How is an “Unwoman” Defined? Essay

Historically, women and children were under the control of the father of the family. The role of women was to born babies and run the house. In the novel †The Handmaid`s Tale†, Margaret Atwood depicts a society dominated and ruled by men. Those who reject social structure and dominance of males are treated as â€Å"unwomen†. Most of them are feminists and deformed babies. These categories of people are â€Å"useless† for Gilead, because they cannot perform their main function: become pregnant and born healthy babies. â€Å"Unwomen† were females who reject the idea of male dominance and fight against oppression and sexual violence, low social role and poor treatment. Offred (and her mother) is a radical feminist which fights for freedom and a â€Å"women’s culture†. Radical ideas allow her to make sense of her own live as part of common experiences in male-dominated societies. As a radical feminist, she focuses political attention on patriarchal oppression in every area of women’s lives. The author of the article does not directly speak about Offred attitude towards a Superior society, but it is possible to assume that she would agree with this idea. The idea of women as a class identifies oppressed women as having common interests against men, since men have common interests in dominating women. In the class system, men benefit from patriarchal beliefs and practices which ensure that women service their needs, raise their children and are excluded from political and economic power. Offred tries to prove that women possess superior values against men. â€Å"Offred recalls a scene in which her mother and other feminists burn porn magazines†. To some extent, this remark shows that feminists try to be equal to men and could build a Superior society free from sexual violence and tyranny. Women have to develop consciousness of their interests as a class, and to struggle against men and against the organization of patriarchy. Gender is seen as more fundamental than class in the organization of women’s oppression. Atwood underlines that Offred â€Å"considered her body an instrument of her desires†. But as long as women are looked upon as a class, then the differences between women are not seen as of prime importance, as they have common class interests which unite them against men. References 1. Themes, Motifs & Symbols.

The Friendly Correspondence

A horrible series of events took place about a day after Belinda wrote her last letter to Krysta. On the afternoon of the 22nd of December she sat in her living room reading one of Krysta’s recent letters in which she said that she had received her present and had told the authorities to not to give it to her until Christmas. Belinda’s parents had gone out shopping when suddenly the door opened and her brother Ron ran into the room. His face was all red with anger, he was holding some papers in his hand which had been ripped into many pieces. Belinda was so used to her brother’s tantrums that she did not stir from where she was sitting. But as her brother walked by she looked discreetly at the torn papers and saw the words â€Å"failed† and â€Å"Year 12†. She then understood the cause of her brother’s anger and what made him so wild and furious. Ron stopped at once and saw Belinda reading her letter. He asked her where mum and dad were. She didn’t reply. He stomped like a bull who had seen red, suddenly snatching Belinda’s letter out of her hands. He read it quickly and saw a paragraph addressed to Isobel in which it was asked that Ron be taken care of. He stuffed the letter into his pocket in spite of Belinda’s constant groaning to return it. That was the beginning of a quarrel to which Belinda contributed by adding her provoking spiteful remarks and insulting Ron for having failed to graduate. The brother and sister began throwing things at each other, at first paper weights and then dangerous objects such as sharp knives. In her fury Belinda threw a knife at Ron and unfortunately did not miss his hand from which blood started gashing out. Ron went off to his room not paying any attention to his sister who by that time had realised the seriousness of the situation, had stopped fighting. She then started to apologise while looking for a bandage to put and his hand. After having written one page or two of sentences that somehow made sense, Krysta decided to stop wielding her pen for a moment and take a short break. She sat back in her armchair and relaxed, or some minutes she lost in her thoughts, thoughts about life, thoughts of love, happy thoughts, sad ones and thoughts about Gary. Ooh Gary! Her heart stopped beating for a moment at the very thought of it. She remembered herself as a teenager shut in her heart wailing every moment in the depths of her heart for freedom†¦ She recalled how she had come there and how she spent each day of her life thinking it was her last one and that she would not get out of there alive. She shuddered as she thought of the cruel faces of her authorities or the ‘hacks’ as they were often called, of the stale food they gave with malicious faces, the way they eagerly roamed around like hungry dogs putting somebody’s name in their Punishment Sheets. She thought of her friends at Gary. Were they real â€Å"friends†? She thought of Linda McAllam and some other girls who let her down. But then she remembered Macy and girls who were nice to her at some of the times, her sweet voice, which often made her and others, weep or feel lonely, were still in her ears. Everything was clear and vivid in her memory as if it had taken place yesterday and not twenty years ago. On her table shone the paperback cover of a book titled ‘My life at Gary† with the words Krysta Bonbons in bold letters below it and the words BEST SELLER on its side, despite of all her horror of Gary she felt she owed it something. She felt pretty sure she wouldn’t have become a writer if she hadn’t been at Gary and had never met her so-called â€Å"friends†. Where could they all be now? What could they be doing? Directing great companies, catching burglars, smiling at children with books in their hands and blackboards behind them†¦who knows? Were they still alive? She felt her eyes pricking as she remembered Belinda, her pen-pal whom she’d never met in person, who wrote her consoling letters -and also rang her sometimes- during almost the whole of her second year at Gary. She had died that same year a few days before Christmas killed by her violent brother. She looked at her watch, it was 2. 30pm. She hurried so as not to break a routine, which had become a part of her life. At about 3’clock she got off the Vaudeville tram and ran to the cemetery behind St. Michael’s church. She stood still before Belinda’s grave who was no relative of hers but with whom she had a relation stronger than with anyone else. From her purse she took out a letter Belinda had written to her and read it all over again with tears rolling down her cheeks. Thank you, Belinda! â€Å"she said in a feeble voice, â€Å"Thank You for loving me†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . She entered the church, said a small prayer and left, a habit she never had before visiting Belinda’s grave for the first time. It was as if Belinda had become an angel and was strengthening her belief in God praying for her everyday. Her next destination was the nearest newspaper office where she ga ve a note with all her brother Simon’s to be published in the classifieds She had put the same ad in the same paper for the past five years. Not that she thought it would do much good but one never knew†¦Krysta was pretty sure that if one day a man younger than her walked towards her calling her â€Å"sister†, she would be very happy and once again would have somebody to love unconditionally just as Belinda loved her. On arriving back home, Krysta threw the pages she had written some hours before into the dustbin and started writing on a new page. Somehow she felt confident the book she was writing would be really good. It would be called â€Å"My Friend whom I’ve Never Seen†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦

China Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

China - Term Paper Example They participate actively in productive activities in the country. The infants and elderly contribute little to the national basket and are deemed as the dependant people. China will look upon the working people in order to maintain their well-being of infants and the elderly. China is experiencing a demographic pattern that is uncharacteristic of other developed countries. Unlike other countries, China’s population growth is hard to forecast. The population of the younger people is decreasing as the population of the older people increases; that is as a result of decreased mortality and fertility rates. The rate at which the community is giving birth is decreasing, this means that fewer and fewer number of infants are brought into the community. China’s average fertility rate is minimal as compared to other countries like the United States. China was able to reduce the child-bearing rate per couple from five to two children in only 25 years of campaign; that is equivalent of a third the time taken by developed western countries (Louis and Denise, 45). In the same manner, the mortality rates have greatly decreased in China meaning that the number of elderly people in the country is rising. In the past, the life  expectancy of people in Chi na was as low as forty years (Jerry and Yudelson 77). It had one of the highest mortality rates, but today the situation has improved. Within a period of fifty years the life expectancy now stands at seventy years. Western countries were able to improve their life expectancy within the same margins in a period of hundred years. From the foregoing facts and figures, it is evident that China is undergoing aging process more quickly than other developed countries (Louis and Denise, 23). The economic impacts of an aging population are detrimental. The future projection of the existing population in the year 2030 will mainly be consisting of the aged people. Typically, the elderly people are less productive for

The History of Guam and Why It Is a US Territory Research Paper

The History of Guam and Why It Is a US Territory - Research Paper Example 1. Chamorro people were the first settlers on the island. According to Cunningham & Beaty (2001), they immigrated from Indonesia or Philippines to the Island and brought their culture and language with them. 3. The latte was  «stone pillars » that served as a building material for Chamorro dwellings according to Cunningham & Beaty (2001). Today scientists pay specific attention to late to learn more about Chamorro culture. 3. When the war was over, USA increased its influence on the territory of Guam. Guam Organic Act signed in 1950 declared Guam to be  «organized territory of the USA » with its local government (Rogers, 1995). 4. There were several referendums held on the Island to determine its future as Guam had a right for self-determination (Ruffatto, 1993). Local people could choose whether they wanted to be with the USA or develop independently. 49% of voters expressed their will to stay together with the USA in 1982 as stated by Rogers (1988). I. Summary: Guam has a long history; it was ruled by local Chamorro peoples, colonized by Spain and occupied by Japan. It became a part of the USA not so long ago and this decision was confirmed by referendum in 1982. All in all, Guams history makes this place unique and outstanding. Ruffatto, P. (1993). US action in Micronesia as a norm of customary international law: The effectuation of the right to self-determination for Guam and other non-self-governing territories.  

Country analysis ( Germany ) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Country analysis ( Germany ) - Research Paper Example In particular, Germany majors on manufacturing and processing of products, ranging from vehicles, machineries and even chemicals that are highly valued globally. Trade Exports accounted for about 52 percent of its GDP. European Union (EU) integration has facilitated intra-European trade accounting for about 69 percent of German exports shipped to European countries. In addition, it accounts for an estimated value of 58.2 percent delivered to member states of the EU. The report highlights Germanys largest trading partners based on the amount of revenue generated and the percentage they account for in trading with Germany. The report gives details about Germany’s Outward investments in the form of Foreign Direct Investments with a primary focus laid on net inflows and outflows. The report tabulates the statistics from 2004 to 2013 and shows how both have influenced the growth of Germany’s economy. Germany has a very stable economy based on the evidences the report offers. The country has continually relied on its well-established industrial base to fast track their exports being part of the Euro economic zone. The country’s currency is moderately valued on the global scale. Germany’s economic environment is promising in the long-term international trading activities’ perspective. The merits attribute to its high scores in economic liberty, diverse economic strategies, and government transparency. International Monetary Fund (IMF) has encouraged Germany to reduce on fiscal stance that may rather render the instability of the

System for Investigating Law Enforcement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

System for Investigating Law Enforcement - Essay Example The system of investigations should be independent to ensure public confidence of the process and to avoid a scenerio police investigating themselves does not arise. The first step is the police officers should be required by law to provide a name and place of duty. This will help in the investigations by being able to confirm that the officer was at the site where the alleged misconduct took place and determine whether the officer exercised certain powers such as arrest or searching of suspects (Ruggiero, 2013). The suspected police officers and the witnesses should be separated and interviewed within 24 hours after the details of the misconduct are reported. The evidence collected should be used for criminal or administrative purposes (van Dongen, Selleslaghs, & Gehem, 2013). To ensure police officers cooperate fully with the investigations officers who fail to participate should be discharged from the police force. To ensure justice is not delayed there should be enforceable deadlines for carrying out investigations (Gounev & Ruggiero, 2012). To avoid delays the concerned police departments should provide the necessary information, and the in vestigators should be able to obtain warrants to get the required information and be able to search private property for any evidence needed. Secondly, my system entails the setting up of an independent agency to deal with cases of serious police misconduct. The agency should be a separate institution from the police force and should be free from political interference. The agency should be dominated by civilian investigates and a minimal number of retired police offices. The civilians should represent the community by having people of different cultural and economic backgrounds. The retired officers should be there only for consolations purposes as the risk of police bias is

Intercultural Studies on Samoa Culture Research Paper

Intercultural Studies on Samoa Culture - Research Paper Example Along with the major changes in the structure and flow of business transactions today, developed countries continuously aim to increase their returns on investment not only by transferring the Western management practices all over the developing countries but also in learning more about the culture and sub-culture of other countries. For this reason, an effective intercultural communications plays a significant role in making global business transactions successful. An effective communication is all about being able to effectively transmit messages from the â€Å"sender† to the â€Å"receiver† (Konar, 2009, p. 159). In response to globalization, business people and other group of professionals should develop their intercultural communication skill in order for them to be able to send their messages effectively to the receiver of the message. It means that for the business people and/or other group of professionals to become competent in the use of intercultural communication, each one of them are expected to be able to fully understand not only the social customs of the person to whom they are communicating but also the entire â€Å"social system of the host culture† (Jandt, 2010, p. 55). By being able to understand the cultural factors that could significantly affect how a person think or behave, business people and/or other group of professionals will have the competitive edge in terms of being able to deliver an effectiv e communication. Each time a person intends to communicate with a foreigner, the process of going through a certain level of adaptation is necessary. It means that both the sender and the receiver of messages should be able to adapt with the native and host culture respectively. For this reason, effective communicators should first study the cultural background of their prospective business partner(s) or client(s) before initiating a conversation with them. To learn more about the significance of Samoa culture on intercultural communication,