Men and women Essay Example for Free

Men and women Essay This puritanical view of relationships bears much resemblance to many religious values from many different religions. Atwood paints the deprivation of love and sex as a cold and lonely picture, she asks the reader to question whether the suppression of such natural, basic emotional needs is healthy or rational. This is highlighted by the beautification of the natural world, namely flowers which are an old and common image of fertility. In Gilead, it is women who are particularly sexually suppressed, as men earn the right to a wife and a handmaid, whereas women are simply the rewards. Through the haunting narrative of loneliness and longiong, Atwood leads us to question why reactionary forces fell it so necessary to try and surpress sexuality. In the end, one concludes that it is only by surpressinng the most fundamental of our desires, the desire to be loved, and that includes the manifestations of that love, sex, that a society can exercise absolute control. In the novel, sexuality is equated with feedom. Women have very limited movement within Gilead, they are watched everywhere they go, either by Gaurdians, Angels or Aunts. Careers are prohibited from women, they have to perform a function which contributes to the home. This is related to many religious beliefs, which teach that the role of the woman is in the home. It is also about control, if women are permitted independence then they will strive for other freedom as well, One has to sever all independace in order to gain control, and submissiveness. The tasks within the home are divided into three categories; Wives, Marthas and handmaids. Wives are mothers and wives, they have the relationships, with both children and husband. Marthas are designated the housekeeping, specifically the cooking and cleaning. Handmaids are vessels of procreation. This is obviously very similar to more primitive societies where women have been purely housekeepers. Womens Rights Campaigns still demand recognition of motherhood as a difficult and necessary job, alluded to ironically when Offred silently offers her mother this interpretation of a womens culture. The division of tasks may at first appear more fair, women have a smaller workload, they do not have to play so many roles. However, the categorization of women is really a means to control. It enables the authorities to keep stricter hand in whats going on. Clothing denotes your role, so people are easily recognisable. This dehumanises women, it makes them like machines,a production line rather than people. Gileads theory is that is you narrow peoples life enough, and teach them to think of themselves as machines, then they will no longer want as many human things, and will be happy to be instructed like machines are. Pear Freedom of self expression is regulated within Gilead, ways of communication including speech and writing are forbidden. This prevents unnecessary communication between people, and is a barrier to the spread of ideas, any forms of seditious organisation and confidence. This lack of communication yet again demeans people to things. Writing is also forbidden because there are no rights to education. This doesnt protect women in any paticular way, it protects the society which is protecting women. Existing educative tools, such as books are forbidden, the library where the cwntral character |Offred works is shut dow by the Gaurds. These ideas are seen as evil, and corrupting. This return to ignorance is reminiscent of many religions, who previously acted as a spiritual police keeping the population ignorant, in order to keep control of people, their values and thus their behaviour. In the time before people chose to be unaware of many of the violent and destructive aspects of their society. However, the information was there, so it was a choice how you responded to it, Ignoring isnt the same as Ignorance, you have to work at it. In the new tyranny people are not given the choice, however they dont have to work at ignoring it, they are protected form the truth, or hidden from the reality. 1. Explore Atwoods presentation of . in the Handmaids Tale The Handmaids Tale contains many strong female characters, of whom Serena Joy is one. Atwood portrays Serena sometimes with hostility and at other times sympathetically. Offred remembers that Serena Joy used to be a child gospel star, from which she developed into a media personality advocating ultra-conservative politis and preching about the sanctity of he home, she was a part of the very right wing Christian movement. She is presented as fake, able to cry and laugh at the same time, lacking sincerity and somewhat superficial, which is suggested by Offreds observation that her hair looks as if it is died. Atwood suggests the hypocracy of her situation, in which she encouraged women to stay home and adhere to traditional roles of wife and mother. She didnt practise this herself however, preferring to establish a career for herself as a TV personality. Ironically, under the Gileadean regime whenb all Serenas ideals are enforced, she is unhappy . Offred says that She stays in her home, but it doesnt seem to agree with her, Serena is unable to live by her own ideas and prefers to spend time stting in her subversive garden. Flowers are a recurring motif in the novel, representing fertility, which Serena lacks. She is unable to conceive and thus cannot fulfil the trditional female roles, and so has to have a Handmaid in her home, which she cleal resents. Her declining physical health is a constnat reminder of her physical inabilities and her fading femininity. This is a stark contrast to the young blond girl, and her bitterness and loneliness creates pathos for her trapped situation. Despite her declining physical healtg, serena mentally tough, illustrated at the end of the novel when the commander hides behind her as offred leaves, and on Offreds arrival when Aserena is defiant, her chin is clenched like a fist. Her metal strength and deire to rebel parallels many of the other strong female characters in the novel; Moira, Ofgken and Offreds mother. She is contrasted wit themselves as well, as whilst slogans used by offreds mother may gave been pervertred to suit the regime, sSerena fundamentall desired the regime until she got it. Serena is also doubled with Offred, both are desperate for a child and attentions rest on the Commander. Tjough these two women both srive for common aim concerning children, they are always in conflict because of their differing status. Serena is higher up the hierarchical ladder than Offred and thus has a lot of power over her life, Atwood makes a mockery of the feminist notion of Sisterhood conveyed most clearly n the Birth Day, and is perhaps also commenting on the notion of sisterhood witin our own society when women oppress other women. Some pathos is created through Serenas situation in a a love triangle with offred and the Commander. Serena is portrayed as very lonely, and the commander tells offred that she doesnt understand me which suggests Serens is not in love with her husband, however she is very hurt to find out about his illicit affair, You could have left me something. Her character can also be seen as a parody of the Virtuous Woman, which is what she had presented herself as being. She is estranged from her husband, jealous of her handmaid and has nothing to do other than knit and gossip. 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.

Kyrgyzstan :: essays research papers

The collapse of the Soviet Union created 15 new states. These states over the last 5 years have all struggled with economic, ethnic, political and territorial problems left to them by the Soviet empire. Kyrgyzstan, is a former Soviet Republic (FSR) located in the Central Asia. This paper will give a statistical representation of the state, Kyrgyzstan. The statistical data will reflect the basic geography of the subject country containing population, size and location. This miniature report will also contain brief descriptions of current political and economic situations. Included in the current information section of this report, is an outlook for possible near future events concerning both political stability and economy. Kyrgyzstan is located in the southern area of the former Soviet Union. Its boarders are defined by China to the east (& South), Kazakhstan to the north (& Northwest), Uzbekistan directly west and Tajikistan to the south (& Southwest). Kyrgyzstan features 76,641 square miles of land, which consisted of .9% of the former USSR's land-mass. The land is primarily used for pastoral purposes. Only 7% of the farmable land is cultivated. The population is approximated to be 4,258,000 people (see Figure A). The Kyrgyzstan populace has experienced a 25.3% growth in population during the last 12 years (Population Growth Data from 1979-1991), and a birthrate at 29.1/1000. Population distribution is 61.9% in rural areas and 38.1% in urban centers. City & Population The top 4 cities are: Bishkek (formally Frunze) 616,000 (Capitol) Osh 213,000 Przhevalsk 64,000 Naryn 26,000 In June of 1990 ethnic violence arose in the city of Oh. Kyrgyz clashed with Uzbeks resulting in a bloody conflict which was eventually suppressed by Soviet Interior Ministry troops. This clash outlined political and economic problems present in Kyrgyzstan even when the USSR was still existent. These ethnic clashes in Oh served to cement political groups who were organizing outside of the communist party during Perestroika. It also gave voice to the large economic problems in central Kyrgyzstan. The "head of state" and leader of the communist party in Kyrgyzstan was Absamat Masaliev. Masaliev invoked policies which were rigid and served to enhance the existing social problems. Because of the decline present in the government's abilities to meet the expectations of the populace, the allowances granted by the Perestroika police and ethnic tensions, communist authority in Kyrgyzstan was challenged. The communist party's rule came to an end in October of that same year.

Hello Kitty Singapore Essay

A person has many needs at any given time. Abraham Maslow sought to explain why people are driven by particular needs at particular times. According to him, human needs are arranged in a hierarchy (refer to Figure 1), from the most pressing to the least pressing. In order of importance, they are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs. The most basic level of needs must be satisfied first before desiring higher level needs. Therefore, having a Mctoy fulfils the forth level needs, called as ‘Esteem Needs’. Self-esteem is the desire for status, self-respect and prestige. Owning the series of Hello Kitty dolls has gained a sense of fulfilment to the individual because it is not that easy to get the limited edition toys at any time. Besides that, the ‘Kiasu’ attitude which is very popular among Singaporeans to have something which everyone else is having, regardless of whether it is of any use. The fear of losing out drives the feeling to fulfil their esteem needs, where they are happy knowing they too have one like others. In order to fulfil the esteem need, people are often engaged in either profession or hobby to gain recognition. For those who loves collecting dolls, use this hobby as a platform to gain recognition from others so that they will be praised. Thus, they feel that by owning the series of hello kitty dolls can make them gained recognition. How has McDonald’s created value to its consumers by offering Hello Kittty dolls in their Extra Value Meals? Marketing experts, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers say that ‘The only value a company will ever create is the value that comes from customers.’ Customer value is the relationship between the consumers perception of benefits they believe they will derive from a purchased compared to the price that will be paid. The total benefit package includes functional attributes of the product and related service attributes. Creating value not only transforms sales effectiveness, it also provides insulation from price pressure. There are many sales strategies, tactics and techniques for creating value for customers. McDonald’s has identified the benefits that consumers would gain from the promotion by creating a series of value to its customer through the promotion. The total value created to its consumers by McDonald’s comprises of four sources namely product, services, personnel and image. Firstly, the product (Hello kitty Dolls) were given as a premium to its loyal consumers at its cost price when consumer purchases the Extra Value Meal, rather than charging any extra amount for it. McDonalds has created value to its consumers by offering this product premium. In terms of service, McDonald’s has created value to its consumers an alternative way of getting the exclusive dolls, where these dolls can only be purchased through McDonald’s outlets during the limited period of time. This series of limited-edition toys will not be available as and when consumers want them. Thirdly, the satisfaction gained by consumers by owning these dolls. As the dolls were limited edition and were sold at cheaper price, McDonald’s has created the satisfaction feeling among its consumers when they own them. And finally image value is created to McDonald’s consumers where the consumers have the option to choose designs of their preferences during the one-month promotion. The image of ‘Kitty’ representing different cultures wedding costumes creates value to those owning them. Thus, McDonald’s has added up values from all the four sources mentioned above to successfully create values to its consumers through its ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion. Recommendations and Conclusion Here are several alternatives that McDonald’s should have considered before carrying out the promotion to avoid such havoc from happening: 1) Study the consumer behaviour of Singaporeans 2) Periods of the promotion 3) Increase the number of toys offered for promotion In conclusion, the havoc caused from the ‘Hello Kitty’ Promotion in Singapore has not tarnished McDonald’s image in any aspect. This was proven when McDonald’s introduced another six sets of designs featured royal costumes around the world a year after, and the sales seem not to be declining. There was no repeat of the previous year’s frenzy as McDonald’s was prepared. Several precautions were taken such as limiting the number of dolls each customer can buy to four, and had more dolls in stock for panic buying. Besides that, to monitor and control the crowds, McDonald’s has hired security personnel and mobile squad officers to visit McDonald’s outlets.

Biographical Interpretation Essay - 911 Words

Many people view poems and other pieces of writing in different ways, there is no wrong or right way to interpret a work of someone, it merely your point of view; your opinions. In Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"Daddy†, many could say that it was a about a hard relationship she had with her father, but how do we know? It could be about her father, husband, strong authority figure, or even God. But, as I read â€Å"Daddy† I got the strong sense that it was mostly about her father. The poem suggests that she had either an unhealthy relationship with him or she was angry with him for leaving her. In the poem, Plath says â€Å"I have always been scared of you† (41); I view this as she may not have had the best relationship with him. Maybe he was abusive or mean.†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Daddy† is a poem where Plath expressed her most personal feelings about her father and ultimately her husband also. In the poem, when Plath writes â€Å"And then I knew what to do. / I made a model of you, / A man in black with a Meinkampf look.† (63-65). It suggests that she possibly actually went to her father’s grave and maybe she tried to dig up her father’s bones to prove to her that he was really dead. Or, possibly these lines mean that she married someone who was a lot like him. She married someone who she could look at every day and who reminds her of her father. But, if this poem is about her sad relationship with him, why would she want to be reminded of him every day? This only makes me come to the conclusion that she did not have a horrible relationship with him, she was just angry with him for leaving her, for dying. As you can tell there can be many different interpretations for Sylvia Plath’s poem â€Å"Daddy†. I believe that this poem is about Sylvia, who is angry with her father for dying and leaving her behind, who wants to express her feelings towards this in a poem. She writes deep, dark , meaningful, thoughts on her emotions and her actions to get back to him. I think that this poem is very unique in the way that she describes her life in the poem; she goes from when he died to when she was thirty, and along the way uses many analogies to describe her feelings. 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