The Life And Works Of Margaret Atwood

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1. The Life and Works of Margaret Atwood
An Examination the Life and Works of Margaret Atwood Born on November 18, 1939, Margaret Eleanor Atwood was raised by Carl Edmund and
Margaret Dorothy Atwood ("Atwood, Margaret 1939–." Concise Major 21st Century Writers). Born in Ottawa and raised in Toronto she spent the
larger part of her youth in Canada ("Atwood, Margaret (1939–)."Gothic Literature: A Gale Critical Companion). As a young child she was raised in an
intellectually stimulating environment and was encouraged to pursue a life in which education is highly valued ("Atwood, Margaret." British, Irish,
and Commonwealth Poets). Her childhood played a pivotal role in her future life, including her works, beliefs, and goals. Raised by an entomologist,
her fondness of nature most was likely extended to her from her father through means of family trips to the isolated safe havens of Quebec and
Ontario. These locations were the subject of her father's study and research ("Atwood, Margaret." British, Irish, and Commonwealth Poets). From the
year 1957 to 1961 she worked on her undergraduate degree in English at Victoria college at the University of Toronto. Whilst studying there, Atwood
became influenced by Canadian poet Jay MacPherson and by Northrop Frye. They encouraged Atwood to write poetry in her early writing career and
pointed her toward using biblical and mythological symbols and archetype, which are still prevalent in her writing ("Atwood, Margaret." British, Irish,
and Commonwealth Poets). During that time
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2. An Analysis of Margaret Atwood Winner of the 'Governor General' award and the 'Book Prize' is author and poet Margaret Atwood. Margaret
Atwood is a Canadian author and poet that has grown up and lived in Canada. She has written many poems protesting different ideas. However she
usually focuses on two main topics 'Humanity vs. Nature' and 'Death is Certain' (Spark notes, Margaret Atwood's Poetry). She has also some different
views, she is a feminist and nationalist with ecological concerns. Growing up in Canada, Margaret Atwood has learned a lot from both of her parents,
developed a great poetic vision, writing many great poem such as 'The Moment'. Margaret Atwood has had a very interesting childhood where she
grew up...show more content...
This led her to developing a sense that our generation is destroying the environment (Salem Press Margaret Atwood). Her dad however, is not her
only influence. Her mom's side of the family were all very feminist, believing that women deserved more rights than they had (A Critical
Companion by Natalie Cooke, pg.6). This gave her some very feminist views (A Critical Companion, by Natalie Cooke, pg.6). All of these events,
life experiences and surroundings have shaped her poetic vision into what it is now. Thanks to this poetic vision, she now has three main themes to
her work (Spark notes, Margaret Atwood's Poetry). Most of her poems have the same poetic vision 'Humanity vs. Nature' and that 'Death is Certain'
(Margaret Atwood's poetry, themes, motifs and symbols). However these are only two themes, but they are the main ones followed by nationalism
and feminism that more motifs than themes. Her poetic vision has been translated into many great poems. This poetic vision has been seen in many
of her poems such as: 'The Moment'. The main theme of this poem is 'Humanity vs. Wilderness'. The poem is like this because her dad was an
ecologist and she grew up in Ontario. Both of these factors have shaped her into a person with ecological concerns. The theme is seen in the poem
through her use of stylistic devices. Atwood uses similes, metaphors,
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3. Margaret Atwood's Poetry
For women poets there is a constant feeling of being second best to male poets and often their work is judged based on their gender rather than its
literary quality. In this essay I will discuss the ways in which women poets have dealt with the constant comparisons to men, arguing that being a
woman poet requires the determination to constantly stand up for your own work whilst also speaking for women in general and the prejudices that
they face. Eavan Boland's quote highlights the fact that for a long time it was believed that women didn't possess the ability to write poetry, through the
use of poets such as Margaret Atwood, Christina Rosetti and Carol Ann Duffy, I will present the ways in which women poets fought against this belief
in order...show more content...
Through their poetry women poets have the power to portray strong female figures and giving them a voice enables them to deliver female experiences.
In both Duffy and Atwood's poems they reconstruct myths in order to give the woman's perspective and to tell the myth from their point of view. Both
poets view it as important to give these women a voice as a way of including a female side to history and mythology. It has been argued that Duffy's
poems 'throw light on the ways masculinity has dominated history, fiction and myth by silencing femininity,' as she is presenting a voice which
offers an alternative side. Through her poems the absence of female figures within history and myths becomes clear as she highlights that what we
learn comes from a male perspective and as a result we don't engage with female figures. By presenting the opinions of women through her poetry,
Duffy is allowing us to look at things differently and to gain a different understanding of previous events. In her poem 'Medusa' she is giving a
voice to a woman who is portrayed as a monster within mythology and by giving her a voice we are able to see beyond this and view her as a
woman. The negative portrayal of Medusa in mythology is removed here and Duffy strips the poem back to express Medusa's feelings and
emotions. By including Medusa's emotions, Duffy humanises her and creates a sense of sympathy for someone who has been negatively portrayed
by men. Duffy uses Medusa to present how wrongly women are portrayed and how their feelings aren't taken into consideration, 'it's you I love,'
here we see the broken woman behind the monster, a woman who loves someone and who in the myth is viewed as not capable of loving because
she is so dangerous. This is Duffy's way of showing the woman behind the myth. This shows what it means to be a woman poet; it is providing a
voice and a feeling of
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4. Margaret Atwood Gathering
In "Gathering" by Margaret Atwood, the poet uses visual imagery to portray the aging process. The old people "whiten, like raw wood in a salt wind ...
/ [and] silver" (5–6). This phenomenon corresponds to the old people's appearance as their hair turns white. At the same time, they have experienced so
many events in life that new affairs no longer surprise them and their eyes are no longer "guile– / free blue pools, translucent" (7–8). This
transformation implies that the cunning society has caused them to lose their translucent eyes which symbolizes innocence in children, and thus the
fact that they have aged. Furthermore, the poet describes the eyes of the aged adults as "hard black berries / ... clutching the vines / just before frost"
(11–13).
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5. Margaret Atwood Research Paper
Atwood can easily be defined as a writer that pays close attention the feminist movement. Atwood would often use her poetry and short stories to speak
on the blatant discrimination against female writers. "Suffering is common for the female characters in Atwood's poems, although they are never
passive victims". (Margaret Atwood) Atwood is one that did not shy away from political and social injustices. The tone of her poems and themes of
her short stories are noteworthy literary works that brought forces the reader to come face to face with the many social injustices in this world.
"Already considered one of Canada's highest–achieving writers, Atwood will undoubtedly continue to play an important role in Canadian and World
Literature throughout her life". (Margaret Atwood Biography)
It becomes clear that when providing feedback or criticism of Ms. Atwood's poetry there are many interpretations and understandings of her work. The
critiques rang from very detailed to one simply calling many of her writing ridiculous....show more content...
Atwood no one can argue about the fact that she is a very talented writer and poet that is not afraid to take on social and environmental issues. Her
writings have become a voice that addresses many feminist concerns and she has proven to be one that is very capable of changing ones thinking on
many social and political issues. Atwood is still very active today in the Canadian community. Her Facebook page and website are visited annually by
thousands. She can often be found giving lectures on poetry, women's rights and environmentalism. While she is a well educated women Atwood
prides herself on having her heart on the pulse of the political platforms in the Canadian community. She was often not given a chance to speak on the
platform she would defend and turned to her poetry to say what she and many women like her could
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6. Bread By Margaret Atwood Essay
Would you put your own life at risk to save someone else? What if they had a low chance of survival, and it was likely that the both of you would
die? Many people would say yes. Ultimately, one has to look at this situation through the lense of an ethics approach, and which one is best for the
situation. The short story "Bread" by Margaret Atwood describes different ethical dilemmas in which the reader is given different scenarios in which
they must make a choice that can only come by deciding what their ethics are. Five different ethical approaches are described in the article "A
Framework for Thinking Ethically", which describes the meaning of ethics and the different viewpoints surrounding the topic. Out of these different
approaches highlighted in "A Framework for Thinking Ethically", the utilitarian approach along with the virtue approach would be best for solving
the dilemmas presented in "Bread". In the story "Bread", there is a dilemma that puts the reader in a position of deciding whether to feed the last
piece of bread during a famine to their little dying sister, or to keep it for themselves because they are more likely to survive. Of course, they could
split the...show more content...
This approach "deals with consequences; it tries both to increase the good done and to reduce the harm done" (Santa Clara University, 2015). When
applied to the situation in "Bread", the decision made would be to share the bread, as no direct death would be caused as a result, therefore the most
good possible would be achieved. Another possibility would be to give the sister the bread, as long as the person felt they could survive as long as
the sister would after eating the bread. This ethical approach ensures that the best thing possible is done and any possible guilt or regret is hopefully
avoided because the best attempt was made to avoid
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7. Margaret Atwood Research Paper
Born on November 18, 1939 was the award winning Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood. She is currently recognized for her skills in writing fictional
novels. She graduated from the University of Toronto and Radcliffe College, and then she pursued teaching English literature. The first published
work that she was known for was The Circle Game in 1996; this is a collection of poems which won the Governor–General's Award.
This was followed by series of published poems and short stories, but she was notorious for her novels. Some of her award–winning works includes
The Edible Woman (1969) which tackled women's issues, then The Handmaid's Tale (1985) which pertains to a mixture of societal and women's
issues, this had a movie adaptation created by
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8. Surfacing by Margaret Atwood Essay
Surfacing by Margaret Atwood
In "Surfacing," by Margaret Atwood, the unnamed protagonist acquires a radical perception of reality that is developed through an intense
psychological journey on the island that served as her childhood home. Truth can be taken from the narrator's viewpoint, but the reader must explore
the inner turmoil plaguing her in order to understand the basis of such beliefs. The narrator's perception of reality can be deemed reliable once all of
these factors are understood; however, throughout the novel Atwood develops many unseen connections that are essential to such and understanding.
Once the reader is able to understand the basis of the narrator's perception of reality, it is then possible to receive and accept...show more content...
According to the narrator women are victims of man and culture. They hold little status in society and are expected to be inferior to men. This notion is
obvious early in the novel when the narrator visits Paul and Madame. Irrelevantly Paul asks, is "Your husband here too?" "What he means," in the
narrator's opinion, "is that a man should be handling this." Although she is confident with her ability to handle the situation and look for her father, the
general belief of the time is that women should let men do the grunt work. Throughout the novel she continues to develop this theme through Anna's
character, so that we obtain an exaggerated, but clear, vision of the role of women as created by society.
David and Anna's relationship is used to symbolize the inequality of the sexes and concurrently acts as indicator as to why the narrator is so
psychologically tormented. David is overpowering and domineering, whereas Anna is weak and controlled. Anna feels as if she must paint her face
in order to please David and she allows herself to be subordinate to his rules. Anna tells the narrator that David has "this little set of rules. If I break
one of them I get punished, except that he keeps changing them so I'm never sure." David also treats Anna as an object of sex instead of as equal
counterpart. He constantly remarks about her body and even forces her to strip naked
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9. Margaret Atwood : A Social Activist
Margaret Atwood: a Social Activist Through Feminist Literature The 1980s signified the continuation of an era of social and political upheaval in the
United States of America. At the forefront was a socially conservative agenda that aimed to rescind women's rights only ratified less than a decade
before, a marked display of the nation's desire to uphold traditional values that defined the preceding generation (Françoise). Among the devastating
political climate, however, was Margaret Atwood: a voice that refused to be silenced, a progressive storyteller who interwove her writings with feminist
themes that pushed boundaries and defied the status quo. Her prolific writing career is full of poems, essays, short–stories, and novels that...show more
content...
My mother is a very lively person who would rather skate than scrub floor. (Oates)
From the very beginning, Atwood was destined to question and confront ideas rooted in the past and fortunate enough to have parents who
acknowledged their daughter's inquisitive and imaginative mind. Aside from her family, gothic and supernatural literature influenced Atwood from an
early age. Unconventionally witty and resourceful, the heroines depicted in Grimm's Fairy Tales were fascinating and complex to young Margaret. Her
writing and poetry took form with the assistance of Edgar Allan Poe, whom she cites as her first influence in high school (Oates). Canadian writers
such as Leonard Cohen, P.K. Page, Anne Wilkinson – in addition to many others – helped to mold Atwood's distinct, expressive style ("Waterstone's").
It is evident, then, that she honed her writing skills through the abundance of quality reading material that was at her disposal. Margaret Atwood's
greatest influence on the literary world is undoubtedly her progressive views on feminism and misogyny. The Handmaid's Tale, her most notable work,
is an examination of a totalitarian society that lawfully dehumanizes women, whose sole purpose is to breed and reproduce (Napierkowski 114–115).
Grounded in reality, this novel portrays complex female characters that endure the same suffering as many people did at the time:
During my visits to several countries behind the Iron
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10. Why Is Margaret Atwood Still Relevant Today
Offred talks about how she worked in a library where she transferred books to CD's to "cut down on storage space and replacement costs" (Atwood
216). This happens in the reality as well because more information is being stored and circulated digitally through a variety of applications such as
good drive, drobox, and etc.... The life of women had similar characteristics before the new government was put into action (Gender inequality)
Though Offred sees losing her job as the turning point, we might suspect that the balance of power had never been equal, given that she was Luke's
mistress, and she had to wait around for him. Gilead merely made her more aware of this implicit inequality. Luke still had everything that Offred had
lost, such as her job and...show more content...
Also, when Offred went to her workplace, her boss said "I have something to tell you...I have to let you go" (Atwood 221). The government uses
terrorist attacks as reason for restricting freedoms One of the many causes that changed America into the Republic of Gilead was "the catastrophe, when
they shot the president and machine–gunned the congress and the army declared a state of emergency" (Atwood 217). Similar, the aftermath of this
situation has common characteristics with the 9/11 attack because people were "watching television, looking for some direction. There wasn't even
an enemy you could put your finger on" (Atwood 218). During this horrific event, there wasn't a particular reason nor an enemy the president could
blame on. Made people have this fear that made them willing to trade their freedom for security. The 9/11 attack wasn't nearly as extreme compared
to what happened within The Handmaid's Tale, which is far more insidious. However, after the 9/11 attack there was a slow, but steady trade off of
rights and privacy in the name of national
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11. Margaret Atwood Research Paper
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of the most well known Canadian authors of all time. She has countless awards such as the Governor General's Award, Los
Angeles Times Fiction Award, Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and many more all for her terrific works as well as her works in activism.
Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario on November 18, 1939. Born to Margaret Dorothy a dietitian and Carl Edmund Atwood an
entomologist. Atwood was born the second of their three children. Due to her father's research, Atwood spent her most of her childhood in the forests
of Ontario and Northern Quebec. Due to this she did not attend school full time till she turned eight when her family moved to Toronto Where Carl
Atwood took a job at...show more content...
In 1957 she started to study at The University of Toronto. She published her stories, poems and articles in the school's newspaper called Acta
Victoriana. In 1961 she graduated from Victoria College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. In 1961 Atwood began school at Harvard and received
the E. J. Pratt Medal for her articles she wrote for Acta Victoriana. In 1962 she graduated from Harvard and achieved a master's degree in English.
After graduating from Harvard Atwood began teaching at the University of British Columbia in the year 1965–1967 as well as Sir George William
University from 1967–1968, University of Alberta 1969–1970, York University 1971–1972, and finally the University of Alabama in 1985. All this
time she remained to write and publish her stories, poems, and articles.
Since the end of her teaching career Atwood has written many notable publications such as The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, The Blind
Assassin, and several more. She has also written over 15 published poem books and many more texts such as short stories, and articles and has even
written an Opera. Atwood has also done humanitarian work and was named Humanist of the Year for her works for feminism and the
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12. Margaret Atwood Letter To America Essay
Although Margaret Atwood successfully addresses the problems in America, her choice of words decreases the effectiveness of her letter. The opening
of Margaret Atwood's "Letter to America" was filled with exceptional comparisons that caught the attention of the reader. They lead the reader to be
persuaded by the writer's influential thoughts. However, as this letter developed, harsh words and sharper comparisons were made. The style of writing
Atwood moved to later on in the letter lead me to think differently about the ideas she was trying to portray.
Atwood established many agreeable points in the initial paragraphs of her letter. She used well known literary works such as Walt Whitman, Emily
Dickinson, and Hemingway. Atwood states ". . .with their own American idealism, went after the sham in you, because they thought you could do
better" in her comparison to Arthur Miller. In her analogy to movies such as On the Waterfront and Key Largo, Atwood says America protects the
innocent and stands up for freedom, honesty, and justice. These statements makes the reader feel proud to live in America. It gives a sense of dignity to
live in this great country....show more content...
It gave the reader a sense of displeasure and annoyance. Harsh words were thrown in, contrasting to the kind, uplifting words in the first few
paragraphs. She outrightly said, "You're gutting the Constitution". Atwood could have replaced the word "gutting" with "abusing" or "violating". These
two alternate words have a less rigid connotation than "gutting". I believe Atwood intentionally used the word "gutting" to help express her strong
opinion. Atwood stated, "You're torching the American economy". Again, the connotation of "torching" is harsh compared to alternate words such as
damaging or ruining. Atwood's choice of words spark a feeling of displeasure to the
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13. Margaret Atwood's Happy Endings '
"Happy Endings," written and narrated by Margaret Atwood, takes the appearance of a story where the reader chooses the ending. The short story
includes six possible endings for when the characters, John and Mary, meet. However, each ending reverts to A which ends with death. Atwood
uses second person point of view to point out the theme of the story. Moreover, the second person point of view helps exemplify the theme that no
matter what one achieves or endures throughout life, life will always result in death by the narrator showing all the stories go back to story A no
matter what variables in life, speaking directly to the reader, and explaining directly how the stories relate. Whatever one's life situation is or whom
one marries, the end always results in death. Ending A is a life boxed up in perfection for John and Mary; good house, good children, and good life.
However, the ending does not end in perfection, "[e]ventually they die" (310). Endings B and C contain imperfect lives for John and Mary. Both
characters endure hardships that drive them to make awful decisions. Within ending B, "John marries Madge..." after Mary commits suicide, "...and
everything continues as in A" (311). Because John kills Mary, her...show more content...
The narrator addresses the audience to explain that all stories end the same, even if the story has a "happy ending," with death. She directly states,
"[y]ou'll have to face it, the endings are the same however you slice it" (312). Atwood comes right out and directly tells the reader the point of her short
story. She also tells her reader to "...[not] be deluded by any other endings, they're all fake...or just motivated by excessive optimism" (312). The
repetition that "John and Mary die. John and Mary die. John and Mary die" illustrates the point that the truth of all stories is that death will always be
the ending
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14. Short Story By Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood once said, "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 did take a break from writing when she was young, she resumed at the age of 16
when she committed to a lifelong career of writing. She studied at several colleges to obtain her bachelor's and then her master's degree at places such
as: Victoria...show more content...
She was writing about his control over the family, not allowing her mother to make decisions concerning her family.. In the poem, "Is/Not", Margaret
wrote about how a past lover was "not my doctor/you are not my cure" (Atwood 5–6). The tone of these lines is annoyance, perhaps at her ex–husband,
to show she was independent and did not need anyone else to 'fix' her problems by being her lover. This line by Atwood is also about a woman
being able to look inside herself to make decisions, not towards the men in her life. Atwood's theme of feminism is a result of growing up in an era
where women began to fight for power over their bodies. Love often appears in Margaret Atwood's writing because of her own family experiences and
moving frequently. In her poem, "Sad Child", Margaret Atwood shows off her middle child curse when she writes, "I am not the favorite
child"(Atwood 21). Many middle children feel as if their parents focus their attention to the older and younger siblings, leaving the leftovers to the
middle child. The sadness shown in the poem is also be about the feelings Atwood experienced during her marriage with Jim Polk around the time of
their divorce. In the poem, "Is/Not", the frequent relocation of her family contributes to the line "you are merely a fellow/traveller" (Atwood 8). This
statement relates to friendships that Atwood lost because of her frequent travels across Canada. The same idea of losing relationships later applies to
losing partners. Her
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15. Margaret Atwood Poem
Most poems can always be similar in some way, shape, or form. Poems can be similar in areas such as the voice used throughout the poem, the
figures of speech used throughout the poem, and/or the theme or themes used throughout the poem, along with many others. The voice of a poem is
usually the writing style, kind of the tone of the poem.The voice that compares with "you fit into me" is silly and lovable at first but then quickly
becomes dark and harrowing. Towards the beginning of the poem, the poem was more about the "hook and eye" ,as on page 396, but then it quickly
became more brutal and filled with darker ways. Atwood then started using surprises throughout her story such as replacing "a clothing fastener or door
latch" with the "metal...show more content...
The metaphor transforms people places,objects, and ideas into whatever the poet imagines or needs them to be. Metaphors are frequently more
demanding than similes because they are not signaled by particular words said in lines 16–17. Both metaphors and simile are subtle and powerful. The
theme of the poem is shocking and perseverance because it gave unpleasant surprises such as in lines 1–4, "if you blinked on a second reading, you got
the point of the poem because you recognized that the simile "like a hook into an eye" gives way to a play on words in the final two lines." and the
theme also perseverance because things were difficult. Also there were many discouragements like in lines 12–13 "life is a brief candle," life is "a
walking shadow" and "Mrs. cook's coffee is a punch in the stomach." I chose those two words as the theme of this poem because those words fit into
the story and gives a very good meaning of what Atwood was talking about in the poem when describing similes and/or metaphors. She also establishes
very specific expectations and then gleefully tramples them. "you fit into me" captures Atwood's interest in the mechanisms of language with the
multiplicity of words, and the many layers of their
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16. Margaret Atwood- Feminism
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 "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. "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 commit

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18. Margaret Atwood's There Was Once
Margaret Atwood is known for her short stories because she finds a way to insert aspects of real life into her stories. In one of her well known
stories, 'There Was Once,' she decides to tackle the problem of political correctness, but I think she actually ends up promoting intersectionality. It
speaks that representation, especially in literature, is important.'There Was Once' shows our culture that we need to start being more inclusive to
others and retract our past traditions. One of the first instances of this is when the storyteller (who is eventually found out to be a middle aged man)
and the listener (who I assumed could be someone of a young age) of the story, in an unknown setting, are arguing over how the girl in the story
should look. Atwood says, "There was once a middle–class girl, as beautiful as she was good. Stop right there. I think we can cut the beautiful don't
you? Women these days have to deal with too many intimidating physical role models as it is, what with those bimbos in the ads. Can't you make
her, well, more average." This is important because it's evident in our society that people with a conventionally attractive face are seen as better than
people who have a more average look. If we can open doors for more normal...show more content...
Atwood states, "What colour? You know. Black, white, red, brown, yellow. Those are the choices. And I'm telling you right now, I've had enough of
white." For the longest time white people have dominated above minorities because of the fact that people of color were looked down upon. Due to
this people of color have either been underrepresented in movies or played degrading characters such as the Hypersexual Jezebel or the Angry Black
Woman. It's important that people of color, especially women of color, are represented better so that our society can kill the perceived stereotypes about
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19. Literary Criticism Of Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is evenly concerned with encouraging a discrete Canadian literary identity. In her novels, Atwood naturally creates women characters
who are strained to rebuild themselves in a more self–contained and audacious figure as they seek out to set up their relationship to the world and to the
individuals around them. Atwood's dissections of contemporary urban life and sexual politics have been chiefly welcomed by feminists. She is no less
concerned in setting up what it means to be Canadian, centering her stories in Canadian cities, conflicts and contemporary people. Her writings are
such which insists on Canadians to focus on and value their own experience. Atwood's fiction is often symbolic and she moves easily between satire,
fantasy...show more content...
The social dimensions of Atwood's fiction are always underpinned and sometimes destabilized by representations of individual behaviour.
If a particular era of literature is taken into account, there will be many writers who have lived in the same age and have contributed to the society
through their writings. Likewise, the contemporary writers of Margaret Atwood, who have also lived during the age when Atwood has resided and also
who have continued their journey together at the same time and influenced each other through their writings.
Kathleen Margaret Pearson who is also called as 'Kit' Pearson is a Canadian children's novelist. She is the writer who finds inspiration from people
around her through their actions and conversations. While developing characters, storylines and settings for her work, she looks into her own
childhood and takes inspiration from that. Many of her novels are set in British Columbia because of spending her childhood there. Her famous work
is Guests of War Trilogy. The story of the novel revolves around two English children and talks about the adventures that they take when they are sent
to Canada for safety during the
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20. Margaret Atwood Essay
Generally speaking, using Atwood's three selected novels, the present study has investigated an inner human evolution, a movement which involves an
episode of variations from trauma, through suffering and pain, to the knowledge and understanding. Therefore, it can be suggested that the female
psychoanalytical development makes the said novels receptive to the feminist–psychological reading. In other words, Atwood's selected novels have
been here analyzed in light of the feminist and psychoanalytic, especially the Freudian, insights. The feminist–psychological insight indeed identifies a
recurrent theme in Atwood's works, which also subsumes different political, moral, and psychoanalytical attitudes.There is a circle to show the close
relationship between childhood,...show more content...
Art helps her to review the past experiences "not as a fear but as a temptation" (Cat's Eye, 200). Temptation makes you want to do something, and more
importantly there is a temptation to get rid of the past and be attached to the here–and–now. However, for Atwood and Freud, past must first be
recovered before it can be given up or as Tolen says "relinquished" (Tolan, 2010, 101). It is indeed an important responsibility to claim the past time
of the mind. The same factor can be seen in The Robber Bride, where Atwood envisages Charis's act of 'forgetting' to suppress (rather than repress)
the unwanted past. She chooses to forget. Hence, the story relates that "Karen is coming back, Charis can't keep her away any more" (130). Karen
becomes Charis's alterity or the power to change; Karen or knowledge "come[s] to the surface" (130). When Charis is set astride knowing and not
knowing, she is always inclined to find traces of the truth. However, she cannot afford to grasp a full understanding of the truth or full
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