Colleen Atwood

mainly during the 20th century. Such forms of literature were there to criticize the classical way of thinking and also critique aspects of what is wrong in the 20th century. “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald, and “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood are respectively modernist and postmodernist forms of literature. They are both novels, which critique the idea of a hierarchal system, the oppression of feminism and portray characters who live in a world devoid of morality and value.…

Sour Love I am still reading the book Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, this story has been very interesting and suspenseful. The book is based off of Nick and Amy Dunne’s relationship and Amy’s disappearance. One thing about this book that I’ve noticed that is quite odd is the way Amy sees her husband Nick and how Nick treats Amy. In this story Amy provides lots of examples of her and Nick’s relationship and her true feelings for Nick. Nick truly does care for Amy but the way he shows it Amy…

Shamhat, the harlot, is sent with a hunter in order for the man Enkidu to be civilized and for the animals in the steppe to reject him. Shamhat does this in the way befitting her profession and engages in sexual acts with Enkidu for a total of six days and seven nights. Once they are finished Enkidu attempts to rejoin the animals but he has changed. The animals notice the change and run away from Enkidu and because of his activities with Shamhat he cannot run after them, although because of her…

The Character Analysis of Offred in “The Handmaid’s Tale” The main character of “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood is a handmaid named Offred. Offred is not a real name but just a nickname given to handmaids who belong to a certain commander (man only), in her case Fred. She wears a uniform of a handmaid, a red clock covering ankles, gloves, and a white veil covering almost half of the face, which covers the whole body. The place of the story is somewhere inside of the USA that the…

In the book The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, desire is key. Throughout the novel, desire controls a majority of people and how they behave. Offred risks her life when she goes to Jezebel’s with the Commander. Offred risks her life when she sneaks off to Nick’s room every night, even though she is forbidden from doing so. Serena Joy, the Commander’s wife, risks her life when she desires a child so much that she suggests to Offred that she and Nick try to have a child together which is…

"If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must feel free to follow wherever the search may lead us," (Adlai E. Stevenson Jr.). Throughout the book Oryx and Crake, written by Margret Atwood, many experiments and scientific discoveries have not turned out the way the creator(s) have intended them to. There are handful examples throughout the story that shows that knowledge is a double edged sword. These examples include: the Crakers, the Pigoons, and the BlyssPluss pill. To begin, the Crakers…

forbidden, and women are strictly monitored and oppressed. Along with other subjects, Atwood explores the social myths defining femininity, the social and economic exploitation of women, as well as women's relations with each other and with men. Specifically, she stresses how male oppressors try to justify their acts of oppression in order to be seen with morality and as a hero, rather than a criminal. Furthermore, Atwood also criticizes…

before The Handmaid’s Tale was extremely relevant to what is happening in today’s world. In an interview by TIME magazine with Margaret Atwood and Elisabeth Moss, the actress of Offred in the television show, talk a little about what the book and television show’s ideals really mean with today’s society. The interview starts with TIME asking why the show now? Atwood responds with, “The control of women and babies has been a part of every repressive regime in history…” (TIME) which is true, women…

Not every detail Atwood presents is readily used, but I kept as many details as possible in the back of my head and some of the details were proved useful in understanding the later parts of the book. I had mixed feelings about how Atwood presents the story. On one hand, I liked how it encouraged me to really think about the situations in the book. It felt like a treasure hunt and finding out something important about Gilead feels satisfying. On the other hand, I disliked how Atwood frequently…

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood recounts the establishment of a theological state, Gilead, in place of the United States of America. Gilead uses the Bible to justify a misogynistic, hierarchical and racist society. Offred, the narrator, is a woman forced to become the “Handmaid” of a Gileadean Commander, Fred. Handmaids are supposedly a position of honour for fertile women; in reality, they are sex slaves, allowing only the leaders of Gilead to reproduce. In the novel, education is…