The Clerk's Tale

The Martian: grace under pressure. In the book the Martian, we follow the journey of a stranded astronaut in mars after a windstorm, his struggle for survival and subsequently rescue. We are privy to his thought process and problem solving abilities through a series of log entries. We learn how he overcomes trial after trial until help arrives. He manages to do this as a result of grit, by fostering a growth mindset which allows him to maintain his optimistic outlook, despite the fact that he…

William Goldman’s abridgment The Princess Bride is a fairy tale. Generally the number three or seven occur in fairy tales (Ashliman). Ofttimes, fairy tales have a “happily ever after” ending. Fairy tales usually begin the story with “Once upon a time…”, and take place in a far away setting and time. Magic will appear a number of times in fairy tales. Magic will occur in fairies, witches, or talking animals. Fairy tales are written to show children that even with the toughest struggles in life,…

To what extent does Atwood portray women as being responsible for their own oppression in the Handmaid’s Tale? Explore this with reference to use of language and structure. Atwood presents the women in Gilead as being responsible for their own oppression. At the time of the novel’s creation, the conservative governments lead by Ronald Regan and Margaret Thatcher were threatening to return to a patriarchal society with the nuclear family at its core. Atwood wanted to make it clear that women…

As a child, the beloved Disney versions of fairy tales instilled the notion of the stories having a perfect ending in our minds. Hence, whenever the phrase “happily ever after” is cited, we would immediately associate it to fairy tales. However, as we mature, we realize this jejune perception is not entirely authentic. The level of complexity becomes increasingly apparent as we delve deeper into the origins; we discover the profound discrepancy between the adaptations and the antecedent…

Canadian author Margaret Atwood is the writer of countless poems, essays, criticisms, short stories, and novels. The author of over a dozen novels, Atwood continually features female protagonists and covers themes pertaining to women. The Handmaid’s Tale deals with the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian theocracy that replaces the United States and returns to the suppression of women. Another one of Atwood’s novels, Alias Grace focuses on Grace Marks, a women convicted for double…

One of the most influential pieces of literature in history is The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales takes place in medieval England, a time full of religious pilgrimages and exploration. The Canterbury Tales is a revolutionary piece of literature, known for its satire and truthfulness. Chaucer begins the tale with a prologue that individually describes diverse characters. Chaucer created these characters to be authentic; they are boastful, mean spirited, reckless, and…

When Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale) connotes, “have been obliterated for her. I am only a shadow now, far back behind the glib shiny surface of this photograph. A shadow of a shadow, as dead mothers become. You can see it in her eyes: I am not there (Atwood 228),” her hopelessness is…

ABC airs two women kissing on a “family show” causes an uproar for family morals! Sounds like a headline for a great newspaper article, but the backlash for this episode has caused a lot of angry parents questioning the “morals” of showing an openly gay couple kissing as well as the LGBT community arguing that they were “misrepresented” on the show. Sunday April 17th, 2016 ABC aired the fifth seasons of the popular TV show Once Upon A Time’s episode “Ruby Slippers”. The show’s creators had…

Toni Morrison 's The Bluest Eye and Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid 's Tale are novels that include many instances of violence in order to demonstrate how brutality informed the ideas and lives of their characters. The Bluest Eye introduces the character of Pecola Breedlove, a young girl whose life has been characterized by habitual exposure to violence. Pecola develops and maintains the idea that she is unworthy of better circumstances and the frequency of violence throughout her life foster…

From the fairy tales of princesses and dragons by Charles Perrault to the mysterious tales of Hansel and Gretel and Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm children 's stories have taken many forms over the years. The question that is always asked today about children 's media is if parents should allow children to view certain media because of some possibly suggestive themes. When trying to protect children from suggestive themes some of the value of the story is lost and the moral of the story…