The Handmaid's Tale (Chapter's 1-8)

     The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood presents itself as a social-science fiction. Though that is arguable, I believe it is the most accurate genre for the novel because of its foretelling futuristic plot mixed in with the current structure of society.  Most intriguingly, in these chapters I find is the society where knowledge is expected to come from the elder women and go to the young. Yet, at the same time, the elder women are not always willing or able to give advice to the younger generation. Aunt Lydia holds the hands of the main character as an ancient tradition. The main character then goes on to tell us that Aunt Lydia's hands were empty and that her hands, as the young woman, "were supposed to be full, of the future; which could not be held or seen," (pg. 57). That just goes to show how untold the future really is; which I think makes it even more interesting that Margaret Atwood decided to write a novel with her thoughts on what 'could' happen.
     This book was written in the 1980's and contains 'images and sardonic wit,' as said by Independent. It is true this book is full of all types of imagery: Auditory, Tactile, and Visual.

A Letter To Hanna Rosin

Dear Ms. Rosin,

            I read your article, “The End of Men” for my Women’s Literature class and I must say it has led an interesting discussion in our classroom.  Your article brought up some thought provoking points that otherwise might have not been noticed. I personally never knew that more couples are choosing to have daughters over sons, which I believe does in fact prove your point that more women are beginning to populate our planet, and with that contributing more than ever to our economy as a whole. You mentioned several times in your article that “man has been the dominant sex since the dawn of mankind,” which is true, but you also wrote that the “era of the firstborn son is totally gone.” That is probably true in most of the Western World, but there are many other countries that still follow their traditional ways by man leading his society either because of religious reasons or family culture. Also, while mentioning that during the recent recession “three-quarters of the 8 million jobs lost were lost by men,” you failed to explain how that affects women in the workforce. I believe that in order for your initial argument that women are essentially undermined by today’s society to get across efficiently, you must thoroughly research the facts on both sides to prove your point. If you cannot find sufficient information to support your argument, then it is just not worth arguing about because your audience will not understand what you are trying to tell them. Please do not take my thoughts and comments of your article too critically. I agree with most of your points, but I advocate in equality and not superiority of either genders.

Sincerely,

Amna 

First Impression

     Having just started Women's Literature yesterday, I am already getting a good vibe from the new blogging idea. Not only have I never blogged for a class, but I have never blogged for anything else either (in the online sense). That doesn't mean I haven't been asked to though. Oh no, some of my friends actually have a blog up and running. They contribute to it weekly and that's great for them. I just never really made time for it until now.

     I have always tried to keep a constant source to release my energy into. Whether it's sports, drawing, writing, or taking pictures there is just something special about having at least one thing that is done just for yourself. Though this blog is going to be checked and graded on by my teacher, I still feel...at ease because it is just as she said, MY published work.