Handmaids Tale - Basic Response Essay Example for Free

Handmaids Tale Basic Response Essay One of the ways in which The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond is through its discussion and exploration of a dystopian society. A dystopian society is often characterised as a futuristic setting with oppressive societal control and elements of totalitarianism. The Handmaid’s Tale is set in the futuristic Republic of Gilead and a way in which Atwood has chosen to display a dystopian society is through creating a sense that the citizens of Gilead are under constant surveillance, a characteristic of dystopian literature. This can be shown through the reoccurring motif of â€Å"the eye. † The eye motif symbolises the eternal watchfulness of god and the totalitarian state with its recurrence creating a sense that citizens of Gilead are constantly being surveyed. This is shown as Offred states â€Å"to be seen-to be seen- is to be- her voice trembled-penetrated. † The use of repetition and italicise of the word ‘seen’ is used to highlight the fact that individuals don’t want to be seen, creating an ominous presence of control and threat through the constant watching. Another way The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond in relation to its dystopian reading is in its discussion of citizens in fear of the outside world. This fear is shown through the presence of â€Å"The Wall. † The wall serves as a symbolic barrier separating Gilead from the outside world and also emphasising the existence of the totalitarian state and its allusion of a perfect world. This meaning is shown as the wall is described to have â€Å"barbed wire along the bottom and broken glass set in concrete along the top. Visual imagery here is used to create fear of the outside world through the literal and metaphorical barrier the wall represents. It is also important to note that the value of Atwood’s text is evident in the way it is a cautionary novel, designed to provide a reflection and thus provide commentary on the potential for 21st century society to adopt these extremes. Therefore the novels exploration of elements of dystopian society including the perceived surveillance of citizens and fear of the outside world creates opportunities to respond to The Handmaid’s Tale in relation to its comments about dystopian society, making it valuable. Even though the totalitarian regime has been destroyed, Atwood warns us that governments can still exploit woman. In the Historical Notes, it is concerning how Professor Pieixoto states, â€Å"No new system can impose itself upon a previous one without incorporating many of the elements to be found in the latter. † This implies that selected characteristics of the dystopian Gilead Republic will be adopted by a new government. Another way in which The Handmaid’s Tale creates opportunities to respond is through its complex interpretation from a feminist perspective. This is shown within the novel as the Handmaid’s bodies are used for procreation, their sexual freedom has been denied. This is seen through the constant discussion of fertility with Offred often belittling herself and her body to be used, â€Å"we are like containers, it’s only the insides of our bodies that are important. The outside can become hard †¦ like the shell of a nut. † Here a simile is used to continue to degrade and dehumanise Offred through equating her to a simple â€Å"nut,† an empty being, only valued for her fertility. Also the way in which women are used for procreation is shown through the motif of red, â€Å"a nondescript woman in red,† with women here further dehumanised to â€Å"nondescript† beings. The motif of red is used to represent fertility. The way females are often referred to as red throughout the text highlights how the Handmaids’ sole purpose within the society of Gilead is to procreate, demonstrating once again how females within the society are only valued for their bodies. In regards to a feminist interpretation, male dominance is also presented throughout the novel through the discussion of sterile- this is again italicised to emphasise its effect relating to a feminist viewpoint as males don’t go to colonies yet females do highlighting gender inequality. The inclusion of these elements discusses a range of feminist concerns allowing it to be interpreted in a myriad of different ways, increasing its value. The Handmaid’s Tale furthermore creates opportunities to respond through its inclusion of post-modern elements thus making it valuable. The novel can be read from a post-modern perspective as Atwood uses self- reflexivity as a means of questioning what is truth. This is shown when Offred admits, â€Å"This is a reconstruction, all of it is a reconstruction. It’s a reconstruction now, in my head. † The use of repetition, â€Å"reconstruction† creates emphasis and awareness of how the story Offred tells is only fractured pieces of the story, taken apart and put back together. Atwood here is trying to make her reader’s question if what is being said is true; implying that not everything read is necessarily true. This post-modern analysis which believes in the existence of multiple truths can be further seen through Offred’s narration shown as she questions â€Å"you want the best for her. Don’t you? † Here metafiction is used as Offred directly communicates with the audience, presenting an element of post- modern literature. From a post-modern interpretation the truthfulness of Offred’s singular narration is questionable accentuated when she consciously reinstates, â€Å"I don’t want to be telling this story. † This highlights how her narration could be subjected bias rather than truth. Thus The Handmaid’s Tale can be interpreted from a post-modern perspective making it valuable as this is one of the many ways it can be responded to. In conclusion it is through the different ways to respond to Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale that the text possesses value. These responses are generated in relation to dystopian, feminist and post-modern interpretations that the novel discusses. Each of these comments on 21st century society and encourage audiences to respond to their own society in different ways making the text valuable.

Will the Real Lupe Garza Please Stand Up? Essay -- Ethics Case Study

An ethical dilemma is defined as a moral issue, where a situation has two equivalent undesirable alternatives and neither choice will resolve the ethical predicament. Lupe Garza, mother of two children, is a temporary employee at a plant. Garza is an excellent and talented worker, and supervisors have taken notice in her skills. A human resource specialist named Sara Jones, mislead Garza in thinking she would unquestionably obtain a permanent job position at the plant, causing Garza to turn down another job opportunity. During the interview, Garza is truthful and informs Mark Solomon, a human resource specialist, that she is currently using someone else’s identity in order to work legally and her real name is Carmen Mendoza. Mark tell Garza that she will not be able to obtain the permanent positions at the plant because of her circumstances. Garza pleads Mark for the position, felling remorseful Mark leads Garza into believing she may have a chance in obtaining the position. Furthermore, during the interview, Garza informs Mark, there are other employees using someone else’s identity. The major true ethical dilemma in this case is whether the human resource specialist should hire Garza permanently knowing she is an illegal worker or deny Garza the position. An additional ethical dilemma is presented to Mark, after the interview with Garza. Mark is faced with the decision whether the plant should continue to employ temporary Hispanic workers knowing that they may be an illegal or stop hiring these employees. The stakeholder in an ethical dilemma is anybody that is affected by the outcome of the decision. In this scenario, Mark Solomon and Garza Lupe will be both subjected by the end result of the decision. The conflict is ... ...6-irca Noe, R. A., Hollenback, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2011). Fundamentals of human resource management. (5th ed.). New York, NY, 10020: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw- hill.com/sites/0078112613/information_center_view0/supplements.html Fransson, M. C., Gareett, N. A., & Noll, C. L. (2005). Will the real Lupe garza please stand up? The Society for Case Research Leonard, J. C. (2014). Business policy & strategy. (Beta ed.). Ronkonkoma, NY 11779: Linus Learning. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, (2013). I-9, employment eligibility verification. Retrieved from website: http://www.uscis.gov/i-9 U.S. Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, (2013). I-140, immigrant petition for alien worker. Retrieved from website: http://www.uscis.gov/i-140

Bereavement: Emotion and Loss Essay

Bereaved children need support within school to deal with the loss of a loved one. This may be by being given opportunity to talk about their feelings or through practical activities. Naturally, each individual deals with bereavement in a different way, some may feel sad or angry, some may feel guilty about the death and others may withdraw and show signs of depression. The age of the child as well as their previous experiences, or lack of, can affect what they understand about death therefore it must be dealt with and prepared for accordingly. For instance, for those who have not dealt with loss before, starting with other kinds of loss is a good way in. With very young children this could be done effectively in circle time, using story, discussion and activities. You can talk about loss such as of toys or personal belongings and later develop this into a discussion about pets which may get lost or die, before finally talking about losing people who move on, move out or die. As a teacher we are more than likely able to empathise with children who are experiencing bereavement as this is probably something we, as adults, have experience. Consequently, it could be difficult to separate our own feelings and thoughts from the situation we are dealing with in order to console a child and reassure them that things will get better. It is important then to consider your own emotional response to the death and loss and reflect upon you feelings and how you deal with these situations in order to stop this from inhibiting your ability to help children in this situation. The parent/carer’s view and what they would like their child to understand about death is also important to consider as a teacher and it is important to make sure that you act on their wishes so that the message that you deliver reflects these views. However, whilst this is important, I also feel it is part of a teacher’s duty to help families understand the importance of children being appropriately involved in what is happening rather than being excluded and sheltered and how this can affect them in a negative way later in life also. Furthermore, this raises the importance of working and communicating effectively with parent/carer’s throughout these situations to find out behaviours the child is exhibiting when dealing with the loss and then develop a plan to help the child through this period. Most importantly, as a teacher, it is vital that a secure and closed environment which allows everyone to talk about the kinds of feelings that loss and bereavement bring is developed within the classroom and an appropriate level of confidentiality and trust is maintained.

Defining and Measuring Crime - 1557 Words

Introduction To Crime, Defining and Measuring Crime Alistair Van Oudtshoorn Due Date: 23 April, 5:00pm Tutor: Thalia Edmonds Tutor Group: Wednesday 10:00am-10: 50am Table Of Contents. Introduction Page 3 Violent Crime Page 3 White-Collar Crime Page 3 Internet Crime Page 4 Property Crime Page 4 Conclusion Page 4 References Page 6 Crime has always been a shadow upon societies image, these learned behaviors can be seen in all shapes and sizes, in the cities, in the streets and even in homes. The media has controlled the image of what is perceived as crime. But what truly stalks the streets at night, is it the sadistic men who care so little about human dignity they travel from coast to coast sexually assaulting women?†¦show more content†¦One such method is organizational data gathering which rather than assembling statistical data it aims to collect profiling information to increase the chance of arrest therefore providing more data (Hayes and Prenzler, 2008). In 2003-4 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) received a total of 63,695 complaints and enquiries and of that amount 480 were investigated of which 22 were taken to court. Overall in 2003-4 police investigated only 0.7% of possible white-collar crimes (ACCC, 2004). As technology increases so does the complexity of white-col lar crime therefore facilitating for a predicted rise in frequency. White-collar crime is the highest costing of all crimes and damages people both directly and indirectly through economic manipulation. The internet has brought upon a new revolution of global interconnection where contacting someone on the other side of the world is just a click away, but with this international phenomenon comes an increased susceptibility with unfamiliar technology. Internet crime is compiled of all non-physical crime with the aid of a computer. 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