StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret - Term Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
Critical/Scholarly Analysis of Margaret The Handmaid’s Tale is an anti-utopian novel that was written by Margaret Atwood during the early 1980s in Alabama and West Berlin. The narrator is Offred, who is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. For most part of the narration, Offred gives readers a clear picture of her emotional state rather than the unraveling of events or actions…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.3% of users find it useful
Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret"

Download file to see previous pages

However, judging from Offred’s subtle acts, one can conclude that she has neither conformed to nor accepted her role in the society. This is further backed by the fact that she eventually escapes the oppressive regime. Offred, the first person narrator gives her personal story concerning her life in the Republic of Gilead. She thus gains the readers’ sympathy in doing so. Readers naturally trust Offred’s words. Conventionally, first person narration and narratives are considered trustworthy.

Though Offred’s tale is trustworthy, there is the need to contextualize it. From the novel, it is clear that Offred’s mother was a second wave feminist. She brought up her daughter as a single parent and was an activist. This means that she strongly fought for women’s safety and freedom to go anywhere. She also campaigned for women’s safety in the streets, unmolested by rapists or violence. Additionally, she condemned both the dangers and inequalities in the way women were treated (Wisker, 31).

The issues ranged from education to economic and sexual rights. She emphasized on the role of pornography in depicting women as mere sexual objects. Therefore, she was strongly against pornography and consequently burned it and invited Offred, as a child to do the same. The novel thus portrays Offred’s mother as the energies of women in the 1980s that pushed for attainment of personal, political, and economic equality. The benefits of these efforts were reaped by Offred and her generation by ostensibly getting their own bank accounts, jobs, and equal rights.

This also resulted to some degree of comfort and complacency. The members of that generation could fully enjoy their freedom and privacy. It thus appears that Offred’s mother was a strong woman who could not tolerate unequal treatment on the basis of gender (Atwood, 136). This is unlike Offred who appears to accept to be used as a sexual object or a vehicle in which the Commander and his wife can procreate. In this way, Offred’s worth is measured by her level of fertility and ability to bear kids.

Gilead did not enjoy the benefits of equality for long since there emerged a political coup. Following the coup, a fundamentalist religious based regime took over. This regime was oppressive and hardly cared about human rights, especially with respect to women. Offred, “a two-legged womb” is treated as a valuable person but is deprived of her freedom and placed under the watch of a Commander (Cooke, 113). Her main role is to serve as a vehicle by which the Commander, and his older with, Serena Joy, who is sterile can procreate and ensure that the Republic of Gilead has a future.

Handmaids were treated as though they were half prostitutes and half nuns (Cooke, 130). Therefore, by accepting the role of a handmaid, Offred appears to be weak and less powerful compared to her mother, who was a strong feminist. Moira is Offred’s more rebellious friend. She cannot bear control and incarceration under the strict gaze of the controlling aunts, particularly Aunt Lydia. Moira has more energy and is more lively compared to Offred. She seems to have more control of her life and is more independent in comparison to Offred.

Therefore, one can easily conclude that she is a more critical character compared to

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret Term Paper”, n.d.)
Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret Term Paper. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/english/1469254-critica-scholarlyl-analysis-of-margaret
(Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret Term Paper)
Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret Term Paper. https://studentshare.org/english/1469254-critica-scholarlyl-analysis-of-margaret.
“Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret Term Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/english/1469254-critica-scholarlyl-analysis-of-margaret.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Critica/Scholarlyl Analysis of Margaret

Genetic Engineering in Oryx and Crake

A critical analysis of the novel Oryx and Crake reveals that Atwood's main argument relates to the detrimental effects associated with advances in science and technology, especially genetic engineering.... A critical analysis of the masterpiece reveals that the author depicts the possible consequences that could arise due to advancement in science and technology.... Topic Institution Date Novel Review: Oryx and Crake by margaret Atwood Novel Review: Oryx and Crake by margaret Atwood The relationship between scientific research, technological development and society has been the subject of heightened scholarly interest for many years....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Book review (the lives of Margaret fuller :a biography by John matteson

The Lives of margaret Fuller: A Biography by John Matteson Margaret Fuller is an important figure in the history of American women.... John Matteson's biography titled The Lives of margaret Fuller: A Biography covers the personal, professional and public facets of Fuller.... It is this assessment that is at the heart of John Matteson's interesting biography of margaret Fuller.... Through the events in the life of margaret Fuller, we also learn a great deal about the history of the United States during the first half of the 19th century....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

A Critical Analysis of Terrorism Discourse and Orientalist Thinking

A Critical analysis of Terrorism Discourse and Orientalist Thinking Introduction Edward Said's theory of Orientalism revealed to the world the ‘imaginative geography' where in the West and East are divided; a division, though, that is “less a fact of nature than it is a fact of human production” (Battersby, 2007, p.... This Orientalism dominates the contemporary analysis of terrorism.... This essay analyses the argument that “the analysis of the problem of terrorism represents, in many ways, a form of Orientalist thinking”....
12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

Concept of Post-War Consensus

POST WAR CONSENSUS Instructor Institution Submission Date From the historical perspective, the time that succeeded the end of Second World War is referred to as the post war period.... The term ‘post war consensus' is used tactfully to refer to the agreements arrived at by the collaboration of the Labor party and the conservative party to structure policies and frameworks to champion the direction in internal as well as foreign policy dimensions....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Margaret Atwood's Death by Landscape

This is a wonderful feminist analysis in which the author provides a psychoanalytic overview of margaret Atwood's portrayal of women and power.... New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1996 Approaches to Teaching Atwoods “The Handmaids Tale” and Other Works give pedagogical approaches to learn the wide variety of works of margaret Atwood.... Engendering Genre: The Works of margaret Atwood.... Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press, 2009 ‘Engendering Genre: The Works of margaret Atwood' gives an engaging contribution to the great works of the celebrated author Margaret Atwood....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Development Administration

This paper demonstrates the key ideological underpinnings and critiques of neo-liberalism and populism as two dominant approaches to development.... And also describes the models which appropriate for poverty alleviation and accelerated socio-economic development in poorer countries.... hellip; Populism is sometimes considered to be based on social ideas, economic programs, and right-wing issues but it is more than an appendage of an ideology such as nationalism or neoliberalism....
11 Pages (2750 words) Term Paper

Meaning of Human Genome Project

The paper "Meaning of Human Genome Project" states that the equipment swapping should, however, be effectively conducted to minimize data loss and enhance data privacy.... The informatics smart devices will, therefore, enhance health information sharing within ten years.... hellip; Informatics will greatly be determined through medical devices that are freely interconnected....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Poems, Protest, and a Dream: Sor Juana

This paper "Poems, Protest, and a Dream: Sor Juana" discusses Sor Juana's writing that provides readers a fetishistic glance at the interior functions of the female consciousness.... It also provides the audience with a polemical base that builds a psychoanalytical conversation of female yearning....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us