Society in The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood Essay -- Handmaids

â€Å"Atwood’s feminism is an integral part of her critical approach, just as her concept of criticism is inseparable from her creative work† Walter Pache (1). A dystopia is a fictional society, usually existing in a future time period, in which the condition of life is extremely difficult due to deprivation, oppression or terror. In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect. Most dystopian fiction takes place in the future but purposely incorporates contemporary social trends taken to horrendous extremes. The novel, ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, by Margaret Atwood focuses on the choices made by those controlling the society of Gilead in which increasing the population and preservation of mankind is the main objective, instead of freedom or happiness. The society has undergone many physical changes that have extreme psychological consequences. I believe Atwood sees Gilead as the result of attitudes and events in the early 1980s, which have spiralled out of control. ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ reflects Atwood’s views and critiques on civilisation. In an interview with Gabriele Metzler Atwood says, â€Å"There is nothing in the book that hasn’t already happened. All things described in the book people have already done to each other†(2). Throughout ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Offred is constantly conscious of her life before Gilead. This is reflected in the sections of the book headed â€Å"Night†. Offred often refers back to her life with her daughter and Luke, â€Å"Luke was in the living room. He put his arms around me. We were both feeling miserable. How were we to know we were happy, even then? Becaus... ...e extreme, she managed to visualise a dystopian world, which suppressed people’s freedom of choice. â€Å"Atwood is known as an outspoken defender of humanitarian values, an able and active advocate for woman’s rights and for freedom of speech† Nathalie Cooke (6). Therefore I do believe that Atwood’s novel ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ offers a very strong critique of American society in the 1980s. Bibliography (1) Walter Pache: â€Å"A Certain Frivolity†: Margaret Atwood’s Literary Criticism (2) Gabriele Metzler: â€Å"Creativity†: An Interview with Margaret Atwood (3) Bernard Richards: Margaret Atwood (4) Gabriele Metzler: â€Å"Creativity†: An Interview with Margaret Atwood (5) Lorna Irvine: â€Å"Recycling Culture: Kitsch, Camp and Trash†: Margaret Atwood’s Fiction (6) Nathalie Cooke: â€Å"Lions, Tigers and Pussycats†: Margaret Atwood (Auto) Biographically

Gambling addiction Essay

The text states that the one problem in gambling has visibly endured is known as problem gambling. Government officials have long demanded a solution from gaming operators to address this major issue. Too many issues go along with problem gambling such as crime, family and work problems, and financial damage. Fortunately, the gaming industry as a whole has sought to be proactive in combatting the issue. They feared being viewed in the same light as the tobacco or firearm industry by ignoring major problems with their products. Are the steps that they have taken enough, or is gambling in general a major threat to society that should be avoided? The American Psychiatric Association refers to problem gambling as pathological gambling. There are generally speaking two different types of problem gamblers; action problem gamblers and escape problem gamblers. Gambling addiction is just as valid of an illness as addiction to alcohol or drugs. Its prevalence is linked directly to the ease of access of gambling in our society. However, just like drugs and alcohol, only a small percentage of the population is prone to this illness. Gambling addicts in general either lose all of their money, accumulate massive debt, file for bankruptcy, and in the worst cases commit suicide because they are hopeless. What steps has the gaming industry taken to prevent these horrible outcomes? I spoke to my long-time friend Alan Erskine, who now works as the Public Affairs Coordinator at the American Gaming Association in Washington D. C. I needed to find out if they were taking appropriate precautions to prevent these people from self-destruction. He assured me that, â€Å"The gaming industry has made many contributions to curbing problem gambling. The first is the creation of the National Center for Responsible Gaming, which is the largest funder of scholarly studies on how to best curb addiction. The industry also makes various efforts to educate customers about possible negative effects of gambling. This includes: posting signs around the casino floor, advertising the problem gambling hotline and ensuring customers are not intoxicated while gambling. † I was glad to hear that they were this proactive, but is it enough? The National Center for Responsible Gaming is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding research to enhance the understanding of pathological gambling. They also search to find effective methods of treatment for the disorder and work to improve prevention, diagnostics, intervention and educating the public about responsible gaming. However, if gambling is the root of the issue to begin with, is it worth expanding gaming in our society? Is educating people really enough to curb the issue? There are countless organizations to prevent drug and alcohol addiction, but the problem still persists. Some critics of legalized gambling would argue that it is the direct cause of the increase in problem gambling and that any of their efforts are just reactive in order to protect their own interests. Alan Erskine responded to this claim stating, â€Å"The industry recognizes that a small segment of the population cannot gamble safely. Studies have shown that about one percent of the population cannot gamble safely. † His response does hold water. The mental disorder of pathological gambling does affect only a small portion of the population. Should the rest of society be restricted just because there are some who can’t gamble responsibly? The same case could be made for alcohol. Only a small percentage of people are alcoholics. The rest of the population should not be prohibited to drink just because a select few cannot handle it responsibly. All the industry can do is provide outlets for people to get help, and educate the public on the dangers of its abuse. The NCRG has yielded very helpful results in order to understand the nature of the psychological disorder. These include statistics on the scope of people affected, more effective treatment options, the role of genetics, and new instruments to measure, screen and diagnose pathological gambling. The more we understand about how this pathological disorder works, the more we can do to diagnose and treat it before the victim gets themselves and others into serious trouble. In conclusion, it is a bit of a cop out to simply blame the gaming industry for the rise in gambling addiction. They have been extremely proactive in trying to curb the issue and bring it to public eye. Even though they didn’t want to be viewed in the same light as other industries like tobacco, alcohol and firearms, it seems inevitable that they would be grouped together. They all provide goods and services that some can enjoy responsibly and others become addicted to and harm themselves or others. Research has consistently pointed out that addiction to gambling produces the same reactions in the brain that you would find from drug and alcohol addiction. However, they should be distinguished from these industries in the fact that they have donated a great deal of time and resources in order to find ways to diagnose, prevent, and treat this pathological disorder. While the acceptance of gambling in society does allow an outlet for those who can become addicted, the vast majority of people have proven they can do responsibly and the industry continues to take significant steps in order help those who suffer from gambling addiction.

Gwendolyn Brooks The Modernist Poet - 1961 Words

Gwendolyn Brooks the Modernist Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry discusses real issues that have occur in the nineteenth century and twentieth century. Also, she wrote poetry differently than it is consistently written. As a matter of fact, Brooks is a modernist poet which means she was a part of the modernism period. The modernism is a time period where writers like Brooks would use ideas and methods to write literature variously than it was ordinarily written in that time. Therefore, Gwendolyn’s poetry affiliates with modernism because she used European and African American traditions to discuss about feminism, racial injustice, intraracial gang violence, and interracial violence that were happening in the world. In light of, being an African American woman Brooks wrote her poetry using European and African American traditions. After all, this was totally divergent from what people were used to in that time period. Especially, coming from an African American woman. Also, Brooks attend four school while growing up, and these schools helped Brooks form a profound insight on racial acts that she emulated in her poetry. Not to mention, Brooks had the honor to meet Langston Hughes, and James Weldon Johnson who inspired her to write modern poetry. Brooks won varies awards for her modern poetry that dealt with real issues. Brooks’ readers can tell by the way she spoke that she was very for equality of the race, genders, and classes. Brooks’ states, â€Å"We are each other s magnitude andShow MoreRelatedWho is Gwendoyn Brooks?1017 Words   |  5 PagesGwendolyn Brooks was one of the many great writers. In her early poetry, Brooks attacked racial discrimination, praised African American heroes, and satirized booth blacks and whites. She showed great mastery of classic and Modernist poetic techniques. Gwendolyn Brooks was born on June 7,1917 in Topeka, Kansas. She grew up in the Chicago community called Bronzeville (Brooks 1). Gwendolyn Brooks parents was David and Kiziah Brooks. Her mother was a school teacher. Gwendolyns father wasRead MoreAfrican American And The Harlem Renaissance1879 Words   |  8 Pagesincluding Symphony in Black in 1934, and Jump for Joy in 1941. While the renaissance built on earlier traditions of African American culture, it was profoundly affected by trends like primitivism in European and white American artistic circles. Modernist primitivism was inspired majorly by Freudian psychology, but it tended to praise â€Å"primitive† people as indulging in a more direct relationship with the natural world and to elements of human desires rather than â€Å"over civilized† white people. â€Å"It