The Handmaids Tale Essays (927 words) - The Handmaids Tale

The Handmaid's Tale Ruth McDermott November 30, 1998 The creation of Offred, the passive narrator of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, was intentional. The personality of the narrator in this novel is almost as important as the task bestowed upon her. Atwood chooses an average women, appreciative of past times, who lacks imagination and fervor, to contrast the typical feminist, represented in this novel by her mother and her best friend, Moira. Atwood is writing for a specific audience, though through careful examination, it can be determined that the intended audience is actually the mass population. Although particular groups may find The Handmaid's Tale more enjoyable than others, the purpose of the novel is to enlighten the general population, as opposed to being a source of entertainment. A specific group that may favor this novel is the women activists of the 1960's and 1970's. This group, in which Offred's mother would be a member, is sensitive to the censorship that women once faced and would show interest to the ?possible future? that could result. Offred is symbolic of ?every woman?. She was conventional in prior times, married with one daughter, a husband and a career. She is ambivalent to many things that may seem horrific to the reader. On page 93, Offred is witness to Janine's confession of being raped. She doesn't comment on how the blame is placed on Janine. Is this because Offred has begun to accept the words of Aunt Lydia, or more likely, is she silent to create emphasis on the horrific deed? The answer is easily satisfied when the reader finishes the novel. Offred must realize the injustices if she feels compelled to reveal her story on the tapes. She must grasp the importance of conveying the atrocities that were executed during the Gileadian area. Offred is representative of an average women also because she has experienced no great traumas. She isn't just ambivalent because of her tendencies but because she has been abruptly interjected into a new society. She is stunned and almost numb. She barely shows signs of life. She doesn't think there is any use to have a sense of hope. She thinks of the woman in ?her? room before her. Her strong sense of life did nothing to help her earn her freedom. She received nothing from her quiet rebellions. Offred is also obviously the perfect narrator because she is a handmaiden. In this new system, almost a caste system, the role of being a handmaiden is not only of great importance, but is also considerably better than other positions, such as an ?unwoman?, who cleans toxic waste in the Colonies. Because Offred is characterized as passive, and mostly compliant, she is not as much in danger as other characters. Moira, her friend from college and the previous life, is dynamic and full of life. She doesn't want to be held back, and her resistence causes her both trouble and distress. Janine, another character, is a ?brown-noser? who uses flattery and praise to achieve a virtually impossible level of hierarchy with the Aunts among her peers. She has to sacrifice self-worth, though, and her admittance of fault in being raped is disgusting. The tense that Atwood uses is relative to the narrator also. The shifts from present to past are frequent. When an author causes the narrator to use past tense, the reader can generally conclude that the narrator knows the end of the story. This builds a sense of suspense. Using present tense allows images in the story to be more solid and realistic, compared to past life. Not all shifts in tense are used for the same reason. When Offred is ?speaking? of Luke, she can't decide if she is in love with him, or if she was in love with him. Offred gradually reveals the story, which we are to eventually discover is on tape. Atwood elects to use leisurely disclosure in order to make the conclusion of the story more believable. The ?Historical Notes? chapter causes the reader to re-examine the book, both mentally and manually. As the reader recalls the jumble of thoughts, the bouncing back and forth between the present and the past, and the narrator's decisions to withhold certain details, they understand the possibility, though unlikeliness, that this could actually happen. Contrasts are important aspects in the narration of this novel. The obvious contrasts are between other characters, such as between Offred and Moira. There also are the images of past life that Offred

How to Achieve Happiness Essay Example

How to Achieve Happiness Essay Example How to Achieve Happiness Essay How to Achieve Happiness Essay There is a saying that states that â€Å"Money doesn’t buy happiness,† and most of the time, the response to that is: â€Å"Yeah right, whatever, keep on dreaming† or â€Å"Yes sure, but you have to admit that it helps when you have some†. Indeed, when we think about money, we either start daydreaming about the projects we will realize once we have it in our hands or we end up having nightmares about what we will be losing once it has vanished. So for sure, the common answer would be that money is definitively necessary to be happy. However, recent studies, as author Richard O’Connor (2008) claims, show that Americans with higher wages still show no sign of being happier or even worse become sadder then what they were before. If money was supposed to be the source of happiness, why do we still not stay happy when we have some? It is probably because money just represents a small part of happiness and if this is the case then that must mean that other factors are much more important in making us truly happy. As said before, money is a source of happiness for many people or at least that is what they think. It is true that when you lack money, you usually cannot take proper care of yourself. So in this particular moment, you feel like money is a major need. Indeed, like author R. O’Connor (2008) said there are two situations where money is a definite source of happiness: firstly when it â€Å"lifts you out of poverty† and secondly when it â€Å"satisfies a basic need† (p. 42). In both of these cases, money is playing a role in people’s happiness because it helps them take care of themselves. In other words, as author Michael Argyle (2008) states by the use of â€Å"Marlow’s Theory (1954),†- showed in the pyramidal graph below stating that once our basic needs were completed, we move on to higher needs that need to be accomplished in order to gain â€Å"social acceptance, self-esteem and finally self-actualization† (P. 142). Put simply, once we have taken care and paid with our money the food, water and other primary needs we needed, we can now use the rest of our time to satisfy higher-hand needs rather than to impress our neighbors by buying the new car that we always wanted but then we end up thinking about the new plasma television that we can’t afford anymore or the last telephone bill that showed up in the mail. As a matter of fact, we obtain what we want, feel happy for a while, and then go right back to the state of being unhappy again. So, we can probably say that since we have not gained all of the things we wanted, we still haven’t reached the happiness state that we think of. We still need to work more to make sure that we can get money for our children’s college fees or we have to get that promotion in order to get a trip to Hawaii. As M. Argyle (2008) mentions: â€Å"People think that what money can buy will make them happier because spending it produces short-term positive feelings or because it will increase their control over events. † (p. 144) In fact, we are deeply conditioned to believe that money is the key source of our happiness. Indeed, when thinking about our careers we are not focused on the success or the joy of obtaining something but rather on the fact that we need to have more of things that makes us feel happy for one second, namely, material possessions. However, the research contradicts this ideology. When Dan Seligman (2010) shows a survey done by Diener et al. , where they asked random people on how happy they are, the results that came out were quite a shock, since more than one-third of the people categorized as super-rich were actually less happy than the people categorized as average. You would not expect that people considered as rich would be less happy, but they are. In fact, they just prove how much we are stuck in the belief that money equals automatically happiness when it actually has no direct connection to it. So then what explains our false beliefs about money? For Dan Gilbert (2004), this is called an â€Å"Impact Bias†, where one has a tendency to â€Å"exaggerate the outcomes of the situation,† where we actually end up thinking too much and getting lost in our personal obsessions and where we end up putting importance on the wrong things. To prove this matter, Gilbert (2004) did a research based on which kind of future would be a happy one. He gave two choices: winning at the lottery or ending up being paraplegic. On a first basis, a common sense person would have made up their mind really fast and would have said that winning the lottery would definitively make someone happier. However, the results showed something completely different since both types of choices lead exactly to the same degree of happiness. In fact, both types of futures end up at the same level in happiness after a period of time, not one being higher than the other. With this research, we are proven for sure that we have a really hard belief concerning money and happiness. Indeed, we think that if we have money we will be able to take control of events or achieve better comfort or a greater materialistic security. However, we forget that, by doing so, we end up focusing on getting rich than actually on life itself and as R. O’Connor explained we end up losing track of what really makes us happy. Also, we lose precious time of our life because in the end we still end up with the same amount of happiness. Nevertheless, if money isn’t the source of happiness, what is then? Well, probably anything that we use money for and probably everything that we forget while we try to gain some. In the case of author Ruth Brown (2010), family and social interactions are far more likely to have a better effect on happiness than a wealthy financial state. In her research, she has discovered that people who are considered as â€Å"successful† obtain certain advantages such as power and prestige, yet they are still unhappy since they have to spend countless stressful time working and spend less and less time with their family or relationships. As Brown (2010) mentions â€Å"humans are social animals† and therefore it is only normal that we become less happy when we are cut away from our connections even if we still gain something out of it. In other words, we would be far better if we appreciated small things in life, even if we can’t obtain everything we could want. In the opinion of the author O’Connor (2008) we should â€Å"save money for what it is really good for† (p. 266) and use it for security, freedom and time to enjoy life, in order to appreciate little things in life. We shouldn’t stand on the materialistic view of society, but just appreciate everyday life to its fullest. He also thinks that having fewer choices would be helpful. Dan Gilbert (2004) also mentions about the fact of having less choice. He presented a survey on two different groups of Harvard students who were told to choose between two pictures, keep the picture they really liked and get rid of the other, with a few changes concerning the disposal of the picture: the first group was told that they would have to get rid of the picture they least like immediately whereas the second group was given a few days to decide on which picture to surrender. His results showed that the students, who had the choice and time to get rid of the picture, were less happy than the ones who got rid of it immediately. This result shows that we just stay in our own belief system when we can simply adapt to the situations and become happy. In fact, like Gilbert stated, we choose to be unhappy like his experience showed with 66% of the students who decided to have a choice if they were decided to get rid of the picture. The more we wonder, the more we end up depressed or obsessed about it, just like money issues. Another way to be happy according to authors Paula Moyer (2007) and Martin Seligman (2004), we should apply a process of â€Å"Positive Happiness,† meaning that we should just focus on the major meanings of life and be grateful for the small things we can accomplish with our own strength. Their research was based on different groups of students that were put on a constant work pressure. The only exception between was that some of the groups were being pushed to their limits and were given no encouragements on any types of grades they would obtain whereas some of the other groups would be encouraged and taught to be grateful and happy about each effort they made without paying attention to whether the grade was acceptable or not. The results showed that the groups who actually improved the most and where happy, even if they had failed the class, were the ones that were submitted to a positive environment and who were taught to appreciate any efforts they were able to make. With these researches, we have proof that adopting a positive attitude helps a lot in reaching a constant state of happiness, since as we have saw, the happiest groups of students were the ones that were following this psychological process. They were happy because of their will to accomplish something, not because of the fact that they were going to get a grade out of it. Like Seligman (2004) explains, if we decided to be grateful for the small things we could obtain in life, we would probably be much happier. As a conclusion, when we state that â€Å"Money is the key to happiness†, we can answer that this sentence is not true in itself. We can indeed be happy on a short-term period after spending some but we can also become depressed for a long-period of time if we think too much about it. Also, with or belief system that money is the key to happiness, we actually are not focusing clearly on what really matters to us: security, relationships, time to simply enjoy life and feel grateful about positive little events that occur every day.

Book review Literature Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Book - Literature review Example The publishing home of the book is Polity Press that has tagged the book under review to be one of their widely sold and acclaimed books. The author, Peter Nolan, who is a professor of Chinese Development, has brought many jigsaw puzzles together to inform the masses about the impact that Chinese economy had on its social and political status quo. Before understanding the impact that the book has on the readers and the amount of knowledge that the book successful shares, it is significant to know the subject matter that it discusses. Chinese economy has happened to be the most effective one. It is merely because that every bond, factory or other mineral resources are being bought by the Chinese economy. Nolan has connected the buying and investment patterns of China to create a strong argument concerning the secret behind the success of China. Readers can find as if they are being lectured in a classroom of the University of Cambridge as the author (professor) Nolan himself combines every possible detail regarding the success and spread of Chinese market (Nolan, 2012). As a matter of fact, the author has tried to create a comparative stance for the readers. For instance, the author has provided a clear view of operations conducted by different economies of the world. At one point, the readers would find out the debt amounts that a Chinese economy had to pay for not being self-sufficient. In a comparative manner, Nolan discusses the manner in which the Chinese economy has arranged cheap vendors and producers. Later on, these resources were spread throughout the world. The data that has been plugged in different sections of the book to provide higher credibility has been skimmed from major databases such as United Nations organs for economic programs, etc. There are a number of past studies and event details that were cited in bulk by the author (Lane, New York). It is an evident fact that if something is

CHOOSE ONE QUESTIONS FROM FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON THE INSTRUCTION LIST Essay

CHOOSE ONE QUESTIONS FROM FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ON THE INSTRUCTION LIST - Essay Example Globalization basically involves exchange of ideas, labour forces, knowledge, products and services internationally. Globalization exploded in the 1980s with the advances in internet and telecommunication infrastructure which made it easier for people to travel, communicate and do international business. [2] Capitalism refers to an economic structure that allows people to put their private property into use however way they want with little interference from the government. It can also be referred to as a free-market system.[5] Under this free-market structure, people are at liberty to work and undertake jobs of their own choice, buy and sell products from or to whoever they wish or consume a service from a service provider of their own choice. The domination of finance capital over the export of commodities constituted the world’s major features of new age. ... This was fuelled by the fall of the Berlin Wall followed by the dissolution of the Soviet Union that led to freeing of over 400 million people from closed economies. These fall of communism led to a free market and economy hence globalization. This led to countries to stop depending on imports hence formulation of trade and economic policies that aimed at advising that a country can increase its wealth by encouraging local production and few imports. However this failed and most countries resorted to globalization in order to promote capitalism hence welcoming foreign investments and opening their markets. [7] Its capitalism that gave birth to the current modern states and economies. The economics of capitalism was defined by the political structure and its social relations. Therefore globalization in modern day operates in a manner that it is undermining the national state in which it originated from. This therefore brings out the difference between third wave globalization and seco nd wave imperialism. The impact of the speeds and carrying capacity of digital telecommunication networks has led to capital to spread globally. This has changed the whole way in which production of goods is carried out and also how wealth is created. It has also created a new international legal structure, redefined sovereignty and how states control economies and also helped in the restructuring of the labor force and brought the ideologies for international free markets. [6] Globalization and revolution of information has not only affected the movement of capital but also it has affected the ways in which production is carried out and these produced goods are sold. Therefore transnational corporations have responded to the accumulation crisis by setting world market strategies. With the

Color and Vans Essay Example for Free

Color and Vans Essay Vans and Converse are both brands of shoes. Vans and Converses have many similarities but they also both have many differences. Both brands come in many different colors and patterns. They also both come in many different styles. For example, they both come in slip-ons, lace-ups, and boots. Also both Converse and Vans make shoes for many different activities. For example, Converse makes shoes for Basketball and Cheerleading. Vans make shoes for surfing, skating, skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, and Snowboarding. Last but not least, they both make casual shoes. Some differences between Vans and Converse are sizing and pricing. The Converse sizes are smaller than the actual street shoe you wear. The pricing between Vans and Converse is also different. Converses are more expensive than Vans. Those are just some of the similarities and differences between vans and Converse. Vans vs converse Vans and Converse are both brands of shoes. Vans and Converses have many similarities but they also both have many differences. Both brands come in many different colors and patterns. They also both come in many different styles. For example, they both come in slip-ons, lace-ups, and boots. Also both Converse and Vans make shoes for many different activities. For example, Converse makes shoes for Basketball and Cheerleading. Vans make shoes for surfing, skating, skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, and Snowboarding. Last but not least, they both make casual shoes. Some differences between Vans and Converse are sizing and pricing. The Converse sizes are smaller than the actual street shoe you wear. The pricing between Vans and Converse is also different. Converses are more expensive than Vans. Those are just some of the similarities and differences between vans and Converse. Vans vs converse Vans and Converse are both brands of shoes. Vans and Converses have many similarities but they also both have many differences. Both brands come in many different colors and patterns. They also both come in many different styles. For example, they both come in slip-ons, lace-ups, and boots. Also both Converse and Vans make shoes for many different activities. For example, Converse makes shoes for Basketball and Cheerleading. Vans make shoes for surfing, skating, skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, and Snowboarding. Last but not least, they both make casual shoes. Some differences between Vans and Converse are sizing and pricing. The Converse sizes are smaller than the actual street shoe you wear. The pricing between Vans and Converse is also different. Converses are more expensive than Vans. Those are just some of the similarities and differences between vans and Converse. Vans vs converse Vans and Converse are both brands of shoes. Vans and Converses have many similarities but they also both have many differences. Both brands come in many different colors and patterns. They also both come in many different styles. For example, they both come in slip-ons, lace-ups, and boots. Also both Converse and Vans make shoes for many different activities. For example, Converse makes shoes for Basketball and Cheerleading. Vans make shoes for surfing, skating, skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, and Snowboarding. Last but not least, they both make casual shoes. Some differences between Vans and Converse are sizing and pricing. The Converse sizes are smaller than the actual street shoe you wear. The pricing between Vans and Converse is also different. Converses are more expensive than Vans. Those are just some of the similarities and differences between vans and Converse. Vans vs converse Vans and Converse are both brands of shoes. Vans and Converses have many similarities but they also both have many differences. Both brands come in many different colors and patterns. They also both come in many different styles. For example, they both come in slip-ons, lace-ups, and boots. Also both Converse and Vans make shoes for many different activities. For example, Converse makes shoes for Basketball and Cheerleading. Vans make shoes for surfing, skating, skateboarding, BMX, Moto X, and Snowboarding. Last but not least, they both make casual shoes. Some differences between Vans and Converse are sizing and pricing. The Converse sizes are smaller than the actual street shoe you wear. The pricing between Vans and Converse is also different. Converses are more expensive than Vans. Those are just some of the similarities and differences between vans and Converse.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano Essay -- Slave

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olauda Equiano The narrative by Olaudah Equiano gives an interesting perspective of slavery both within and outside of Africa in the eighteenth century. From these writings we can gain insight into the religion and customs of an African culture. We can also see how developed the system of trade was within Africa, and worldwide by this time. Finally, we hear an insider's view on being enslaved, how slaves were treated in Africa, and what the treatment of African slaves was like at the hands of the Europeans. Olaudah spends a good part of the narrative acquainting the reader with the customs of his people. He describes the importance of hygiene to his people. Their overall health and vigor was helped by their penchant for cleanliness, and it makes them seem more "advanced." This is an interesting development considering the problems that a lack of hygiene can lead to. His description of a wedding also seems very modern, but the importance of dance in the festivities shows another facet of Olaudah's people. The dance defined the different groups within their village. First, and most important, were the married men, followed by married women, single men, and lastly unmarried women. The groups also used the dance to relate stories or tell events that were important to them. This practice probably also strengthened the bonds within the groups. Olaudah also wrote about the division of chores within his village. The women were responsible for the spinning and weaving, and the men took care of the building. It is interesting to note the similarity of their dress, and the fact that both men and women joined in battle when the village was at war. They did not, however, sleep in the same ... ...rall his treatment was very good; one master even carried him when he was too tired to walk! In sharp contrast to that treatment was the treatment he describes at the hands of Europeans. In his own words, they treat him with "brutal cruelty." They seem to have a callous disregard for their captives, and treat them like vicious animals. From his description of the voyage, how the prisoners were stowed, and the way they were treated we gain proof that these Europeans felt the Africans were less than human. Overall, the narrative by Olaudah Equiano is a great first-hand look at the lives of some of the millions of people who were transported to other countries. They became a commodity sought after as laborers by a people they had never seen. The narrative also shows the folly of the European belief that the Africans were savages and could be treated accordingly.

Spontaneous Consumer

The impacts on ’Spontaneous Consumer’ have resulted in the trend on Auckland Theatre Company. Impacts such as raising demands in the sales of tickets at the last minute. As inferred from the case study, â€Å"on average, 25-30 per cent of a season is booked in advance by subscribes. This may create loss of sales revenue from the particular group of ‘Spontaneous Consumers'. However, Auckland Theatre Company may extend their registration dates to cater to this particular group's needs. Extended registration dates such as having two sessions. First session registration dates to be launch earlier in the month, second session registration dates to be launch end of the month to cater to busy consumer who are not able to make it for the first launch dates. Other impacts such as disputes consumers may derive from ‘the spontaneous consumers. ‘ The inability to purchase a ticket to the play due last minute decision may result in poor customer experiences and thus poor customer retention. As inferred from the case study, â€Å"Part of the reason for the success of Auckland Theatre Company lies in the company's ability to recognize and address the safety, social, ego and self-actualization of the consumers. The inability to purchase a ticket to the play due last minute decision may also result in the lack of ego needs toward consumers. In addition to minimize the negative impacts on Auckland Theatre Company. Auckland Theatre Company can accommodate to this particular group of ‘spontaneous consumer' by using the power of marketing strategic to enhance attractive promotion such as ‘ early bird promotion' to attract spontaneous consumers to purchase their tickets in an earlier timings. This may help to increase the impulse of spontaneous consumers and influence their buying decision through marketing strategic and also help generate revenues for their company.