The Handmaid's Tale Overview

In the world of the near future, who will control women's bodies?

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are only valued if their ovaries are viable.

Offred can remember the days before, when she lived and made love with her husband Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now....

Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing, The Handmaid's Tale is at once scathing satire, dire warning, and tour de force.
(From back of book)

Oryx and Crake Overview

Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. (From back of book)

Oryx and Crake Passage, Margaret Atwood, Pages 10-11

“Now I’m alone,” he says out loud. “All, all alone. Alone on a wide, wide sea.” One more scrap from the burning scrapbook in his head.

Revision: seashore

He feels the need to hear a human voice—a fully human voice like his own. Sometimes he laughs like a hyena or roars like a lion—his idea of a hyena, his idea of a lion. He used to watch old DVDs of such creatures when he was a child: those animal-behaviour programs featuring copulation and growling and innards, and mothers licking their young. Why had he found them so reassuring?

Or he grunts and squeals like a pigoon, or howls like a wolvog: Aroo! Aroo! Sometimes in the dusk he runs up and down on the sand, flinging stones at the ocean and screaming, Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! He feels better afterwards.

He stands up and raises his arms to stretch, and his sheet falls off. He looks down at his body with dismay: the grimy, bug-bitten skin, the salt-and-pepper tuffs of hair, the thickening yellow toenails. Naked as the day he was born, not that he can remember a thing about that. So may crucial events take place behind people’s backs, when they aren’t in a position to watch: birth and death for instance. And the temporary oblivion of sex.

“Don’t even think about it,” he tells himself. Sex is like drink, it’s bad to start brooding about it too early in the day.

He used to take good care of himself; he used to run, work out at the gym. Now he can see his own ribs: he’s wasting away. Not enough animal protein. A woman’s voice says caressingly in his ear, Nice buns! It isn’t Oryx, it’s some other woman. Oryx is no longer very talkative.

“Say anything,” he implores her. She can hear him, he needs to believe that, but she’s giving him the silent treatment. “What can I do?” he asks her. “You know I…”

Oh, nice abs! comes the whisper, interrupting him. Honey, just lie back. Who is it? Some tart he once bought. Revision, professional sex-skills expert. A trapeze artist, rubber spine, spangles glued onto her like the scales of a fish. He hates these echoes. Saints used to hear them, crazed lice-infested hermits in their caves and deserts. Pretty soon he’ll be seeing beautiful demons, beckoning to him, licking their lips, with red-hot nipples and flickering pink tongues. Mermaids will rise from the waves, out there beyond the crumbling towers, and he’ll hear their lovely singing and swim out to them and be eaten by the sharks. Creatures with heads and breasts of women and the talons of eagles will swoop down on him, and he’ll open his arms to them, and that will be the end. Brainfrizz.

Or worse, some girl he knows, or knew will come walking towards his through the trees, and she’ll be happy to see him but she’ll be made of air. He’d welcome even that, for the company.

He scans the horizon, using his one sunglassed eye: nothing. The sea is hot metal, the sky a bleached blue, except for the hole burnt in it by the sun. Everything is so empty. Water, sand, sky, trees, fragments of past time. Nobody to hear him.

The Handmaid's Tale Passage, Margaret Atwood, Pages 87-88

The Commander sits down and crosses his legs, watched by us. The bookmarks are in place. He opens the book. He clears his throat a little, as if embarrassed.

    “Could I have a drink of water?” he says to the air. “Please,” he adds.

    Behind me, one of them, Cora or Rita, leaves her space in the tableau and pads of towards the kitchen. The Commander sits, looking down. The Commander sighs, takes out a pair of reading glasses from his inside jacket pocket, gold rims, slips them on. Now he looks like a shoemaker in an old fairy-tale book. Is there no end to his disguises, of benevolence?

    We watch him: every inch, every flicker.

 

To be a man, watched by women. It must be entirely strange. To have them watching him all the time. To have them wondering, What’s he going to do next? To have them flinch when he moves, even if it’s a harmless enough move, to reach for an ashtray perhaps. To have them sizing him up. To have them thinking, He can’t do it, he won’t do, he’ll have to do, this last as if he were a garment, out of style or shoddy, which must nevertheless be put on because there’s nothing else available.

    To have them putting him on, trying him on, trying him out, while he himself puts them on, like a sock over a foot, onto the stub of himself, his extra, sensitive thumb, his tentacle, his delicate, stalked slug’s eye, which extrudes, expands, winces, and shrivels back into himself when touched wrongly, grows big again, bulging a little at the tip, traveling forward as if along a leaf, into them, avid for vision. To achieve vision in this way, this journey into a darkness while he himself strains blindly forward.

    She watches him from within. We’re all watching him. It’s the one thing we can really do, and it is not for nothing: if he were to falter, fail, or die, what would become of us? No wonder he’s like a boot, hard on the outside, giving shape to a pulp of tenderfoot. That’s just a wish. I’ve been watching him for some time and he’s given no evidence, of softness.

    But watch out, Commander, I tell him in my head. I’ve got my eye on you. One false move and I’m dead.

    Still, it must be hell, to be a man, like that.

    It must be just fine.

    It must be hell.

    It must be very silent.

 

The water appears, the Commander drinks it. “Thank you,” he  says. Cora rustles back into place.

    The Commander pauses, looking down, scanning the page. He takes his time, as if unconscious of us. He’s like a man toying with a steak, behind a restaurant window, pretending not to see the eyes watching him from hungry darkness not three feet from his elbow. We lean towards him a little, iron fillings to his magnet. He has something we don’t have, he had the word. How we squandered it, once.

Close Reading Prose Essays

An In-Depth Look at Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake

            Margaret Atwood writes of a future in which the world’s general population was wiped out by a plague. She writes of a world in which the survival of any humans is unknown—with the exception of one man: Snowman. Throughout Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood uses repetition, dashes and metaphors to demonstrate the devastating effects of isolation as well as the dangers of the world. The repetition serves to create a sense of overwhelming isolation; a sense of inescapable isolation. The dashes allow for glimpses into the previous condition of the world and work as commentary on Snowman’s part in order to emphasize his isolation, but also to introduce some of the dangers the world holds. And the metaphors are incorporated to explain that each entity possess good and evil, but because of the presence of evil, each aspect of life should be approached with caution—as the world is dangerous.

Here, Atwood uses the repetition of the word “alone” several times in close proximity to one another—as he says, “Now I’m alone…all, all alone”  in order to convey an overwhelming sense of loneliness for the main character, Snowman (Atwood 10). This leads to the conclusion that some disaster has occurred which, consequently, wiped out the rest of the human population. The repetition is used to allow the idea to really sink in that Snowman is truly alone as a human. This isolation becomes a main theme throughout the rest of the novel in what is necessary to survive—mentally and physically—in such an isolation.

      The dashes which Atwood uses like “hear a human voice—a fully human voice” are designed to qualify the preceding statement, but also serve as insights into the world before the aftermath (Atwood 10). The implication here is that there are some who are not completely human—again signifying the idea of experimentation, which is a current cultural debate. Invented words and species such as “pigoon” and “wolvog” also work to further the discussion about genetic experiments (Atwood 10). The dashes can also represent his internal thoughts, though they still include information about Snowman’s past.

      By incorporating Snowman’s screaming by the sea, Atwood furthers the idea of isolation and the toll it can take. As he has no one else to talk to, he must talk to the land. As life is so full of misery and “dismay” he must express his frustration by shouting (Atwood 10). And only by using foul language is he able to make the situation feel any better—which speaks to the emotional toll isolation takes on an individual.

      The metaphors about the “beautiful demons” and the mermaids also shows the emotions of Snowman when he is remembering his past (Atwood 11). The memories, at first, seem pleasant and beautiful, but then they bring back the misery of loss and end up swallowing him in sadness. The incorporation of this metaphor also introduces the idea that each entity can possess good and evil traits. That those people or creatures, even activities, which may at first, illicit pleasure or a sense of good, may prove to be harmful and should be avoided. This is a lesson Snowman is forced to learn in order to survive—and it is one needed by every individual.

     This passage demonstrates Atwood’s ability to turn simple words and structures into more meaningful and profound ideas about the complexity of humanity. The two ideas of isolation and worldly dangers work together to further Atwood’s discussion of humanity, as in order to escape some of the dangers, isolation is necessary, but isolation, itself, has both good and bad sides. Through her use of repetition, dashes, and metaphors, Atwood explores the complexity of man and how the dangers of the world and isolation from the rest of humanity can have a devastating effect, though can mean the difference between failure and survival.

An In-Depth Look at Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

            Margaret Atwood writes about a future dystopian society called the Republic of Gilead in her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. In her book, she uses strategically placed short sentences, detailed diction, and the use of internal thought in order to examine the value of women in society as well as explore the hypocrisy and complexity of authority. The short sentences allow for Atwood to clearly express an important message and the diction often comes with a negative connotation to reveal the unhappiness faced in society. The internal thought explores the idea of rebellion on the inside versus conformity on the outside. And each of these elements of Atwood’s writing build up the questions about life, authority, and the purpose of women.

            Atwood is able to communicate her extremely complex ideas about society through the use of short and simple phrases. Through her strategic placement of these sentences, she is able to signify important themes of her novel—while maintaining subtlety. When she incorporates the three short sentences, “It must be just fine. It must be hell. It must be very silent.” she is able to portray the themes that will later be explored in detail, in just a few short words (Atwood 88). The concepts of Hell and silence play an important role in all of the events which follow the introduction of Offred and her place in the dystopian society: The Republic of Gilead. The significance of these themes is indicated and furthered through Atwood’s use of the repetition in each of these sentences. This creates a lasting impression as well as shows that, though Offred is not permitted to speak, she is still able to think for herself.

That introduces another concept: the value of women in society. This is discussed in great detail through the use of internal thought—which also shows the internal rebellion that is growing in Offred even as her exterior remains unchanged. Offred reflects on the order of society and while she asks this question, her internal questioning of society becomes evident. Atwood says, “To be a man, watched by women” which shows both the significance of men, and the inferiority of women (Atwood 87). While one man is watched by several women, and as he is watched at all, the women are the ones who watch the men, and they “flinch” at any movement of them (Atwood 87). This also demonstrates the idea of women’s fear of men and oppression by authority—all in a few simple words by Atwood. And all key concepts in her novel.

            The detailed diction also works to create a negative view of authority as well as the hypocrisy and irony in life. The irony of the statement that the “Commander sits, looking down”, which juxtaposes a man with a high rank and an act of inferiority, furthers the questioning of authority, but is also furthered by the negative diction which is used to describe different aspects of authority throughout Atwood’s novel (Atwood 87). One strong instance of this diction is when Atwood describes the reproductive organs of the authority in Offred’s home as a “tentacle” (Atwood 88). As the connotations of the word “tentacle” bring images of danger and oppression—as octopi use their tentacles to help suffocate their prey—the negative portrayal of authority in Atwood’s novel becomes inescapably clear (Atwood 88). This negative diction in regards to authority continues throughout the book and bring into question the proper role of authority in society.

            Atwood uses a variety of intelligent writing techniques in order to reveal the messages within her writing and it is through her use of simple sentences, fitting diction, and internal thoughts that she is able to bring into question the purpose of authority and of life itself—in both Offred’s life as a woman in the new world and on a more universal scale in the present.

William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 50"

Sonnet 50: How heavy do I journey on the way by William Shakespeare

How heavy do I journey on the way,
When what I seek, my weary travel's end,
Doth teach that case and that repose to say,
"Thus far the miles are measured from thy friend!"
The beast that bears me, tired with my woe,
Plods dully on, to bear that weight in me,
As if by some instinct the wretch did know
His rider loved not speed being made from thee.
The bloody spur cannot provoke him on
That sometimes anger thrusts into his hide,
Which heavily he answers with a groan,
More sharp to me than spurring to his side;
For that same groan doth put this in my mind:
My grief lies onward and my joy behind.

John Clare's "What is Life?"

What Is Life? by John Clare

And what is Life? An hour-glass on the run,
A mist retreating from the morning sun,
A busy, bustling, still-repeated dream.
Its length? A minute's pause, a moment's thought.
And Happiness? A bubble on the stream,
That in the act of seizing shrinks to nought.

And what is Hope? The puffing gale of morn,
That of its charms divests the dewy lawn,
And robs each flow'ret of its gem—and dies;
A cobweb, hiding disappointment's thorn,
Which stings more keenly through the thin disguise.

And what is Death? Is still the cause unfound?
That dark mysterious name of horrid sound?
A long and lingering sleep the weary crave.
And Peace? Where can its happiness abound?
Nowhere at all, save heaven and the grave.

Then what is Life? When stripped of its disguise,
A thing to be desired it cannot be;
Since everything that meets our foolish eyes
Gives proof sufficient of its vanity.
'Tis but a trial all must undergo,
To teach unthankful mortals how to prize
That happiness vain man's denied to know,
Until he's called to claim it in the skies.

Close Reading Poetry Essays

William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 50: How heavy do I journey on the way” vs. Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake

            Throughout William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 50: How heavy do I journey on the way”, he employs diction that has negative connotations, enjambment, and synesthesia all to emphasis the grief and hardship that accompanies isolation. Shakespeare’s negative diction portrays a sense of overwhelming exhaustion and weariness while the enjambment of different words emphasizes the man’s struggle and the synesthesia works to depict the reaching effect that grief can have.

            The weariness brought on the journeyman is made clear through the tired diction in the sonnet. The words “heavy” and “groan” are used multiple times in these fourteen lines which show that the journeyman has some sort of burden he must bear, some weariness or misery he cannot overcome (“Sonnet 50”). When it is said that “what I seek, me weary travel’s end”, it becomes clear that the source of his misery is in fact the isolation caused by his journey (“Sonnet 50”). But the most importance appearance of negative diction in this sonnet occurs in the couplet at the end. When Shakespeare writes, “my grief lies onward”, he erases any doubt that the traveler might end his isolation (“Sonnet 50”). He confirms that only grief awaits him.

            This grief is, in part, due to the physical struggles along the journey itself—which are made harder still by the emotional weariness from isolation. Shakespeare demonstrates these struggles through his use of enjammed lines. While the enjambment helps to quicken the pace of the second and third quatrains, the lethargic and weary diction creates an ironic effect and emphasizes the struggle of the traveler. Although he may try, he “cannot provoke” haste (“Sonnet 50”).  When he “thrusts into [the animal’s] hide” which would normally encourage speed, he is answered with a heavy groan instead (“Sonnet 50”). All efforts to escape his isolation are failing and his misery just increases.

            One line truly embodies this grief and represents the reaching effects of the grief of isolation. In order to create such a strong effect, Shakespeare used synesthesia. By employing such a device, the implication is that the effects of grief spread across all the senses and completely overwhelm a person. As here the traveler tries to end his isolation by moving forward on his beast, but “heavily he answers with a groan” and it is the weight of this desperate sound which is the most convincing line of the burden of his grief (“Sonnet 50”). It truly represents the hardship of isolation.

            It is that same message which Shakespeare so cleverly develops in just fourteen lines that Margaret Atwood’s novel embodies. In William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 50”, the language works to create a tale of overwhelming exhaustion and isolation from others. This is similar to the isolation and the weariness that can be found in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. In “Sonnet 50”, all of the diction has a negative connotation which depicts exhaustion and hardship as the themes of the sonnet. As the words “wretch” and “woe” appear in lines 5 and 7 of this poem, similar diction also continuously appears in Oryx and Crake (“Sonnet 50”). In the novel, the main character, Snowman, uses phrases such as “everything is so empty” and that things are only “fragments of the past” to express the sadness in his life (Atwood 11). By using comparable diction, both poems are able to convey a sense of longing and emptiness in the journey that each is going on. The journey itself is another shared aspect between the two texts as Snowman ventures out to the remnants of the cities—alone—as this traveler also journeys unaccompanied. Shakespeare’s traveler seeks his “weary travel’s end” without anyone to seek comfort in, just as Snowman hopes to find new resources for survival with “nobody to hear him” (“Sonnet 50”, Atwood 11).

 

John Clare’s “What is Life?” vs. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale

            Throughout John Clare’s “What is Life?”, he employs rhetorical questions and strong metaphors to convey his themes about the pointlessness of life and the absence of hope. Clare uses rhetorical questions to introduce new aspects of his subject as well as emphasize each discussion point. He incorporates metaphors to paint a picture of life’s hypocrisy and the fading nature of hope.

            In using rhetorical questions, Clare is able to emphasize his purpose of questioning the purpose of life. In fact, the first rhetorical question that is asked is “what is Life?”, which serves as an introduction to the questioning nature of this poem and gets his point across that the purpose of life is in question (“What is Life?”). Another appearance of a rhetorical question is “what is Hope?” where the subject matter changes, yet the same sort of discussion is had; is there true hope (“What is Life?”)? Or is it just a fleeting emotion? Though Clare maintains that it is merely “cobweb, hiding disappointment’s thorn”, without the rhetorical question, the metaphor would not be as effective (“What is Life?”).  The use of the rhetorical questions throughout the poem serves to strengthen the metaphors, and therefore, emphasize the discussion of the purpose of life and the role of hope.

            The metaphors in Clare’s poem paint a picture of the negativity and insignificance of life in order to emphasize the lack of purpose and the absence of hope which accompany those ideas. When Clare says, “A mist retreating from the morning sun” while talking about what life is, the metaphor implies that the purpose of life disappears over time (“What is Life?”). This speaks directly to the purpose of Clare’s poem of calling life’s purpose into question. Clare calls happiness “a bubble on the stream” and if happiness should be so rare, what is the point of life (“What is Life?”)? This metaphor sets up the latter question perfectly and furthers Clare’s purpose in writing this poem. As Hope is referred to as “The puffing gale of morn” which “dies” shortly after, the author implies that hope is fleeting and can actually be harmful (“What is Life?”). Overall, the metaphors work to imply a negative view on the purpose of life, and coupled with the elements of hypocrisy and vanity, demonstrate emptiness in life. A lack of purpose.

In both texts, the meaning of life is discussed in detail. In The Handmaid’s Tale, the main character, who has lost her given name for one assigned to her in her new life, had to rediscover herself throughout the journey. While her status in society demands that she be kept only for child-bearing purposes in the new world order, she begins to question her true purpose in life. She ends up going from a life of numbness to one which, though against the orders of authority, bring greater purpose and meaning to her life. She eventually realizes the vanity of the society she is part of and the hypocrisy of all those around her (Atwood). This same idea can be found in “What is Life” as the title itself brings into question life and its purpose. The poem also implies the hypocrisy of many aspects of life as it claims that “when stripped of its disguise”, life is not as good as it is thought to be (“What is Life?”). The poem also discusses the vanity of those around as there is “proof sufficient of its vanity” in the “foolish eyes” of the people (“What is Life?”). There are very few escapes from this hypocrisy and vanity. While purpose is discovered in The Handmaid’s Tale giving the main character her escape from the corrupt authority, none is found in the poem by John Clare and death is found to be the only escape.

            Another similar aspect is the discussion of hope within the both John Clare’s “What is Life?” and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. While the poem asks: “what is Hope?”, the novel explores the necessity of hope. In the book, the main character remains numb in her life until she discovers hope and hope becomes her salvation. It turns from a small gale of the morning and turns into a grasp on the future. In the poem however, the Hope goes from a “gale of morn” to something which dies before it has had the chance to do good (“What is Life?”). Though this contrast exists between the two, the fact that the discussion of hope is contained in both texts is a strong thematic connection, especially when discussed at the same time as the purpose of life and vanity.

Sonnet 50 Multiple Choice Questions

Questions from the Poetry Passage: “Sonnet 50” by William Shakespeare

1.      The abundance of negative diction throughout Shakespeare’s sonnet—such as “heavy” and “weary” (lines 1-2) has the primary effect of:

a.       Explaining that the traveler has a heavy load

b.      Showing that the speaker does not like travel

c.       Creating an ironic effect when compared to the ease of the speaker’s task

d.      Demonstrating the overwhelming exhaustion the speaker feels due to his isolation

e.       Clarifying the speaker’s opinion of the beast he is riding and explaining his discomfort due to the animal’s plodding

2.      The enjammed lines in Quatrains 2 and 3 create what effect?

a.       An ironic effect; as the increased speed the enjammed lines create contrasts with the inability of the speaker to make any real progress on his journey

b.      An ironic effect; as the pleasantness of the rhyming contrasts with the unhappy word choice and depressing subject matter

c.       A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines which illustrates that he speaker has made progress on his journey

d.      A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines to emphasize the speaker’s shift from a lack of emotion to an emotional outpouring

e.       The enjammed lines have no real effect, they are added merely because the thought could not be fit on a single line.

3.      Line 11 contains which of the following literary devices?

a.       Imagery

b.      Personification

c.       Metaphor

d.      Alliteration

e.       Synesthesia

4.      Which device in the rhyming couplet has the most profound effect on the meaning of the text?

a.       Personification of grief and joy

b.      Juxtaposition of grief and joy

c.       Juxtaposition of onward and behind

d.      Personification of groan

e.       There is not a device used to make the couplet more effective

5.      What is the main subject of the poem?

a.       The grief that follows death

b.      The incompetence of beasts

c.       The misery of isolation

d.      The never-ending nature of journeys

e.       The burden of responsibility

Sonnet 50 Multiple Choice Explanations

Questions from the Poetry Passage: “Sonnet 50” by William Shakespeare

1.      The abundance of negative diction throughout Shakespeare’s sonnet—such as “heavy” and “weary” (lines 1-2) has the primary effect of:

a.       Explaining that the traveler has a heavy load is not the correct answer as these adjectives do not apply to objects that the speaker is actually carrying, but rather to the speaker’s feelings about his travels.

b.      Showing that the speaker does not like travel is not the correct answer because although the struggles of the speaker’s travels are made clear, these words refer more to the speaker’s emotional journey than his physical one.

c.       Creating an ironic effect when compared to the ease of the speaker’s task is not the correct answer as there is no evidence that the task is easy. All the diction implies hardship and burdens.

d.      Demonstrating the overwhelming exhaustion the speaker feels due to his isolation is the correct answer as each of these words creates a feeling of exhaustion and coincide with the statement that the speaker is miles away from their friend, his only companion being the beast he rides on.

e.       Clarifying the speaker’s opinion of the beast he is riding and explaining his discomfort due to the animal’s plodding is not the correct answer as the negative diction is applied toward aspects of the journey other than just the beast.

2.      The enjammed lines in Quatrains 2 and 3 create what effect?

a.       An ironic effect; as the increased speed the enjammed lines create contrasts with the inability of the speaker to make any real progress on his journey is the correct answer as enjammed lines generally increase the pace of the poem and the speaker is making minimal progress, as seen by the slow and burdensome diction.

b.      An ironic effect; as the pleasantness of the rhyming contrasts with the unhappy word choice and depressing subject matter is not the correct answer as the rhyme scheme is present throughout the poem and is not specific to enjammed lines only.

c.       A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines which illustrates that he speaker has made progress on his journey is not the correct answer as no real progress is seen on the speaker’s journey, instead, nothing can provoke speed in the beast that is carrying the speaker

d.      A juxtaposition with the end-stopped lines to emphasize the speaker’s shift from a lack of emotion to an emotional outpouring is not the correct answer as no tone shift occurs on the part of the speaker and there is no change in the emotion shown by the speaker.

e.       The enjammed lines have no real effect; they are added merely because the thought could not be fit on a single line is not the correct answer as the enjammed lines do increase the pace in this poem.

3.      Line 11 contains which of the following literary devices?

a.       Imagery is not the correct answer as no description is present in this line.

b.      Personification is not the correct answer as no human characteristics are given to the beast in this line.

c.       Metaphor is not the correct answer as no comparison is made in this line.

d.      Alliteration is not the correct answer as several words starting with the same sound are not present in this line.

e.       Synesthesia is the correct answer because there is a mixing of sound and touch with the audible groan and the sense of heaviness.

4.      Which device in the rhyming couplet has the most profound effect on the meaning of the text?

a.       Personification of grief and joy is not the correct answer as neither emotion is personified in the couplet.

b.      Juxtaposition of grief and joy is the correct answer because the juxtaposition emphasizes their separation and their inability to be reconciled.

c.       Juxtaposition of onward and behind is not the correct answer as the most profound effect is the juxtaposition of the emotions rather than onward and behind.

d.      Personification of groan is not the correct answer as the groan is given no human characteristics in the couplet.

e.       There is not a device used to make the couplet more effective is not the correct answer as juxtaposition is used.

5.      What is the main subject of the poem?

a.       The grief that follows death is not the correct answer as death is not discussed in the poem even though grief is a primary concept.

b.      The incompetence of beasts is not the correct answer as although the ineffectiveness adds to the burdens of the speaker’s journey, the beast is not the most discussed topic in the poem.

c.       The misery of isolation is the correct answer as the negative diction portrays misery throughout the poem and the concept of isolation is made clear as the speaker is miles from his friend.

d.      The never-ending nature of journeys is not the correct answer as while the speaker’s journey is a prominent subject in the poem, the focus is more on the isolation of a journey than the continuous nature of one.

e.       The burden of responsibility is not the correct answer because while the concepts of burdens and hardships are present, there is no discussion of responsibility in the poem.

Oryx and Crake Multiple Choice Questions

Questions from the Oryx and Crake Passage (Pages 87-88) by Margaret Atwood

1.      The primary effect that the repetition of the word “alone” creates in the following lines: “Now I’m alone…all, all alone. Alone on a wide, wide sea” (lines 1-2) is:

a.       To portray a tone of nostalgia

b.      To demonstrate the speaker’s limited vocabulary

c.       To set up the metaphor of the “wide, wide sea”

d.      To emphasize the isolation of the speaker

e.       To create a mood of relief

2.      What is the implication of the statement: “He feels the need to hear a human voice—a fully human voice” (lines 5-6)?

a.       The speaker cannot hear; he is deaf

b.      The surrounding noise is so loud that no human voices can be heard

c.       The speaker is somehow cut off from any other humans

d.      That those without the ability to express themselves are not fully human

e.       The speaker is not worthy to speak to other humans

3.      The italicized dialogue in lines (40-41) “Oh, nice abs!... Honey, just lie back” is acts as which of the following literary devices?

a.       Metaphor

b.      Synesthesia

c.       Simile

d.      Personification

e.       Flashback

4.      The imagery in lines 46-54 serves primarily to:

a.       Describe what the speaker sees on the ocean

b.      Show that something which seems harmless may prove to be quite dangerous

c.       Explain the legends of mermaids

d.      Demonstrate the vividness of the speaker’s illusions because of too much exposure to sunlight

e.       Show the importance of this memory as the speaker can recall every detail so clearly

5.      The quote “The sea is hot metal” (line 62) is an example of:

a.       Alliteration

b.      Apostrophe

c.       Flashback

d.      Internal thought

e.       Metaphor