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Theme of life and death in literature
Margaret atwood's experience
Critically analyse Margaret Atwood as a novelist
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In Margaret Atwood’s essay, “Bread,” she illustrates how privileged people blind themselves to the true value of their luxuries and the negative and possibly fatal effects of their decisions. When privileged with such luxuries, it is easy for people to undermine or not even consider the value of what they have. Without thought, the character reaches for the bread, that sits quietly on the counter, next to the labeled knife, ready to slice a piece of the one-minute snack. The value of having a meal is not considered until people are put in the shoes of those less fortunate. Unlike their younger sister, an older sibling, fortunately, has a piece of bread, “the bread [they]’ve been saving, for days it seems” (Atwood 98). Throughout this atrocious …show more content…
time in which the choice is between sacrificing the life of their younger sister and that of their own, there is constant denial about what to do with the bread. The reader, who is put in the role of the older sibling, is stronger than the younger sister.
The luxury of strength is noticed, and the reader begins to understand not only the true meaning of survival but also the importance of sacrifice. With open eyes, the older sibling begins to see the effect of their decision on others, not only the personal benefits. When making challenging decisions, it is easy for people to think first of themselves and second about the effect it will have on others. The reader is now put in the scenario that, “[t]here is something [...] [they] know that [they] have not yet told. [....] If you tell,” the mysterious secret you know, that is, “thirty or forty or a hundred of your friends, your comrades, will be caught and will die” (Atwood 98). Real peoples’ lives are in your hands, and they ultimately rely on your decision. In the pure essence of the morning, being offered the bread seems right, as you have just awoken from the night with the need to refuel. As the day draws to a close you begin to regret your baleful decision. Atwood writes that the torture takes place in the night, reinstating its severity, realis, and symbolic meaning. Instead of being a time for of rest and rejuvenation, night is now a time of
cruelty. Although the character refuses to admit it, they think less of the night and instead about the bread that was so, fortunately, offered. Those less fortunate are full of envy toward the privileged, because their situation opens their eyes to the true value of so many luxuries. Based on an old German fairy tale, Atwood illustrates a scenario involving two sisters. One was rich but without children, and the other with 5 kids but not even a slice of bread to share. The poor sister asked for only a slice of bread from the rich sister. The rich sister, in turn, declined with a complementary gesture expressing no sympathy. The consequence of this selfish and greedy decision was shown when “[t]he husband of the rich sister came home and [...] cut himself a piece of bread, but when he made the first cut, out flowed red blood” (Atwood 99). The decision the sister made, ultimately effected more than just herself. Atwood concludes by showing the confusion people now have after opening their eyes. “[People] don’t want to know whether the bread is real or whether it’s just a hallucination [Atwood] somehow duped [them] into seeing” (Atwood 99). In her short story “Bread”, Margaret Atwood forces the privileged reader to open their eyes to the effects of their decisions and the true value of their luxuries and the consequences that may follow crucial decisions.
The history of white bread is more important than we think. I will be reviewing the book White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf written by Aaron Bobrow-Strain. This book is about how white bread historical impacted the food production during the industrial revolution. Bobrow- Strain main argument is that the industrial revolution has changed the way food is produced and consumed. The main focus of the was on the production of white bread and how it has changed over time. Also, he look at the changes in the society and how that changed the production of white bread. He starts of being explaining bread was made in the homes, then bakeries, then
...the narrator and all people a way of finding meaning in their pains and joys. The two brothers again can live in brotherhood and harmony.
... of this story is the will to survive. The will to survive is strong in all the characters though there are some who seem to expect they will die at any time. Lina is furious with herself when she stooped low enough to accept food thrown at her by the guards, but she does it anyway. Even the youngest children realize the need to endure the torture and survive. Jonas finds a barrel and comprehends that it could be made into a stove. Janina finds a dead owl and realizes that it could be eaten. This will to survive sometimes results in anger and selfishness, as seen in Ulyushka when forced to share her shack with Lina’s family.
According to Selzer, Cooter thinks that Miss Bailey’s inheritance of her master’s wealth has been “misappropriated”, because “she didn’t earn it” (260). This indicates that exploitation is ultimately the reign over minds, in which the victims inherently agree with the capitalism theory so that they experience inequality without awareness. Nevertheless, while echoing Marx’s theory, Berlant concludes that the possession of large wealth creates a dilemma between choosing one’s “habituated life” and the unknown future that is “yet to be invented” (37). The lack of cultural capital minimizes people’s capacity of ownership, thus the possession of wealth alone will not change the state of living for poor people, because it is “too alive”
Similarly, the book’s three leading protagonists ultimately possess a common objective, escaping their unjust circumstances in pursuit of seeking the “warmth of other suns.” For this reason, they abandon the laws of Jim Crow and the familiarity of their hometowns as they flee to a better life. In the process, they all assume a level of risk in their decisions to rebel against the system. For example, Ida decides to embark on a precarious journey while in the beginning stages of a clandestine pregnancy. Any number of unpredictable events could have resulted from this judgment, including fatality. All of the migrants shared an unspoken agreement that the rewards would far outweigh the dangers involved.
In Night, he informs his reader of many examples on how a myriad of good people turn into brutes. They see horrific actions, therefore, they cannot help by becoming a brute. They experience their innocent family members being burned alive, innocent people dieing from starvation due to a minuscule proportion of food, and innocent people going to take a shower and not coming out because truly, it is a gas chamber and all f...
In the novel The Bread Givers, there was a Jewish family, the Smolinsky family, that had immigrated from Russia to America. The family consisted of four daughters, a father, and a mother. The family lived in a poverty-stricken ghetto. The youngest of the daughters was Sara Smolinsky, nicknamed ?Iron Head? for her stubbornness. She was the only daughter that was brave enough to leave home and go out on her own and pursue something she wanted without the permission of her father. The Smolinsky family was very poor, they were to the point of which they could not afford to throw away potato peelings, and to the point of which they had to dig through other people?s thrown out ash in order to gather the coal they needed. They could not afford to buy themselves new clothes or new furniture.
Throughout society, the contrast between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, the elites and the ordinary, have been a constant source of discussion and philosophy. In Chipped Beef, by comparing fantasies of wealth with truths of reality, David Sedaris argues that the intrinsic values of relationships vastly outweigh the extrinsic value of material things.
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
In order to survive, people have been known to go to great lengths and to do things that they would not ordinarily do. We have an instinct for survival in us that will trigger us to fight for survival, some may react differently. Some examples of people going to great lengths for survival are the boy killing his father for the bread, in The Night, In New York, there was an earthquake, and in Philadelphia, a woman saved herself on a plane that was soon to be engulfed by flames. People have done many things they wouldn’t ordinarily do for survival. In the novel The Night, a boy kills his father over bread for his own survival.
Through his storytelling he shows us that the choices we make and the risks we take, when considering outside forces, may be the best course of action. Daniel Woodrell validates this by showing us Ree’s situation and how her course of action, which lead to positive outcomes. Throughout the story Ree is presented with a tough situation where she must decide a quick course of action. She must either wait and see if her father show’s up or take matters into her own hands and hunt him down herself. Deciding a course of action is a natural and necessary process of human life that can lead to either success or failure. We cannot avoid deciding a course of action especially when we have outside forces motivating us to do something fast. “Winter’s Bone” is a short novel that leaves us with an important life lesson. Putting our lives at risk for the ones we love allow us to feel good about our course of action knowing we are protecting them. If we decide courses of actions based on what we think is right for our loved ones, then we will make smarter and better choices that will lead to positive
...stic things in order to live a better, more sound, and overall healthier life. Juxtaposition makes the audience want to follow through with the purpose. Exemplification causes the audience to realize the extent of their materialistic nature. A definition of the average homeless person’s terms allows him to build his ethos and consequently allow the audience to believe and follow his purpose. A majority of people are a part of the middle class, and this majority tends to judge the poor for their lifestyle whether it be through Dumpster diving or begging on the streets. However, as proven by the essay, these people have no right to do so because the poor do, in reality, have a greater sense of self than these middle-class people, similar to the rich. The middle-class citizens must no longer act the victim; instead, they should be working on becoming more sentimental.
The reader is put in the middle of a war of nerves and will between two men, one of which we have grown up to learn to hate. This only makes us even more emotional about the topic at hand. For a history book, it was surprisingly understandable and hard to put down. It enlightened me to the complex problems that existed in the most memorable three months this century.
The intimacy in the last paragraph of the chapter represents a unity holding on to each other bravely, as strength to survive what may happen to them. Atwood achieves this intimate effect by cleverly summarizing the chapter as a whole paragraph to emphasize love, intensity and courage for them to stay alive and not fade away like the gymnasium.
The meaning of the American Dream has changed through out the course of history. The desire for people to use the American ideals industry, practicality, self-reliance, self-creation, and cultural contact is not a new way of thinking. In fact, it has been present in the world since the Puritans landed in the Americas hoping to find the New World. It is a list of ideals in which the freedom of the United States gives one the opportunity to pursue ones success. Mrs. Fields Bakery is a countrywide cookie franchise. Debbi Fields is the spokes person and founder of Mrs. Fields Bakery and she is a great example for someone who pursued the American Dream. She was never the smartest person when she was younger but she managed to make her tasty cookies