How does Atwood’s use of metaphor in ‘This is a Photograph of Me’ portray her feminist perspective?
In ‘This is a Photograph of Me’, Margaret Atwood utilises natural imagery in the photograph to symbolise the dominance of men over women in an oppressive patriarchy. Atwood challenges and satirises societies ‘fixed concepts’ of women and reinforces to the reader the diversity of women in society. Inspiringly, Atwood brings the reader to discover the truthful depiction of the female identity and the true essence of feminism.
To contradict the narrow-minded image of literature’s representation of women, Atwood utilises the motif of a photograph to portray the theme of female oppression. Atwood uses irony to juxtapose the concords of the speaker’s appearance and the reality revealed in the photograph. Rather than disclosing the speaker's identity, the photograph obscures the depiction of the
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Thus Atwood satirises typical representations of women in literature through the lack of vivid imagery to describe the (female) speaker. The suggestive title provides multiple interpretations on Atwood’s intentional message. The speaker draws attention to the photograph, and the significant claim of the speaker’s presence in the image verges on the fact that the speaker's true identity can be found in the photograph and the unreal self in reality. “At first it seems to be/a smeared/print: blurred lines and grey flecks/blended with the paper; then, as you scan it”, Atwood uses the intransitive verb “scan” to evoke the idea that the female speaker was graphically analysed by others, reflective of how women in society are subject to graphic analysis and evaluation by others (for example, revealing ‘too much skin’ labels a woman as promiscuous however ‘covering skin’ labels a woman as repressed, conservative or a prude). The “blurred lines” are representative of patriarchy’s inability to truly identify
Atwood uses the rhetoric device of dirimens copulatio in the extract “what are novels anyway? Only a very foolish person would attempt to give a definite answer to that”, this hints at self-deprecation and creates a sense of humility and textual integrity as she accept s this flaw in her argument so to appear unbiased. Atwood argues that the depiction of women in literature ironically prevents women’s advancement, similarly Aung San Suu Kyo argues that the depiction of women in their traditional roles of carers and nurturers has prevented their advancement in politics. Atwood employs polyvocality to shift from complex arguments to the seemingly simplistic anecdote of the eternal breakfast. Her literary knowledge and wit allows her to embody her message and complex ideas to convey that she as a woman is complex. The speeches timelessness and treatment of universal concerns through the construction of rhetoric support her argument and captivate the attention of past and present audiences.
In The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood explores the role that women play in society and the consequences of a countryís value system. She reveals that values held in the United States are a threat to the livelihood and status of women. As one critic writes, “the author has concluded that present social trends are dangerous to individual welfare” (Prescott 151).
The author, Margaret Atwood demonstrates the theme that in a violent isolated world, feminism is despised by the offended society, the inhuman treatment that women received may lead to physical and psychological perils; conversely, one’s firm belief could embody hope and reveal a precise future. Atwood uses irony to impart the theme. Significantly, the protagonist Offred feels she increasingly losing control of her body as “ an instrument, of pleasure” (Atwood 84). But the infinite emptiness inside her can never swap out the
The women she sees within the paper are a projection of her own experiences of confinement, as it symbolizes all women in the early Victorian Era.
American Literature has always been about men and for men. In this essay, we are going to analyze the women’s role in the book, as inferior and weaker gender.
Feminist ideas are used throughout this story in both explicit and implicit ways to help describe the gender roles placed upon females in the 1950s. “That figure was a garish blond showgirl, a Hollywood ‘sexpot’ of no interest to intellectuals”. (Page 79) The author explicitly includes the
Although this illustration has no reference to the novel, it is the picture that I chose to use, depicting the woman and her way of getting what she wants. As the audience, I have control over what I am reading and can express myself in any way that I would like, without having to worry about what society thinks of my views and opinions.
The women of the story are not treated with the respect, which reflects their social standings. The first image of the women that the reader gets is a typical housewife. They are imaged as “wearing faded house dresses and
Also birth rates and sex are satirised in her novel with the same tactical precision as in the earlier satires. Margaret Atwood uses an indirect style comparable to an allegory to highlight important issues. “I am alive, I live, I breathe, I put my hand out, unfolded, into the sunlight. Where I am is not a prison but a privilege.”
The main introductory label in “Feminism and Media” features an incredibly small amount of text compared to the other room labels. It also does not attempt to show a variety of views about feminist art, and those it does express focus solely on personal appearance. The lack of complexity in this label should be thought about critically because, when analysed, all texts reveal an implicit bias, representing the institutional view (Brand, 2006). In this case, the text ignores the full meanings and variety of feminist art. In regard to the displayed art itself, most of it is photography, such as the work of Cindy Sherman and Valie Export. Both of these artists deal with issues of female appearance in the media. Cindy Sherman is famous for her series of photographs depicting herself as various overtly feminine movie stars, but in this role she has rejected this idealized beauty and instead places her body in an exaggerated, masculine, pose and grimaces; her face appearing dirty with her makeup (Tate, Sherman). Valie Export’s work develops upon a similar theme; she places her body in a masculine pose to juxtapose with her overtly feminine makeup and hairdo to critique the expectations of gender and appearance (Tate, Export).
The Portrayal of the Plight of Women by the Author, In Their Particular Period of Time
As you begin Beauty (Re) discovers the Male Body your read of author Susan Bordo spilling her morning coffee over a shockingly sexual advisement of a nude man. Initially, I rolled my eyes and settled in assuming, I was going to read about the tragedy of how men are now being objectified and exposed in adverting like women. As I flip through the pages looking at the scantily clad images I’m not really shocked; this essay was written fifteen years ago; I see these kinds of images going to the mall. What was shocking, however, was how Bordo a published, woman philosopher born in 1947 wrote about these images. I felt myself blush as I read “it seems slightly erect, or perhaps that’s his nonerect size, either way, there’s a substantial presence
First of all, Margaret Atwood begins section two of her essay with a allusive comparison between the female body and a doll. She does so by saying, “The basic Female Body comes with the following accessories” (Atwood, 216). She then goes on to list many accessories, such as spike heels, fishnet stockings, feather boas, and much more. These are all things that appeal to the expectation
The women’s movement was therefore concerned with books and literature that influence our perception and attitudes toward women. The portrayal of women in literature, then, indicated to what society expected and acceptable for a woman. In fact, a woman’s position in society was determined by her choice of husband which in turn decided her future aspiration. Thus, the aim of feminist criticism in the 1970s was to expose societal patriarchy, in an effort to eliminate the cultural 'mind-set' in members of society perpetuated sexual inequality. Significant attention was given to books authored by male writers in which prominent images of women were
Margaret Atwood writes in a vivid, witty and often sharply discomfiting style in all of her literary works. To call her a feminist author is in a way selling her short as her work, while often centered on issues of gender, has also focused on Canadian national identity, Canada's relations with the United States and Europe, human rights issues, environmental issues, and the Canadian wilderness. The poem that I chose to analyze is a very short poem consisting of only four lines titled "You Fit Into Me." It was originally published in Margaret Atwood's anthology Power Politics, but the book I read it in is called, To Hell With Love, which is a collection of poems dealing with heartache and healing after a