occurrence of yet different pain Haitian women particularly experience. Danticat, Edwidge. Nineteen Thirty-Seven. Krik? Krak! New York: Vintage, 1996. 33-49. Print.

The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a book of much symbolism. Set in 16th century New England, the book starts with the public punishment of Hester Prynne, a convicted adulterer. One of the most complex and misunderstood symbols in the book is Hester’s illegitimate daughter, Pearl. Throughout the story, she develops into a dynamic symbol - one that is always changing. Pearl represents her mother’s punishment, a rose, and the scarlet letter. In The Scarlet Letter, the Puritans forced Hester to wear a scarlet letter â€Å"A† across for her chest, for the crime of adultery. The punishment continued as Hester was treated as outcast and mocked by the town. â€Å"Tomorrow would bring its own trial with it; so would the next day, so would the next,† the narrator explained. On the other hand, God’s treatment of Hester for her sin was quite different than just a physical token: he gave Hester a very unique child which she named Pearl. The child was a constant mental and physical reminder to Hester of what she had done wrong and how she could not escape it. In this aspect, Pearl symbolized God’s way of punishing Hester for adultery. â€Å"She named the infant Pearl as of being of great price-purchased with all her mother had,† the narrator says. Pearl grew to be a very passionate and lively young girl. She becomes a contradicting factor in her mother’s life. To her mother, Pearl symbolized the rosebush outside of the jail, because at some times she could be bright and vibrant. However at other times, she could be wilting. It was at these times when she was â€Å"wilting† that brought Hester the most grief. One final way in which Pearl symbolized something in the novel was her association with the scarlet letter. Hester began to think of the letter and her daughter as both â€Å"the object of her affection and the emblem of her guilt and torture.† Hester clothed the child in bright crimson dressed. That, combined with a vivid complexion, gave Pearl the appearance of the scarlet letter. The townspeople began to notice the similarities, also.

Individuals That Indulge In Sociopathic, Criminal, And Antisocial Behaviorâ€Nature Or Nurture Essay

The controversy between nature and nurture as related to the human behavior can be dated back to the 13th century and from that time there has been continued debate regarding the source of human personality. The debate is based on issue of whether the human personality develops from inheritance (nature) or from the environment in which human beings are raised (nurture). Due to the above controversy there has been a lot of research carried out and this has resulted to the belief held by most people today that the human personality is influenced by both the nature and nurture. This belief has been known as ‘interactionism’ and scholars in most of the fields believe in the concept. Adoption, Twin and family Studies A great debate between researchers has come up regarding the outcomes of families, adoption and birth of twins. Some researchers argue that there is a genetic basis to criminal behavior while others argue that there is no enough evidence in the cases of adoption, twin births and family status to show that genes play a crucial role in the development of antisocial or criminal traits. Twin studies are conducted to compare the rates of criminal behavior among identical twins and fraternal twins so as to study the role played by genes and environmental influences on the behavior of an individual. According to Joseph, 2001, there is a high degree of heritability in the behavior of fraternal and identical twins. This study was very important because it assessed the issue of different environments among twins because the twins were raised under different environments. The research concluded that hereditary factors play a less significant role in development of antisocial and criminal behaviors (Joseph, 2001; 179-218). Adoption studies have also been carried out to study the relationship between adoptive kids and their foster and biological parents because the studies separate nature and nurture. The relationship between environmental and genetic influences on antisocial behavior has also been studied by family studies although the results have been the least accepted compared to the others because of the high level of difficulty in separating nurture and nature in the family. Neurochemicals in Sociopathic, Criminal and Antisocial Behavior  According to Elliot, 2000 neurochemichals play a significant role in activating behavior patterns in a definite area of the brain. Research has been carried out to determine the role played by neurochemicals in influencing antisocial and criminal behaviors and it has been found out that there is a genetic component in the development of antisocial and criminal behavior. Recently there has been study of personality disorders in individuals who seem to develop criminal or antisocial behaviors and these have also been seen to influence human behavior (Elliot, 2000; pp. 9-21). Environmental influences Researchers have agreed that genes have a significant influence on the antisocial or criminal behavior of an individual. However, researchers have also agreed that there is need to assess the environmental component as this may also influence development of criminal and antisocial behaviors in human beings. The family environment is very important to the development of a child and if there are problems within the family then it is obvious that the child will suffer the consequences. Researchers have argued that the environment within a family influences the behavior of the child and the major risk factors within a family are family structure, poverty, level of education within the family and the parenting practices (Schmitz, 2003; 835-840). Families that have weak bonds and poor communications within the family are known to have a higher likelihood of children developing antisocial and criminal behavior. It is then obvious to conclude that those families that are not financially stable, those who have more children and those families where it is difficult to punish kids consistently will create an environment likely to create antisocial or criminal behavior among the kids. Children who were neglected or abused during their younger days are 0. 5 times more likely to develop antisocial or criminal behavior as compared to those kids who received care and were not abuse (Holmes et al, 2001; pp. 183-192). Another finding in the research on the influences of environmental and genetic findings on the development of antisocial or criminal behavior is age. Research has shown that both in children and adults, the environment is the major significant factor that influences their criminal and antisocial behaviors. Heritability has been seen to influence the behavior of adults more than the environment. Adults have the ability to choose the environment that they want to stay unlike kids and adolescents and this accounts for the high influence of environment on the behavior of kids and adolescents as compared to adults. Another factor that influences the development of sociopathic, criminal and antisocial behavior mostly in adolescents is peer group influence. The major reason as to why peer influences affects the antisocial and criminal behavior can be seen in the violent behavior common in young children which extends to their peers in the same school or neighborhood. This kind of a relationship is likely to be carried over to the adolescence stage and in some instances to the adult stage. The peers create an environment in which they tend to influence each other on matters concerning behavior and if their behavior is antisocial behavior the peer end up influencing others to adopt the behavior (Holmes et al, 2001; 183-195). So as to explain the way in which environment can influence the behavior of an individuals researchers use social learning theory. This means that a child will observe sociopathic, criminal or antisocial behavior from the parents or siblings although in some cases both the parents and the siblings. As a result of observing the aggressive behavior the kids believe that the behavior is normal and that there is no mistake in behaving just like the parents (Miles & Carey, 1997; pp. 207-217). Gene-Environment interactions Researchers have realized that there are theories related to genetic and environmental influences that show a clear interaction between the two factors and one major theory is the normal stimulation theory of criminality. This theory suggests an interaction between a group of factors that are combined of the genes and the environment; this factors lead to development of criminality among individuals. The theory argues that the individuals acquire a nervous system that does not respond to low levels of stimulation and therefore the individual has to find the right stimulation so as to increase their arousal and the stimulation includes activities that lead to antisocial, sociopathic or criminal behaviors (Miles & Carey, 1997; pp. 207-217). Conclusion There has not been enough evidence to strongly conclude that genes play a more significant role in shaping the behavior of those individual who indulge in sociopathic, criminal and antisocial behavior as compared to the environmental factors. The studies that have been carried out have shown that there is a high degree difficulty in trying to separate nature and nurture and therefore there is need to carry out research to clearly define the influence of environmental and genetic factors on the behavior of individuals. At this point it is wise to conclude that both the environmental and genetic factors play significant roles in shaping the behavior of individuals.