The Outsider in Virginia Woolfs A Room of Ones Own Essay -- Virginia

The Outsider in Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own In A Room of One's Own Virginia Woolf writes: "I had no wish to enter had I the right, and this time the verger might have stopped me, demanding perhaps my baptismal certificate, or a letter if introduction from the dean"(8). This particular line jumps out at me for several reasons. First off, I find it rather humorous. I was rather surprised by this remark as well. I did not think that I would be reading anything that would make me laugh even the slightest bit. Despite this, Woolf is angry after being refused entrance to the university library, and she shows it with this bit of wit and sarcasm. She does not think that it is fair or proper to keep women out of such places. I am also willing to bet that this is not the first time that she has ever been asked to leave a place solely because she is a woman. In this respect she is an outsider in two ways: she is not a member of the university, and she is a woman. This frustrates her greatly, but she does not just explode in her writing. She makes little comments here and there tha...

Handmaids Tale Essay

Michael Ilcyn The experience of living in the world of Gillead with all its restrictions and procedures on love and family upbringing already brings about reconstruction on the society we live and know today. Throughout the story, however, old traditions are secretly brought back, further reconstructing this world in order for it to last. In Chapters 23-26, we start to see how the roles of men and women are continuing to be reconstructed, as rules are broken between Serena, Offred, Nick and the Commander.In Gillead, handmaids are brought to each household where a woman is incapable of conceiving a child. The family goes through a ritual where bible passages are read, and the handmaid has relations with the man of the house while the wife stands behind her, holding her hands as a symbol of unity. Relations between the husband and the handmaid are impersonal and intended only for procreation, as passion has become a thing of the past.Offred, however, has not yet become pregnant through out these rituals, and something must be done to move the process along. In Chapter 23 we read about Offred’s secret meetings with the commander in his study, where they talk, read books and magazines, and play scrabble (something forbidden as women are outlawed from reading). Things between the Commander and Offred start to get more impersonal as the Commander asks Offred to â€Å"Kiss him like she means it† at the end of one of their meetings.This brings us to Offred and the Commander’s first indication of reconstruction in bringing about familiarity toward their â€Å"business-like† relationship. Each month, the handmaids are to go to the doctors for health examinations to make sure that they are prepared if they were to get pregnant. During one such visit, the doctor comments to Offred that the Commander may be inadequate for consummating. While against the rules, the doctor offers to have relations with Offred and cast the baby off to Serena and the Commander.Offred refuses as this seems to be yet another small example of reconstruction in bending of the rules in order to bring about expected results. We find out that Offred is not the only person that the doctor has offered service to. We also see this as the commander introduces Offred to his friend Nick. Offred also starts meeting with Nick and connecting with him. Serena, the Commander’s wife, also realizes that the Commander could be at fault for the inability to become pregnant. Serena suggests that Offred tries Nick and to pass the baby off.Offred’s relationships with each of these men start to resemble more of a courting relationship, as more secrets are kept about the meetings themselves and what goes on. Offred’s relationship with Serena is also risky as any false move can put her into trouble with government. While there are many examples of reconstruction throughout the story â€Å"A Handmaids Tale†, the roles of men and women and how the y change throughout the book seem to be the most apparent. As a result, it shows us how an overly controlled world only leads to destruction in the end.

The Major Characteristics Of A Culture - 1390 Words

China has the oldest, continuous, civilization in the world that dates more than four thousand years of existence, and has passed its culture through generations. Culture is a â€Å"dynamic social system,† containing the values, beliefs, behaviors, and norms of a â€Å"specific group, organization, or society†. (FM 3-24 COUNTERINSURGENCY, 2016). The five major characteristics that define a culture are learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated, and dynamic. The first is a characteristic in which the process of learning about one’s culture from childhood. Because we share our cultures with other people we are able to comprehend each other’s and predict how others will act. Symbols are things distinctive to the culture and can be anything from currency to landmarks. Integrated is being able to learn all parts of a culture to truly understand it. Dynamic is simply different cultures interacting so they can exchange ideas and symbols. Physical Geography and Weather Analysis China consist mostly of East Asian landmass, and it contains over 22,000 km (13,670 mi) bordering with 14 other countries. It is the fourth largest country in landmass with 9,596,690 sq km (3,705,303 sq mi). Almost 70% of the country is covered by mountains, hills, or plateaus. Most of the agricultural of China is located in eastern and southern part of the country. China is divided into 23 provinces, 4 municipalities, 2 Special Administrative Regions. China can also be divided into 8 differentShow MoreRelatedMajor Characteristics Of A Philippine Culture1031 Words   |  5 PagesPhilippine Cultural Awareness Culture is the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that is learned through a process of socialization. These shared patterns, identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group. 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