Free Essays on The Handmaids Tale

Offred and Sir Gawain A hero is a person honored for his/her achievement of courage and nobility, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. Offred from the The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood and Gawain from Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, by Anonymous are the protagonists in these works of literature who are admired for their good qualities. Offred and Sir Gawain show some traits of bravery. However neither Offred nor Sir Gawain did anything extremely brave, nor do they achieve anything great. These characters reveal qualities of fear, pride, selfishness, and when faced with the situation of death, act like any other ordinary human being, which means they cannot be honored as heroes. When the president was killed, the government suspended the constitution. â€Å"There wasn’t even rioting in the streets† (Atwood 172). Offred did nothing to even try to stop these events from occurring. Society began falling apart. Offred had her accounts suspended and lost her job. Offred did nothing to stop or even prevent this because she feared society. â€Å"Nobody wanted to be reported for disloyalty† (Atwood 180). There is no doubt that it would have been hard or even impossible to prevent these acts of oppression and persecution. A real hero would have at least tried and would have laid everything on the line even their life to accomplish their goal or cause. Offred instead of fighting tries to escape from Gilead, which means she tried to run away from her problems and her life. That is why Offred is not considered a hero but just another victim of persecution. Offred did try to rebel against the society and its rules in her own subtle ways, but nothing that actually made a difference. She sneaks out at night to walk around the hallways, which is against the rules and she also takes a withered daffodil. â€Å"What should I take? Something that will not be missed† (Atwood 98). Offred is scared and ... Free Essays on The Handmaid's Tale Free Essays on The Handmaid's Tale Offred and Sir Gawain A hero is a person honored for his/her achievement of courage and nobility, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life. Offred from the The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood and Gawain from Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, by Anonymous are the protagonists in these works of literature who are admired for their good qualities. Offred and Sir Gawain show some traits of bravery. However neither Offred nor Sir Gawain did anything extremely brave, nor do they achieve anything great. These characters reveal qualities of fear, pride, selfishness, and when faced with the situation of death, act like any other ordinary human being, which means they cannot be honored as heroes. When the president was killed, the government suspended the constitution. â€Å"There wasn’t even rioting in the streets† (Atwood 172). Offred did nothing to even try to stop these events from occurring. Society began falling apart. Offred had her accounts suspended and lost her job. Offred did nothing to stop or even prevent this because she feared society. â€Å"Nobody wanted to be reported for disloyalty† (Atwood 180). There is no doubt that it would have been hard or even impossible to prevent these acts of oppression and persecution. A real hero would have at least tried and would have laid everything on the line even their life to accomplish their goal or cause. Offred instead of fighting tries to escape from Gilead, which means she tried to run away from her problems and her life. That is why Offred is not considered a hero but just another victim of persecution. Offred did try to rebel against the society and its rules in her own subtle ways, but nothing that actually made a difference. She sneaks out at night to walk around the hallways, which is against the rules and she also takes a withered daffodil. â€Å"What should I take? Something that will not be missed† (Atwood 98). Offred is scared and ... Free Essays on The Handmaid's Tale In her novel The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood addresses the concept of different expression of romantic love through the eyes of Offred, a woman who has lost almost all her freedom to a repressive, dystopic society. Throughout her struggle against oppression and guilt, Offred's view evolves, and it is through this process that Atwood demonstrates the nature of love as it develops under the most austere of circumstances. The first glimses of romantic love one notes in this novel are the slivers of Offred's memeories of Luke, her husband from whom she has been separated. For the most part they are sense memoriesshe recalls most of all images of comfort: of lying in her husband's arms, of his scent, and of little details of his appearancebut also a sense of connectedness that gives her identity. And it is this that she misses the most. "I want Luke here so badly. I want to be held and told my name. I want to be valued, in ways that I am not; I want to be more than valuable" (125-126). And yet already the person as a whole is beginning to slip away. The life she is leading now is driving him from her realityshe says, "Day by day, night by night he recedes, and I become more faithless" (346). Her love for her husband is marked with guilt and regret even in the beginningshe misses all the little characteristics about him that she never took time to appreciate when she was with him. She even misses the arg uments, and wonders, "How were we to know we were happy?" (67). The memory of her love for Luke, and her guilt at betraying him with other men, especially Nick, for whom she develops genuine affection, is a significant psychological factor throughout the course of the novel. Foreshadowing the fact that she will turn from her memories to the tangible comforts of a living man, she says of her unhappy predicament: "But this is wrong, nobody dies from lack of sex. It's lack of love we die from. There's nobody here I can love, all th...

Cinderella Didnt Wear Cotton to the Ball

Cinderella Didnt Wear Cotton to the Ball Cinderella Didnt Wear Cotton to the Ball Cinderella Didnt Wear Cotton to the Ball By Maeve Maddox Next time you dress your heroine for a ball, you may want to describe her gown in terms of its lightness and delicacy. Here are some nouns and adjectives for the job. chiffon n. a diaphanous plain-woven fabric of fine hard-twisted yarn diaphanous adj. permitting the free passage of light and vision; perfectly transparent; pellucid. filmy adj. resembling a film, of extremely delicate texture, gauze-like; consisting of slender filaments, as of gossamer. gauzy adj. of the nature of, or resembling, gauze. gauze n. a very thin, transparent fabric of silk, linen, or cotton. gossamer n. a fine filmy substance, consisting of cobwebs, spun by small spiders, which is seen floating in the air in calm weather, esp. in autumn, or spread over a grassy surface; gossamer adj. light and flimsy as gossamer. insubstantial not existing in substance or reality; not real; imaginary, illusive; non-substantial. lace    a slender open-work fabric of linen, cotton, silk, woollen, or metal threads, usually ornamented with inwrought or applied patterns. organdy a fine but stiff, translucent kind of muslin. NOTE: organdy is a see-through fabric, but not something to dress your heroine if you like her. It is really scratchy. sheer adj. thin, fine, diaphanous. silky adj. having the delicate softness of silk. translucent through which light passes wispy      consisting of or resembling a wisp or wisps. wisp a handful, bunch, or small bundle (of hay, straw, grass, etc.). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to use "on" and when to use "in"15 Types of Documents"To Tide You Over"

What are the negative effects of accounting scandals on the government Essay - 1

What are the negative effects of accounting scandals on the government - Essay Example Many governments have lost a lot of money on unscrupulous individuals; a fact that calls for a need for developing stringent control procedures that do not put the state employees in positions of committing fraud (Byun & Roland-Luttecke, 2014). According to Ball (2009), financial reporting is one of the root causes of accounting scandal. The rationale for financial reporting is to give financial information about entities that may be of use to the potential lenders, investors, creditors, and the government to guide it in decision-making. The state decisions may include buying or holding equity or providing guidance on whether to borrow money for development. Many cases exist where organizations and government officials exhibit discredited behavioral patterns. Primarily, there are three categories of people in an organization who engage in financial scandals. The dishonest individuals range from chief financial officers who always conceal their true picture and the performance of the government department to maintain their status and to keep aside personal income for their benefits. The middle and lower level of management always falsify information related to their area of work or responsibility (Enofe, 2010). The main aim of engaging in this form of financial accounting is to hide their poor performance abilities or to gain undeserving bonuses, which incurs losses to the government. At the organizational level, the institution can give false financial statements for getting access to credit facilities or inflating the prices of properties that the government is planning to sell. Whereas many governments have reviewed their financial auditing systems to tame accounting fraud, many frauds that have arisen from manipulated audit results are great indicators that financial auditing cannot be solely relied on as a fraud detection strategy. Fraudulent reporting, which is the major form of financial scandal can have negative consequences that may hurt not

Community threats Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community threats - Assignment Example It is prudent to note that chemical agents can be catastrophic to Calhoun County together with other numerous hazards which pose threats as well. One the area with harmful chemical agents is the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD), which opened in 1941 to store ammunition.    The residents of Anniston and areas surrounding it have already been exposed to toxic materials from this depot. This region  has felt the effects of injustice, and now faces an even greater threat. Chemicals released from this depot and the incinerator is harmful to the residents. This may increase cancer among this people. The Demographics and health hazards compiled show the disproportionate effects the local population will suffer if the incinerator became operational.   This means that if the incinerator starts functioning there are harmful chemicals that will be released into the atmosphere hence endangering health. Therefore chemical spill from the Anniston Army Depot is hazardous to the environment. Also there is high risk of chemical spills due to the research ongoing at JSU in labs on campus. These are the major chemical agents that threaten the lives of the people of Calhoun County. It was discovered also that metals and chlorinated solvents were present in the ground water below the ANAD Southeast Industrial Area1. Take note that this ground water is the source of drinking water for residents Calhoun County. The hydrogeology of Calhoun County has been greatly affected and it is very complex hence it needs further studies to find the possible interconnections. The concept of cyberterrorism is composed of two significant modern fears which are the fear of technology and fear of terrorism. Due to technology International terrorist groups vividly have the capability of attacking the information infrastructure of the United States. This is a threat to the county of Calhoun because there are possibilities of attacks from the

Past Present and Future Paper Essay Example for Free

Past Present and Future Paper Essay The University of Phoenix is Americas largest accredited private University with over 180 campuses in 35 states nationwide. The University of Phoenix offers a host of undergraduate programs for the working adult. The program that interests me the most is the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (BSIT). The BSIT program is focused on the acquisition of theory and technical competencies associated with the information technology profession. The program is setup as such where full time professionals have the opportunity to attend school while tending to the needs of a growing family. By assigning both group and individual assignments, the programs focus is to provide a unique learning style that is both academic and practical to real life work experiences. This is a distinctive approach to learning and is a different style from that of a traditional University. I was drawn to the University because of this distinctive approach and it is one of the aspects that intrigued me about the program. I started at the University of Phoenix in January 2004, and have not since regretted a minute of that decision. Becoming a student in the BSIT program has already proven to be an invaluable experience. I have since applied acquired knowledge from the programs course work to tasks encountered in the job field. My current position as a Maintenance Technician in the Semiconductor Industry requires me to troubleshoot hardware and software failures. This assignment is broken up into three parts, first I will reflect upon where I was in my personal and professional life before I started the BSIT program. Next I will evaluate the growth I have experienced during my University of Phoenix program of study. Lastly I will analyze the impact of completing the University of Phoenix Bachelors program and my current and future professional goals I have established for myself. Past In the past, I was of the opinion that having an education was for some people but not for all. Those who made the choice to obtain higher education did so as a personal decision for themselves, more power to those  individuals. I knew that the chances to make more money would likely be in my favor and the probability to advance to a higher position is almost guaranteed in some cases. These two benefits and more could be obtained by earning a college degree. I have read studies reporting that people who had a college degree are more likely to be happier with their job responsibilities and more committed to their roles as an employee of the company. The average family income for people who had only a high school diploma was $52k a year verse the family income of people who had a college (bachelors) degree was $96k. The prospect for me to aspire a college education was never a misconception, nor was it a question of the lack of finances available. In fact, I supported my wife as she earned her Bachelors Degree in Case Management at Arizona State University. She began her studies right out of high school while she kept a part time job. It took her approximately six years to complete the program. Me on the other hand, I found a good paying job with excellent benefits, and had been with the same company for six years. My wife and I both graduated from the same high school the same year, but had taken very different paths. When my wife finally graduated, she found that recent college graduates (RCGs) were starting work at very modest wages. It was apparent that it would take her a decade or more of raises and promotions to catch up to the salary mark that I was at, having started my career six years earlier. While she was hitting the books, I was hard at work making advancements at my company. At that time I was not in the mode of seeking a higher education for myself. Pursuing and completing a degree could have increased my marketability and enhanced the skills I had learned on the job. But, my job was comfortable, the pay was good, the responsibilities were manageable, and as a perk I was having fun working there. There is no question that I had made a mark for myself with only having had a High School education. Present Fifteen years later, my wife and I are still satisfied with the paths we had  chosen for ourselves. I am still at the same company that I started with out of High School, and doing quite well. My wife has jumped around to a few different companies, but has since found her niche. She has worked at her current company now for 4 years. We have three kids, one weenie dog and a four-bedroom house with a pool. What else can anyone ask for we are happy. One day at my company, there were talks about the plant shutting down. Wow, Ive heard plenty of rumors that float around the plant, and in mort cases they usually come true. I had been there long enough to decipher which could be fact and which ones are just bogus. In any case this rumor finally died down, and we didnt hear anything more on the subject. While watching the news, we heard a report that my company had plans to shut down several plants on the west coast, one of which was my plant. People within the organization began transferring to different departments and some even jumped ship to the competition down the street. There was a low level panic through out, and people had their own secret agendas lined up to cope with the situation. Given the circumstances my plan was to go back to school. I choose the University of Phoenix based on some preliminary research I had done online. First of all I sought a program that was primarily geared for the working adult. Secondly I wanted a school that was fully accredited, some how in my mind a degree from an accredited college sounded like it would be a more appealing selling point to a potential employer rather than a degree from a non accredited college. And lastly I wanted a school with locations in multiple places, so I could continue the program anywhere in the country, you know, just in case. I choose the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology program because I have always had an interest in computers and networking. I knew that the BSIT program would lend itself nicely to the skills I that already posses. I couldnt have chosen a better time to start, because I am at the prime of my life where I am willing to discover and I have a can do attitude about learning growing. In the past Ive taken some college courses and failed  miserably, because it was an expectation of my parents for me to go to college. Now, after completing all of the core competencies in the BSIT program, I feel confident in applying some of the techniques Ive learned to various tasks encountered at work. The formal training that I have acquired has been evident in the knowledge and self-assurance that exudes in my day-to-day activities. I reflect on the job struggles I had had in the past and before learning the key objectives taught through the program and now realize the tremendous growth I have achieved from the schooling. This I can attribute to the individual projects team course work assigned. I have a newfound ability to communicate and speak clearly with a positive emphasis, whether it be a large or small group. The University experience has enhanced my ability to recognize and assume needed leadership roles. Thank you University of Phoenix. Future I have two more weeks of class to finish, this assignment Im working on now, and a team assignment we still need to collaborate before I can say, I am done with the program. So officially I havent completed my program of study quite yet. However, I can speak on my goals and personal growth plan for the future. When I graduate and at last earn my degree, I will immediately change my resume from scheduled to graduate to earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2006). With my newly formatted resume I will begin applying for jobs in the field of Information Technology (IT). Having a bachelors degree is not a guarantee of success in the job search arena, rather it may get me the interview I might not have gotten without the degree. Nonetheless, I will aggressively pursue the IT career of my dreams. The company I work for now is very small, and the chances of me getting into the IT department in this century are very slim. Although my current position has been satisfying and rewarding, I will still look for  opportunities that will afford me long-term career growth in my chosen field. I also hope to become associated with an organization that will enable me to fully utilize the skills that I have acquired at University of Phoenix, while developing new ones. It is essential that I continue to emulate the role of a lifelong learner and to keep up those practices. I hope to some day become a mentor for individuals who can benefit from my knowledge and foster those with lesser capabilities. The comprehensive course work completed has taught me the immense value of continued professional learning. In the future I can foresee myself earning a Masters degree in another discipline, perhaps a curriculum more focused in Web Design. A degree in Web design will enhance my understanding of the syntax of HTML programming and strengthen my ability to create award winning Web pages. Five years from now I hope to have accomplished all of the goals set forth above, and have established a whole new set of goals to strive for going forward and beyond. Over all I have found my experience at the University of Phoenix to be rewarding, challenging and sometimes painful. The BSIT curriculum has made a tremendous impact on my personal and professional life as well as defining future educational endeavors for me to explore. Apollo Group. (2005). Undergraduate Programs, Bachelor of Science in Information Technology. Retrieved February 20, 2006, from http://www.phoenix.edu/programs/degree_programs/undergraduate_programs/Default.aspx University of Phoenix. (1998-2006). BSIT v004 Program Handbook. Retrieved February 21, 2006, from https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/Programhandbooks/programhandbook.asp

Rutherford B. Hayes Essays -- essays research papers

	 Rutherford B. Hayes was considered by many to be a simple, uncontroversial, and honest man to run for the presidency. That is why many people are perplexed that such an astute person should have one of the most controversial elections and presidencies ever. Considering Hayes’ honorable principles, it came as a surprise to see how he could unknowingly make a decision about reconstruction where its effects were so blatantly derogatory to the cause he was trying to help. 	The controversy began when he was merely running for office. Hayes was running against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden. When the ballots were tallied in 1876, Hayes clearly lost the popular vote, and had lost the electoral vote 184 to 165 . However, twenty votes in Oregon, South Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana were disputed due to the protest that blacks were not given the equal chance to go to the polls and vote. Congress created and electoral commission, which carefully decided that Hayes would receive all twenty votes. Facing the possibility that the country would be left without a president, both parties were considering taking the office by force. In spite of all the conflict, a deal was finally struck. Republicans made a secret deal with Democrats in congress, who agreed not to dispute the Hayes victory in exchange for a promise to withdraw federal troops from the south and end reconstruction . Hayes made good on the deal. He swiftly ended Reconstruction and pulled federal t roops out of the last two occupied states, South Carolina and Louisiana . During the brief period of radical reconstruction the negro enjoyed both civil and political rights. 	This political bargain contained three generally recognized parts: 1) The north would keep hands off the ‘negro problem’. 2) The rules governing race relations in the South would be written by whites. 3) These rules would concede the negro limited civil rights, but neither social nor political equality (page 787) . It is clear, however, that by 1876-77, a majority of white Americans were weary of continuing to battle southern retaliation to the reconstruction, especially when there appeared some possibility that the South was ready to give more than lip service to the rights promised by the Civil War Amendments. This bargain quickly caused an uproar by its opponents. Democrat William Clay said, "Instead of withdrawing... ...et out his southern policy very clearly. He wanted to eliminate political acts of violence against blacks. He insisted, and believed, that white southerners would adhere to the tenets of the Civil War Amendments. He insisted that the federal government had a responsibility to provide aid for education and public improvements. He also believed it was essential that honest government by educated citizens be restored in the south. His theory was that this kind of government could be achieved by insuring that blacks get an education so they can participate intelligently in the elections. His ideal of having educated blacks was quite strong. Hayes said, "securing peace, prosperity, and the protection of human rights require education. As long as any considerable numbers of our countrymen are uneducated, the citizenship of every American in every state is impaired". There are many proofs that President Hayes had good intentions when making the policy to end reconstruction. His goal was to help the black man gain and maintain civil rights. Although he couldn’t foresee at the time, ending reconstruction was a decision that rapidly decelerated the black man’s race for equality.

Handling Interpersonal Conflicts Essay

Have you ever been involved in an interpersonal conflict that was not necessarily handled in the most effective manner? During that occurrence did you notice that you and the other individual seemed to be on different pages after the fact? Being able to handle an interpersonal conflict in the most effective manner could potentially keep you and your significant others relationship close as opposed to tearing it apart. In the movie â€Å"Hitch†, Will Smith states, â€Å"Sixty percent of all human communication is nonverbal body language; thirty percent is your tone, so that means ninety percent of what you’re saying isn’t coming out of your mouth† (Lassiter, 2005). With this being stated, body language, tone, and verbal language are all things that must be particularly paid close attention too and effectively utilized, whether you are the speaker or the listener. While watching the movie â€Å"Hitch†, there were a few interpersonal conflicts that were not handled effectively. One specific conflict that was not handled effectively was when Sarah found out about Hitch’s career as a â€Å"Professional Love Doctor†. This conflict was not handled effectively for a multitude of reasons. Previously Hitch and Sarah were really â€Å"falling† for each other, being sincere, genuine, and in the â€Å"honey moon† stage. After the conflict was initiated, Sarah’s body language started to change. She began to deny Hitch’s kisses by turning away, she ruined the romantic wine moment by tipping the bottle up as opposed to drinking out of the wine glass that Hitch had already prepared for her, Sarah began to snarl, both Hitch and Sarah began to become aggressive in their actions by throwing food at each other out of anger, and Hitch insulted Sarah by telling her that she had a crappy newspaper. All of these actions are considered to be ineffective ones. While trying to choose a more effective route of handling this conflict so that the relationship remains close, one must show ositive body language, positive tone, positive verbal language, as well as a few other effective solutions. Solutions such as empathizing with one another by putting themselves in each other’s shoes, evaluating the message by waiting for the speaker to finish speaking before evaluating the message, not becoming emotional at the speaker, and showing more self-disclosure at the beginning of their relationship so that each other could grasp more of an understanding of each other’s background and career. Sole states, â€Å"While emotions are normal and are to be expected in conversation, especially when information of a personal or sensitive nature is being shared, it is helpful to hear the speaker out and to try to control these emotions until the remarks are finished† (Sole, 2011). If both Sarah and Hitch had done this, their argument most likely would have been invisible. They may have understood where each one was coming from and actually taken the time to hear what each other were trying to get across. Doing all of these things could help eliminate the interpersonal conflict that both Hitch and Sarah encountered. All in all, interpersonal conflicts have the opportunity to happen on a daily basis; however, being able to handle them in the most effective manner could potentially keep you and your significant others relationship close instead of tearing it apart. Remember, whether you are the speaker or the listener, you must always try to pay close attention to body language, tone, and verbal language as well. Being able to come together as one, empathizing with one another, evaluating the message, not becoming emotional and showing more self-disclosure with one another are some key concepts to eliminating potential interpersonal conflict amongst you and your significant other.