The Handmaids Tale - short summary Essay Example for Free

The Handmaids Tale short summary Essay The novel The Handmaids Tale written by Margret Atwood is about how the government chose to control the way the community was run and control the lives of men and women. The novel tells the story from the perspective of a middle-aged woman named Offred who questions societys accepted beliefs and conventions. Offred is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead who is constantly questioning the government beliefs and rules. Her character pushes the limits set out by the government. This is thoroughly illustrated through her defiance of against the social conventions, her methods of challenging them and the final outcome of her challenge. Firstly, Offred challenges many laws within The Handmaids Tale including socializing with the commander and Nick, and being in the sitting room. Handmaids are a class who are not to socialize with the commander; Offred explains, Its forbidden for us to be alone with the commanders (Atwood 128). She spends a large amount of time with the commander although she is well aware of the laws within the community. Being a handmaid Offred is not allowed into the sitting room. One night she wanders down to the sitting room to try something new, she is there to be independent; she likes to be on her own. I like this. I am doing something, on my own. The active Tense. Tensed. What I would like to steal is a knife from the kitchen, but Im not ready for that (Atwood 92). At this point Nick interrupts her. Nick and Offred are not allowed to associate with each other. I freeze, white was a mistake. Im snow in moonlight, even in the dark (Atwood 92). She breaks laws, knows what she is doing to be wrong but her need to test the laws convinces her to proceed. Secondly, the novel indicates that Offred breaks many laws by spending time alone with the commanders and her presence in the sitting room with Nick. Offred visits with the commander and plays scrabble with him. Id like you to play a game of Scrabble with me. he says (Atwood 130). In playing scrabble she breaks the law against handmaids spending independent time with commanders without the supervision of the wife. One night she heads down into the sitting room to do something rebellious. She has the thought of stealing. In the wood at midnight, magic flower. A withered daffodil with daffodils will soon be thrown out (Atwood 92). Shortly after Nick interrupts her. He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine, what else comes from such denial? Without a word. Both of us shaking, how Id like to. In Serenas parlour, with the direct flowers on the Chinese carpet, his thin body My hand goes down I could unbutton, and then. But its too dangerous (Atwood 92) Although she is cautious about her choices she still breaks the laws, she knows what she is doing and she still continues. Finally, while ignoring the laws, Offred gains many things including the need for and the suffering, excitement, laughter and love of a strong friendship. After her interaction with Nick she becomes confused and anxious You can wet the rim of a glass. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone (Atwood 97). She is afraid. She does not know what to think about this passion she is having. But this is wrong; nobody dies from lack of sex. Its lack of love we die from. There is nobody her I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere. Who knows where they are or what their names are now? They might as well be nowhere, as I am for them. (Atwood 97) The friendship she gains with the commander affects her in powerful ways, she begins to feel differently about herself. I am thirty-three years old. I have brown hair. I stand five seven without shoes. I have trouble remembering what I used to look like. I have viable ovaries. I have one more chance Circumstances have altered (Atwood 135). It is shown that her actions cause her confusion and she is in a state where she had begun to have hope. In conclusion, the author Margret Atwood follows the pattern of fictional novels with The Handmaids Tale by having the main character, Offred, constantly questioning the social beliefs and conventions in the Republic of Gilead. Offreds want for a better life is illustrated through her challenges against the social standards, her methods of testing them and the final outcome of her defiance. Sarah Driscoll January 17, 2005 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section.

Essays on Heroes in Cyrano De Bergerac :: Cyrano Bergerac

Cyrano De Bergerac – Heroes Every generation has its own heroes that display, what they believe to be, ideal characteristics. While each is different in their own way, many of these role models share similar qualities. Most tend to have courage, strength, compassion, or another respected trait, but this is not necessarily why they win the adoration of their followers. Cyrano De Bergerac is a perfect example of how many protagonists win our allegiance because his sensibilities will not be denied, because he lives life to the hilt, and because he is a victim of his surroundings. If there was ever a figure who would not be denied his sensibilities, it is Cyrano. When lovers admit, "I'd die for you," it is usually only a figure of speech. Cyrano actually crossed over enemy lines every day simply to mail love letters. He also confessed to her, "My mother made it clear that she didn't find me pleasant to look at. I had no sister. Later, I dreaded the thought of seeing mockery in the eyes of a mistress. Thanks to you I've at least had a woman's friendship, a gracious presence to soften the harsh loneliness of my life. " When Cyrano admits, "My heart always timidly hides its self behind my mind," the reader can instantly relate to this dilemma but it is the fact that Cyrano is able to overcome it that makes him a hero. Not on ly is Cyrano filled with emotion, but he also goes out of his way to live life to the fullest. Cyrano's introduction to the reader definitely leaves a lasting impression. Not only does he banish an actor from the theater for performing poorly, but he proceeds to recite poetry while dueling with another member of the audience. Every moment of Cyrano's life is filled with action like this. When he was informed that one hundred men were going to kill his friend, Lignià ©re, he was thrilled with the idea of fighting all these men at once, and, of course, he succeeded. How could anyone not love this man who takes Carpe Diem to its most extreme form? Also, Cyrano is a victim of his surroundings. This may be the one characteristic that completely wins over the reader. Cyrano's most obvious flaw is his grotesque nose, but this would not be so awful if the people around him didn't care.

Lord of the Flies: Comparative Analysis

Lord of the Flies Comparative Analysis Angela Boll Throughout the book â€Å"Lord of the Flies† several different universal themes occurred. Not Just in this book but in movies and TV shows as well. The deferent themes all show morals surrounding situations both good and bad. One main theme that is present is how people abuse power when it is not earned. This happens because people crave power and they want to be in control.In the following paragraphs, different themes will be linked with the book â€Å"Lord of the Flies† and minimal movies and TV shows such as the Walking Dead and the book â€Å"MISS Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children†. Themes throughout the book â€Å"Lord of the Flies† also interpret the same meaning as in the television series â€Å"The Walking Dead†. The first theme is that people abuse power when it is not earned. A quote from Lord of the Flies Is when Jack says, â€Å"l ought to be chief because I'm chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp. This shows how Jack takes power even though none of the boys on the island has voted for him. He just assumes that he should be the chief because he has already been dead of choir. The same concept goes for the Walking Dead because when the Governor lost his safe haven town, he had later then craved to be In charge again. Doing so he had found other groups and eliminated their leaders so he could be in charge again. The second theme is when given chances people often single another to degrade, to improve their own security.The second theme is when given chances people often single another to degrade, to Improve their own security. Another quote from Lord of the Flies Is when Ralph and Jack assert authority over Piggy saying, You're no good on a Job like this, and we don't want you. Three's enough. † They bring Piggy down telling him that he is not worthy enough to go and that he is useless. Just as in the Walking Dead when new survivors are found they are not wanted. They are often not trustworthy, unwanted and they also add on to feed more mouths.The new survivors usually get vital tasks so that they can prove that others can trust them. However if they fail they will either be tormented or worse killed. This proves of how when given the chance people bring down others. The last theme is that you can only over up Inner savagery for so long before It breaks out. A different quote from Lord of the Flies is when the Jack's boys are doing their dance and screaming, â€Å"Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! † They do not know it, but they are murdering Simon because savagery has taken over their civilized ways.Throughout the Walking Dead this theme Is present everywhere. The minute the apocalypse started everyone had to forget their old ways of being civilized people. They had to become more wild and savage to survive of what their world has become. Themes within the book â€Å"Lord of the Files† also coincide with the book â€Å"Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children†. The first theme, which occurred In both books, was that the fear of the unknown could be a powerful force, which can turn to either insight or by sterna.The flirts quote from Lord of the Flies is when the little boy 1 OFF mention of the Beast caused all the boys on the island to become horrified. Just as in the book Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, Jacob finds himself looking at a Beast himself. With no one there to believe him, he starts to shut everyone out causing him to go slightly delusional. The fear of the unknown can turn people into beasts themselves. The second theme is when given chances people often single another to degrade, to improve their own security.The second quote from Lord of the Flies is when Jack said to Piggy muff would, would you? Fatty! † Jack had said this in a vicious and humiliating way because he wanted Piggy to feel left out and very discouraged. The same thing happened in the book Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children because Jacob had been an outcast ever since he had seen that Orrville beast-like thing. His friends had started calling him crazy only to make themselves feel better and to put Jacob down.The last theme that occurred in both books was that society holds everyone together. In Lord of the Flies, the Island had been their society. The quote that shows how society is falling apart is â€Å"The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away. † The same meaning is also present in Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. When Jacob left his home in Florida, he had lost all signs of society. He had shut out all rules and went to a efferent time zone. His world was overrun with monsters.

The Importance Of Motivation And Its Outcomes - 1069 Words

Motivation is one of the most important aspects of an effective organization. The saying, â€Å"happy wife happy life,† can help explain the importance of motivation and its outcomes in a comedic approach. If the â€Å"happy wife† is thought as â€Å"happy employees,† then the results would produce a more enjoyable and productive organization. This analogy is a way to think about how important the happiness of others can affect the big picture. Creating an environment and culture that is internally and externally motivating helps workers strive toward a desired outcome. Motivation in the workplace makes employees work harder, extensively, and diligently at their job with aspiration rather than disgust. Motivating performance in an organization forces the worker to have the â€Å"want† mentality to be the best or produce the best results. There are many theories about what motivates a person to behave in certain ways. When managing an organization it is important to understand and apply theories to keep personnel or employees productive and content. Three theories that can be applied to organizations in order to contribute to the organizational goal or mission accomplishment are: Frederick Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory, Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and John Stacey Adams’ Equity Theory. Through research, Frederick Herzberg theorized that there were certain features of a position that cause job satisfaction and separate aspects that caused job dissatisfaction. HerzbergShow MoreRelatedMechanisms Underlying Creative Performance : Employee Perceptions Of Intrinsic And Extrinsic Rewards1301 Words   |  6 Pagespsychological state in the connection between rewards and creativity. 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