In this book, Kolbert travels to many places to find out what is happening with global warming. Quite often she ran into the same fear at the places she went, the fear for loss before the next generation. When she went to Alaska, many people were fleeing from their homes because the sea ice surrounding them, creating a buffer zone for storms, was melting and that was causing houses to just be swept away.…
The book conveys too much despair, gloom, death, and fall of man that readers will wonder why they wanted to read such a depressing and sad book. Cormac McCarthy might be trying say that if his story becomes a reality and the world becomes a desolate wasteland, there is not turning back or do-over. If Cormac McCarthy showed that there is hope in his book, readers probably would not have taken the book as seriously or maybe think that if there is hope in this story then if it happens to the readers then they would think oh we will be okay, there is hope. People cannot have the delusional idea that in every bad situation hope will be given to them but they need to realize that they shape the future and that they need to prevent these atrocities from…
The human species has defined itself as one driven towards consumption and exploitation of natural resources. Our rapid evolutionary success and our seemingly relentless appetite for advancement, and utilization, have developed many associated problems, one such problem being the issue of reality. For the purpose of this essay, reality will be defined as “The state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them” and consumption shall be defined as “the action of using up a resource” (Oxford University Press). Population growth rates are remaining stagnant globally, and in the United States there’s has been a decline of a mere three hundredth percent, as released by the World Bank in two thousand eleven. (World Bank Statistics Center) Adding to our success, since the industrial revolution life expectancy rates have increased exponentially. (Silvers, Desnoyers, and Stow 802) As a result we are consuming resources at a rate that is not renewable, or feasible for the future. It is plausible that we will have to rely on scientific advancement to sustain our species. The novel, Oryx and Crake, written by Margaret Atwood, displays the aftermath of these events as an overpopulated earth advances to meet our needs. In this essay I will examine how human consumption could create a world of false reality, as developed in the main theme of the novel, Oryx and Crake.…
Ray Bradbury has many interesting and exhilarating stories. “August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains” was one of them. This story predicts the future and tells the readers what will happen when mankind is no longer there. What is left is just technology. It shows how people got very dependent on technology. But Nature is the strongest force out there and…
1984 by George Orwell represents the struggle of power and control within government and also depicts the possible outcome of communism or a dictatorship like it taking over the world. Orwell does this by representing the weather as a mood and tone of the novel as well as the amount of freedom the characters have. He also uses imagery such as the telescreens and signs with logos that represent oppression.…
13. What does Teiresias reveal to Oedipus as a result of the king's angry accusation? Note the emphasis on sight and blindness in the dialogue between Oedipus and Teiresias. What irony is implicit in this emphasis?…
Instead of simply standing by and further going along with the unethical treatment towards women, people began to speak up and no longer allow for the discriminatory government to keep reign. Coincidentally, Atwood’s literary appearances during this time established her writing style and craft. Although she’s from Toronto, the Women’s Liberation Movement played a potential role in Atwood’s future works, such as “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Jean-François Vernay also advocates that the historical context of the novel as a “critical feminism…of feminine resistance to patriarchy” which correlates the the movement (Vernay). Since Atwood witnessed the movement and was able to watch the progressive change from a considerably conservative to a more liberal society towards women, she channels those experiences into her literature as a way to prevent the negative aspects of a conservative perspective to infringe on women’s rights again. For example, in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” the main character, Offred, is essentially imprisoned by her government which is a parallel to how women were treated by the U.S. during Atwood’s time. Although comparing the misogynistic society in which Offred is surviving in to the U.S. during the 60’s is…
The uproars in Tita’s life are tranquilized as the novel approaches an end. On the other hand, in Oryx and Crake, Atwood does not resolve the conflicts that arise in the life of Snowman, the narrator. Atwood terminates the novel with the destruction of modern day society and the dawn of a new civilization. Moreover, she stresses on the truth that scientific progress, regardless of its benefits, engenders severe consequences that we may not be able to control. Hence, it is best for us to put a halt to the further advancement of science and technology. When I was presented with the question, “To what extent does literature make order out of chaos, and to what extent does it make chaos out of order,” my primary thought was that order and chaos went hand in hand. The authors of my two novels scrutinize human nature to exhibit the chaos that can result from it. Notably, our misinterpretation of lust for love and unrequited love demolishes all relationships in our life, giving rise to depression. Though, along with our yearning for deeper connections, we also feel a need for scientific advancements. These tendencies are often explored by authors to exhibit how human…
Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains,” includes many different literary elements to depict August fifth of 2026 and quite literally gives life to a home that continues to care for a family that no longer lives there. Putting to use some of the same strategies directors of horror movies use today, Bradbury creates a haunting cautionary tale about the power of technology.…
From this darkness sprouted what is considered the most classic example of dystopian fiction. Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by George Orwell, creates a universe out of the people's collective uncertainty. Published in 1949 but set in the year of the title, the story unfolds in the distant future (now the distant past), warning…
Foreshadowing: While a general mood of impending disaster pervades the novel, there are a few instances of explicit foreshadowing…
I think this book takes place at least 30 years in the future. Something like this is unlikely to happen now but we don’t know what the future hold for us. The world described in the book is very different, it almost seems like the government has changed or become corrupt. Things that would never occur today…
“The Year of the Flood” is an epic, sprawling novel that moves back and forth between past, present and future effortlessly. Though it is told from Ren and Toby’s point of view, the novel is really about the story of three women (Ren, Toby, and Amanda) and their will to survive in a cruel and harsh world. It is a story of hope, despite all odds and a story of the power of love.…
The value of the Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, lies not only within the author’s purpose but within its construction and the author’s ability to draw readers attention to these concepts through language. Atwood has carefully and decisively used language and structure throughout the novel to enhance our understanding of the purpose and message she is trying to portray. Atwood aims to caution us about the elements in our world that can give rise to a dystopic society and the dangers of oppression, particularly of women. Atwood challenges her audience to reflect on and consider their own societies and the ways in which people are controlled and oppressed. Her central ideas of feminism, dystopic societies and repression are reinforced through her use of historical and biblical references, non-linear structure and the intimate first person narration given by Offred. These features of language and construction aid us as readers to comprehend her purpose of the novel.…
Margaret Atwood’s novel The Handmaid’s Tale, is an eerie example of a “dystopian” novel. A dystopian novel portrays a terrifying picture of a world which makes the reader say, “what if?” Atwood wrote the novel in the 1980’s following the free-spirited, fun-loving period of the 60’s and 70’s. The plot, characters, themes, symbolism and setting of the novel display a picture of what the future world could be like if women’s rights were completely removed.…